www.littlemindsbigideas.blogspot.com

More than names on a shirt!

2012-02-05T22:18:00.003-05:00

I didn't think that the 100th Day of Kindergarten would really get me choked up, but I found myself realizing how precious time is and how quickly it goes by. A few years ago, I made a T-shirt with all of the names of the students that I had taught. This year before the 100th day I added the names of my current students. When I looked back at all of those names, so many memories and stories came to my mind. It's crazy for me to think that the first group of Kindergarteners that I ever taught are in high school right now, but then again it is reality because one of them is our babysitter. I feel very blessed because I truly love my job and I know that I get to impact so many of these precious children in a positive way! I also LOVE how these students and their families have impacted me and helped me to be a better teacher, parent, and person!

100th Day Centers

2012-02-05T22:10:00.002-05:00

Students had a great time rotating through the different centers that all had to do with the number 100! They counted by 10's and 5's and put the numbers in order, they made a 100th day hat, they attempted to make a necklace with 100 cereal loops (that was a little more time consuming than I had thought originally, but they had fun and ate a few Cheerios and Fruit Loops as they were stringing the cereal on their necklace), they wrote about what they would do if they had $100, and they had a 100th day "Snacktivity" in which they had to collect and graph 10 different food items. Students got to each these goodies later in the day for a perfect Fun Friday + 100 Day of Kindergarten Treat! Later, students went outside and did 100 jumping jacks and searched for 100 numbered Hershey Kisses! It was a very sweet day!

100 Days Smarter!

2012-02-05T21:59:00.004-05:00

We celebrated our 100th Day of Kindergarten last week! Students each made a project for homework to wear 100 "somethings" on this special day. Students came decorated in 100 stickers, insects, stars, pieces of popcorn, pompoms, flowers, numbers,pennies, beads, hearts, Chinese words, paperclips, and tattoos! Each students got to explain how they made their project and then posed for a "I am 100 Days Smarter!" picture. I'm the crazy looking lady with 100 hairbows and ponytails in my hair!

We're Seeing Shapes EVERYWHERE!

2012-02-05T21:39:00.007-05:00

Students have been learning about 2-D and 3-D shapes. They have learned the names of them (including the triangular prism and rectangular prism) and also tried to identify objects in the real world that are similar shapes. Students worked in groups of threes or fours to make a list/draw objects that resembled a particular shape. Here's one example below of pictures and words that students thought resembled a triangular prism: a party hat, a Christmas tree, a pyramid, the point of a spear, and a beak! Shapes really are all around us! Students did a great job working together on this project and presenting their papers to the rest of the class.

Students also received a 2-D paper cut out and was challenged with the idea of making that shape become part of something else. For example, a circle is just a circle, but when I add a straight line below it, it becomes a lollipop. The pictures below show students thinking of a square as a "package," a "robot," and a "grandfather clock."

Happy Groundhog Day!

2012-02-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

What's NEW with our class?

2012-02-05T21:09:00.010-05:00

Catching up a little... my students are obsessed with origami, thanks to our art teacher! She taught them how to make origami puppies. At least two students are making origami at the end of each day for free choice. They are also obsessed with "mail call." Students can write notes or make crafts for one another and put it in our "class mailbox," as long as it is addressed correctly (who it is to and who it is from). Students have made origami, paper snowflakes, "you are my best friend" notes, and even wrote out numbers "counting by 5's" on a paper to give to another student who doesn't know how to count by 5's yet but wants to be in the "Counting by 5's Math Club." How cute and thoughtful is that?

Several students, myself, my family and other teachers and students from our school volunteered two weekends ago to clean up the school campus. We worked on the school garden. We spread mulch and coffee grounds, planted seeds, and pulled weeds. We saved the potatoes until Monday so that the whole class could have the experience of planting. We planted three different types of potatoes, including blue potatoes. We are going to be going out to check on them once a week and record our observations as scientists!

We learned all about the Chinese New Year from Mrs. Johnson (Andrew's mom). She showed the students traditional ceremonial clothing, taught them about the meaning of The Chinese New Year, allowed them to make a paper dragon, and gave them Chinese fortune cookies. The students really embraced learning about this Chinese tradition. Thank you Mrs. Johnson!!
We also have been having a great time with our weekly Spanish lessons with Mrs. Wilson (Zachary's mom). She has been coming every Wednesday and reading books, playing games, singing songs, and teaching simple words and conversation pieces. This has been a dream of mine for a long time, to be able to expose my students to other languages, and it's coming true!!!! I already have Mrs. Rushe (Patrick's mom) signed up to teach a few words and a song in Italian this month too! Thank you to Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Rushe.

Holiday Homework

2012-01-07T17:43:00.002-05:00

To change things up for homework the last week of December, I created a different kind of homework sheet. Students were able to choose two or more activities from the list which included: 1)Make a wish card (cut out pictures from a magazine that you wish you could give to someone else for the holidays, glue them onto a card and write the person's name on the top)2)Do 3 Acts of Kindness (do three things for someone else. It can be anything from holding the door for someone else, to singing a song for someone, to giving a canned food to someone in need, etc.) 3) Holiday Search (look around your house and search for holiday decorations, count how many you can find) 4)Following Directions (make a baked good or craft, make sure that you follow each step or direction) 5) Favorite Toy Writing (if you could keep only ONE toy, which ONE would you keep and why)
I loved this homework assignment because it allowed kids to have fun and think of others! Several students made wish cards for kids in our class! Some of the acts of kindness that students did included: being a secret Santa for another family, reading a book to my brother, sharing candy with others, donating toys, opening the door for others, helping rock my baby brother to sleep, helping my teacher pass out papers, giving some of my money to someone in need, making my brother a snack, and taking a package to a neighbor. These sweet students have BIG, BIG hearts!

Jingle Pencils!

2012-01-07T17:39:00.004-05:00

Kids get so excited about the little things!! I made "jingle" pencils by putting two small bells on a pipe cleaner and wrapping it around a pencil. I put one "jingle pencil" at each table and each day students would take a turn using the "jingle pencil." Kids were counting down the days until it would be their turn. They loved them so much that we decided to make one for everyone to take home. I would not be surprised if our class "jingle pencils" stuck around until the last day of Kindergarten!

Winter Wonderland

2012-01-07T17:10:00.002-05:00

We had a blast the last week of school in December! We had so much fun making sock snowman, reindeer hats, glitter pinecones,reindeer cookies, and playing with peppermint, cinnamon, and clove playdoh. Students played catch the marshmallow in the cup, sight word bingo, toss the snowball, pin the ornament on the tree and a few other fun, winter games! We also had a visit by Auntie Clause and listened to her read us a story! What a great way to end the year!

Fun Winter Centers on PhotoPeach

Winter Games! on PhotoPeach

Children are a precious gift!

2012-01-07T17:08:00.001-05:00

Holiday Traditions!

2011-12-04T22:19:00.008-05:00

Our school has many unique traditions that the students, teachers, and parents look forward to each year. One special tradition that has evolved over the past several years is our Silent Wreath Auction. Years ago, each classroom decorated a wreath and they were displayed in the front lobby. Parents would bid on the wreaths as a silent auction. The money generated went back to the classroom to purchase needed materials, books, etc. This tradition has transpired into something new and great! Classes can still make a holiday wreath, or they can decorate other holiday items, such as aprons, pots, cards, potholders, and so much more! The money generated from these auction items are then donated to a charity of the classes choice. Some classes, instead of decorating an item, are actively collecting items or participating with a charity. Our class has chosen to partner with a charity called, "Miracle Toys," in which small,used (happy meal) toys are collected and sent to various places around the world to boys and girls who may have never received a gift or toy before. The students are doing a great job going through their toys and deciding to donate these little toys! The lesson is monumental: a small little toy can bring big, big joy to someone who has never had one before! In addition to our school traditions, I'm asking you to share a family/cultural tradition with our class as part of this week's homework. I think it is so important to learn from one another, and who knows you may adopt a new tradition along the way. Below is a few pictures of a family tradition that I do each year with my own kids and also with yours at school.

Parents helped me with my school holiday tradition this year by wrapping up many of my December holiday books. Each day, I select one student to unwrap the book for our read aloud. The kids get so excited to see what book it is! Can you think of a better way to highlight the point that books are gifts waiting to be opened??

We wrap all of our holiday books that we have at home and each night my kids take turns choosing one of the wrapped books. They get to open it up and we read the book as our "bedtime" story altogether by our Christmas tree.

Pow Wow Day

2011-12-04T18:34:00.008-05:00

I took so many pictures the day of Pow Wow! After the Native American Pow Wow ceremony outside, students rotated through many different centers. Here are just a few group pictures. (Slideshow of the rest of the centers---soon to come!) We had such a great day! I'm sure that they were ready for a nap by the time they got home!

Make and Take Night

2011-12-04T18:29:00.003-05:00

I love any opportunity in which students get to come to school at night! It's so much fun for them, me, and their families. Students participated in a make and take night for Pow Wow in which they made Inuit dwellings, which were igloos. They also decorated our lunch table paper with Native American symbols and drawings! What fun!

Pow Wow Preparations and Home Project

2011-12-04T18:23:00.003-05:00

Our Native American Pow Wow was AMAZING!! We couldn't have done all of the preparations without our awesome parent volunteers! Thank you! We hope you enjoyed spending some time with your child researching the Inuit tribe and decorating their "people" cut out as their own Inuit.

Pattern Books!

2011-12-04T17:45:00.016-05:00

Our students have taken off (in a BIG way) with writing their own pattern books. So far, students have learned about back and forth pattern books, question and answer pattern books, repeating line pattern books, and they just learned about how to include a surprise ending. Take a look at two different examples of student pattern books. This is an example of a repeating line pattern book.

Shh! Shh! My mom is sleeping.

Shh! Shh! My dad is sleeping.

Shh! Shh! My dog is sleeping.

Shh! Shh! My sister is sleeping.

Shh! Shh! My brother is sleeping.

Shh! Shh! I am sleeping.

Shh! Shh! Everybody is sleeping.

This next pattern book is a question and answer pattern book:

All about my Grandma

Does my Grandma do good things?

Yes she does do good things.

Does my Grandma play with me?

Yes she does play with me.

Does my Grandma go to my baseball game?

Yes she does do that.

Does my Grandma help me?

Yes she does do that.

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-12-04T17:43:00.001-05:00

I am so thankful to be able to have each student and their families as a part of my Kindergarten class this year! Gobble! Gobble!

1st Nine Weeks Awards Ceremony

2011-12-04T17:38:00.005-05:00

Although it is more than half way through the Second Nine Weeks,(please forgive me,I guess I tend to get a little behind in posting when I'm busy planning, teaching, and having way too much fun!)here are a few pictures from our First Nine Weeks Awards Ceremony. The students were so excited to put their seats in rows in the front of the classroom. Each of them have worked so hard and grown so much in such a short period of time. I am SO incredibly proud of them!

Sink or Float?

2011-11-06T13:15:00.009-05:00

Students participated in sink or float experiments with their fifth grade buddies last Friday. Students worked with their buddy to select five different objects from around the room. Each Kindergarten student wrote the name of the object, predicted whether it was going to sink or float, and then conducted the experiment with their fifth grade buddy. After testing five different objects, students discussed their observations and conclusions. As a whole group, we talked about objects that we thought would float, but didn't and objects that we thought would sink, and they didn't. Our fifth grade buddies really help guide the students to think deeper and question why a particular object sank or floated. One group tested a rubber "counting bear" from our Math area and it sank. Another group tested a similar bear, except their bear floated. We talked about how this "counting bear" had a small hole just on the bottom, so it depended on whether water filled that hole or not. This made for a lot of great questions and conversations. We then conducted different experiements with pumpkins, trying to decide whether they would sink or float. We cut holes in the bottom of the pumpkins and holes in the top of the pumpkins, trying to see if our "counting bear" experiment would prove to have the same results. Ask your child about what happened when the pumpkin had a big hole carved out of the top and the bottom and ask them what their initial prediction was. Hands on experiments are so much fun!

Our Class Fall Celebration

2011-11-06T12:27:00.002-05:00

This past Monday we had so much fun at our Class Fall Celebration! We celebrated with many different Fall fun centers! Students spun spider webs and made their very own spider, they worked on a Fall Sudoku, they made apple trees with their hands as the tree leaves, they made ghost "boo" pops and a ghostly windsock, and they stuffed their own scarecrows. Each student also took a turn trying to pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern. This was such a fun activity to watch! After lunch, students rotated through different game stations, such as: toss the bean bag into the hole, toss the "boo" pops into the cans, ghost toilet paper bowling, predicting how many pumpkins in the jar, decorating and eating a Fall leaf cookie, and making funny faces and posing for the camera. Then, everyone got a "taste" of Fall as we enjoyed many different pumpkin food items including pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bark, "little pumpkins", pumpkin bars, and pumpkin cranberry bread. It was all so yummy and gave kids a great opportunity to try different foods. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EACH AND EVERY PARENT WHO VOLUNTEERED, DONATED ITEMS, AND/OR SENT IN A PUMPKIN ITEM!!!

Fall Celebration (Morning Centers) on PhotoPeach

Fall Celebration (Afternoon Centers) on PhotoPeach

Pumpkin Unit

2011-11-06T12:18:00.006-05:00

We have been studying pumpkins for several weeks now. We have read many books about pumpkins, compared pumpkins, and made lots of different predictions about pumpkins. We predicted how many seeds were in our pumpkin, touched the inside, and even got to taste roasted pumpkin seeds and many other "pumpkin" foods at our Class Fall Celebration Pumpkin Tasting Center. We used different sized pumpkins that were sent in by several parents for most of these observations, comparisons, and experiments. We also used our Literary "Humpty Dumpty" Pumpkin for some experiments too. Students estimated and then measured how many "pumpkins tall" they were. Students used a lot of their science skills for this unit and discovered some interesting things about pumpkins and DENSITY when we conducted our sink and float experiments with pumpkins.

Field Trip to JCA

2011-11-06T12:15:00.004-05:00

We went on our first field trip in Kindergarten to the JCA to see "The Three Little Pigs" play. We had a great time! Thank you to our wonderful chaperones!! The kids enjoyed seeing the actors up on stage, interacting with them after the play, and eating lunch together. But the truth is... this first field trip was ALL ABOUT THE BUS!!! They were soooo excited about riding the bus. From one of our math questions of the day, 11 of these students had never been on a school bus before. This memory and first time experience was AWESOME to witness!

Field Trip to JCA on PhotoPeach

Fall Carnival

2011-10-23T18:15:00.006-04:00

Fall Carnival was a huge success! Thank you, thank you to Mrs. Oliveira for organizing and decorating our Tattoo Booth. Thank you to all of our volunteers who worked our booth, even in the dark!! I hope that you got to enjoy some outdoor family fun time on Friday at our Fall Carnival, I know my family and I definitely did!

Literary Character Parade

2011-10-23T18:12:00.002-04:00

Friday was such a fun day from the beginning to the end! Our students dressed up as book characters and looked great! Thank you to all of our parents who were able to join us for the literary parade!
Literary Characters on PhotoPeach

Five Little Pumpkins

2011-10-23T17:53:00.009-04:00

The students have been practicing "The Five Little Pumpkins." Each group of students took a turn saying the lines in the rhyme, complete with turning out the lights on cue.

Literary Pumpkin

2011-10-23T17:44:00.007-04:00

We decorated our class pumpkins to look like Humpty Dumpty, the King's horses and the King's men. We are very thankful that Mrs. Long and Mrs. Owens were able to help the kids paint and decorate the pumpkins. They are so adorable!

Rice Krispy Treats!

2011-10-23T17:36:00.002-04:00

We made Rice Krispy Treats last week! The students took turns putting each ingredient in and being the photographer. Students wrote about the steps involved in making our Rice Krispy Treats and then enjoyed them the next day after our Literary Parade!
Rice Krispy Treats on PhotoPeach

Question of the Day!

2011-10-23T16:51:00.002-04:00

Each day as part of our Math Workshop, we have a question of the day. Students or I come up with the question and then each student has a turn answering yes or no. It is a great way to learn about each other and also model how to collect data, chart it, add the numbers up, and compare how many people said yes to how many people said no. Below is a question of the day from last week.

Where the Wild Things Are

2011-10-23T16:42:00.003-04:00

Students love the book, Where the Wild Things Are. It is one of our "Star books," which means we read it quite a few times for repetition and we also study vocabulary words from the book. If you haven't heard the word "rumpus" yet, you will soon! In the book, Max and the Wild Things have a wild rumpus. This means that they sing, dance, and party wildly. Our class now loves to sing our "Reader's Workshop" like a wild rumpus.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-10-23T16:40:00.002-04:00

Reading Partners

2011-10-23T16:30:00.002-04:00

Students have the opportunity to not only read independently during Reader's Workshop, but also to read with a partner. Students sit knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder and share one book together. They take turns "reading," retelling, and/or sharing their favorite part of the book. This interaction and communicating about books is very important so that students see that discussing books is just as important as reading them. You will also see a few more of our reading stations.
1)Students practice matching rhyming pictures. 2)Students clap out syllables for picture cards and determine how many syllables each word has. 3) Students match lowercase letters and uppercase letters. 4) Students look at picture cards and say the word out loud, then determine what the beginning sound is. There are so many ways that different FUN ways for students to "play" and learn with literacy skills!
Reading Partners on PhotoPeach

Morning Message

2011-10-09T20:16:00.003-04:00

One of the things we include in our daily Skills Block is a "Morning Message." A morning message consists of two or three sentences that I write in front of the students. I leave out missing letters, vowels, blends, sight words, letter combinations, and punctuation. Students are called up to fill in the missing part. When we first began morning message, only a few letters were missing and they were mostly beginning sounds. Now, students are filling in beginning sounds, ending sounds, missing vowels, blends, letter combinations, and punctuation. Students try to remember that the first letter in the sentence has a capital letter. We also have discussed that the letter I (all by itself) is always capital as well as names. We try to decide what type of punctuation is needed at the end of each sentence. The morning message is a great way to cover so many skills in such a short period of time. It also allows me to make the skills multi-level, so that students who do not know all of their letters/sounds yet can practice those skills and the students who are ready for the next level of skill can be challenged with more difficult skills. In the morning message below, we filled in missing letters in black, underlined blends and digraphs in green, circled sight words in red, and came up with rhyming words down at the bottom in purple.

Another great resource!

2011-10-09T14:42:00.004-04:00

We use many different tools and resources in our classroom. The math resource below is a tool that students use to reference in math. It helps students remember the numbers in order, how to write the numbers, how to group numbers by tally marks,and how to spell the number words. Students will utilize this resource over and over until they no longer need it because they have learned the skills.

Grab and Count

2011-10-09T14:35:00.004-04:00

Grab and Count is one of the math games that we play in Math Workshop. Students grab one handful (although a variation of this game is to grab two handfuls so that students have to count to a higher number) of math tiles or cubes. Then students have to count each one and record how many tiles or cubes they grabbed. This game helps students practice counting, one-to-one correspondence, recording data, writing numbers,and drawing objects to represent numbers. Bonus: They love playing it! (Another variation is to grab and count and then play a second time and decide whether you grabbed more or less the first time and possibly even try to find the difference between the two.)

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

2011-10-09T14:32:00.002-04:00

llama llama red pajama

2011-10-09T14:22:00.005-04:00

On Friday, we participated in the Kindergarten Jumpstart Read for the Record Campaign. We read the book llama llama red pajama, written by Anna Dewdney. The purpose on reading this book on October 6th was to try to set a record for the most people reading the same book on the same day. It was also to bring national attention to the importance of early childhood education. After readint the book, students wrote a response to the book by drawing/writing their favorite part.

Reading and Writing Resources

2011-10-03T22:24:00.004-04:00

Students are encouraged to use different resources around the room and at their seats to help them with their reading and writing. Students use the word wall at the front of the classroom that has sight words on it. They also use the alphabet strip posted at the front of the classroom to help them identify letters and sounds. At each table and in each child's writing folder, students have their own alphabet resource sheet and a sheet that has blends and digraphs (two or three letters together that can make one sound, EX: bl, gr, sh, th). Lastly, students are encouraged to reference our letter combination chart (two letters that are in the middle of a word that make one sound, EX: oi (like in the word coin), or ow (like in the word flower) to include these sounds into their writing and identify the sound when they get to a word they aren't sure how to read.

Five Senses (Hearing & Seeing)

2011-10-03T22:13:00.002-04:00

Last week we talked reviewed the different functions of each of the five senses. We discussed how people who are deaf and/or blind have to rely on their other senses to take in information. We discussed sign language, lip reading, hearing aids, braille, seeing eye dogs, and walking sticks. Students closed their eyes and were guided by their fifth grade buddies outside on the playground. Students had to rely on their fifth grade guide's directions to find their way around the playground. Students also had to listen to the sounds of their walking stick to help identify objects that were in their way or closely approaching. As for the hearing experiment, students had several plastic eggs with different items in each. Students had a list of the possible items and had to try to identify which item was in each egg. Fifth graders were allowed to help guide their answers by asking them questions such as: "Does it sound like a heavy item? If so, then could it really be a cotton ball?" Although students did not get each answer correct, the purpose was for them to understand how different items sound and to ask questions during the process. Both of these activities were a real "hands-on" way for students to gain more understanding of how much we rely on our senses!
Five Senses (Hearing and Seeing) on PhotoPeach

Star Books

2011-10-03T22:05:00.006-04:00

Below are a few of the "Star Books" that we have read in our class. You should see some of these books go home as part of your child's book-in-a-bag. These are classic or favorite stories that kids love to read over and over again and also serve as great stories to retell.

Nursery Rhymes

2011-10-03T22:01:00.002-04:00

We are continuing to study one nursery rhyme a week. Students are having fun reading, chanting, and acting them out. We are also focusing on identifying sight words, rhyming words, and clapping out syllables for the words in the nursery rhyme. They love making the nursery rhyme craft at the end of each week!
Humpty Dumpty

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Super Authors!

2011-10-03T21:52:00.003-04:00

Students in our class are becoming amazing writers in such a short period of time! Each day in Writer's Workshop, one or two students share their writing with the class. Students give a compliment about the student's work. One of our students, Zachary, wrote his own book at home and brought it in to share. Look at the smile and pride on his face!! Students also spend time "peer conferencing." This means that they share their writing with a partner and try to "reread" their story. Below you see two students sitting next to each other "peer conferencing!"

Five Senses (Smelling and Tasting) Experiments

2011-10-03T21:42:00.004-04:00

Last week we worked with our fifth grade buddies. I had different items labeled for students to smell and taste. Each student, along with their fifth grade buddy recorded (on the sheet seen above)whether the smells were good or bad by circling a happy face or sad face. Then, students wrote what they thought the item was. Students also had to close their eyes and taste a few different items (chocolate, lemon, flour, salt, sugar,and potato chips). Students tried to identify whether each item tasted sweet, salty, sour, or bitter. At the end of the experiment, before revealing each item, we let the fifth graders smell and taste. One interesting discovery for the Kindergarteners was that after tasting a few different items, some of their taste buds had a more difficult time identifying what type of taste the food items were!!
Five Senses on PhotoPeach

5th Grade Science Buddies

2011-09-18T22:51:00.005-04:00

We got to partner up with 5th grade students to do a fun science experiment. I read the Dr. Seuss story, Bartholemew and the Oobleck to my students on Thursday. The next day our fifth grade friends came to join us to make our very own Oobleck. The substance was sticky, ooey and gooey, stretchy, and bouncy. The kids made great observations and asked interesting questions. I think both sets of students had a great time. We look forward to continuing these relationships and diving into more science together!

Open House

2011-09-18T22:44:00.006-04:00

We had a "SUPER" Open House. Thank you all so much for attending. The kids loved being able to show and share all of the things that they have learned so far! It is evident in the pictures below that our class has very dedicated and involved parents who value their child's education. I cannot say THANK YOU enough for that!

Kindergarten Couldn't Be More Fun!!

2011-09-18T14:00:00.001-04:00

We read the story, Harry the Dirty Dog. This story is about a white dog with black spots who goes around the neighborhood getting really, really dirty. This book sparked the idea for a fun, creative, and hands-on activity! I decided to make chocolate pudding with the kids. We each took turns with the different steps involved. Andrew and Jose were the photographers that actually took the pictures in the slideshow below. We made it into a cooking show, narrating each ingredient and step that we were doing. Once the pudding was mixed up real good, we put the cups of pudding into the fridge. When the pudding was ready, the students all got a large marshmallow and "painted" their white outlined "Harry the Dirty Dog" on paper. They decided just how dirty they wanted their "Harry" to get. The kids loved painting with marshmallows and pudding and they definitely were not complaining about getting to lick the rest from the cup, marshmallow, and their hands. I really don't know who had more fun...the kids or me. We later wrote a "step-by-step" piece of writing about the sequenced steps involved in making the pudding. Students drew and tried to label and/or sound out what happened in each step.
Making Pudding on PhotoPeach

Beginning Sounds

2011-09-14T23:27:00.004-04:00

We have been practicing beginning sounds in so many ways. Students loved working with a partner in this literacy activity. Students looked through magazines and tried to find things that began with a particular beginning sound. Not only did they love working with each other, they also helped other partners out. As they were working I heard a students say, "Who has the "g"? We found a picture of "gum" in our magazine and you could glue it on your paper if you want." There are so many fun ways to practice beginning sounds at home too! Choose a letter and then ask, "Can you think of any animals that start with that letter? any food items? any cartoon characters? any names of people that you know?" Another easy and fun way to practice this skill is when you are in the car, ask your child to think of something that makes the /a/ sound. Then you think of something that has the /b/ sound. Takes turns going back and forth and before you know it you'll be through the whole alphabet. A good goal to get to is if a child can quickly recall 6-7 words that begin with each sound. Ex: /b/-baby, bear, button, blue, brown, black, ball.

Math Centers

2011-09-14T23:19:00.006-04:00

We began math centers this week. Students enjoyed getting to practice various math skills. A few of the math skills are number recognition, number writing practice, pattern blocks, recognizing and counting shapes. The skills for math centers will continue to change as we introduce and learn new math skills. I work with one center, helping students learn the necessary skill. I give them feedback and encouragement. This also provides me with an informal assessment on how each child is doing with this particular skill. I will also be adding a few "enrichment" math centers for students who are performing at a higher level and are ready for a challenge.

Fuel Up to Play 60

2011-09-11T17:26:00.006-04:00

Last Friday we participated in a "Fuel Up to Play 60" Kickoff Celebration. Our whole class ran around the big track two times. We cheered everyone on! A few students won prizes and then we danced to The Cha-Cha Slide. Our class is super excited about staying fit and exercising! Just look at our muscles and smiles!

Literacy Stations

2011-09-11T17:18:00.007-04:00

We began literacy stations last week. Students loved the opportunity to choose a station and practice a reading skill. Students are featured below participating in 1)Big Book Reading, 2)Computers, 3) Reading around the room, 4)Retelling Star Books, 5)Reading Nonfiction Books and 6)Books on Tape.

Hickory, Dickory, Dock

2011-09-11T17:09:00.003-04:00

We practiced the nursery rhyme, Hickory, Dickory, Dock this week.

Having a good time with Nursery Rhymes!

2011-09-05T22:00:00.003-04:00

We have been "reading" and acting out nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are a great way for kids to feel successful at "reading" because nursery rhymes are usually short and have some motions that can be acted out. Students practice pointing to the words on the chart (teaching them to read left to right, one-to-one correspondence), identifying the beginning, middle, and ending parts to each nursery rhyme, and finding words that rhyme. As you can see we also had a lot of fun acting out the words. Each student is making a nursery rhyme book that will have the words typed out and have empty boxes next to a few words for students to draw their own illustration in. For example, next to the word "hill," students would draw a hill. As they "read" their nursery rhymes during Reader's Workshop, the pictures and big font help them to follow along word-by-word.

Super Scientists!

2011-09-05T21:41:00.005-04:00

Last week we talked about who a scientist is and what a scientist does. I was so impressed that so many students identified themselves as scientists already-AWESOME! We read a few books and discussed different tools that a scientist could use. Students drew themselves as a scientist and then explored different things around the room with hand lenses.

Super First Week!

2011-08-28T16:22:00.006-04:00

We had an amazing first week of Kindergarten! Students left school on Friday wearing their one of a kind "super kid capes," which they wrote their name on and painted their handprints. It was just a little symbol to show them that they are real superheroes and will be using their "super powers" this year in Kindergarten.

Star Student

2011-08-28T15:54:00.007-04:00

We began a new Skills Block activity this week called "Star names." Each child has their name in a cup and the child who was the "star student" the previous day gets to pull out a new name. The star student gets a special sticker and gets to sit in a special chair. I write the child's name on the board, modeling that each name begins with a capital letter and the rest of the letters are lowercase. I interview the "star student" and write their answers out, again modeling sounding out and writing from left to right! We talk about what we notice about the letters in the their name and also words that begin with the same sound. We put their name into a song and also make a puzzle with their name. We cut the letters apart and ask another student to put the letters back together in the correct order. This Skills Block activity allows students to practice many phonetic skills in a fun and interactive way! Students also go back to their seats and draw a picture of the "star student," trying to include some of the things that the "star student" shared in their interview. Students are encouraged to sound out the things that they drew. For example, if they drew a soccer ball, they could write /s/ to represent the first sound or /scr bol/ to phonetically sound out the words. Each student works at his/her individual writing ability.

Super Science

2011-08-24T21:23:00.005-04:00

We learned our new science song today. We read a book about our 5 senses. We did a little experiment using our sense of smell. Several students had to close their eyes and use their sense of smell to try to figure out what the hidden object in my hand was. Students were able to identify the "minty" smell of the peppermint candy in my hand. We talked about how you can use one of your senses or a combination of different senses at one time. Students thought it was fun to partner up and take a closer look at the tiny little dots (taste buds) on their tongue that they use for their sense of taste. We will learn more about this science topic a little later with a few more "in-depth" experiments.

Making Math Count!

2011-08-24T21:14:00.004-04:00

Today, we practiced a few new activities for math. We begin our Math Workshop each day with Calendar skills, in which students practice days of the week, numbers, and place value. We sing a counting song and point to each number on the 100 chart. Students did an informal assessment today by trying their best to write their numbers 1-30. We will continue to work on this skill throughout the year. Students looked through various "Math Books." They also explored counting and making patterns with linking cubes.

Fire Drill

2011-08-24T20:54:00.001-04:00

Tuesday was the second day of school and we had a fire drill. We had already practiced what to do earlier that day, so students did a great job!

2011-08-23T23:14:00.000-04:00

Superkids! on PhotoPeach

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-23T23:06:00.001-04:00

We had such a "SUPER" first day of Kindergarten! Here is a little slideshow to show you just how busy we were! Enjoy!
Our First Day on PhotoPeach

Class Pictures

2011-08-22T21:09:00.005-04:00

Here is our first ever class picture that we took outside today on the playground. As you can see, we are a class full of superheroes! And.....we like to be silly too! We had a great day!

Kindergarten Superkids!

2011-08-21T22:16:00.003-04:00

Classroom Pictures

2011-08-21T22:09:00.008-04:00

It was so great to see all of my students and parents at Orientation!! Here are a few pictures of the classroom for you to share with your family and friends!

Getting Ready for Kindergarten!

2011-08-13T23:32:00.002-04:00

The first day of Kindergarten is quickly approaching and I am so excited about this upcoming year! I can't wait to meet all of my new students and their parents. This upcoming week, I will be busy at school getting the classroom decorated and ready for them. It's going to be a SUPER year!! I'm looking forward to developing and discovering the superhero talents in each of my students.

Kevin Henkes Celebration Day :)

2011-03-22T22:36:00.013-04:00

To end our Kevin Henkes author study, our culminating event was one that our friends are sure to remember! Each First Grade class participated in 'Kevin Henkes Celebration Day.' We went to different centers throughout the first half of the school day. Our class decided to end our day with an awesome cheesy pizza party and some cheesy snacks!

Friends were asked to dressed up as their favorite character from one of his well known mouse books.

The girls made purple plastic purses (out of construction paper) and movie star sunglasses so they could be queen of the world, just like Lilly--while the boys made wallets and ties to look all fancy like Mr. Slinger.

We played Kevin Henkes Bingo and reflected on all the facts we've learned about the mouse books, their characters, and Kevin Henkes himself. Friends were totally pumped!!

We played different board games and watched a movie while enjoying some cheesy snacks in honor of our beloved mouse characters....and a great day it was :)

Zoo Field Trip!

2011-03-22T22:35:00.004-04:00

We had such a blast at the Jacksonville Zoo! We got to see some of our favorite animals and even learn about ones we have never seen before. Check out the pictures below :)

Zoo Fun and Education Program

AWESOME Animals and Zoo Scenery!!

Thank You, 5th Grade Science!

2011-02-27T13:06:00.005-05:00

Our friends had such a cool opportunity thanks to Mrs. Swidorsky's 5th Grade class. We've been studying living and nonliving things and have now moved into studying the life cycle. What a cool opportunity to get our minds going than to see the life cycle happening in a 5th Grade classroom!
Mrs. Swidorky's class had an incubator full of fertilized eggs. The incubator was about 100 degrees inside! Once the eggs hatched, baby chicks were born! We had the opportunity to view a chick hatching out of his shell over the WCCE telecast. When we went to visit the classroom, our students couldn't believe their eyes and had so many questions to ask.

We can't wait to really dive into our life cycle study and learn how people and different creatures grow and change!

Readers to Leaders!

2011-02-27T10:43:00.006-05:00

Each nine weeks, the students at Chets Creek are awarded for the different goals they have met. A very important goal to meet is the Readers-to-Leaders goal, which is part of our million word campaign. By the second nine weeks, students had to have read 55 books in order to meet this goal! In our classroom, we log a book each day during Reader's Workshop. Students record the title, level, genre and whether they enjoyed the book or not.Friends are also required to read a book at home as part of their homework. Because our Principal is so awesome, she awarded the First Graders who met their reading goal in a very different way than previous years. This nine weeks we were invited to play Barnyard Bingo! The coolest thing about it was that EVERY single child in the room won the first round of bingo. When they yelled out "bingo!" they picked out a prize and took it back to their seat. Many of the prizes were books--and they even got a cool, new pencil! The next few rounds, some friends won again! It was so great to see how excited First Graders are about winning more books to read! Our friends who met this goal really enjoyed this day and even wrote Principal Phillips 'thank you' notes. :)
We'll be looking forward to seeing her *smooch* a pig next nine weeks!

Science: Needs of Animals

2011-02-12T12:49:00.004-05:00

We've been studying the basic needs of animals and have noticed that animals have the same basic needs: food, water, air, space/shelter. Our friends worked in groups to create a poster that includes the basic needs of different house pets. Each group was assigned a different pet which is pictured on their poster. They did an amazing job working with their friends to discuss and agree on the basic needs of the animals as well as drawing and labeling those needs on their posters. Our pets included: a hamster, fish, dog, cat, rabbit, and turtles. Once the groups completed their posters, they presented their work to the class. Each friend in the group explained something on the poster. Check out the slide show below to see these super scientists in action!

Happy 100th Day of School!

2011-02-06T08:41:00.004-05:00

Wednesday, February 3rd marked the 100th day of school. We can't believe we only have 80 school days left until our friends are second graders! We thought we would put an interesting twist on the 100th day and ask our students to dress up as if they were 100 years old. We could not believe how AWESOME they looked. We had such a fun day discussing what life was like 100 years ago. They were so curious about when certain things were invented, such as cars, ipods, microwaves, and toilets. We did our research and could not believe how different life is today! Check out the slide show below to see the fun centers we did throughout the day (scroll over each picture to get info about each center).

It's That Time Again...

2011-02-06T08:36:00.001-05:00

It's time for our second Author Study of the school year! We are soo excited to begin to learn all about Kevin Henkes, read and respond to many of his 'Mouse Books', and even have the chance to act out some of our favorite titles through a Reader's Theater. Check out the following website to learn a little bit about Kevin Henkes and his books. Look out for more posts in the upcoming weeks because we will have a lot to show off throughout this unit of study :)

http://www.kevinhenkes.com/

2011-01-30T22:49:00.002-05:00

Thank you to Caleb's mom for making the adorable Sleepover Cake for all of the teachers to enjoy!

Our Sleepover Day

2011-01-30T22:46:00.002-05:00

Enjoy the slideshow of pictures from our fabulous Sleepover Day! A big thanks to Charlotte's Dad for sharing these pictures with us!

A Surprise Lesson

2011-01-30T21:51:00.007-05:00

One of the interesting things that came from our Sleepover Unit was a little lesson on sewing. Students were asked to make a pillow in the shape of a moon, planet, or star for homework. There is always one or two students who cannot afford to do these "extra" projects. A big thanks to our friends who sent in extra pillows for these students to use during Sleepover. Mrs. Alvarado brought in her sewing machine to show all of the students how the sewing machine works. Mrs. Cordoza worked with several students and let them "make" the pillows. Miss Donofrio also received her first sewing lesson and she did GREAT!

First Grade Sleepover Family Night

2011-01-30T21:41:00.006-05:00

Family Night was a huge success, despite the cold weather. Students and parents were invited to the classroom at night to enjoy some star-gazing (through high-tech telescopes), space movie (The Magic School Bus Lost in Space), and some space snacks (Moon Pies, Cosmic Brownies, and Star Crunches). We had a great time! Nobody wanted to leave after the movie ended, so we turned it into a dance party and even invited the parents to dance too! Thanks to all of the parents and students who were able to attend!

Report Writing

2011-01-25T21:03:00.005-05:00

Our friends could've fooled us the past few days--they are writing like second graders! We've been exploring nonfiction books and now it was time to understand how to gather facts from nonfiction books so they could write their very own 'All About' reports. We've had some really deep discussions this week and one of the most important things we learned is that it is never okay to copy words exactly as they are in the book, use those words in our writing and say that we are the author of the book. Our friends had no problem understanding that this would be stealing an author's work.
Friends decided if they are going to borrow facts from books, then they had to summarize or 're word' the facts that they are interested in including in their reports. Many friends were also able to use different pictures and conventions shown in their books to develop their own facts to include in their reports. They used headings to separate the different ideas among the facts in their books and will complete a table of contents when they are finished drawing their conventions. We are super proud of their awesome effort and can't believe we are halfway through First Grade!

Partner Reading - Conventions

2011-01-22T08:21:00.013-05:00

Partner Reading is a great tool that we love to use in our classroom. In this case, during Readers Workshop, we gave friends some time to read their Nonfiction books with their assigned partner. Each pair was asked to explore the different conventions in their books and discuss what facts they learn just by browsing through the conventions. Conventions are the elements of a Nonfiction book that help to clarify and organize the facts in the book. The table of contents, labels, captions, headings, close-ups, charts, comparisons, photos, maps, types of print, cutaways, a glossary and an index are the many pieces of Nonfiction books that we have been studying.

Partner Reading is a great tool because we use it to hold students accountable. For closing, we do not ask a student what they shared with their partner, but we ask them one fact their partner shared with them. They are great at sharing their own findings, but the goal is for them to be listening to one another. They are accountable for what they discuss. Our friends did a great job and really love searching for and learning from conventions.

This is a chart each table in our classroom has to help them name the conventions during Readers Workshop. They also use this for the books they create during Writers Workshop.

Math Choice Time

2011-01-09T17:33:00.012-05:00

Our friends worked very hard on their Math Diagnostic throughout the week. We decided that they deserved some 'Choice Time.' This is where friends have the ability to choose from different math games or worksheets that we have completed throughout the school year. We made sure to review the instructions for each game/worksheet and allowed friends to choose a partner (if necessary) and a game/worksheet they would like to. It was awesome to see how much they love to learn! Take a glimpse at some of the games/worksheets our friends chose:

100 Chart Missing Numbers: One partner covers up 5 numbers, the other has to name the numbers covered by describing them. For example, I know this number is 36 because it is one more than 35 and one less than 37. Once finished, the other partner will take their turn.

Pattern Blocks Count: We did many different activities with pattern blocks this year. Some friends chose to create their own designs when given a set number of pattern blocks to work with. For their design, they had to fill in how many of each shape they decided to use and make sure that they did not go over the set amount. This shows that friends know their shapes and how they are related to one another. This is an activity that friends can do individually.

Head and Tails: Heads and Tails is a great game to work on combinations of numbers (ex., 5+5=10, 6+4=10). Friends work with a partner and could use up to 10 pennies. Once they decide their amount, they record that number on the top of their sheet. Then, they drop their pennies on the table and count how many heads and tails. They make sure that the numbers they have recorded equal the total amount listed on the top. Eventually, friends become much quicker at their combinations and do not have to count each penny individually.

Double Compare: Friends work with a partner and compare their number cards. Again, this is a great game for getting those combinations quickly. Friends split the deck in half and turn over two cards at a time. They must add their pair of cards together and decide who has more. They can either count the pictures on the cards, put the bigger number in their head first and count up, or they will just quickly know the combination from practice. Whoever has the larger combination gets all four cards. If it is a tie, then each partner draws a third card and winner takes all six.

Welcome Back!! :)

2011-01-09T17:25:00.003-05:00

We were sooo glad to have our friends back after Winter Break. They worked incredibly hard their first week back. We had a lot of diagnostic and state testing to do and our friends proved that they are almost Second Graders! We are halfway through the school year and couldn't be more proud of the BEST First Grade class at Chets Creek!

Snowball Fight!

2010-12-17T15:24:00.004-05:00

We surprised our students at the end of the day with a "Florida-style" Snowball Fight.

Reading Partners

2010-12-17T12:19:00.003-05:00

Partnering up proves to be super FUN! Students meet with their reading partner to share their books and ask each other questions about their book. This allows students to show their "thinking" about the book.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-11T13:25:00.003-05:00

Our adorable crew of reindeer are wishing you a Happy and safe Holiday! :)

Snowflakes

2010-12-03T15:57:00.004-05:00

We made snowflakes to decorate our classroom. Each one is as unique as the child who made it!

Auntie Clause

2010-12-03T15:52:00.004-05:00

Today as a special treat, students anxiously waited in the Media Center for Auntie Clause. She explained that she is Santa Clause's sister and was sent to read a story to all of the children at Chets Creek. The students sat so still and hung on her every word as she read the story, Auntie Clause. Then she invited them to have a cookie and milk or juice. What a special treat!

The Season for Giving

2010-11-30T20:26:00.005-05:00

It is so important to teach kids about helping others. Our class has participated in a few different service projects so far this year. We collected sweaters for the Mr. Rogers Sweater Drive, we collected a lot of personal care items and cookies to provide to The Homeless at The City Rescue Mission, and we are currently making cards and a holiday banner to deliver to individuals at a nursing home. I think that our students are definitely seeing that although they may be small, they can help change something for the better! Thank you for helping us teach and model these important life lessons!

Thanksgiving Breakfast

2010-11-30T20:04:00.005-05:00

We were so glad to have so many parents, step-parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents at our Thanksgiving Breakfast. We hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! We are so thankful for having the opportunity to be your child's teacher. We just love those little cuties! We had the opportunity to learn about life on a submarine from Mr. Danny who answered all sorts of questions from the kids.

Keeping up with Math

2010-11-30T19:57:00.005-05:00

Our Standard Based Bulletin Board this month features our daily work in Calendar Math. We keep a tally of how many days we have been in school. We use this number in many different ways: we count how many groups of tens and how many ones, we talk about the number that comes before and after, we draw this number with tally marks, show this number using different coins, and show this number on the clock in reference to how many hours and minutes. We also have daily story problems in which students have to show their strategies and solve some problems in more than one way or use more than one strategy. Calendar Math teaches and reinforces so many math skills!!

Spelling City!

2010-11-03T16:01:00.006-04:00

Test out SpellingCity.com to practice your weekly sight words during Skills Centers and for extra practice at home! There are lots of fun activities that are sure to get your brains excited. Look under our 'Websites to Visit' and SpellingCity is at the top of the list.

Once you get to the site, scroll down to 'Spelling and Vocabulary Lists' and click on Weekly Words. We will be sure to add the words each week so you can be super readers and writers! :)

quick link: SpellingCity

Literacy Character Parade & Fall Party!

2010-10-31T16:50:00.008-04:00

After the parade we celebrated Fall with different stations around the room, yummy Fall snacks, and some good Fall fun! Our friends have worked super hard the first nine weeks and deserved to have an awesome day! :)

They create their very own Scarecrow

made some scary monsters

created a mosaic of an acorn

painted fall leaves and finger-painted trees

and created their own necklace and searched for spooky words

Exploring Quadrilaterals with Geboards

2010-10-31T14:50:00.006-04:00

Quad-ri-lat-er-al is a pretty biiig word for a First Grade student, but a pretty easy concept to understand. A quadrilateral is simply a polygon with 4 sides. This means any 2-D shape such as the ones pictured below. The table below shows the quadrilaterals we know from exploring with our pattern blocks. Just like when we explored with triangles, the main goal for this lesson was to make sure students understand what a quadrilateral is and to create different types of quadrilaterals on their Geoboards. Our friends totally blew this exploration out of the water!

Exploring Triangles with Geoboards

2010-10-31T14:18:00.004-04:00

This week in math we had a blast exploring triangles. It is important for students to understand that triangles are 2-D closed figures (meaning all lines connect) that have 3 straight sides and 3 vertices (our fancy word for corners). Our friends did a fantastic job creating different types of triangles on their Geoboards. Geoboards are plastic and have small pegs on them which hold rubber bands. Students manipulate the rubber bands to make different shapes--and in this case, we created triangles. The main goal of this lesson was to make sure students understand that there are different types of triangles. Not all triangles have equal sides, they can be large or small, and can be positioned many ways. They exercised their brains together and learned a lot from this activity!

First Grade Skype Session

2010-10-31T13:15:00.005-04:00

First Grade had the awesome opportunity to Skype with a teacher in Australia as part of our Mem Fox celebration! In case you are wondering what 'Skype' is, it is a software that enables people from all over the world to communicate with one another. It is a free program that allows you to make voice and video phone calls, send instant messages, and share files with people all over the world. It is an amazing piece of software, and thanks to Mrs. Holtsman, we were able to learn some more interesting facts about Australia and Mem Fox. We had a Skype session with a teacher from Australia. She taught us some interesting facts about Mem Fox, about the school she works at, and about some of the food that was in the books that we read. A special friend from each First Grade class even got to ask her a question! It was such a memorable experience. Thanks to all who made it possible!

Reader's Theater

2010-10-26T14:29:00.003-04:00

Here is a short clip from our Reader's Theater production of Mem Fox's, Hattie and the Fox!

Mem Fox Celebration

2010-10-26T14:20:00.005-04:00

We completed our Mem Fox author study and celebrated in a BIG way! We began last Friday morning by bringing the students in the cafeteria to SKYPE a teacher who lives in Australia. She shared some information about living in Australia and meeting Mem Fox. Students asked some questions to learn more about Australia and how it is similar or different to where we live. We learned that kids go to school in Australia for the same about of time that we do and they have the same subjects. We also learned that they wear uniforms to school. We continued our day by presenting a "Reader's Theater" version of Mem Fox's book, Hattie and the Fox. Students practiced reading with intonation and remembering their parts. They participated in fun crafts and activities centered around Australian animals.

Mmm... Delicious Dirt :)

2010-10-26T12:16:00.011-04:00

We have wrapped up part one of our study on the Earth's surface. Over the past couple of weeks, we studied the different layers of soil, different types of soil and different uses for soil. It's always important to extend our learning. In this case, extending our learning turned out to be quite fun! Mrs. Alvarado and Miss Donofrio thought it would be a great idea to have our friends make their own soil and eat it! As we made the soil, we discussed the different layers we were putting into our cups. First, we added the bedrock (crushed vanilla wafers). Next, we added the subsoil layer (crushed oreos). Finally, we added the humus (chocolate pudding and gummy worms). We learned that the humus is very rich in nutrients and is great for growing plants! Take a look at some of our friends who volunteered to show off how they fill their tummys with our homemade dirt cups!

We are "digging" science!

2010-10-17T21:41:00.006-04:00

Students really are "digging" science as they collected soil samples last week. We are beginning a new science unit all about The Earth's Surface. They collected their sample and then came back to the classroom to examine it closer with their magnifying glasses. They discussed their observations with their partners. They also watched a video clip that posed different questions for them to think about. This week we observe and compare sand, humus, and clay. Students will be thinking about the different types of solid materials that are found on Earth. They will observe the likenesses and differences between different types of soil and rocks. They will try to explain the different changes that take place on the Earth's surface. Don't be surprised if your First Grader comes home sounding like an expert scientist!

Pattern-Blocks: Learning About Relationships Among Shapes!

2010-10-17T21:09:00.005-04:00

We're diving deep into shapes for our second unit in math. Our friends have become quite that pattern-block enthusiasts! We will focus on 3 investigations for this unit:

Investigation 1: composing and decomposing shapes--making shapes from smaller shapes

Investigation 2: describing and sorting shapes--describing and constructing quadrilaterals and triangles

Investigation 3: quilt patterns--combining triangles and squares to make various patterns

Last week we focused on describing and sorting shapes and will wrap up investigation 1 this week with a quiz on Friday. Our friends have learned all about: describing shapes, filling in patterns with the different shapes, creating their own patterns, exploring the many ways to fill a hexagon and other pattern blocks, and filling in the same pattern different ways. We even worked together to create an awesome chart that shows us all the relationships among the pattern-block shapes! This week we will learn more about filling in the same pattern with more shapes and fewer shapes. Take a look at some photos of our explorations...

Farm Fun!

2010-10-10T21:54:00.005-04:00

We had an awesome time at the Sykes and Cooper Farm! Students will be writing about this experience this week. We took lots of pictures so that they remember to include every little detail of this fun event! A BIG thanks to our wonderful chaperones! Enjoy!

Accountable Talk: Book Clubs!

2010-10-09T11:13:00.011-04:00

Accountable Talk? Sounds like a pretty big concept for First Grade, or so you thought!
Since we have started our Mem Fox author study (see post below) we have been discussing Accountable Talk. Just like in Science, it is important that readers understand how to communicate with one another. In order to make this fun, we started Book Clubs! Book Clubs are a great way to get the students to work as a team, discuss books, and learn from one another. This is their time to agree and disagree. This is their time to listen to one another and to understand that there are times where more minds are better than one! However, it is also important that students understand that they are accountable for what they discuss about books. It is their responsibility to discuss what's relevant--not their favorite silly band they bought last night!
To establish our Book Clubs, we put students into groups of four. The group is given a folder and the students were asked to agree on a name for their club. Once the students agree on a name, one student records the name and then each friend writes their name on the lines so we know who is in each club.
Book Clubs meet during Reader's Workshop after independent reading time and the mini lesson (which often includes a read-aloud). Once they branch off into their clubs, this is where Accountable Talk begins! Each group is given one to two books that the teachers have already read during a read aloud. So far, we have been working with the Mem Fox books from our author study. At this point, the clubs have discussed whether they like a book or not and why, characters in books, and the settings in books.
After the Book Clubs have had met, we come together as a whole group and friends share the things they discussed in their groups. This is our time to make sure that all of our clubs are on the same page. This is also a great chance for friends to see that each group doesn't discuss the exact same things about the same books. Accountable in First Grade? You bet! :)

Mem Fox Author Study!

2010-10-09T10:59:00.004-04:00

We have started our first author study in First Grade. We are studying the 'Awesome Aussie,' Mem Fox! We are not only learning lots of interesting facts about this author, but we are reading many books that she has written. The students get to enjoy these books through teacher read-alouds at the beginning of Reader's Workshop. We discuss the books, pose questions, learn new vocabulary, analyze the characters, think about the setting, and ask to students to discuss their 'wonderings.' Our friends seem to be enjoying many of Mem's books and are really learning some new things about Australian culture! We are very excited to dive deeper into this author study over the next couple of weeks!
To learn more about this author, click here --> Mem Fox

Rocking with Antonyms

2010-10-05T16:33:00.001-04:00

It's All About Strategies in Math!

2010-10-03T21:58:00.006-04:00

This year we will study nine investigations in Math. No matter what investigation we are in, we will always revisit and discuss strategies for solving story problems and counting numbers. The following image shows the four strategies that we cover in first grade. (Click on image to view larger version) Friends have been introduced to each of these strategies, however, they have been told to only use the strategies they are comfortable with. As students master one strategy, they move up to the more efficient strategy. When friends are ready to move on, we will see a lot more who are counting on and using the open number line.This month in Calendar Math, we are going to dive deeper into equations and discuss the parts: addends and sum. We are also going to focus on grouping numbers by 5's and make sure that we are grouping our tally marks correctly. We practice counting on through many of our math activities during the Workshop and we also practice number line with our Start With/Get to game each day before Calendar Math. Take a look at your child's work that will be sent home in their red folder this week and have them explain the strategies they used to solve their problems!