Happy Holidays!

I just want to take the opportunity to wish all of my students and families a VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY season!  Thank you for all your cooperation this year and look forward to 2014 with your child!  See you in January!

Sequence of Events-AH! Late Post!

Each week we have a different skill we practice and learn about in our reading/language arts class.  Last week, we learned about sequence of events or, putting story events in order.  One of the activities we did was called a sequence circle.  First, we read the book, Gracias The Thanksgiving Turkey.

After reading, students discussed the main events of the book.  Then, with guidance they completed a sequence circle stating the main events in order.  Here's a look at what they did!

*Just realized I wrote up this post prior to Thanksgiving and forgot to post it up on the blog!  Better late than never!  Enjoy*

SNOW DAY?

Hello all!  Today we received that very special gift of a snow day!  Not sure where the snow is yet, but I hear it's on its way!  First of all, thank you to all the parents who came out in that nasty weather yesterday for Parent Conference Day!  I enjoyed meeting with each on of you!
Over the past few weeks we have been working on Fact Families in our math class.  Here is a resource for triangular flash cards to help your child practice their fact families at home:

MATH TEST FRIDAY!

Hi everyone and Happy Monday!  In the classroom we are already looking ahead to Friday.  Students will be taking their first term two test this Friday, November 22nd.  Some things you can be reviewing this week with your child are :

• time to the hour
• addition and subtraction facts to 20
• related facts (6+4=10, 4+6=10, 10-6=4 and 10-4=6)
• true/false equations (11=7+5, true or false)

Balance and Motion

In science we've been learning about balance and motion.  This unit has provided students with MANY opportunities to experiment and investigate with balance and motion.  Here is a quick review of what we've done.

First, students learned how to balance a paper crawfish with and without counterweights (clothespins).

Pretty cool, huh?

After learning a little about balance students made their own mobiles which they got to take home.  We have also investigated the difference between spinning and rolling.  To learn about spinning students observed and created their own tops.

Students also investigated wheels and axles.  They created several different wheels to go on their axles and tested each one out by rolling it down a ramp.  Students came to a consensus that the two small discs worked as the best wheels.

Now we move on to discussing Thanksgiving in Social Studies! 

Related Facts

Parents, if you've been struggling with related facts with your child at home, you're not alone!  This has proven to be quite hard to understand in the classroom as well. Don't worry, we've spent a few days on related facts and this is to gear your learner up for fact families in a few weeks.  Just so you can help at home, here is a little more information about related facts.

If you have 3 numbers, let's say, 5, 6, and 11, these can be written as addition and subtraction related facts.  For example, 5+6=11, 6+5=11, 11-5= 6 and 11-6=5.  Here is a little more of what what did in the classroom:

This is our "Math Talk" board which students can refer to during our lesson.  Black writing is from yesterday and red writing was added today.

We started today's lesson with a story problem.  "There were seven children on the roller coaster. Three more hopped on. How many children are on the roller coaster now?"  Students used their cubes and scratch paper to help them create the problem.

Then students were given another part to the word problem.  "Seven students got off the roller coaster.  How many are on the ride now?"

This showed them the related facts for 10, 7 and 3.

For their partner work today, they played a game where one partner rolled two dice and wrote the addition fact for the two numbers.  Then, their partner wrote the subtraction fact for those same numbers.  It turned out like this:

Again, if your child is "just not getting it", fear not, we will be coming back to related facts in a few weeks.

TGIF!

Happy Friday, everyone!  I don't know about you, but I've been thinking it has been Friday ever since Wednesday!  Today I am posting about our Friday Folders! Yes, parents you know them very well.  For my other teacher folk cruising the blog, every Friday I send each student home with a Friday Folder.  In this folder is student work, important papers for home, and a weekly behavior log that is signed and returned each Monday.   I have been using Friday Folders for many years and I just love the home and school connection they provide.  In case you didn't know, I am extremely organized and I feel like these folders help keep my kiddos a little more organized as well.  One of the great things about these is that I know important papers are getting home to parents instead of lost in a backpack or on the bus!

Here are the folders. This year they're red!

One side is for things that need to be signed and returned. The other side is for things that can be kept for display at home.

 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Double Trouble!

In math that is!  Today we started working on some more addition strategies.  Doubles facts to be exact!  Doubles facts are basic math facts that add the same number.  In class we discussed things that come in doubles, ears, feet and hands just to name a few!  We also talked about how the sum of a doubles fact will always be an even number.  Here is a look at what we did:

 

Students spun a number, then their partner built that number and its double to create a doubles fact.  Next, they both wrote the fact then switched roles.  For independent practice, students drew the matching dots to create a doubles fact, then solved.

Coming up...

Well, here we are it's Sunday again and another weekend has passed!  I hope everyone had a great one!  Mine was spent with lots of family, friends and food.  Yum!  If you are looking to help your child this week here is a little preview of what we have coming up:

• Start talking to your child about what things take a second, minute or hour
• Ask your child time to the hour or half hour using both digital and analog (clocks with a face) clocks
• In reading, we will be drawing conclusions.  While your child reads at home ask them questions about how they used the pictures and details to help them form new ideas.

Later this week, I will be posting some of the fun we've been having in science!  Stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

Wow!  Assemblies, drills and Halloween, OH MY!  What a busy day it was today!  The kids were super excited for trick or treating tonight so I hope they have a great time!  Here is a bit of what we did in class today.  Keeping it fun and exciting while learning!  Thanks to First Grade Wow for the awesome Short Vowel Shenanigans Game!

First, students spun a vowel.

 

After spinning the vowel, students plugged it into the consonants to create a real or nonsense word.  So fun!



In math, we played a game where students rolled two die, added the numbers and removed their candy corn from the sum.

If students rolled the same number twice, they missed their turn.  So, as we got fewer and fewer candy corns the game got harder!  Of course, at the end, they got to eat their candy corn!

A Little from Today and Reminders for Tomorrow!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!  Hopefully, if you're reading this you are a parent who received a notice in your child's agenda about our blog!  Welcome!
Today in our math class we were busily preparing for tomorrow's test.  Students rotated in groups to different centers to get them ready for what's on the test tomorrow.  They always do such a great job moving around the room and working quietly (for the most part!) when we've done this in the past.  Here's a peek at what we did today...

Students played a game with their partner where they spun a spinner to create tens and ones.  The other partner built the number on their place value mat.



Then both students wrote the number. 

Students chose a two digit number and wrote it at the top of their candy corn.  Then showed two different ways to make that number.  Super cute!

We played a tens concentration game.  Students matched tens sticks to the correct number.

And of course, who can forget facts practice...

 

*Parents, if you are looking for more ways to help your child prepare for tomorrow's test, here are some ideas...*

• Have your child practice their basic facts (addition and subtraction to 20) by writing down facts they know
• Ask them to write a two digit number and write another way to represent (show) it
• Give them a two digit number and ask how many tens and ones (35= 3 tens, 5 ones)
• Write a number sentence (example: 14= 7+10), ask if it is true or false

Have a great evening!

 

 



Friday Fun

If you couldn't make it to our classroom celebrations on Friday, here is a little peek at what you missed!

First, we read There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves....

After that, we made scarecrows using the prompt , The scarecrow says...  Here are some examples of just how cute they turned out!

 

Finished products...

 

 

In the afternoon we had our annual classroom fall festivals! Whew! That was a lot of fun! A HUGE THANK YOU to ALL the adults that were here to lend a hand!  In case you missed it, this year our first grade class decorated bats, cats, and spiders!  They also got some totally cute Halloween themed bracelets.  The bracelets and crafts came from one of my favorite places, Hobby Lobby!

 

First Post!

Hi Everyone!  This is my very first post on the blog.  This blog was created to keep parents and students connected to what is going on in our first grade classroom!  More to come...