Interactive Comprehension-Summarizing

Hey Friends!  I'm Abbie Jinnings from Tales From The First Grade!

I am so excited to share with you today an interactive summarizing lesson! I don't know about you, but my students always want to tell me so much when summarizing!  I am working with them on developing an understanding for the important or "best" parts of a story!  

Let's get started!  I prepared for the lessons by setting up my anchor charts! Here is our summarizing basic definition chart.

After we set the foundation of what a summary is, I "hooked" the students on the new concept with some hands on learning.  We made a trail mix out of corn cereal, raisins, and M&M's!  As we made the trail mix we discussed how a story has lots of details and parts, just like our trail mix.   The trail mix is great together, just like all the details in a story.  As in the trail mix and a story, some parts are better than others.  I instructed the students to look through their trail mix and pick the best ingredient!  

After the students determined the best ingredient they sorted the mix.  All the children were sure the chocolate goodness of the M&M was the best! 

After a small snack of trail mix we had a discussion about the connection between the best parts of a book and the best parts of the trail mix.  From there we read the book Charlie and the Christmas Kitty by Ree Drummond.  If you have not read one of her Charlie books you must!!  Not only do I love her cooking show she is now one of my favorite authors.  Back to the lesson..  After reading we completed an anchor chart over somebody, wanted, but, so.  

We ended our mini unit over summarizing with completing a flip book over Charlie and the Christmas Kitty.  I love using flip books as a response to literature!  My students do best with illustrating the  front page and writing on the inside.  

Hope you are inspired to add some hands on activities to your comprehension lessons!  

Be sure to check out my Facebook page!

Merry Christmas

Meeting Goals, Number Sense, & A Little Turkey Talk

Hey Friends!

This year teachers have to make a student goal that can be measured at the end of the year.  I am focusing on mClass math number sense.  In order to ensure my students are ready for the middle and end of year assessment  I am focusing daily on a skill using a fun monthly themed format along with the task looking very similar to the assessment they will be faced with.  I want the students to be familiar to the format and the expectations.  Here are some pictures of our number sense sheets.  I have over 3/4's of the class at the end of year benchmark for missing numbers! 

mClass Math November Gobbles

This week we started our Thanksgiving centers.  Math centers are once a week on Thursday.  During this time my mother comes in and runs a small group focusing on addition strategies.  While the students are in groups I progress monitor, then run a small group on subtraction.  Here is a look at our centers this week.  

Run Turkey Run- Math, Reading, & Writing Centers

Turkey Feather Addition Freebie 

Fall Giveaway!

Head on over to Facebook to see the great Fall Giveaway that I'm doing with Allison at Stuckey In Second

We are giving away two awesome fall wreaths, made by me! The winners will be chosen on  Sunday night! I will have one winner from my post and Allison will have one from her post. Each winner will win the following:

GORGEOUS fall wreath
$10 Starbucks Card
One fall product from each of our TPT stores

TWO people will win ALL of the above! We have TWO wreaths up for grabs! Plus, that person will win a Starbucks gift card and TPT products!!!


Look for this post on our Facebook page! Be sure to LIKE the Facebook post, then comment and tag three friends in the post. Encourage your friends to "like" our Facebook pages and TPT pages! You will see the links in the comments for our TPT stores. Allison's is STUCKEY IN SECOND and Tales from the First Grade's TPT store is ABBIE JINNINGS.

Good luck everyone!!! We can't wait to share these awesome giveaway prizes with two lucky winners!

Scare & Share Blog Hop!

I am so excited to be linking up with some awesome teachers for a giveaway and dollar sale!  I am working in my own classroom on developing number sense.  To help with understanding numbers we are working on missing numbers in a set.  Click here for a spooky missing number game freebie!  

If you love the game and need help with number sense such as next number, quantity discrimination, & number facts  check out Bats, Boos, & Halloween Frights Math Centers, on sale for a dollar!  Happy teaching and hopping! 

Click below for the next blog and freebie!

An InLinkz Link-up

Creating a classroom family, small moments, and a little on the oil front :)

Every year one of my top priorities is to create a classroom where everyone feels loved and cared for. I have been taking a few minutes every couple of days to write a letter to a student. I just love the look on their face when they see their "mail".  I had a last years student's mother tell me at back to school night that their child still had the letters.  It made my heart melt!  

This month we are working on small moments in writing. It is always hard to get a child to go from a huge mega moment scaled down to a small moment!  I started out with a Froggy book. Using the big moment (learning to swim) then scaling it down to the moment Froggy hit the water!  We then made a list of moments that were special to us!  Take a look at our charts, stories, and a freebie at the end!!

Using pictures to show a series of events!  

Big moment-birthday party!

Small moment-blowing out your candles! 

Click Below For Freebies!!

Freebie 1

Freebie 2

Freebie 3

Last but for sure not least.... Oils!!!

So I am totally in love with Young Living Oils!!  My lovely half human dog Ginger has had a bad run with big bug bites this year :(. My poor baby!!  I decided to do some research on essentail oils and dogs!  I found a great list of oils and treatments!! 

I have been using coconut oil and lavender on her belly and look at the results!!! I am so thankful they are clearing up :)  

One Happy Pooch!

Happy Sunday! 

Saturday Sale :)

I am joining up with Laura - Where the Magic Happens- for a super Saturday sale!  I have put four products on sale for 50% off!  Check out my products and be sure to hop over to her blog to see all the other great sales!

First Two Weeks, A Glimpse Into Room 6, And Do You Use Oils?!?!

Oh my the first two weeks have flown by. Each night I was determine to sit down and wrote a post..... You can see how that went!  

This is my sixth year teaching at an urban title 1 school. I have 21 students in my class (as of Friday) lol!  By far this is my smallest class to date!  I am so excited to see all I can do with such a manageable number. 

Here is a glimpse of my classroom this year!

Standards Board

Classroom reading corner

Focus wall 

Layered boarder!!!

A first grade favorite :)

Writing center

Classroom window garden 

Here are some of the activities we did the first week!

I introduced centers on the third day, call me crazy but it went really well!  I needed to start testing my kiddos on DIBELS and our new reading assessment Amplified.  Here are pictures of the kids in their centers and a link to the set :)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-To-School-Reading-Centers-Math-Centers-and-Printables-First-Grade-1332289

During the first week we read lots of back to school reads!  The first grade favorite was The Pout Pout Fish!!

I used The Inspired Apple's Fun with Firsties set for some great writing activities and class activities. 

Do any of you use essential oils?!?!  I am new to the oil world and LOVING it!  Every year I end up having to take a few days off the first few weeks due to my mold allergy.  This year I searched for a new remedy..... I found one!!  I have been using oils to help control the pressure and congestion!  Here is the recipe :)

On top of using the oils for my allergies I have been supplementing them for just about everything!  Peppermint for my headaches, lavenders and cedarwood for 

help at night with sleeping, and diffusing tons of different combinations!  You much check out Young Living Essential Oils :). I love using Pinterest to look up different ways to use the oils to replace everyday health items!!  

Thanks for stopping in!