A Look at Leonard Lawrence: The School Tour

Leonard Lawrence Elementary School

Welcome!

The Office

Our Expectations

Our Library

A comfy spot to read in our library!

Our Classroom

Where the magic happens!

Our Computer Lab

Time for recess!  Hope you had fun on your tour of LL!

Manic Monday

In order to prevent twenty or so first graders from sharpening their pencils during instruction, we have a can of sharpened pencils available.  The students can put pencils that need sharpened in the "Please Sharpen" can, and the Super Kid sharpens them after they finish getting the calendar ready.  Of course, anyone may sharpen pencils in their free time as long as I am not teaching.  This is the first year that I have had reluctant sharpeners!  No one wanted to sharpen pencils this year!  It was their least favorite job.  How do you handle pencil sharpening during lessons?

The Pledge

When I taught second grade, I always taught my kids The Pledge of Allegiance in Sign Language.  I was afraid that first graders were too young for it, but maybe I'll try it out again in the new school year!

Teacher's Pet

Where the Wild Things Are is one of my favorite books, so when I found these in the Target $ section, I had to snag a few!  I can't wait to use them this fall.

Blogging Instructionally

Hi!  My name is Toni Ramey.  I am a first grade teacher at Leonard Lawrence Elementary school in Bellevue, Nebraska.  I received a degree in elementary education from the University of Northern Colorado and a masters degree from Wayne State College.  I also have many hours of continuing education focusing on the quality classroom.  I started blogging just a few months ago, and I am taking an online class about instructional blogging in order to help me develop a more useful blog for my parents and other teachers.

I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to technology, but am willing to try and eager to learn.  I am one of those people who have to do things several times in order to remember how to do it and to commit it to memory!  I recently bought a new PC (my old one died!) and am still learning on it.

I have been stalking several teacher blogs for the last few months and have already used many of the ideas I have found.  I am so impressed not only with the creativity and passion I've seen on these blogs, but also with the generosity and willingness to share ideas and lessons!  I would like to share things that are happening in our class with the parents of my students while, hopefully, sharing ideas with other teachers.

Monkeys!

Our last reading story was "Baboon," so we created Baboon portraits. The kids always love that story!

I show them step-by-step directions to draw a monkey...

...they draw in pencil,

then trace with black dry erase markers and paint with watercolors.  So cute!

B3 Paleontologists



After studying sand, pebbles, and soil in science, we always study fossils.  We create a clay fossil using Model Magic, shells, and toy dinosaur skeletons.  We then excavate "fossils" from chocolate chip cookies.  Finally, we create dinosaur skeletons using models and dinosaur bones (white chenille stems).  This is always one of my students' favorite science units!

They worked so intently.

B3 paleontologists assembling dinosaur skeletons.

Scientists at work!

You might be a teacher...

...if you are making stuff for school during your first week of summer break!
Our first  in unit in science is animals, so I made two books.  My first things to share (with lots more to come, I hope!)!  I, of course, used DJ Inkers clipart (my favorite!).

The first one is an Animal Alphabet book and the other one is an Animal Classification book. 
Enjoy!