Kids Can Cook- Bite-size Honey Popcorn Balls

Bite-size Honey Popcorn Balls

The only quibble we have with popcorn balls is that they're usually too big and unwieldy to bite into. These miniature clusters, held together with caramelized honey, are just the right size. Prep and Cook Time: 1 1/4 hours. Notes: If you don't have an air popper, you can pop the popcorn in the microwave. Be careful when opening bag; it will release steam.

Yield: Makes 60 to 65 popcorn balls

Ingredients
20 cups air-popped popcorn (from 2/3 to 1 cup kernels; see Notes)
1 1/4 cups butter, cut into chunks, plus more for your hands
1 1/4 cups honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Put popcorn in a large roasting pan. Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir together 1 1/4 cups butter, the honey, and salt until butter is melted. Increase heat and boil honey mixture gently 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla.

3. Carefully pour honey mixture over popcorn in roasting pan and stir gently to coat. Bake popcorn, stirring every 5 minutes, until deep golden all over, about 25 minutes.

4. Let popcorn stand 5 minutes, or just until cool enough to handle. Working quickly with lightly buttered hands, press small handfuls of the mixture into 1 1/2-in. balls, occasionally loosening popcorn from bottom of pan with a spatula. If mixture cools too much to be malleable, return it to oven for about 45 seconds to soften.

5. Put popcorn balls on prepared baking sheet and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Weekly Update- week 1

Welcome to the FIRST week of first grade in Mrs. Stagg's Class!

Here's a peek into our week :)

Theme:

My School Family/ Names

Literature:

Kevin Henkes & 'Back to School' books

Language Arts:

Skill: Main Idea

Strategy: Summarize

Fluency: Accuracy

Vocabulary: Classify and Categorize

Grammar: Nouns

Phonics:

initial sounds n,d,p,f

words with short a

Sight Words:

bat- fan- a- I- an- you- the

Writing:

Introduction to keeping a journal

Math:

Kindergarten review/ math pre assessments

Science/ Social Studies:

Learning expectations for the classroom and school, routines

Weekly Update- explained

Each Sunday, I will send a little information your way about our upcoming week. Here, you will be able to see what we are focusing on, what types of literature we will be reading, and what skills I will be teaching. In this first update, I will explain each area in detail, but in the future, explanations will be brief. Please contact me if you have any questions! Remember, first grade is very cyclical, so I am not expecting mastery of any of these skills by the end of this week. We will revisit these topics again and again throughout the year! Thanks for your support at home!

Theme:
I like to center my week around a theme of some sort, as I love to use a common thread to tie all subject areas together when possible!
Literature:
I love to read and I make it a goal to pass that love of literature on to my students. One way of doing that is to use literature to introduce lessons. I also do several author studies throughout the year!
Language Arts Focus:
In what we call 'shared reading,' we touch on a number of Language Arts skills, but there are usually 1-2 per week that we really focus on.
Phonics Focus:
Phonics study is a big part of "Balanced Literacy," which is the reading philosophy practiced in CSISD. We will focus on numerous phonics skills weekly, but there will be a handful that make up our primary focus for the week.
Writing Focus:
Teaching writing separate from my Language Arts/ Literacy block is something I am passionate about for a few reasons... For one, I was a very good writer in elementary school, but I absolutely hated it. I now love it and our writing lessons will be full of energy and life. I hope you will be excited to read what your children are publishing in our classroom!
Math:
In CSISD, Math is something we teach in cycles, so even though we may have a specific focus for the week, your child will be practicing and applying all strands of mathematics each week in our classroom through our class math meetings, lessons, small group learning, and math stations and games.
Science and/or Social Studies Focus:
Science and Social Studies are such fun subjects in first grade. We will get to learn about real people and real things, we will get our hands dirty and truly experience many different things throughout the year.

Extra Information?
If there is additional information for the week I feel you need to be made aware of, I will post it here.

Now you know a bit about how our weekly updates will work. Please be looking for our first Weekly Update in a few minutes!

Recipe for First Grade

I so enjoyed meeting you tonight and can't wait for the year to get started!

EASY RECIPE FOR A PERFECT FIRST GRADE CLASS

1 Bunch of Happy Eager Students
1 Enthusiastic, Energetic and Loving Teacher
Combine the above ingredients with:
2 Cups of Reading
1 Cup of Phonics
1 Cup of Math
1 Cup of Spelling
1 Cup of Science/Social Studies/Health
1 Cup of Honesty
1 Cup of Friendship
1 Cup of Respect
1 Cup Concern and Love for Each Other
Spices (for extra flavor)
A dash of P.E., Library, Music, Art, and Computers
A Large Portion of Learning Stations
An Abundance of Supportive and Concerned Parents



Blend reading, phonics, math, spelling, science, social studies, and health very carefully and thoroughly each day. Add honesty, friendship, respect, and concern for each other. Daily add a bunch of love and enthusiasm along with a scoop of understanding and a dash of discipline. Sift in P.E., Music, Art, Library, and Computers to give it a little spicy flavor. Carefully blend in Learning Stations to enhance all learning styles. Mix thoroughly and check to see if all ingredients are blending and being learned. Bake in a first grade classroom everyday. Watch them grow and learn daily adding more of each ingredients as needed. When they are done and the year is through - turn them out into the world with knowledge, love, respect, and self- esteem!

**Courtesy of Valley View ISD**

Can I skip my 20 minutes of reading tonight?

Can I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?
Student A reads 20 minutes every night.
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night. . . or not at all!
Multiply minutes a night X 5 times a week.
Student A 20 minutes X 5 = 100 minutes.
Student B 4 minutes X 5 = 20 minutes.
Multiply minutes a week X 4 weeks a month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.
Multiply minutes a month X 9 months.
Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year.
Student B reads 728 minutes in a school year.
Student A reads the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.
Student B reads the equivalent of only two whole school days a year.
By the end of 6th grade Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits . . . .
Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days and Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days. One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably so, undoubtedly, will school performance.

How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?
Which student read better?
Which student would know more?
Which student would write better?
Which student would have a better vocabulary?
Which student would be more successful in school and life?

How does your child learn?

Multiple Intelligence Survey


Linguistic Intelligence

Does your child:

Enjoy listening to other people talking?

Get annoyed with people who use improper English?

For example, He don’t know the answer.

Like to learn new words?

Give good directions to others so they understand.

Like to tell stories?

Enjoy reading books?

Have a good memory of names, dates, and trivia?

If this sounds familiar, then your child might someday write a bestseller or become fluent in several languages.


Logical- Mathematical Intelligence


Does your child:

Enjoy math class?

Likes to work with computers or calculators?

Easily ads numbers in his head?

Enjoys doing science experiments?

Asks a lot of questions about how things work?

Enjoys chess, checkers, or strategy games?

If so, perhaps your child could one day design sky-scrapers or program computers.

Spatial Intelligence

Does your child:

Prefer to draw pictures rather than tell stories?

Find his/her way around a place easily?

Like to take things apart and then try to figure out how to put them back together?

Read maps, charts, or diagrams more easily than text?

Daydream more than peers?

Build interesting three-dimensional constructions (like LEGO buildings)?

Doodle a lot on notebooks?

If this is your child, then he/she could grow up to paint a masterpiece.

Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Does your child:

Find activities like riding a bicycle, skating, or walking on a balance beam easy?

Use a lot of hand gestures and body movement when talking to friends?

Run, swim, and exercise without getting tired?

Learn to play new sports easily and quickly?

Like to touch something she has just seen?

Report different physical sensations while thinking or working?

Cleverly mimic other people’s gestures or mannerisms?

Move, tap, or fidget while seated for a long time in one spot?

If yes, then your child could develop into an expert skier or someone who amuses her friends with hilarious impersonations.


Musical Intelligence

Does your child:

Enjoy playing a musical instrument?

Listen to music a lot?

Hum or sing a lot?

Cheer herself/himself up with songs when she/he is sad?

Tell you when music sounds off-key?

Have a good singing voice?

Remember the melodies of songs?

If this is your child, then she/he may one conduct a symphony.

Interpersonal Intelligence

Does your child:

Like to play with other kids?

Understand how friends are feeling by looking at their faces?

Have two or more close friends?

Give advice to friends who have problems?

Have a good sense of empathy or concern for others?

Seem to be street smart?

Seem to be a natural leader on teams?

If you answered yes to most of these, your child might become someone’s favorite teacher or the CEO of a big company.

Intrapersonal Intelligence


Does your child:

Often need a quiet place to work or just be alone?

Like to make collections of things that have special meaning to her/him?

Remember their dreams?

Display a sense of independence or strong will?

Have a realistic sense of their strengths and weaknesses?

Have an interest or hobby that she doesn’t talk much about?

Accurately express how she is feeling?

Sound familiar? Then your child could someday write great poetry or resist negative peer pressure and do the right thing for him or herself.
Naturalist


Does your child:

Enjoy collecting bugs, flowers, or rocks?

Like to closely examine what she finds in nature?

Keep detailed records of her observations of nature?

Like to watch natural phenomena like the moon?

Becomes fascinated with one particular thing from nature and wants to learn about it thoroughly?

Want to become a geologist, biologist, or some other type of scientist?

If your answer is yes, then your child could become an expert on paleontology or discover new ways to save the whales.

6 Traits of Writing

Writing is a huge part of our curriculum because as the old saying goes...

"Good readers are good writers, and good writers are good readers."

My goal this year is to familiarize our students with the terms and concepts of these traits in an attempt to help our students become better writers.

The traits are listed below with a description of each trait.


Ideas
Ideas make up the content of the piece.

When the ideas are strong, the overall message is clear.

The main points or storyline are

* awareness of details

* knowing what's important or interesting
* clarity, focus, sense of purpose
Organization
Organization is the internal structure of the piece, the thread of central meaning, the pattern of logic.

The internal structure of piece has:
* a clear beginning, middle and ending
* the ability to organize and group
* a good sense of sequence
A satisfying conclusion wraps it all up, yet leaves the reader with something to wonder about.
Voice
As important as voice is to creating a good piece of writing, it is hard to define.

It is how the reader knows it is really you speaking.

Voice is how the writing draws the reader in and creates a bond between the reader and the writer.

It is the style, tone, and flavor of the writing piece.
It evokes an emotional response, tailoring communication to an audience
Word Choice
Word choice is about the use of rich, colorful language that communicates not just in a functional way, but also enlightens the reader.

In good descriptive writing, strong word choice clarifies and expands ideas.

In the readers mind it creates images so real, you feel like you are part of the story itself.
* awareness of language
* understanding that there are different ways to say things
Sentence Fluency
Sentence fluency is the auditory trait.

Fluent writing is graceful and varied.

Sentences are easy to read, well built, and seem to flow.

Strong fluency is marked by creative phrasing, alliteration, and word order that makes reading feel natural.

Fluent reading is free of awkward word patterns.
* a variety of sentence lengths
* uses more complex sentences
Conventions
Conventions deal with the editing of spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage, capitalization, and paragraphing.

Original writer/presenter: http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/