100th Day of 1st Grade: 100 Days Smarter!

We started with the morning with a
one-hour delay! On a day where every moment is packed, we started behind – yikes – but it turned out so great! It was a fantastic 100th Day, so much fun,
and the kids loved it. Morning work from my 100th Day Pack (free)
started us off and was fairly challenging for our friends. It reviewed
synonyms, antonyms, rhymes, and adjectives!

Then, we transitioned into our normal
writer’s workshop. This Monday is our school-wide showcase and are personal
narratives are very much still in the editing phase! We can do it, we can do
it, we can do it J

After rocking out some writing, we read
100th Day Worries as a read-aloud – so cute! It seems like most of
the 100th Day books follow the same theme (i.e. bringing in 100
items) but this book was a bit more developed and had a small twist to it! The
kids enjoyed it, and it was a great intro into the 100 things they brought in brown
paper bags. From nails to pennies, it was a fairly typical mix of 100 items. It
was really fun to listen to the clues (i.e. Your hands smell after touching
them (pennies). They are big and small (pasta).) One little friend made it
through ALL 3 clues before realizing he had mixed his clues up with a friend….”Wait, they aren’t round. Or colorful!” hilarious J

We did 100th Day stations
that included age-progression photos (using Old Fart Booth). Like Kim at The VeryBusy First Graders, I took the kids photos without telling them the reason.
Then, this morning, I showed them my photo and my cooperate teacher’s photo –
they DIED! With my most serious face, I handed out the photos forbaying our
friends from touching them. On the count of 3, they turned them over. It was hysterical.
They were laughing and screaming and comparing photos. It was wonderful and
something I will definitely do again. Plus, we got some hilarious writings out
of our friends. Some of the kids named their future children, some are working
at Hobby Lobby, and some are going fishing J

During centers we also did a Write the
Room to record 100 words! Only 1 friend actually finished but we WILL follow-up tomorrow. When I introduced the activity, they all shouted “We can’t
do that!”…I WILL prove them wrong J We also made, by table group, a ‘nible plate’ that
included 100 snacks. It is always fun to watch students realize how much 100
really is.

After lunch, our friends created paper
chains by table groups (Note – this was totally not my idea and my cooperating
teacher gets all the credit and glory…because
the chains were awesome). Each group received 20 strips of paper and very little
instruction. It was up to each group to come up with a plan to connect the
chains.  Teamwork at its finest. We took pictures of each group before linking all 100 chains. This afternoon, my
CT and I draped the 100-link chain from the ceiling. It spans the entire length
of the classroom and looks great! I cannot wait for our friends to see it
tomorrow J

To finish out our day, we completed
some 100th Day challenges learning how LOOONG 100 seconds can actually be! We went apple picking, did some joke-telling, and the kids loved it. They had no idea how exhausting 100 seconds could be. 🙂 You can grab these ‘challenge’ cards for free here! 

Wow! Well, my first 100th
Day was a success. It was so exciting and jam-packed and exhausting J After seeing it once, I have so many ideas for
future years. Something I definitely want to do when I have my own classroom is
set up a 100 bulletin board beginning the 1st Day of School –
so cool to ‘see’ what you are learning over the course of a year! Have you ever
done this?

Well, I’m listening to Aida, it’s almost the Triumphal March, and I just finished my Making Connections While Reading pack, so I am headed out! Best wishes for a wonderful Friday. 

UPDATE (January 2015) – I just experience my first 100th Day flying solo in my own classroom and it was amazing! We used an 8-center reading/math rotation that my 1st grade friends love. Click here or the photo below to read about our awesome day!