Show Me the Money

We've been practicing adding money and buying pretend items in math. When I asked the students what they would buy if they had some extra money this is what they said: Tristen: flatscreen T.V. with cable Josh: Super Mario Galaxy Wil: New T.V.

Angeline: Barbie Makenna: iPhone 4

Zane: the latest video games Tanner: a limo

Kennedy: smartboard Regan: camera Katelyn: phone

Emaleigh: phone Alexis: laptop Mallorie: food for people who need it
Katie: iPhone

Alex: lego Star Wars Brayden: every Star Wars pack and Star Wars games

Hannah: gold to be fancy Emma: cell phone

Sydney: pink Slugbug Taigan couldn't come up with anything.

Please check out the "Money Game" link to the side. It's a fun way to practice adding money.

Dividing

The kids split up into groups during math.

They were given some candy and had to figure out how to divide it into equal groups.

Then they had to tell the rest of the class how they figured it out.

Of course at the end of the lesson they enjoyed their snack. What a yummy way to do math.

We'll Miss You Denesa

Denesa last day with us was today. She'll graduate this Saturday. We want to wish her the best of luck. When I asked the kids what Denesa should do now that she is graduating this was just a few of the comments:

Chase thinks she should by a video game maker.

Hannah said she should be a rapper or a mom. (Every good rap star's backup plan is being a stay at home mom!)

Tristen thought she should be a Navy Seal.

I know she'll do great in whatever she decides. We love you Denesa!

What a Fun Day

Friday the class celebrated my 35th birthday. It was a lot of fun.

They brought me treats, balloons, great gifts, and lots of hugs.

While I was reading a story to them one little girl looked up at me and said, "Mrs. Ward, you look tired...I can tell by the bags under your eyes." I guess I'm showing my age!
They bowed down to me 35 times (well, we counted by 5s) and sung me Happy Birthday.

It was a fun day. Thanks for helping me celebrate!

20-20-2-2-1

I noticed at recess that Brayden, Tanner, and Zane were doing sit-ups and running around the playground. I asked them what was going on and they went into detail about their new work out routine.It's called 20-20-2-2-1. It consists of 20 push-ups, 20 crunches, running 2 times around the playground, 2 times across the monkey bars, and 1 chin-up on the bars.

They guarantee that if you do this 2 times each recess it will help you get stronger, healthier, faster, and better at tetherball.

Their plan is to do it everyday until school is out for the first 2 recesses and then at last recess they play tetherball to see how much they've improved.

I've actually caught them flexing and even kissing their muscles throughout the day. They said they named their muscles "Buster" and "Kick Butt". I told them we couldn't say butt at school so they changed it to "Kick Booty".

Their goal is to get as many boys and maybe some girls to join them as possible. Alex and Josh have already agreed to participate next recess. They told me I should get Cole started on it now and by the time he's in first grade he'll be as strong as they are (although they acted like that might be difficult to achieve).
I'll be sure to go home and get Cole started on the 20-20-2-2-1 program tonight!

21 Reasons I Love My Job

Makenna is adorable! She is has come a long way in her reading. It has
been a lot of fun to watch her grow this year!
Angeline is a kind-hearted little lady who always has a compliment for
others. She works so hard and still manages to smile. I love that smile!
Regan has a helpful heart. She sees others needs and helps in a way that
isn’t bossy. Kids love working with her because she is so patient and
sweet. She’s going to make an outstanding teacher one day.
Wilson is really smart. He is always very engaged in the lesson and
excited to learn. I am so proud of him.
Emaleigh is full of drama. She can tell a story with such enthusiasm.
She cracks me up daily and I love her for it. She will likely be in
theater one day!
Josh is an amazing reader. He can read anything you put in front of him.
He is also the first to announce and celebrate someone else’s achievement.
He’s a good boy!
Katie is easy to love, mostly because of how much she loves me. She hugs
me constantly and tells me she’ll miss me over the weekend or that she
wants me to be her teacher next year. I think I’m her BFF.
Emma has come a long way this year and it’s fun to see her excitement as
things become easier for her. I’m really proud of her and am so glad she
moved here this year.
Tristen is cute (and he knows it). He is quite the entertainer too. He
makes up his own songs and dances every week for Show and Tell. My
favorite was a song he wrote and sang about hanging out with the Black
Eyed Peas and eating meat.
Katelyn has such a sweet spirit. She is always thinking of others and has
a giving heart. We are blessed to have her in our class.
Alex amazes me. It’s hard enough for a young child to learn all the rules
of the English language. He does it as a second language. What a gift he
has, to be able to speak two languages. He’s even tried to teach us some
Spanish! What a smart boy!
Alexis has the ability to be calm and quiet in class, but knows how to
have fun and cut loose too. What a nice balance. She’s a very well
rounded girl.
Hannah is a giver; in fact, I have to convince her not to give her things
away. She loves to help too. She’s a great girl!
Tanner is like no other student I have ever had. He asks for extra work
(even for Christmas), doesn’t want to miss school, and sometimes takes the
spelling test on Friday, even when he doesn’t have to, FOR FUN! He treats
me like a rock star and thanks me for the lessons I teach him. What an
awesome student!
Brayden is competitive. He always tries his best and then wants to know
his score to see if he’s improved. He also sings Justin Beiber songs
nearly every week for Show and Tell. He practices them at recess with a
couple of other boys from our class as backup singers. He usually has a
crowd of girls around him too!! It’s adorable!
Kennedy is an amazing reader. She reads with such expression that I could
listen to her all day. It also shows through on her story writing. She
is also a good friend to others and an all around great girl. I’m so
thrilled I was able to have her in my class.
Mallorie adds a lot of spice to our classroom. She is spunky and fun.
Like Kennedy, she has lots of expression in her reading and writing. Our
class wouldn’t be nearly as exciting without Mal!
Sydney is a quiet little girl. I can always count on her to obey.
However, you get her in front of people and wow, does she love to perform!
It’s fun to watch her.
Taigan is probably one of the most responsible little girls I know. I can
depend on her to any job. She is neat and organized and extremely
trustworthy. She takes care of her friends and would do anything for
them. Sometimes I wonder if she’s a little adult trapped in a first grade
body!
Chase can make me laugh even when he’s not trying to be funny. Something
about him just cracks me up. I also enjoy seeing how excited he gets
about the lessons. He is always engaged and ready to learn.
Zane is a well-mannered, polite young man. He is compassionate and always
seems to find the right words to encourage the other kids in our class.
What great qualities!

I know I've said it before but this is the most giving, kind-hearted group of kids I've ever known. I'm really going to miss them next year!