Last Week in Review ... Apples!

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU, to all of my friends in bloggy land for making this the most wonderful apple week ever!

We began our week with an introduction to apples. Thanks to Mrs. Lee's blog we have this great observation sheet:

Wowzers, our first time using a scale was pretty interesting! Thank goodness one little smart cookie figured out the best way to use the cubes with the scale to weigh that heavy apple. He isn't my usual 'go-to' guy with all of the answers, so he was OVER THE MOON when I stopped the whole class to discuss his method. {I love that!!!}

Such hams!

Also, we started the week with a KWL chart {Thanks to Mrs. Carroll!}

They really love to help filling in Anchor Charts.
I had to stop them at one point because I ran out of room!

Next day was all about Apple Tasting! They were SOOOOO excited about that! Yep, only too bad for me, because by the third apple my apple corer broke!

Dang! I could not get that sucker out of the corer. It was too funny.

Luckily, I brought in a knife and cutting board {just in case!} I've had the best laid plains fall apart by little accidents just like this too many times to not be prepared for a contingency plan!!

Using a knife is just NOT as much fun as the corer.

Afterwards, we graphed the results of our favorites using this great bar graph provided by Mrs. Hodson at Today in First Grade ...

I tried to remind them that this is THEIR favorite not their buddies, but somehow word travels in a quiet room. When I revealed the final results, some cheered for the winner. I told them, there was no winner when you tell each other what to pick!  I showed them that I liked one of the unpopular apples because it was my favorite, not my friend's favorite. I doubt that will make a difference. Needless to say, I'll have to review "Being Yourself" a lot more than usual this year.

We transitioned from our bar graph to a picture graph using some wittle apple die-cuts.

Our pictograph, I loved how this turned out!

On Wednesday, we were labeling again. I brought my dad's apple corer to school. You know the kind where you spike the apple on a crank and spin the apple towards the peeler, corer, and slicer.

If you don't have one, you should add it to your christmas list because they are super duper fun!

We passed around the apple parts and learned their names.

Then, we filled in the anchor chart together.

Thanks to Mrs. Nelson's Apple Page for the inspiration of my Apple Parts Chart and Mrs. Hodson at Today in First Grade ... for the kid version, the next step was for the kids to complete their own apple parts label sheet independently.

The next day, we learned all about Johnny Appleseed. I read a book about him to the class and we watched the Disney version {which is so cute.} We completed this tree map together and then they filled their own map using facts of their choosing. Thanks to Kristy at Teachin' First for these awesome graphics and Eberhart's Explorers for the kid freebie!

We ended our week with an art project provided by Kerri at Teacher Bits and Bobs and I'm so happy how they turned out. I really didn't think they could follow directions and complete this without the help of tracers, but they did. I took it slow, REAL slow.

Last, but not least, was the yummy applesauce we made on yesterday. I think I may make it everyday. My classroom smelled soooo good. Thanks again to Cara at The First Grade Parade for the recipe. The kids loved it!

They practically licked the bowl!

I still have a few things I didn't get to do with them because they took too long with everything else. Next week, I will teach an adjective lesson using 'Big Alan.'

Big Alan

This past week was fun, but I am wooped!


I don't know about your schools, but mine has added more and more and MORE to our plates and this paperwork is killing me! By the time I get home from school, it is 6:30-ish and I am too tired to even open my computer for fun blog reading. I feel like I missed out on so much. I know I missed Science Week. I really hope this in not indicative to how the rest of the year is going to go because I can't be the best version of me with ALL of this work!!
If I'm writing prescriptions for each and every one of my students {the new term from the big up's at my school} then I should be treated like a doctor! Have an assistant, secretaries, respect, and way better pay!!!!