So Proud

I am so proud of our class. They are learning so much and really coming along in their reading. It is great to see how much they grow during the year.

The thing I really love about this group of kids though is their sweet spirits. This morning while reading our story, after a student would read a page, the rest of the class would clap for them and tell them how great they read. They praise the students at the end of each day who didn't get any codes for behavior problems too. While playing math flashcards they always say "good try" and "way to go".

I'm just really impressed with the way they treat each other. Sure, they still get annoyed with each other sometimes, but overall they still love and respect one another. What a wonderful quality!

On a side note... I will be teaching 2nd grade next year. It will be so great to get to see these kids grow one more year!

Happy Birthday Lance

Lance turned 7 today. The girls bowed down to him, we sang happy birthday, and ate cookies. The kids had some nice things to say about Lance. Drew likes to play with Lance. Eli thinks he's cool and Rylee says he's funny. Alli said he always made her laugh when they were kids.

Myla said he's a nice kid. Destiny says he's awesome and his writin' is good. Layne says he's good at reading and playing football.

Lance is excited because his Aunt Kathy is going to give him a 20 dollar bill, his mom is getting him rubber boots for the ranch because it's muddy, and his dad is getting him an air soft gun worth $100!

I hope his family knows that if it is on this blog it must be true! Good luck Lance!

Guest Readers

We've had high schoolers read to us many times, but today we were honored to have Kennedy and Tanner read to us from Mrs. Rea's kindergarten class!

They read "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". Wow, they read with such expression. They didn't seem intimidated at all by the first graders. They read nice and loud and showed us the pictures. They even discussed the lesson the book teaches us. Both of them acted like real professionals when they answered questions at the end of the book. Tanner actually said, "I have time for one more question". They were so funny.

"I liked it when my sister used her voice to sound like the boy in the story", said Drew.

Rylee liked it when her cousin Tanner really looked and sounded mad when he read.

Alli was so into the story that at one point she said she was getting scared!

Most of the kids couldn't believe they could read a second grade book and wanted to know how they became such great readers. Tanner and Kennedy gave credit to Mrs. Rea.

Lucky!

St. Patrick's Day was lots of fun. The kids all looked cute in their green. We wrote stories telling why we were lucky.

Scotty says, "I am lucky to have my mom".

Cal says, "I am lucky because I have an Xbox".

Lance says, "I was lucky when these people let us have a dog".

Layne says, "I am lucky because God gave me my family".

Alli says, "I am lucky because Jesus died on the cross for us".

Brandon says he is lucky because his mom bought him an Xbox.

Drew says he is lucky because his mom buys him toys.

Marcus says, "I am lucky because I am getting a new dog".

Jason says he is lucky to have his mom and dad.

Evanson says he is lucky to have his dog.
Rylee is lucky that her family loves her and that she has a new baby brother!

Sierra is lucky to have her dog Cowboy.

Jason's mom sent goodie bags for all the kids. They loved them!

Wonderful Writers

Our class wrote stories this week. Each day we worked on a different part of the story. We started with an exciting first sentence to grab the reader's attention. After that we worked on our beginning, middle, and end. We tried to stretch out the important parts and make them exciting.

Each day we did a pair and share. After they read their story to a friend, their friend made a nice comment.

Then a few students were picked to stand on the stage (that my grandpa made us) and read to the class. After they read the whole class would cheer.

They worked hard and I was proud of the stories they wrote.

We have also had a couple of other proud moments. Myla got Hug-A-Bear last week!

Drew earned our top crown, but Evanson stole the show with Honorable Mention. I always play some upbeat dance music to announce the names of our top readers. When I announced that Evanson was Honorable Mention he strutted up to me, did a quick spin, then a toetouch! The whole class cheered. It was an awesome moment!

Eli lost a front tooth!

Lots of great things going on in first grade!

My Family is Special

We've been talking a lot about families. I asked some of the kids what was special about their families. Their answers were sweet.

Bryce said his family is special because they get him cashew chicken, take him to Chinese, and Simple Simons. Apparently the way to Bryce's heart is through his stomach!

Cal likes to go places with his family. His favorite place is Colorado. They stayed on a really big mountain once.

Lance likes to have birthday parties with his family. He likes to whack the pinata.

Alli says her family loves each other. They enjoy watching movies and eating popcorn. Her favorite movie is G-Force.

Rylee says her mom and her step-Bryce took her to the waterpark in St. louis. Her dad and Stephanie took her to Silver Dollar City. Stephanie took her on "Fire in the Hole" She was so scared but then thought it was funny.

Layne likes to go to Florida with her family. She likes to go on her surfboard with her brother and sister.

Jason says his family does nice things with him like playing Monopoly. He says he is the king because he wins the most!

Evanson Thinks I'm Cute!

Yes, I'm bragging!

Evanson has came up to me several times today, hugged me, stepped back and then says, "Mrs. Ward, you just look so cute today". I'm not sure I've been adored so much!

Maybe my husband is right. I do teach for my ego!

Top Readers

Our top readers last Friday were Alli, Cal, and Drew. Great job!