We're a team in first grade!

WE LOVE 1st GRADE!!!

What an amazing group of 1st graders we have here!!!

We worked soooo hard this week and accomplished a lot!  Everyone is settling in very nicely to our routine and it is showing with the beautiful work they are turning in and the respectful, caring actions we have seen.  So, take a look below at all this wonderfulness going on in our class and be PROUD, VERY PROUD of your awesome first grader! 

During our language arts block we introduced tic-tac-toe boards.  We started this week with 2 boards: word work and writing.  On each board there are 6 different squares with activities to complete. One square is a "must do" activity.  Once this is completed the children move on to the others of their choice.  It is NOT required that they finish all 6 squares each day as long as the work being completed is their BEST QUALITY work and they are staying on task throughout the morning.  These boards are an excellent way for us as teachers to differentiate learning.  It also gives the children opportunities to make choices in their learning which keeps their interest up and improves productivity.

Mrs. Waller is reviewing capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and punctuation marks such as a period and exclamation point at the end.

We worked on building words with short "a" this week.  We learned to build a word you stretch out each sound like stretching a rubber band.

David is using only sounds to build a word with short "a" in the middle.

Maddie was told to keep the "ad" in the word "sad" that she built.  Then, she was told to switch the "s" sound at the beginning to the "m" sound to build a new word.

Tic-tac-toe board for word work.

Page and Jake are working on building short "a" words in their phonics books.

Elianna is working on an opposite puzzle.

Jake is sorting rhyming words in the correct category.

Look at this great illustration of Pete the Cat!  Following step by step directions helps when learning to draw!

Evan is illustrating a wonderful picture of himself in his theme notebook!

Alex is building a sentence focusing on the short "a" sound.

Look at all those opposite matches Joshua and Page found!  Great teamwork!

These are some of the short "a" words we focused on this week.

We built short "a" words with magnets.

Jack listened to the book "Brand New Pencils, Brand New Books".  Next he illustrated his favorite part.

Raquel is illustrating her favorite part from the story.  We recognized that this book reminded us of our own beginning of the school year.  When we connect to a book its called a text-to-self connection.

In math this week we introduced number line math and are reviewing equations.  Mrs. Waller read "Ready Set Hop".  This book shows how frogs hop from one rock to another to solve math equations.  Then, the children were given a froggie number line to use to hop from one number to another while adding numbers together. Students will use these number lines throughout the year when they need something to help them with addition and subtraction.  We also introduced problem solving using word problems.  The children were introduced to a strategy called "logical reasoning".  They identified how to look for clues and use their common sense thinking to help them solve a mathematical word problem.

The class is showing the sum they found after adding 2 numbers together with their number lines.

Julian is using the water bottle with the die in it to come up with addition equations.

Lila will write each addend she rolls on her paper and then use the number line to find the sum.

We used the human number line to show equations as well.  Mrs. Waller gave an equation and 2 students had to hop from one number to the other and then end on the sum.  The other children then showed the sum on their froggie number lines.

In social studies Ms. Lorfing introduced a Venn Diagram to the children.  A Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer used to show how 2 things are alike and different.  We used the hula hoops to compare and contrast kindergarten and first grade.  We couldn't believe how many things they already know about first grade!  Then, we read a book called, "We are All Alike, We are All Different".  After that, the children were paired up and asked to do their own Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting themselves.  Everyone agreed that it is important to have differences and if we didn't the world would be a pretty boring place to be!  We had fun discovering all the wonderful things that made us different in our own class. 

 

We also used 2 of our favorite stories to compare and contrast using the Venn Diagram.  We found it amazing that there could be so many things that were different about the same kind of story with the same characters!!

After brainstorming all the ways our class is important, the 5 ways pictured above were the MOST important, voted on by the children.  Mrs. Waller and Ms. Lorfing couldn't agree more!!


 TNT-Try New Things
On Wednesdays we "try new things". This week we worked together in groups to make a pyramid with solo cups using a rubber band tied to strings.  It took a lot of teamwork, patience and perseverance in order to complete this difficult task.         

TEAMWORK...
Together, Everyone Achieves More!!

In hands on science this week we learned about attributes.  Each class had the chance to go outside and find things from nature to put into a bag.  Once inside, everyone sorted the items into categories according to their Attributes.  Some of these included smooth, rough, pointy, tiny, and light.

Evan is feeling the texture of the playground surface.  It's bumpy.

Julian noticed this grass feels smooth.

Campbell is looking at the tray and trying to decide which attribute these items all have in common; are they smooth, rough, tiny, light, or pointy?

In computer lab we went back to the website from last week called, ABCya.com and practiced site word skills and addition skills with Site Word BINGO and Marble Math Addition.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRIFFIN!!


Scholastic book orders came home this week.  Please make sure to place orders online using our activation code which was on the flyer sent home.  Orders will be placed on Wednesday, September 3rd.


We appreciate you all attending last night's curriculum night.  If you were not able to be here your child will be bringing home a packet for your review.  Please let us know if you have any further questions.  We are enjoying your children so much!!  They are truly a blessing to us!
Enjoy your long holiday weekend,
Sara and Carey