Setting up our Classroom Community

Establishing rules in the classroom is very important. The process included many steps. We started with a chart titled: In first grade we... We added post-its to it when we thought of something that we do in first grade. Then, we grouped the post-its based on things that were the same. We came up with four groups: cleaning up, being quiet when supposed to, caring and kindness, and keep trying. Next, we looked at our school rules to see how they compared to what we had so far. We decided to use the same words because our groups fit into those groups! You can see our process on the chart paper and the finished rules written neatly with our hands pledging to follow them.

The students felt very strongly about including the "keep trying" group, but we decided that those things are not necessarily rules. That's why they are listed below the rules as things we will also do in the classroom and school.

Here are some photos of MORE work we did during the week. We practiced our new rules and kept trying for each of these activities!

Busy first week!

Phew....we made it through the heat and then the rain and chilly Friday! We are off to a great start in first grade!

Here are some things we talked about this week to help get our classroom community set up:

Guided Discoveries of some of our school tools - crayons, markers, pencils, and colored pencils. Through guided discovery of each tool, we talk about what to do with it and how to take care of it in the classroom. After doing this, the students used each tool however they wanted, keeping in mind what we talked about. Then, we used the tools for different activities such as a heart in hand poem paper after reading The Kissing Hand, making designs on name tags, and writing and illustrating about a topic of their choice.

The new Skillin School Voice Level Chart is also helpful in learning how to regulate our voice levels at various times of the day. We discussed and practiced levels 0, 1, 2, and 3...not 4 since that is an outside voice! Hallway walking and quiet time are level 0. Snack and work time at tables are 2, 1, or 0.  

We have read soooooooo many books this week! Many of the books are teaching us about doing our best, making mistakes is okay, and perseverance. These books and our discussions helped talking about things we are good at already and with setting goals (hopes and dreams) for the year.

Here are some of the books we read:

 

 

 

 Looking forward to another awesome week!