[LM_NET] HIT: Ideas for First grade

[jd1953 <jd1953@FLASH.NET>]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions for my first grade classes.  I am 
still apprehensive about this new schedule but will refer to your suggestions often.
   
  Ok. I have been doing 30 minutes twice a week with 1st and 2nd graders.
Everyday I would read a picture book to the 1st graders for 15 minutes 
then 
we would look for books and checkout for 15 minutes.
With the 2nd graders I would read a chapter book for the same amount of 
time.
The Caldecott Unit is a great theme to teach to 1st graders and you 
will never run out of books.I use this unit to cover and review; fiction vs. 
non-fiction, authors, illustators and illustrative techniques, and at the end of 
the unit 
they choose their favorite book and write a brief review and draw a picture of it.
   
  We see our kids for 30 minutes, not 45, but I expect the principal is the 
same.  After doing our story session we will follow it up with a lesson 
in skills that seems like a game.  For example, we will pass the students 
out an egg that has the name of something in the library on it (i.e. 
magazines, paperbacks, check-out desk) and have them locate it by standing by it.  
We come around and check, and then give them a second egg, and award egg, 
that tells them they are now an "LC Eggspert!"  We also have many activity 
sheets that relate to the story we read.  These are available from many LC 
materials publishers.  We have a standard reading list, so once our 
resource files are set up, we continue touse them for many years, although 
obviously we add and subtract from the list each year.  Hope these ideas help,
   
  I was in a similar situation a while back and here are a couple of things I did. 
I often planned some kind of craft activity for the kids to do that went along with 
the story. After story time the kids all sat at tables and I showed them the 
activity and how to do it. Then, one table at a time, with the quietest table 
getting to go first, went to check out books. This really did allow me a few 
moments to help kids find books or assist with their projects. Most times it went 
very smoothly although finding activities that they could produce with a minimum of 
prep time and within their capabilities was sometimes challenging. Some of the 
craft activities included:    
  paper bag puppets
  hand print turkeys
  hand print Christmas wreaths
  rainbow fish mosaics
  bookmarks (That I later laminated and they trimmed the following week along with 
a new project.)
   
  Also I purchased a variety of games, I spy books, puzzles, checkers, etc and 
students occasionally earned a game day with good behavior and library voices. I 
found quite a few games & puzzles from Demco that were book related - Arthur, 
Clifford, Rainbow Fish, Dr Seuss, etc. (I must also admit, when I was especially 
"time challenged" and didn't have time to put together a craft activity I sometimes 
resorted to "a special surprise game day."
   
  I rather enjoyed these activities with the little ones. We got to know each other 
quite well and I bonded with them much better than with the older students. Good 
Luck to you.
   
  Do you do rotations with first?  How about reader's theater (usually 
after Christmas)? 
   
  Judith,

I teach grades K-3 for 40 minutes each week.  I find that this is often not
enough time to do a library lesson AND book exchange.  I do many activities
with them.  

Some projects I have done with grade 1:

I have made Venn diagrams out of tape on the floor.  We read a book and 
they try to read index cards with different facts to sort into the correct 
area of the Venn diagram.   Rockwell's Apples and Pumpkins works well.  Or 
Henryand Mudge if you want to talk about character, etc.

I have done Readers Theater.  Tacky the Penguin is my favorite.

I have used the Smart Board to introduce authors - especially those 
with fun websites like Dav Pilkey.  He has puzzles and quizzes and his Dragon 
books are great first grade books.

I introduce Caldecott and they use cards with pictures of the book 
along with author/title to locate the books on the shelves.

When I do a lesson that is a bit on the short side, they have longer to 
pick out books and it is really neat to see them sitting around sharing 
their books with each other.

For those who forget their books or pick their books quickly, I always have paper, 
crayons, markers, puzzles, etc. set out for them to use.  But more often, I find 
that the teachers are at the door to pick up their class and we are in the middle 
of a project.
   
  Here are some books and activities that I've put together:

http://www.bellaonline.com/subjects/7869.asp

   
  I am in the rotation for grades K-5.  I do have an aide which does 
help.
With my little ones, I focus on author studies.  I do research and 
find
out all I can about a particular author, whether from Something About
the Author, the Internet, or professional books or journals.  We share
writing style (both fiction and non-fiction for some authors) and a
couple of their books.  Then they have 15 minutes for check-out.  It
works out beautifully, because they can usually sit for 30 minutes
successfully.  You might be able to add a color sheet - most young
children's authors offer some on their websites.  Hope this helps you
out.  I know it sounds scary, but it does have a way of working out for
you.  Good luck.
   
  I see each of my first grade classes for an hour at a time and what
works for me is break that time into thirds.  One third is for
read-aloud, one third is for the planned lesson and then the final 
15-20
minutes are for checkout and silent reading.  I also always have paper
available for those kids who want to draw after they've chosen their
books.  This has worked pretty well for me.  And I'm the only in the
library, too -- no teacher and no assistant!  Good luck!

   
  My first grade period -
Introduction of theme/discussion - 2 min
Poems and fingerplays to correlate book(s) - 5 min
Introduction of book, read, discuss book-  10 min
Follow up activity...sometimes coloring a page to go with the 
theme...sometimes completing a sentence that correlates witht he 
book...sometimes a mini-book based on theme/book. 13 - 15 min
Student selection of books/check out, browsing, reading 13 -15
   
  Hi - I have the opposite situation. I am leaving a rigid schedule and 
going to a flex. But for years I have done what you are about to do. It is 
too bad because that is not what is best for your kids...anyway, I have always
broken down my 40 minute period into three parts: library skills 
activity, book check out, and a story time. Sometimes depending on the story, I 
do an activity related to it and not a library skill per se. First graders 
need lots of work with their alphabet, and abc order. So I do activities 
using their names, 3 X 5 cards with the site words they know, etc. I do a lot 
of activities on book care and book parts. We make our own book marks - 
someeasy (color and cut out) and some more complicated - mousemarks. We do 
somelibrary arrangement activities and finding books on "Easy Street". We 
doquite a bit with fact and fiction, the Super3, and kinds of stories. I 
havesome very early encyclopedias and dictionaries and in the second half 
of theyear we talk about where to find good information and do some very 
basic useof these. I hope this helps. Good luck
   
    Hi although I had an assistant for most of my classes I did not for second 
grade.  I had 45 minute classes for grades 1-6 and this is what I recommend.  
   
  With one challenging large group and no assistant  5 students at a table to look 
for books and then went to the next table after a designated time.  I got a bunch 
of word games and puzzles for students to use while others were still checking out 
books.
   
  In terms of lessons here's some ideas.  I spent 10-15 minutes reading to them and 
doing some activity related to the reading (10-15 minutes)  Discussion, reader's 
theater, writing responses.  One assignment they really like is when I read 
raffie's down by the bay and they write and illustrate their own verse,  Then we 
sing 'em all.  I leave 10-15 minutes to check out books.
   
  I am in a school with K-4 . I am in a similar situation as you as this is the 
first year with Kindergarten. It is not really difficult to fill the time with 
first grade. I am required to submit a lesson plan each week that addresses ELA 
standards. Each lesson should have a writing component. In the beginning of the 
year this is difficult. Here are some ideas:
  -Read a story each week with an activity that goes with it. 
  -Flannel board presentations. I do Little Red Riding Hood and have them complete 
a sequencing sheet at the end. (Sequencing)
  -Choose an animal or insect. Read a fiction book . To see what they can learn 
from that book begin a KWL chart.Then, read a non-fiction book and fill in the rest 
of the information.The students can them fill out a simple graphic organizer and 
illustrate.(Comparing fiction/non-fiction)
  There are many other ideas that you can do. With book exchange, time goes quickly.
  Now if I only ahd some ideas for kindergarten.

    


  

  

   
   
  
 
   
   
   
  
 


Judith Dallinger
Library Media Specialist
Watauga Elementary School
Watauga, TX
jd1953@flash.net

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