We have just ended the month of November and have already taken over 100 Accelerated Reader tests!!! WOW! The students are excited to read and love taking tests on the iPad's and computers. Our windows are becoming covered with keys. They are determined to pass up last years class in the number of books they read.
 Today is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We made these adorable turkeys. There are lots of steps, cutting, gluing and stapling, but eventually everyone created a cute turkey to take home. I hope the families loved these turkeys as much as I do!
Wow! I can't believe the first two weeks of school have come and gone. We have had fun getting to know each other and all the great things we do in first grade. We have all used the iPads and Mac's during center time, and are looking forward to starting our first project using Comic Life. We have used the computers to take tests to help the teachers place the students in the RtI class that will help them become a better reader. As soon as we have a day with no one absent, I can take a picture to put on the website. (I don't want to leave anyone out!)
 I can't believe that there is only 3 weeks left in the year. Time seems to move faster with each passing day. It seems like all we do is give tests, review and make sure we didn't leave any important content out. The students are still reading like crazy. As of today, June 4, the students have read 168,267 words. Two of my students are in a friendly competition to see who will have the most words by the end of the year. Today they are only about 300 words apart. Stay tuned!
I can't believe it is already May. We have been busy in the classroom. With only a few weeks left in the school year, it seems like there is not enough time in the day for everything. We have been working on our writing skills to get ready for 2nd grade. I found some great reading apps that have very simple books for my struggling readers. I can sit them with an iPad and they can practice reading on their own or with a buddy. It will read the story to them, or they can read on their own. What I love is they can tap on an unknown word, and it will say the word for them. Perfect for the struggling reader!
While looking at the monthly progress of my students this month, I was happily impressed. In March I installed the AR app on the iPads. Previous to this, my students took an AR test each week in the computer lab. During silent reading in the classroom, some students would occasionally take a test on one of four classroom computers. In January and February the students passed a total of about 35 test each month. When we started using the iPads, the students were excited and now there was 9 computers to test on. During one silent reading period, there was time for all students to take a test if they were ready. In March and April, the number of passed tests tripled to over 100 tests each month! WOW! The students love to check their "stats" when the are done testing. There is even a friendly competition over who can read the most words by the end of the year. Having student who can't wait to read -PRICELESS!!!!!!!
 Every student who gets a passing score on an Accelerated Reader test gets a key. The key has the name of the book, the author's name and the students name. I then tape them to the window and wall of the room. I wonder how many keys we can complete by the end of the year... Stay tuned to find out!!!
We have been very busy this month. In my RtI class, students have been using the iPads to practice essential reading skills like sight words and short and long vowel sounds. Every student in my RtI class moved up at least one level on the DRA since November. This is great because all of my RtI students scored below grade level in November.
I just love having the iMacs in the classroom. They actually work. Students are able to take DORA in the classroom has been so helpful. It is really difficult for students to type in their passwords, so in the computer lab I am greeted by non-stop shouts of "teacher,teacher" or students who just decided they don't want to take the test and are happily sitting using another website. In the room, I can put students on the computer at anytime during the school day, and since I type the password before they sit down at the computer, no log-in meltdowns. Happy teacher and happy students. Also I am able to check the scores as they finish, they are less likely to zip through just to get finished. If the scores are lower than the previous test, I show them the bar graph and make them take the test again. This was not possible when all students were testing at the same time in the computer lab.
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