Writing a First Book

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First graders have questions.  They also are learning ways to get answers.  Each student in Ms. Hicks' class picked an animal they were interested in.  They read about it, decided what was important to report and wrote it up.
  

 

 They made covers for their work.

 

Then they presented their findings, complete with illustration.

Pick a topic, research it, organize the information, write a draft or two to make it better.  That's the same thing every writer should do--from a first grader up to a National Book Award winner.

 

  

Good work, kids.  Remember, a lot of professional authors don't even do their own illustrations!  

Who's YOUR Favorite Bunny?

Ms. Smith's kindergarten class has gone bunny crazy.  (There are worse things!)  They have been reading many stories about...that's right...bunnies. With all these rabbits hopping around in their heads, the class decided to put it to a vote.  Each child chose his or her favorite bunny. 

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Here is a sample ballot.  Below, you will find some of the kids' choices and their explanations for them.

Many bunnies, many kids, many choices.  We guess that there's a rabbit for everyone.

It's Spring!

Sadly in Boston, you can't always tell it's spring by looking through the window.  Or, by the date on the calendar.  Or, by the jacket you choose to put on.

If you look at the front hall in the Perkins School, however, you can see signs that spring has sprung.

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 First, there's Mrs. B working in the hallway, assembling the belts for Dragon Tail Tag.  

 

There are so many variations to the game.  It could be two or four teams of one color against the others or every dragon for her- or himself, dashing around snatching as many Velcro'ed tails as possible to win.  The important thing is the running, the dashing, the dodging--fun and exercise outside.

 Baseball is another sign of spring.

 

It gave Ms. Harden's class a more exciting way to learn to make diagrams than flowcharts or electrical systems.

If you still had any doubts, here is a plea posted in our hallway--a poem by Valerie, one of our second grade students.

Thank goodness, the weather has finally cooperated.

Meet Leo

Everyone, this is Leo.  Leo, this is the world beyond your home.

Oops, Leo is hiding.  He often does that, especially when people are around.

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Nevertheless, the kids in Ms. Murphy's second grade class have had many opportunities to see Leo, up close and personal.  There are times when Leo likes to stroll around his aquarium home.  There are even more times when he finds a good place to soak up some light.

"Leo is cold-blooded," explains Sacharis.  "That means he needs light and a heating pad to warm up."

Leo has a lot of kids who care about him.  They are also curious about what life is like for a leopard gecko.  It's nice to be able to learn about Leo in different ways.  

 

They can watch Leo carefully as scientists do and learn by observing his behavior.   They also have a book about geckos they can read to try and understand more about what they see.  They have seen Leo molt, for example.  The book says that leopard geckos shed their skins about once a month.  

"When it happens, it looks like the stuff on an onion," says Aliciana.  

It turns out that Leo eats that skin too.  "That's disgusting," said David, "but that's just what geckos do."

 

The kids have also seen Leo chow down--plenty of times.  He likes meal worms and has actually eaten up to fourteen in one day.  Some kids have watched and counted.

 

The guidebook is also supposed to explain how you can tell whether a gecko is male or female.  It's not as easy to figure out with lizards as other animals.  Even though the kids have read this section, they still haven't quite determined whether Leo is a he or a she.  Most kids think Leo is a he because of his name or because they want him to be.  

Others aren't as sure.  Even without a definite answer, there is a bright side to this problem.  Many kids have learned how to use a table of contents!

An Overdue Introduction to Leo

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This is a lovely letter from Brianna to Gecko, a welcome letter for when Gecko arrived in Ms. Murphy's second grade classroom.  It is heartfelt, but not entirely accurate. Gecko is the second graders' class pet.  They chose him (her?) in a true democratic process.  So it's fair to say that she (he?) is everybody's pet--at least, until summer vacation.  

Perhaps you remember way back in November, Ms. Murphy's class decided upon their class pet using the democratic process (reported on in four consecutive posts) .  They thought about the possible candidates--their advantages and disadvantages. What better way to learn to be a good citizen, especially at the same time another election was going on.  First they formed parties, so they could examine all the pros and cons of three animal choices.  (The idea of a cat never made the final cut.)

Their next move was to form three parties and begin planning their campaigns.  There's nothing better to sell your case than a good-looking poster.  Go Fish!  Go Hermit Crab!     Go Gecko!

Part of any campaign's goal is to convince voters that your choice is the best one. After presenting their speeches, The Fish Party, The Hermit Crab Party and The Gecko Party all understood that one of that week's vocabulary words, persuade, means to try to convince others of your point of view.

Election Day--secret ballot, NO DIRTY TRICKS.  The tally was very carefully counted.  At first it was close, but do you want to know who won? 

We've gone on long enough today.  Next post, we will introduce you to LEO.

Ready, Aim...FOCUS!

Sometimes so much is happening all around you that it is hard to concentrate upon one thing--even if you are supposed to.  It's true for adults, and it can be especially true for kids.  

So, how can you help them?  

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One way is to remind them about places in their lives and their minds that are calm and quiet. Some times, we can learn to go to our real life places (like a closet or a bed) in our minds.  It's a great way to relax and be able to focus on what's important wherever you are.

It's not always so easy.  Practice, however, can help.  A lot. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. let us introduce you to some of the kids who have made it into our Focus Hall of Fame.

Pitch, Rhythm, and Tempo

Many people remarked that the kids sang so well when they performed our school play, Evacuation Day The Musical.  Why not, we have naturally talented kids attending the Perkins School.

Actually, there's another reason as well.  This is the second year that we've had our music teacher, Ms. Lynch.  That means that the kids have had two years to learn about rhythm, tempo, and pitch as well as how to use them while singing.

Here's a sample class that Ms. Lynch might (and did) do with some first graders:

First come warm ups...

 
Stretching,

 

loosening your muscles including the jaw, 

loosening your vocal chords and clapping out some rhythms to get in the mood.

Then since the kids were clapping, they ended up incorporating those movements into a game.  Or, into a song.  Actually, into a game that includes a song.  Have you ever sang a hand-clapping game called "Mary Mack?"

 

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

All dressed in black, black, black

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons [butt'ns]

All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother

for fifty cents, cents, cents

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants

Jump the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high

they reached the sky, sky, sky

And didn't come back, back, back

Till the the 4th of July, ly, ly!

 

 

Clapping is a natural accompaniment to singing.  Ms. Lynch has shown the kids that reading can be too.  

She had read this class a book called Ming Lo Moves the Mountain before.  She had also taught them where and when to chime in by singing choruses that go along with the story.
 

Now, it's time for the kids' part!

 "Go to the wise man.  Listen very carefully.  He will tell you what to do.  So, go Ming Lo."