 | Earlier this week, we had a guest custodian in the building covering for our regular night technician. As he entered my room and introduced himself, he began to look around soaking in the decor of the room. Gazing about, he then asked if this was the social studies room. I proudly said to him that it was actually first grade! His response to me was "It's good to get them thinking early." I couldn't agree more! Social studies is the key. I can't imagine a day going by in my classroom without a conversation entering into geography and history. Space it a big thing to me. It makes me happy to have my room filled with images that might spark a child's inquisitive nature. Why not fill their heads with stories of leaders, inventors, musicians, artists and those that opened doors for others to follow. There are too many to count, but I plan on doing my fair share of door opening to the many stories we are all connected with! |
|
1 Comment
 Today, my husband and I returned from running errands to find this little gem in our mailbox (yes, my kids know where I live). Such a fun surprise from one of my first grade students from this last year. Silas has been very busy! Earlier in the day, I had been speaking with a retired superintendent from Kansas about writing. His comment was that kids need to be writing all the time. I explained to him, that in my classroom and with my cross-curricular approach, we write a lot. By the time my students leave first grade, they have written a USA atlas on all fifty states, as well as a book on United States history. I use Moffat as my vehicle for my state studies, with the students referencing powerpoints that I have created with my travel photographs as a reference. The stories they come up with are rather magical. The only hitch is that they must include appropriate references from that state. With that being said, all of my students went to Build-A-Bear in May after they saved their money as part of our personal financial literacy unit. The students all made their own Moffats and named them. Silas named his Cletus. Take a moment to look at the fun story that I received today in my mailbox. Thanks Silas for the terrific surprise! It's great work!  August 1st is Colorado Day! As the unscheduled days of summer come to a close, my husband and I enjoyed a peaceful, early morning walk through one of our new, favorite outdoor spaces, Red Rock Canyon. Our goal was to retrace our last hike so that I could photograph Moffat in the quarry for a new Colorado Springs alphabet book. The trails in Red Rock Canyon are substantial and on a weekday morning, fairly empty. We strayed from our intended path and enjoyed new scenery along the way. Next time we want to look at the well-know "Section 16" that I have heard so much about. I am pondering starting a new Colorado Springs alphabet book. We have truly enjoyed our summer in the city (I was even home for the entire month of July) and have new ideas buzzing through my head. Additionally, I have been inspired by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum's new exhibit Story of Us done in an alphabetical format. Q is notoriously a tricky letter, so the quarry section of Red Rock Canyon was perfect. Can't think of a better way to enjoy the start of Colorado Day. Now I need to do some more research and planning!! |
Authorwife, mom, teacher, author, history nerd and the lady that carries around a rabbit Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
