Caps for Sale: Retelling Stories

In Reading we have been working on retelling stories from beginning, middle, and end. Last week we read Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. After reading the story, the students partnered with a knee-neighbor to orally retell the story. Then, as a class we created a three part chart to summarize the story. The following day, after rereading, the students did Interactive Writing on a Flow Map to summarize the story in their own words. The students then created a foldable to illustrate and write about the events of the story from beginning, middle, and end. Below are a few pictures of their work.

Pattern Practice Online

As you have seen in the previous post, we have been working on creating and extending repeating patterns. You can help at home by having your child visit Pattern Mania. In this game the students have to identify what shape comes next. The students should already be familiar with repeating patterns from Kindergarten. Our goal in first grade is to have them not only create and extend the patterns but to identify the pattern using letters, identify the pattern core, and how many time it repeats. You can also help at home by having the students create patterns out of everyday objects such as buttons, candy, Lego blocks, etc. As a part of our study, we went on a "Pattern Hunt" around the school to see how patterns are used in our everyday lives.

Repeating Patterns

Last week we worked on creating and extending patterns. Our goal was to move beyond simple patterns with shapes and color to more complex positional patterns. Enjoy a short online scrapbook of the students finding inventive ways to create patterns.

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Literacy Stations

Each day while I am meeting with small groups for guided reading practice, the students rotate through two Literacy Stations. The stations we have in our class include Buddy Reading, Big Book Station, Classroom Library, Pocket Chart Station, Creation Station, Science Station, Drama and Poetry Station, Listening Station, Writing and Handwriting Station, and ABC/Word Wall Station. The stations allow students to have additional practice on reading and writing skills previously taught at an indpendent pace. The stations are designed to be interactive and to encourage students to take an active role in their learning. Below are a few pictures of the students in action!

Shaving Cream Words

At least once a week the students practice writing their weekly word wall and phonics words in shaving cream. This activity is especially good for those students who are hesitant to write. They see it as play and therefore are willing to spend much more time working on learning their words. If you are looking for another way to have your child practice their writing at home, you don't need to look any further than your bathroom cabinet! Pull out the bottle of shaving cream and your child will write away!

Exploring Manipulatives

In our grade, math is taught primarily through the use of manipulatives. The more students use concrete materials to explore and practice math problems, the better they will become at abstract math concepts later on. We teach and model using a variety of manipulatives which the students then use in guided practice. The students then take the skills they learn and apply them in written form. To introduce math this year we had several lessons in which the students created designs with pattern blocks, geoboards, color tiles, and other manipulatives. At home, you can use everyday items such as beans, stickers, erasers, crayons, paper clips, lids, coins, etc. Enjoy the slideshow of the students exploring manipulatives.

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Capturing Kids' Hearts: Social Contract

In our class we follow a Social Contract to help the students and me work together to achieve positive behavior. A Social Contract is part of the guidance procedures we use at Moseley through the program Capturing Kids' Hearts. To create the Social Contract, the students divided into four groups and brainstormed on a Circle Map how they thought they should treat their friends, how they wanted to be treated by their friends, how they thought they should treat the teacher, and how they wanted to be treated by the teacher. After creating the Social Contract, the students each signed it. They also created faces of themselves to hang with the Social Contract. As a part of the program, the students are taught to "check" their classmates behavior in a positive, constructive manner. They are also taught how to affirm one another both verbally and in writing. Below is the Social Contract that our class created together.

Who We Are!

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Ten Frames

Last week in math we were practicing recognizing numbers to 20. One of the ways we practiced this was to use Ten Frames and Double Ten Frames. Ten Frames are manipulative mats with ten boxes. The goal is for students to use them to quickly recognize, without counting, how many items are there. To practice this skill at home, you can visit the great math site Illuminations where your child can play the Ten Frame building and addition game we have been using in computer lab.

The Classroom

In case you were unable to attend "Sneak-A-Peak" last week and would like to see your child's classroom, below are a few pictures of where your children will spend their day. The children will have large group lessons on the carpet, small group lessons at the guided reading table and student tables, and independent learning at the various literacy stations around the room.

Welcome!

Welcome Moseley family and friends to our class blog! I am excited to start a new school year and look forward to all of the fun adventures and learning milestones that your children will make throughout the year. The purpose of this blog is to keep you informed of what is happening in the classroom with updates on what we are learning and ways in which you can support the learning at home. Updates will include photos, student work, audio recordings of choral readings, important dates, and much more. I try to post to this site often, so bookmark this page and check back soon!

Year in Review

It has been a great year in first grade! This year came and went very quickly. Enjoy a slideshow of the year in review - its amazing to see how much they have grown!

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End-of-Year Festivities

This week we have been celebrating all of the wonderful accomplishments the students have made during the year through various activities. From our awards ceremony to the end-of-year picnic, the students have been very busy! Enjoy a quick slideshow of the highligths from this week.

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Reader's Theater Presentation

Below are the podcasts of the end of year reader's theater presentations. The students recorded "The Three Little Pigs" in the computer lab using Audacity software, with the help of our technology facilitator. The students were so excited about their recording that we decided to record the other two in class.

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The recordings can also be found at my Podbean website if you want to download and save them.

Don't Let the Cows Out

In trying to think of a new, engaging way to have the students practice their math facts I came up with a silly game that only kids would love: "Don't Let the Cows Out!". The students sit in a circle and pretend to be a fence while two "cowboys" or "cowgirls" go into the middle to throw the "cows", known to us adults as dice. The first student to call out the sum of the two dice gets to stay in the middle with the cows. The other student goes back to their seat to make "chili" and "beans" for when the "cowboys" and "cowgirls" get tired and hungry from all their math practice. If the "cowboys" or "cowgirls" get to zealous and let the "cows" out of the fence, then they have to go catch them and pretend to clean up after the cows. Although we play with large foam dice, your child can practice the same thing at home with regular dice on the table. It can also be played with subtraction. Below are a few pictures of the students playing:

Field Day 2010

Yesterday the students enjoyed a hot, fun-filled day outside at Field Day 2010. Coach Bentley, as a part of his physical education program, had several stations that the students rotated through. At the end of Field Day, the students enjoyed a snow cone snack followed by an indoor picnic. Enjoy the slideshow!

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A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Today the students created Bubble Maps to brainstorm all of their favorite things from First Grade. After the Thinking Maps were complete, I compiled their words into a collage using an online program, Wordle. Wordle is a great way to have students practice their spelling and typing in a fun and creative way. Here is the Wordle of the students' favorite things from this year:




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You're Invited: Reader's Theater Performances

You're Invited! As a reminder, the first grade classes are hosting a reader's theater presentation this Friday, the 28th, beginning at 2:30PM in the cafeteria. Each class will perform their own short play followed but a couple of reader's theaters performed by the entire grade. Please join us as the students showcase and celebrate all of their reading accomplishments!

Career Day

Today Moseley had their annual Career Day. First grade had the opportunity to hear from professionals in law enforcement and safety. The students learned about how to stay safe from an area police officer. As a part of his presentation the students learned about "stranger danger" from McGruff, the crime fighting dog. To learn more about McGruff, you can visit his website which is a part of The National Crime Prevention Council. The site has many child-centered activities that focus on putting safety first. The students also learned about fire safety from the Grand Prairie Fire Department. The officers demonstrated their protective clothing, how some of their tools work, and gave the students a chance to look around their truck. The firefighters emphasized the importance of not only practicing fire drills at school but at home also. Homefiredrill.org is a great resource to help get this practice in place in your home if you do not already have a fire safety plan.

Time For Kids

As you've seen with the issues that come home, our grade level subscribes to Time Magazine for Kids. The kids love the magazine not only because it is on their independent reading level but also because the articles are easy for them to relate to. A very important aspect of learning to be a good reader is being able to make connections to texts. To enjoy some of the features of the magazine at home this summer, check out The Time Magazine for Kids webpage created specifically for kids. The site is updated frequently with current events put into terms that your child can understand.

Texas: The Big Picture

Last week and this week we are studying the various ecosystems in the seven Texas regions. Along with their geographical features and weather, we are exploring and comparing the different animals that depend upon these regions. We are also reviewing the various Texas symbols. To learn more about the Texas regions and for more fun activities, you can visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. At the conclusion of our lessons last week, the first grade classes joined together to watch the short film Texas: The Big Picture. The video shows the various landforms from the seven regions as well as past and modern history and culture of Texas. The video can be seen in the IMAX theater of The Bob Bullock Museum in Austin. If you are going to be in the area, it is a great place to visit for the whole family.

Literacy Luau

As a part of the family fun nights at Moseley, we recently had a "Literacy Luau" to promote a love of reading. In first grade we had two great activities: Making Beach Words and Beach Concentration. In Making Words, the students had to see how many words they could make from a set of letters. When all of the letters were used, they made a mystery word related to the beach. In Beach Concentration, the students played the old fashioned game of Memory but with a twist - they had to match the picture to its word card.

I Can Be An Inventor, Too!

In Social Studies we have been studying many inventors, past and present. Our focus was on Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. As a part of our study the students were able to make their own robots. As we learned, an important part of inventing is having a patent. To prove that they were the inventors of their robots, the students had to first make a plan and document it in their Inventor's Notebook. They also had to draw a diagram of what they wanted their robot to look like after they chose all of their robot parts. After building their robots, the students wrote papers about them including their name, what problem they could solve, and how. The students were very creative!

The Nature Center

With the end of the school year quickly approaching I have not been able to update the class blog as often as I would like to. But, hopefully this slideshow is worth the wait! At the conclusion of our garden and life cycle unit we were able to visit the district's Nature Center to explore many types of plants in various stages of growth. We were also able to visit the pond habitat, a creek, and see many insects, birds, and other animals along the way.

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