Get Connected!

Welcome!

Welcome Parents and Students!

I am so excited for our new year to begin together. I have so many fun learning activities planned and can't wait to learn from you as well! I will see you all very soon at Curriculum Night but I wanted to tell you a bit about myself first. 

This is my 10th year of teaching in the Kaneland School District and I have loved every second of it. I live in Sycamore, Illinois with my husband, 3 dogs and 2 cats. I really like living in our old house and spending time with my neighbors. 
This year is going to be very exciting. I have so many new ideas to share and projects to start. 

Most of our contact with be through email and this blog. I will send out blasts with important reminders and exciting announcements. Please check out the ways you can stay connected with us:

Help us stay connected:
Email: laura.bright@kaneland.org
Blog: mrsbrightsclass.blogspot.com
Twitter: @mrsbrightmcdole

Parents,
To confirm that you have seen this and to get your name and email address to me, please send me an email with the following information:
Name of Parents:
Phone Numbers:
Name of Student:
Tell me a bit about your new 1st grader.
Any other important information.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Mrs. Bright

A New App - Showcased by A.S.

Today we were able to try out a new and exciting creative app, Screen Chomp.

Screen Chomp is an app that allows you to draw, record your voice and share it with others.

Sometimes trying to maneuver things on ipads can be tricky. There is cutting, pasting and emailing involved.

I should say it is tricky for most people. Not tricky for A. S.!

As I was painstakingly trying to make sure that most of the class didn't delete their work, A. S. was patiently waiting to tell me that he finished, saved and shared his Screen Chomp. It was ready for viewing.

Amazing!!!

As you know, we are reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Today with the ipads, I had 7 students listen and draw what they heard as I was reading. When we finished our designated chapter for today, the screen chompers recorded their voices. The ones that worked the way we wanted, were able to share at the rocking chair.

Listen closely to the expression and big thinking in A.S.'s Screen Chomp.
Password is same as always. :) 


A.s from Whimsical Perspective on Vimeo.


Here are a few other Screen Chomps from today.

 Andrew on Edward Tulane - http://www.screenchomp.com/t/sGryyRxrS8I

Hailey and Bella on Rocket Math - http://www.screenchomp.com/t/qDS4xTtQMPZ

Screen Chomp is a free app. Check it out


Stay tuned for more Fairy Tale related Screen Chomps to come. :)

Our First Grade Concert by J.C.B.

*Teacher Note: This blog post was written by J.C.B. and he is very proud of his work. He would love to hear from you. Feel free to send him a comment. :)

Hi! I'm J.C.B.

All   the   family    was    at    the    concert     watching    us.   Our show was    good.   I   played   an   instrument.  Our   family   was   taking    pictures. Mrs. Kuntzman did a great job.

Our class did some nice singing.

Here we are in action:
password (school)

My Project 2 from Whimsical Perspective on Vimeo.


Thanks for checking in!

J.S.G's Tech Corner - ipad Demo

Welcome to a new series, J.S.G's Tech Corner.

Today J. is going to demo one of the new McDole ipads. These devices were purchased with students in mind. They will soon be bursting with apps that enrich our academic day. 

I added a password to this video so that it is not viewable on the site I used to convert the video. The password is: school

Here are J.'s thoughts:


JSG's IPad Review from Whimsical Perspective on Vimeo.

After J. finished filming and the not-so-tech-savvy teacher finally figured out how to load it to the computer, we showed it to the class.

Look forward to hearing more about these new devises after Winter Break. Our class will start using them frequently.

In addition, I have extended the invitation to all of the students to participate in our class blog. I asked them to think of their strengths and how to use them to help inform others of academic happenings within our school day. I encouraged them to think outside the box. Anything could be possible. Please discuss this with your child and let me know if any ideas come out of your discussions.

The Season of Giving

Has your child talked about the gifts under our (sad, sad) classroom tree?

They sure are talking about them here!

Underneath our (sad, sad) classroom tree are 23 wrapped packages. Can you guess what is in them?

That is right! Books!

Each day a couple of students get to pick a package to open for our classroom library. If you would like to donate a new, wrapped book to our classroom library, please send it in with your child. We will place it under the tree.
If you are wondering if there is anything else our class is in need of, check out our new "Wish List" section at the top of the blog.

Also, look for an important Holiday announcement to come home today.

Writing with Dr. Walther

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Break. I am really enjoying the pictures that have been sent in. 

More on that later.

Now, a photo journey through our time with Dr. Walther:

It all started with a meeting in the LRC. The students were introduced to Dr. Walther. She talked with them about thinking and reading as writers. Then she read them a story. They stopped periodically to discuss text features. They learned about "footprints" (an ellipse) that lead you to the next page. The students also learned about gathering what they enjoy from other authors and incorporating it into their own stories.

 Then they moved to the tables and began to write their own books. The visiting teachers were able to observe and discuss with the students.

 When writing time concluded, the students gathered at the carpet with Dr. Walther. Each student was able to give a brief idea of what they were writing about. They will all be shared in our classroom this week. We are still working. :)

 She concluded the lesson with a gallery showing of their favorite illustration.

Oh, by the way... they did all of this with 25 teachers watching, whispering and writing. I can't express how proud I am.

We are having a wonderful year.