Earth Day

Hi Everyone!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Earth Day! It has been very busy in our classroom, with a Waste-Free Lunch and some great writing activities!!!

I thought that I would share the letter that I sent home to my class ... We talked a great deal about reducing waste. I brought some examples from home, and watched some great videos on waste and recycling. My students were really proud of their lunch boxes today ... Lots of Tupperware .. minimal wrappings...The parents in my classroom really tried their best! Why not plan Waste-Free lunches everyday? Food for thought!!

Happy Earth Day!!!

Black History Month : Harriet Tubman

Hello Everyone! It's Leslie from First Grade Frenzy! As Black History month comes to an end this week, I always like to focus on one of my favorite Black History Heroes ... Harriet Tubman. I found her story to be such a fascinating one. Her bravery and strength allowed her to escape slavery, and help so many more people to freedom, as well!

I usually introduce her story through one of my favorite picture book biographies. I love this book from Scholastic.. it's from their "My First Biography" series. The text is simple and illustrations are bright and beautiful.

I also like to use these two picture books, too!

I then create a timeline of some of the important events that happened in her life, with my students. It's a great way to see how much they were able to absorb from her biography ... fantastic for retelling and comprehension. Then, we create a class story about her life. We use simple sentences, and each student illustrates one of the pages in the class story. The final product is always a masterpiece....

I couldn't help myself  ... I had to share their beautiful illustrations!! They worked so hard!!

 You can grab your copy of the Harriet Tubman Class Story here:

Groundhog Day

Hello Everyone,

I'm not sure how ya'll are feeling about winter right now, but I think that I am DONE!!! It has been sooooooooo cold up here lately ... that I can't take it anymore. I'm ready for everything to just melt and spring to be on it's merry way.

The great thing is that time is on our side ... January is flying by! I can't believe that Groundhog day is just around the corner. I'm really hoping that cute little furry creature, predicts an early spring (fingers and toes crossed)!!! The problem is that when I really want something bad enough ... it never usually happens  ... but it's worth hoping for!!! Snow, cold, GO AWAY!!!

Happy Holidays!

Not sure about all of you .. but I am WIPED! It has been an amazing week of activities (Reindeer Day, Elf Day, Santa Day, Grinch Day, Holiday Concert, Holiday Party!) ... throw in some sick kids at home, then and some x-mas shopping, cooking, cleaning .. OMG!!! It's been insane, but lots of fun! So, I will keep this short and sweet! New Year's Day is just around the corner .. it will sneak upon you, before you know it! So, I'm giving you this freebie, as a holiday present for all of you!

I would love to wish all of you  ... from my family to yours, a cozy and warm holiday season!

Leslie {First Grade Frenzy}

Hey Everyone!

I'm Leslie from First Grade Frenzy, and I am sooooooooooo excited (and a wee bit nervous!) to be a part of this new blogging adventure, with all of these SUPER amazing bloggers and teachers!

Here is a little bit about me:

I am a first grade teacher from Montreal, Quebec, CANADA! (EH?!!!!!!). It's starting to get cold up here ... but no snow is in the forecast ... YET!! I am a mommy to four SUPER children (My oldest is 7, and my youngest just turned 1!!! YIKES!!!).  I have been married to my soul mate ... Mr. Leslie ... for 8 unbelievable  years!  I'm always at an arena ... somewhere ... in this province ... watching my boys play hockey (I'm a very proud hockey mama!) or cheering on my daughter during her figure skating shows (I have now come to terms with the fact, that I am the LOUDEST mama there!). Life is slightly insane right now, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

There is something about teaching first grade that electrifies me. I can't exactly explain it ... but I feel like a better person when I teach. It completes me. I love it! It's simply my "PASSION".  My classroom is ZEN, especially with some of the amazing chaos at home ... these days!

I must confess ... I am a potato chip addict ... I LOVE CHIPS! Eating them makes me ... HAPPY! I don't have just one favorite flavor.. I love them all ... I can eat them for breakfast or for supper ... ANY.TIME.OF.THE.DAY!!!! It's serious ...

My second obsession is with word walls ... no joke ... I love me, my word walls ... I'm sure that all of you do, too! That's why I created this Super Hero Word Wall! Just click on the picture below to grab your copy!

To Infinity and Beyond!