Acrostic Poems, Capacity and Weight

Last week I was flying solo in our classroom with the help of an aid. It was kind of nice. Don't get me wrong I love working with my co-teacher, she's awesome but it was nice to know "I've still got it!" We had a shortened week with school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We published our 5 W poems and they are now up on display. This week is a full week again. Yesterday was a fun day we made gallon men in math and tested how many macaroni noodles could fit in different sized cylinders. In social studies, we went on a walk around Kirkland to look at different businesses. The students had to decide if they provided a good or service and if so what. They got a little confused at the library though. They then had to pick one out of the 11 we visited and will have to make a page about that business for our Kirkland Directory we're making. Last but not least, we also created our very own acrostic poems. First the students made one about spring and then they had to create one using their names. Some of the poems were quite clever!

Today we started to practice weighing items. We started using a food scale and a spring scale with a sandwich baggie to try to find out how many pennies equal an ounce. We found out it's between 11 and 13 depending on the scale. The students seemed to really like this.

ITBS Testing Continues

So the ITBS testing is still going on. We are almost done! Tomorrow will be our last day. I felt bad for the kiddos today though because this morning we had 2 portions and then we have to do the computation portion this afternoon. My students have been doing pretty well behaviorally and I'm pretty proud of them. This is their first standardized test. Yesterday we took the kids on a picnic to David E. Brink park just down the street from our school. It was a nice lunch break away from the test. We did have a little visitor who bravely came very close to our table cloth!I thought the little duck was going to attack me for my sandwich, because she got so close. T

My students also discovered that they could roll down the hill at the park and this preceded to entertain them for about ten minutes. Ahhh the power of self entertainment.

Standardized Testing

Today was our first day of ITBS testing in the first grade. I arrived extra early to make sure all the students had two new sharped #2 pencils on their desks. This was my students' first time taking a standardized test. I could feel their jitters in the air when they first walked in. I am curious to see the results when they come back.

I think giving the standardized test and seeing how they are doing as I walk around is perhaps the hardest part. I want to scream yell, "We learned that! They are just asking you that in a different way than I do!" We did the first math portion and the language portion today. Overall the kids did really well and I am proud of them. They were most excited about having 3 snacks today. It also probably helped that the 3rd snack was provided by someone else's parent. Tomorrow is day 2 of THE TEST! I