WELCOME TO THE PUPPY ROOM!
I teach first grade in a suburban area of Michigan at a public elementary school. Many classrooms in my school have an animal theme, mine is called The Puppy Room! In The Puppy Room, we work hard to improve our skills in phonics, reading, spelling, writing, math, social studies, science, health, and THINKING! Read below to learn what I believe is most unique about our classroom.
Visible Thinking Routines
A See, Think, Wonder thinking routine.
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My colleagues and I have dedicated our professional development over the last few years to the implementation of Visible Thinking routines in the classroom. These routines facilitate student engagement, understanding and independence for students early learners. Visible Thinking routines play a major role in Creating a Culture of Thinking in our classrooms. Students are encouraged to share their thinking through active participation in conversation and discourse. To the left, you can see an example of one routine: See, Think, Wonder. This particular routine was at the beginning of a science unit about plants. The students wrote or drew what they saw, thought, and wondered about a picture of a dandelion.
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integrating technology
This is an area that has been a goal of mine to improve upon, and still is! I believe technology should be used to enhance the curriculum already in place, and to do so in appropriate increments. However, I do feel proud of a few projects we use technology for in our classroom. One in particular is our "All About" Books. Each year in first grade, students learn about non-fiction reading and writing. They are then tasked to write their very own non-fiction book about an animal of their choice. This year, I took the leap to have my students write their books on an app called Book Creator. Not only did the students love it, but they surprised me with how quickly they caught on! This made for a much easier transition to Online Learning.
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Click the picture above to see my example!
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Fun fridays
My class holding up their clothespin butterflies.
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On Fridays in The Puppy Room, we have a few traditions. We love to start our mornings with one of our favorite things to do: Pass the Pup. During this time, the students and I gather in a circle and pass around a stuffed animal puppy. When we have the puppy, we share anything we'd like with the class. I love how this activity lets the children share while also teaching them to be active listeners to their peers. Also on Fridays, we alternate between a cooking activity, an art project, or a STEM activity. All projects and activities tie into something we are learning at the time. Some examples we have done in the past are apple smiles while learning about dental hygiene, clothespin butterflies when learning about life cycles, and a turkey hideout around Thanksgiving.
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