What Is a SMART Board?
A SMART board is a digital whiteboard that allows the use of touchscreen capabilities to manipulate information, as it is connected to a computer. Smart boards are electronic white boards which can enhance instruction and learning. The smart notebook software makes it possible for teachers to create dynamic lessons which address students specific skills. The lessons are all interactive and the kids can come up and use their finger, pointer stick or even a special pen to write on it.
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| Sugar Glider |
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| Koala |
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| Saltwater Crocodile |
We continued our studies about Australia this week here in the first grade as we prepared for the International Festival. We have been having a great time. THANK YOU for your hard work and amazing animals the kids brought into school. They look great in our room!!!
(testing out our new board below)
GUIDED READING
Miss Fate has been giving oral & timed reading assessments to the children this week. They have come so far since the beginning of the year. We will share these with you during conferences. The children listened to a St. Patrick's Day listening center since they were on Spring Break over that holiday. They did a follow up activity with the problem and solution of the story. The listened to two other stories about Kangaroos & Koalas.
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| Listening Center |
The children have been reading and writing with Mrs. Waller and continuing their Australian Animal Hunt stories. They are writing stories about kangaroos. They are wonderful and will bring a smile to your faces! We have displayed them on the bulletin board just inside our classroom for everyone to see. Please stop by and take a peek. Their writing has taken off and they were so excited to show you. You won't believe how far they have come in first grade and we still have two months left??? The children also wrote in their Australian Journals all about The Great Barrier Reef and then they illustrated a picture of it.
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| We're Going on a Frilled-Neck Lizard Hunt.... |
MATH
In Math, Miss Waller has been reviewing skills such as addition, subtraction, place value and money. They are doing a great job with these essential skills. At this time in the first grade we are working hard to make sure the students have a deep understanding of these skills so they are very prepared to move on as they enter the second grade. We will be taking a math assessment next week to review all of our math skills. Then, we will share this information with you at conferences. Miss Fate has just introduced non-standard measurement and standard measurement. We did some fun and exciting activities using our feet, rulers, yardsticks, and of course the Smart Board.
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| Measuring the red line & clicking the correct answer on the board so fun! |
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| estimating and then measuring with our feet... |
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| interactive lesson on time... |
INTERNATIONAL DAY FESTIVAL
On Wednesday, our class performed their Australian dance and watched as others demonstrated their talents at the International Day Festival. We then returned to our classrooms, grabbed our passports and headed to Asia (2nd grade), Africa (Kindergarten) and Southern America (Pre-Kindergarten) to continue our exploration of the world. We had a blast as we explored the various artifacts of these countries and the hard work of our peers. The International Festival was so much fun and the kids did an excellent job on their dance!! Thanks for joining us!
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| Australian Dance |
With Miss Fate, we have been introduced and learning about Australia's School of the Air & the Flying Doctor for those students who live on sheep stations, or in other remote areas. We practiced this with the School of Air Script and sent one child outside in the commons with a walkie talkie. You will have to ask your child for some interesting facts regarding this concept. Could you imagine never, as a young child, entering a classroom? You would receive your school work via the radio and have assignments graded and delivered by a small airplane!
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| School of the Air with Miss Fate |
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| "OVER!" |
TNT---GEOGRAPHY
Our class made Australia Maps with stickers. The children loved placing the stickers in the correct places on the Australia map. This made for an excellent geography lesson. We have laminated them for you so you can use them as placemats at home.
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| sticker Australia maps |
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| dingo |
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| Blue-tongued Skink |
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| Frilled-Neck Lizard |
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| Cassowary & Emu |
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| Wombat |
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| Kookaburra & Tasmanian Devil |
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| Black Swan |
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| Snake-necked Turtle |
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| Duck Billed Platypus, Bilby Bandicoot & the Spotted Cuscus |
SCIENCE & Hands on SCIENCE
Here is a follow up to our last Hands on Science experiment....our coral reef! see below...
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| Coral |
This week in Hands on Science with Wiedeman & Mrs. Waller's sub the children tested out different objects to see if they sink or float.We will have a class drawing to see who gets to take them home!!!
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| Can you make it float? |
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| observing... |
With Miss Fate & Mrs. Lorfing the kids took pictures of their Australian Animals with the iPads, chose a background or habitat and then recorded their voices in Puppet Pals. They had so much fun moving their animal and showing them off to their friends.
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| Puppet Pals |
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| recording our voices & moving our animals... |
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| sharing our recordings with everyone... |
SPELLING(test is Friday, March 30th)--Focus skill: Long Vowels
Words: rude, cute, tube, huge, feet, meet, sheet, street, feel, wheel
Challenge: inches, centimeter, measure, length
Surprise the Teacher???
A NOTE FROM GINGIE WATT---PLEASE JOIN US
(Parent/Guardian Only Event for current Toddler – 4th grade students)
Date: Thursday April 19th
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
*The ECC and Lower School Division teachers and staff invite you to visit the grade level your child will be entering in the next school year. This is a casual and informal opportunity for you to meet the teachers, walk through the classrooms and see examples of current student work and projects. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about what’s to come in the next school year.
CALENDAR
3/30 Spirit Day! Feed-the-Need Friday! Field Trip to the Literature Festival @Rockhurst University 8:50-11:35ish
4/4 No School Parent/Teacher Conferences noon to 8:00pm
4/5 No School Parent/Teacher Conferences 7:30am to noon
4/6 No School Good Friday
4/14 St. Paul's Auction
4/18 1st grade field trip to Lakeside Nature Center
4/19 Transition Night 6:00-7:00pm @school (VISIT 2ND GRADE TEACHERS & ROOMS)
*Please sign up at the St. Paul's Auction for Miss Fate & Mrs. Waller's first grade pizza party/playdate. We have 30 spots available. Price is between $20-25 a person it is from 11:30-1:30pm on Friday, June 8th. First come first serve and we would love to have your child (our class) join us!
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| Our two new St. Paul's bean bags from our X-mas gift card from you all ....are the "on deck" waiting seats for the Smart Board.... |
MISS FATE & MRS. WALLER
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