The phases of the Moon

This week we have been reading the book The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn Branley.  Our first grade team at our school uses the Guiding Readers 2nd Edition sets provided by Deanna Jump and Deedee Wills.

This book taught us about the phases of the moon.  This book did not discuss the gibbous moon, which I feel is an important one to teach my students...so I did.  

I shared with them the 8 phases of the moon.

Instead of doing the worksheet that went with the book, I chose to do one of my favorite lessons with my students...Oreo Moon Phases!  This was a super fun and yummy way to learn about the moon phases.

I sent home with my students a Moon Watchers work sheet as optional homework.  This will give us a some real world experience.  Of course I encouraged participation with a prize to anyone that returns their Moon Watchers sheet.   Hey, what can I say...ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

100th Day of School

 This year I finally jumped on the "dress like you are 100 years old" bandwagon.  Let me tell you, this was my favorite 100th day EVER!  I have not had this much fun in a long time.

I had so much fun dressing up. I am even planning how I can improve my costume for next year. 

Check out some of my cute oldies!

  

  

  

   

  

  

Of course I could not resist using the app Oldify to make all my students look really really old...including myself. 

We played all kinds of 100th day games!  

Here are my students at the 100th day physical activity station.  Students had to do 100 hula hoops, jumping rope, bounding a ball, sit ups, etc. 

Playing race to 100.

Building a 100 domino train...then knocking it all down!

100 creatures/designs

Here they are creating their spinner.  After creating their spinner, they had to spin it 100 times and keep tallies of what the spinner landed on the most. 

Of course we couldn't go without writing 100 words...after our whole class read 100 books. 

Well...I am back!

I thought I would be ready to start posting when this year got started, but I have been super busy and emotionally drained.  I think the stress of losing our son has impacted me more than I thought it would.  I am finally coming to terms with this grief thing.

Anyways.

I am excited to be back and to start sharing with you all what we are doing.

If you would like to catch up on our school year so far, you can click on my classroom website and see what we have been up to.

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales

I have also started blogging...a little here and there, about our journey as we lost our son. It is called Faith While Losing.

It was the Best of Times and the Worst of Times...

The 2015-2016 school year was a great and terrible year all rolled into one.  What could make a teacher say a year was terrible you ask?  Well, let me start with the good and then share with you the bad.

In March I was surprised in my classroom with the Golden Apple Teacher award.  Here was my post from that day.

Today was an exciting day!

Our class won the Golden Apple!

I couldn't be more proud of these students.

My family

The Golden Apple Foundation

The Pecatonica School Board

Now on to the bad....

In November I found out I was pregnant!  We were so excited to be welcoming another member to our family in August.  We told our daughter the day before Christmas Eve that she would be a BIG sister, something that she had been asking for. 

In January, at our 12 week Dr. appointment our world was rocked.  The ultrasound technician left the room to go get the Dr, my heart sank, because you know something is wrong.  The Dr. told us there were some defects that led him to believe that there was a chromosomal abnormality with our baby.  We went home broken hearted and anxious as we awaited test results.  A week later, we got the phone call that we were dreading, the test results confirmed Trisomy 18.  (Click on the link to learn more.)  We were crushed.  50% of babies with Trisomy 18, won't make it to the 3rd Trimester.  Some baby are born.  Many only live for a week, but some can live for a year with a horrible quality of life.  We had no idea when or if something would happen before he was born. 

For a while I would anxiously go to the Dr. every week to check for heart tones.  Then, when I could feeling the baby move, I just went once a month.  Every morning I would nervously wait to feel my baby kick.  I knew that prognosis, but I wanted him for as long as God would allow me to have him.

At 33 weeks pregnant...well into my 3rd trimester, I went to the Dr. because I had not felt my son move.  The Dr. confirmed that my son had passed.  The next day, June 14, 2016 at 11:49 at night Matthew Wanke was delivered. This was the hardest thing that my husband and I have ever had to deal with, not to mention explaining to our daughter that he brother won't live with us, but in heaven. (We had kept the diagnosis from her since we had no idea when something would happen.)

Now back to some good...

We are doing great.  Even more than that I feel guilty for saying this, but we are happier than ever! God's strength and peace has surrounded us throughout this journey.  Even though losing our son is devastating to say the least, our family, marriage, and faith have never been stronger. I find my self thanking God for this journey, even though it did not end the way we wanted, we are changed people. We will never be the same.  Even though he was not with us for very long, our son has made such an impact on our lives.  We know that one day we will get to meet him again.  

I am looking forward to starting my 13th year teaching. I am excited to start blogging again.  I am excited to see where God takes us.  

Happy summer, my teacher friends.  We will be back at it before you know it.  Enjoy the rest of your summer.  

Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Class Tour 2015-2016

I just blogged to my students parents with our class tour!  So excited about my classroom this year.  This is my 6th year having an alternative seating arrangement.  I was very blessed to receive a Donor's Choose grant to get desk bikes and desk steppers.  My students love the desk bikes the best!   This year I also gave up my teacher desk!  YES!!! I took the plunge and got rid of it.  So far I love it, but I am planning on blogging about my experience with no desk after a few weeks of it.  I am also planning on blogging about my alternative seating classroom.



For now...WHALE-come to my classroom.



Mrs. Wanke's Wonderful Whales: Class Tour 2015-2016: Whale-come to our first grade classroom! This is our view before we enter our room.  Every morning Mrs. Wanke meets us at the door, c...