Change, It’s Not Strange…

Change, It’s Not Strange.
Change….a song in memory of a little girl who loved her art, and my class too!
She planned to be an artist.
Bound to earth in wheelchair……held to life by her joy in being alive.
My 1st grade is learning this song as it has done for many, many years now in conjunction with our [...]

“He’s Singing Our Song”

Friday Dr. Puglisi began his weekly visits to initiate PE activities, songs, science and the project “Exploring Space and Time.” We learned a bunch of songs he WROTE!
The first song we learned was called “Days of the Week”
The words go like this:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saaaatuuurday…
The week have seven, not eleven, we can [...]

Said “Raven”

My class began November with a focus on themes like Being thankful, our “past”, America’s beginnings, our 1st people, immigrant arrivals, the unfolding of our nation.
In our U Pick It time, a box of books used for teacher shared reading, we sit in a circle and children each have a turn choosing from books [...]

Alphabetically Speaking…..You’re OK

Before we went home today 1st grade had an ABC activity

They really enjoyed it immensely.

Tomorrow they’ll do another version.

And read for me their ABC strips on the morrow so we can “check” them. Some aren’t quite done yet.

I’d seen a big bag of letters at Lakeshore and thought….hummm.

So each child picked a buddy. The rules [...]

Oh….those ABC’s ( links we will be using in centers)

I have a site you really have to see as you discover the beauty of the ABC…
||| A ||| B ||| C ||| D ||| E ||| F ||| G ||| [...]

I Call My Hand Gentle

As the year starts we teach basic rules to help children be safer and happier in their interactions. They tried so hard today to listen. One of my main ideas this second day of working together is we learn from our mistakes. And I’m really impressed with the idea that we can speak in affirmation. [...]

“Our House”

Welcome to the work of our 1st grade in Oxnard, CA as we learn about the home, community, and the way houses hold the family we love. Our current theme in reading is “Home Sweet Home.”
Last week we learned two songs. One was “This is The Way We Build Our House.” It told about [...]

Portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

(this was never returned to my class, a book assembled to be shared-we hope it was appreciated as we sent it to the school board)
Today 1st graders made their Dr. King Portraits. Not an easy likeness to catch. We hope perhaps in this work is something that strikes you. The children wrote below the portrait [...]

Our Friend Martin (Celebrating Dr. King)

The 1st grade met Dr. King today.
I was out very ill with acute bronchitis, so they watched a video ( “Our Friend Martin”, below) to learn about an important man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that shaped his times, and helped create the conditions to allow all children to sit happily on our nice carpet [...]

A Story Adapted From Ethiopia, By the Catskill Puppet Theater, Making Meanings

One of the best parts of my job is that for about 14 or so years I have seen great live shows geared for children come to our school, Hathaway in Oxnard. We are a part of the Hueneme School District.
(Earlier in my career in Greenfield and in LA this was also true. Good theater)
The [...]