Tasty Soil

To help the students remember the different types of soil - topsoil, sand, and clay - the students created a snack of dirt! They started by crushing graham crackers in baggies followed by Oreos. Of course they had to lick out the filling of the Oreos before crushing them. The graham crackers represented sand, the Oreos represented topsoil, and then they used chocolate pudding to represent clay. They layered all of the ingredients in a clear cup and added sour worms to the top. Yum! Thank you to all of the parents who supplied the ingredients for this tasty lesson!

Soil Demonstration

My teammate, Mrs. Timms, did a demonstration for all of first grade last week over the attributes of soil. She started with an empty container and asked the students what was in it. At first they said "nothing" but then some said "air." She then added large balls and then marbles to demonstrate that there are large and small particles in soil. She then asked what was between the particles and the students said "space" and "gaps." She explained that was still air in the gaps. She explained that this could also be called "pores" in soil. She then had the students make predictions about what it would look like if she added water to the container. After the predictions, she added the water and discussed how the water fills the gaps where the air had been.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

A few weeks ago, as a part of our study of fables, we read The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The students then created foldables to retell the beginning, middle, and end. They wrote their sentences underneath the flaps and then illustrated that part of the story on top of the flap. The students now independently create foldables like this during Reading Workshop over their guided reading books.

Dice Domes: Fact Families Practice

While shopping at Mardel the other day (seems to be an almost weekly stop), I found a great addition and subtraction resource - Dice Domes. The domes have two soft number dice along with another dice filled with plus and minus signs. The students shake the domes and then practice adding or subtracting the numbers. Because the dice are soft, they are great for math stations, which I call math tubbing. To help the students add and subtract the numbers, I gave each student a part-part-whole mat. But, not just any part-part-whole mat! We used Hefty's Zoo Pal plates which can be found at most grocery stores such as Wal-Mart. The students worked in small groups to shake the Dice Domes and model the addition or subtraction problem on their part-part-whole mat with beans. As they played, I walked around and asked them what other number sentences they could come up with based off their dice. We reviewed that in addition you have to start with the two smallest numbers, the parts, and in subtraction you start with the largest number, the whole. The students seemed to love it! On a side note, although the Dice Domes were not too expensive, my teammates and I brainstormed that we could easily make more with plastic baby food containers and dice. To make the dice with the plus and minus signs, we thought using corrective tape on regular dice to write the symbols on.

Fact Family Practice Online

EZSchool has a free fact family game online that students use to build four related addition and subtraction problems. The game gives the players three numbers and the students click on them to put them in the correct order in a number sentence. Parents, you can help your children while they play by remind them that in addition you start with the two smallest numbers and in subtraction you start with the largest number. Then remind the students that in fact families, the two smallest numbers switch places. Or, as we call it in our class, the two smallest numbers "flip flop."

College Week

In our district, this week has been designated as "College Week." Our counselor has set up many great activities for the students this week including the staff dressing up in caps and gowns, teachers sharing diplomas, and the students dressing in their favorite college shirts and colors. We also discussed the importance of college in each our classes. To help the students set a goal, we created a grade-level banner to show what year the students would graduate from high school and be able to go to college. The students each put their handprints on the banner. We hung the banner in our hallway as a reminder of the importance of staying in school, graduating, and going to college. Additionally, after discussing all of the careers and jobs that require a college degree, the students wrote about why they wanted to go to college and what they want to be when they grow up. We hung these up on our classroom door along with a pennant from my favorite college, The University of Texas at Arlington. Go Mavericks!

Soil Observations

In science this week we are learning about the different types of soils, their properties, and how they are used. To compare and contrast the different types of soils, the students examined samples with three of their senses: by looking, touching, and smelling. They then recorded their observations on a grid that included what color the soil is, what it smells like, how if feels, what can be found in it, and what you could use it for.

Number of Days in School

Each day during calendar we count the number of days we have been in school. We first count them using straws in a place value pocket chart like this one. We then turn the number over on the Hundreds Chart. Prior to turning over the number, the calendar helper asks their classmates to identify what number will come next and to make a prediction about its color pattern. Our numbers alternate in an AB color pattern. The students also identify if the number is even or odd. Following this, the students add a dot sticker to our Today's Number chart. The number chart is made of ten frames. The students add the dots one day at a time in a color pattern. This not only helps with patterns, but allows the ten frames to be skip counted by fives in addition to being counted by tens. After adding the dot sticker, the students count the number first by tens and ones. They then count the number again but this time they count by fives and ones. To help the students recognize when to break the counting pattern, they clap each time there is an incomplete row on a ten frame. This signals to them they need to start counting by ones. After counting the number several ways, they identify how many tens and ones are in the day's number and then write down the information along with its expanded notation.

Dominoes Doubles Snack Style Recording Sheet

Thank you to Carrie at A First Grade Teachers Passions and Obsessions for creating a recording sheet to go along with our Dominoes Doubles Snack lesson. If you haven't had a chance to check out her blog, go do so! It is great! You can view a slideshow of my students creating their Dominoes Doubles here.

Doubles Dominoes - Snack Style

My teammate, Mrs. Timms, had an excellent idea of how to get the students to visualize addition doubles. We use dominoes as manipulatives to teach doubles so she extended this by suggesting we create edible dominoes with graham crackers, white icing, and chocolate chips. We started by adding one chocolate chip on each side to model 1+1= 2. We then added another chocolate chip to each side to model 2+2=4. We continued until we had modeled 9+9=18. Of course, after modeling the doubles, the students ate them! Below are two close-ups of the edible dominoes along with a slideshow of the students making them.

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The Nature Center

Yesterday our class visited our district's Nature Center. The students rotated through various learning areas including the pond, the vegetable gardens, the walking trails, and the picnic area. At the pond, the students identified living and non-living objects. The pond has been recently updated to include two ponds that feed into one another thanks to a grant. In the garden, we read Eating the Alphabet and then the students wrote down as many vegetables and plants they could find for each letter of the alphabet. Following the gardens, we went on a listening walk down by the creek. The students identified different objects in nature using four of their five senses - sight, sound, touch, and smell. Last, the students explored nature through the lens of a magnifying glass. They compared how objects look with normal vision and then under the magnifying glass.

Free picture slideshow created with Smilebox

Conceptual Sorting

Last week we worked on sorting words into conceptual groups. One of the sorts we did was to identify living and non-living things. This was an extension of a lesson we did at the Nature Center pond. We made a t-chart with two smaller t-charts on it. The students first read the card, decided if it was living or non-living, and then decided if it was singular or plural. After sorting all of the cards, the students identified how to make the word singular or plural, whatever was needed, and we added it to the chart. We then discussed how to make a word a plural.

PTA Pumpkin Decorating Contest Winner

Look who won first place for first grade in PTA's pumpkin decorating contest! We are so proud of you!

Doubles Tree Map

To help the students remember addition and subtraction doubles, we built a class Tree Map to sort and identify the facts. We included pictures of real-life double examples to help them visualize doubles. The pictures included things such as eyes (1+1=2), insect legs (3+3=6), and semi-truck wheels (9+9=18).

The Tortoise and The Hare

As a part of our study of fables, we read "The Tortoise and The Hare." The students made connections to the story by either writing about a personal experience that it reminded them of or by writing about a lesson they learned from the story. Many of the students said that they learned it is not important to be first but that it is important to keep trying. They also said that the real winner is the one who doesn't give up. Most of them made the connection to our class motto which is that "It is not important to be first. It is important to be right."

The Ant and the Pigeon

This week we have been reading fables as a part of our unit on making connections. One of the fables we read was the African fable "The Ant and the Pigeon". The fable is about a pigeon who saves an ant. The ant then returns the favor. When a boy trys to shoot the pigeon, the ant crawls up his leg and bites him causing him to drop his bow and arrow. After reading, we discussed what the story reminded them of - their connections. Most of the connections were about times that someone helped them or they helped someone else. We then talked about what the lesson was trying to teach us. They said they learned that you should help someone who helps you, you should help someone even if you are smaller, and that you should be nice to everyone and not pick on anyone. I think these were great connections that they made to the moral of the story!

Scarecrow Writing

As a part of our writing program, Write From the Beginning, the students created Circle Maps followed by Tree Maps to help them describe a scarecrow. They used both Thinking Maps to help them write at least three logical describing sentences. They then made their own scarecrow to go along with their writing.

Addition Doubles

This week we are learning addition and subtraction doubles. Learning doubles helps the students recognize other math facts more quickly. To help your child practice doubles at home, have them play the fun matching game Ladybird Doubles. In this game, the students choose a doubles addition sentence card at the top and then try to find the matching sum on the bottom.

Online Addition Practice

Over the last two weeks we have been practicing various addition and subtraction problem situations. The students are required to solve various problems including when the start is unknown (ex. ?+4=9), when the change is unknown (ex. 5+?=9), or finding the missing sum (ex. 5+4=?). I found a game online, Count Hoot Addition, that presents addition sentences in this format and increases difficulty as the students achieve success.

Blog on Fire Award

Thank you to Rebecca at Teaching First for giving my blog the Blog on Fire Award! It is very sweet of you. If you have not had a chance to check out her blog, click here! I love blogging and reading other people's blogs so it is very rewarding to know that others find my blog useful and relevant. Thanks to all who read my blog and thanks to all who share their wonderful ideas through this crazy online world!

So as a part of receiving this blog, I am supposed to tell you seven things about myself and then pass the award on to seven other blogs.

Here are seven non-educational, completely random things about me...and I mean completely random:

1. My newest obsession is Pinterest - follow me here! But, if you follow me on Pinterest, please don't blame me if you get addicted!
2. I am a technology junkie...why else would I be blogging when I'm sleep deprived?
3. I am addicted to Diet Coke. If only I could have it pumped through my veins...
4. Concerts are my favorite passtime - I saw Steven Tyler two weeks before he fell of the stage (the first time that is), a real-life Beatle (Sir Paul, himself), was in the background of a Bon Jovi video, and experienced my first "mosh pit" thanks to Jared Leto.
5. My new favorite t.v. show is Revenge. Once Upon a Time looks promising too - I like all of the literary references. (Speaking of...I'm watching Revenge right now; the life of the teacher is multi-tasking.)
6. I used to love reality t.v. until it became more fake than Kim Kardashian's wedding!  
7. I cannot put furniture together to save my life...I read the first direction and give up. So, although I love to look at IKEA, I probably will never buy anything there.

Now, to pass on the award to seven fellow bloggers. It is very hard to choose, but these are the blogs that are new to me that I have been reading lately:

1. First Grader...At Last
2. Learning With Mrs. Parker
3. First Grade Fabulous Fish
4. Rowdy in First Grade
5. Pencils Glue and Tying Shoes
6. The First Grade Jungle
7. Castles and Crayons

Thank you to all of these teachers for sharing their expertise with the rest of us!