100th Day of First Grade

Boy have we learned a lot!  We have spent the last few days celebrating with activities focused on 100.  We  sure are 100 days smarter!

First Days of First Grade!

Parent Notes

• Please return the class directory.  As soon as everyone completes this I will be able to send it home.

• Please send an art smock to school.

• Be on the look out for the scholastic book order.  You can place your order online by clicking on the tab on the top of this page.  Please place your order by no later than September 20th.

• Remember to send a snack to school everyday.

• Please return the red home/school folder each day.  This will be how your child will bring their word back and home from school.

Language Arts

• Learned how to do "read to self".  Practiced the right way and the wrong way.  Build our stamina to 7 minutes
• Began our phonics program; Fundations.  Focused on reviewing letter sounds and formations.
• Focused on the letters:  t, b, m, n, o, u, a, i, g, d & c
• Began writer's workshop with the unit "small moments"
• Worked at how to brainstorm a small moment, plan it on the pages and write.
• Looked at how touching the pages and sketching can help plan our stories
• Read many back to school stories

Math

• Modeled what it looks and sounds like to work with math partners
• Explored math tools
  
• Learned what math centers look and sound like while exploring math tools
• Played "roll & record" and "compare"
• Began looking at how to solve story problems.  Worked with "add to" problems

Social Studies

• Played get to know you game in Open Circle
• Began brainstorming classroom rules
• Did our Scholastic News magazine 
• Reviewed the "whole body listening look" that they learned in kindergarten
  

What A Celebration!!!

Today's Flag Day show was amazing!  They did such a great job signing all those songs.

I hope you enjoyed our writing celebration.  Here is the movie version of our animal book.

Enjoy!

Spring Is In the Air

Parent Updates

• Don't forget to send Booktime Books on Wednesdays
• This is some creative building and team work!
  
                    
• What a great visit from Curious Creatures.  This has us thinking about researching our own animals.  We even started getting books out of the library.  Can't wait to learn all about new animals!

Literacy

• Working on long vowel sounds.  Focusing on magic silent E.
• Learned about vowel teams - focusing on ai, ay, ee, ea, ey
• Learned about new suffixes in addition to (s):  (ed) and (ing)
• Working on what readers do before reading, during reading and after reading

Before I read...

• I can look closely at the cover (front and back) and think about the title
• I can think about who is in the story  
• I can think about what might happen (i.e. goal, wish, problem)

While I read...

• I can think about what I am learning about the characters
• What are they doing?
• How are they changing?
• I can think about what is happening  
• What has been happening so far in the story?
• What might happen next?

After I read...

•  I can think about how the story ended
• I can think if the character changed or learned something
• I can think about what the story reminds me of

• Finished information writing in writer's workshop
• Began working on opinion writing using the collections they brought in

Math

• Continue solving story problems
• Started new compare problems
• Worked at solving two-digit addition problems using a variety of strategies: hundreds chart, open number line, place value blocks.
• Here are some samples...

                        
                      

All About Polar Bears

All About Polar Bears

It all started with a scholastic news magazine about polar bears.  They had one simple wonder..."What eats a polar bear?"  I asked them where they could find the answer and their response was..."Siri".  

Eventually after much prodding and encouragement they came up with books.  We took books out of our library and they started learning about polar bears.  We also used the data base "Pebble Go". The idea of "post-its" came up as a way to capture the things they were learning.

We also found a great polar bear cam to watch from the San Diego Zoo.  Here's the link:  Polar Bear Cam

Riley brought in a book from the Medfield Library.  As the kids were reading it, they discovered that it was all about two of the polar bears that we were watching!  So exciting....

They then decided that they wanted to teach other kids in our school about polar bears.  They came up with the idea of a bulletin board.

Tahila came up with an idea of how to show that polar bear's fur is hollow transparent tubes with black skin underneath.  The light reflects off the tubes making them look white.  

We looked her at her design and used design thinking to come up with even better prototypes.  They even held them up to the windows to see if they really looked white.

We even wrote polar bear story problems with partners in math centers.  Now we are trying to solve each others using QR codes.

They were incredibly engaged, read a variety of text, worked with partners, explained their learning in writing, etc.  WOW!  All I did was ask them what they needed.  We are still getting polar bear things brought in and added to our board.  Here is an example.

                   

Amazing Happenings In Room 11!

Parent Updates

• I hope you found conferences informative.  Please be sure to return the signed progress report envelopes
• Please be sure to send Booktime Books in to school on Wednesdays.  It is the only day we do this unless we run out of time, then we do it on Thursday
• The weather is getting cold, please be sure to send your child dressed for the weather.  We go out everyday unless the weather is poor

Specials

• In art the class worked hard on making pinch pots.  We then wrote "how to" stories to describe the process.  Here are some more explanations.
                    

               

Literacy

• We are working on being flexible readers.  When one strategy doesn't work, we try another.  We ask ourselves "Does it Look Right?  Sound Right?  Make Sense?"
• Worked on learning about "Glued Sounds".  These sounds keep their sounds but are "glued" together:  -all, -am & -an
•     
• Continued to work on trick words.  Please practice any missed words from the list sent home. In addition we have learned:  from, have, do & does
• Continued to work on having our characters come to life during writer's workshop
• Learned how to learn from mentor authors.  Discovered how to use:  bold words, movement in words, ellipses & exact words
• Finished all the "My Father's Dragon" books.  Started "Gooseberry Park".

Math

• Continued to solve story problems
• Worked on solving Addend Unknown story problems
• Worked on subtraction strategies:  "count back" on the number line, "count on" on the number line, "make 10" counting back, "make 10" counting on & think addition to solve subtraction
• Worked with fact families.  If you know how to fill a part-part-whole mat...you can use thparts and whole you know to solve problems 

Social Studies

• Learned about Veteran's Day.  Had guests come and teach us about the five branches of military and about the different jobs that people do.
                          
• Learned about the pilgrims and why the chose to come to the New World.  Watched Mrs. Paget's Thanksgiving Play.  Read Thanksgiving stories

Science

• Began learning about Solids.  So far we learned that solids have the properties:  color, shape, roll & stack and hardness

     

Happy Halloween!

Thank you so much to the room parents that planned and helped out to make our Halloween party a great one!  Can you guess who is behind the masks???