Hello families! I apologize for taking so long to update this blog. Wedding plans have consumed my weekends lately!
We are still looking for some spring weather....we are all sick of all this rain, rain, rain!! We are trying hard to get kids outside for recess whenever the rain has stopped, so please send your child with appropriate clothing. It also may be a good idea to send an extra pair of pants/socks for your child to keep in his or her backpack during this wet time!
Here is a look at what we have been up to over the last two weeks!
Reader's Workshop
We started last week by learning what readers do when they don't know what a word means. We learned that using what you know plus the author's clues is called inferring. We read a book by Leo Lionni called Matthew's Dream.
This story was full of new words that we didn't know! We worked together to figure out what these words meant...and we didn't even need to look them up! Encourage your first grader to stop and think when he/she comes to an unknown word. We learned very quickly that we could figure out so many words!
At the end of the week we started getting ready for our next unit on nonfiction. We will be spending the next 4 weeks emerged in nonfiction. We brainstormed everything we knew about nonfiction from our last unit in February.
Each group presented their poster and we hung them up in our meeting area. It was a great way to refresh our brains! :)
We also added our LAST daily 5 activity- word work. Students will be able to practice their weekly word sorts with many familiar activities.
On Monday this week we launched our nonfiction unit. We looked through nonfiction books to find different text features. We learned what the name of many text features are called, where we find them, and how they help us.
On Tuesday we began discussing why we read nonfiction books. We talked about how readers read nonfiction to learn new facts. Each child kept a fact booklet in their book bins this week to record their new learning. Look for these in your child's folder!
On Friday, each child chose one new fact to publish into a class book. It was really fun to hear all the excitement in our classroom this week!
Writer's Workshop
We began "How to Writing" last week. We had a small introduction to this a few weeks ago when we made Frog Floats :) I asked the children to write a step-by-step set of instructions on how to blow a bubble from a piece of bubble gum.
The next day I took their instructions and attempted to follow them. Needless to say it was pretty hilarious as I tried to chew gum that hadn't been unwrapped and shooting gum out of my mouth because the direction said 'blow as hard as you can.' This helped demonstrate the importance of including every detail so that someone can follow your set of directions. I sent them back to rewrite their instructions. We published them to display in the hallway! (and of course we got to enjoy some real bubble gum as we wrote our final drafts!)
This week we continued our How-To writing. We learned the procedure of writing this type of piece.
First, we brainstorm things we can teach others to do.
Next, we choose one to write about.
Then, we get special how-to paper.
After that, we plan out our steps and make sketches of these steps.
Finally, we write the words!
I once again collected each child's how to writing and attempted to follow (or pretend to follow) their instructions. Once again many of us realized we left out very important steps that our read needs!
Next week we will begin to publish these for your child to take home!
Work Work
In addition to our weekly word sorts we have also spent the last two weeks learning all about synonyms and antonyms. Ask your child to tell you what these words are :)
(synonyms= words that mean the same antonyms= words that have opposite meanings)
We had a lot of fun coming up with synonyms and antoyms. This was tied into writing as we discussed how some words are 'stronger' than others.
On Thursday we played a game with synonyms and antonyms. Each child had a card with a word written on it. They had to first find a friend who had a word card that was a synonym to their word. Once they found their partner, they had to decide who had the stronger word. It was a blast :)
Math Workshop
We have spent the last two weeks focusing on money and time. We are learning how to make change and tell time to the nearest 5 minutes. Our center activities included:
Coin exchange game.
Students roll two dice, add the total, and take that amount of money. When it is their turn they can exchange their coins. The game is played until all 4 quarters are gone!
BUMP!
This is still a fan favorite! Each bump board is different, but all are working on building addition and subtraction skills. Students can cover different numbers based on the sum or difference. If their partner only has one cube on their number they can bump it off and place their cube there. If they build a tower of two they cannot be bumped. The game is played until one player uses all of his or her cubes!
Time Concentration
(They did get this organized a little better after I snapped the photo!)
In this game students are matching digital times to analog times.
ZAP!
This is another favorite of many kids. There are popsicle sticks in the green can with addition facts on the end. Students draw a stick and answer the fact. If they answer it correctly, they get to keep the stick. If they answer incorrectly they put the stick back in the can. The game continues unil someone draws the *ZAP* stick. That stops that round. The person who has the most sticks wins!
iPad
We are so lucky to have these wonderful tools to help reinforce basic concepts in a fun way!
Base 10 exchange game
Students roll a dice and collect base 10 blocks based on the amount shown on their sheets. When it is their turn, they can exchange cubes for longs. The games continues until one player is able to exchange 10 longs for a flat!
Science
We completed two final experiments to wrap up our unit on changes. In the first experiment, we explored how baking soda reacts in water and in vinegar.
(we did not like the smell of vinegar!)
The cup with the vinegar bubbled and fizzed over the cup. The baking soda and vinegar created a gas that caused it to bubble and fizz. This reminded many students of pop!
This week we did another experiment called "Gas in a Bag'. Students placed an effervescent tablet in a baggie of water and shook the solid and liquid together.
We were very excited to see all the bubbles and fizz that was created in the bag. We again discussed how the solid and liquid created a gas. To wrap up this experiment we read about how soda pop is made. We learned that the special gas that is put into this beverage is called carbon dioxide.
Our next science unit will be on soil. We (well some of us..) are looking forward to beginning this unit with some slimy critters...WORMS!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! Thanks for all you do to support your child....we definitely wouldn't be able to do everything we are doing without you!!
Love,
Ms. Havig
