Better to Give Than Receive

Today we read Auntie Claus by Elisa Primavera as a part of our study of character traits. As we read, we discussed how the main character, Sophie, was acting. We then created a Thinking Map to chart how she went from being selfish to selfless. We discussed the main idea of the story which is that it is better to give than to receive. The students then created gift shaped graphic organizers to write down four ways they can give to others.

All Soiled Up

We have been comparing and experimenting with soil this week. As a part of our study we did an experiment to see what different types of soil look like when they are dry and when they are wet. We examined sandy soil, planting soil, and clay soil. We then did an experiment to see how absorbant each type of soil was by counting how many sprays of water from a water bottle it would take to completely saturate each type of soil.

Stocking Descriptive Writing

Last week the students created a Christmas stocking as a part of their homework. Yesterday and today the students used Thinking Maps to write about their stockings. The students first created a Circle Map, followed by a Tree Map which they then used to write descriptive sentences. The Thinking Maps are a part of our daily writing program, Write From the Beginning.

Shake Those Beans

This week we are learning a new addition game called "Shake Those Beans." The students get a cup with a set number of two-color beans in it. Today we practiced the sum of 4 so they had four beans in their cup. The students shake the beans in the cup and then spill them on the table. The students then see what addition sentence they can make from the beans. For example, if they have three white beans and one blue bean, they addition sentence is 3+1=4. After deciding what addition sentence they can make, they mark it on a graph. At the end of the game we discuss which addition sentence they found the most often. We will continue playing this game each day until we have practiced up to sums of 10.

Phonics and Fluency Focus

Last week we practiced reading and spelling the "dr" sound. To help us read the sounds fluently, we learned two new poems: "Drip Drop" and "I Know a Green Dragon." Each Friday the students pretend to go into the recording studio like the superstars that they are and record their weekly poems. We use the free online program Audacity to record. You can download it at home as well. Click play below to hear their weekly recording of "I Know a Green Dragon". You can also download this poem and others to your IPOD by visiting my podcasting site at Podbean.




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Christmas Tree Doubles

Last week to practice addition doubles, the students created Christmas Tree Doubles using dot paints. The students traced tree patterns on green construction paper and then used two different colors of dot paints to create ornaments, making sure they had the same number of each color. After they were finished the students wrote their double addition sentence on the tree. In first grade one of the main strategies we use in problem solving is drawing a picture. If your child is having trouble solving problems on their homework, have them draw a picture next to the problem.

Reading Rockets

I added a new resource to the sidebar of the blog, Reading Rockets. Check back daily to get reading tips of the day and new parent resources and printables. You can also visit the Reading Rockets website for more great information.

Reading Strategy: Looking for Chunks!

We have been very fortunate this semester to have two fabulous education students from Dallas Baptist University interning in our class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Today Ms. Rivera, one of the DBU interns, taught a great reading strategies lesson on "Looking for Chunks" in words. Parents, this is a great strategy you can use at home as you work with your child on reading. With this strategy, students look for sound combinations in words such as "ch", "ing", etc. that they know without having to sound them out. This helps them decode words more quickly and naturally increases their fluency. This strategy is also used to help find word wall words within larger more complex words. For example, students know the word wall word "when" so if they see the word "whenever" they do not have to sound out each individual letter but can say the first part quickly and focus on the unknown part of the word. Eventually, the more sight words they know, the easier it will be coming for them. Reading is like putting together a puzzle. At first it seems very overwhelming with so many pieces, but as you begin to lay the framework it becomes easier to put all the pieces together. At this point, students who are still at the decoding stage should be moving beyond sounding out individual sound pieces and moving it sounding out using chunks of sounds.

Thank you to both of our interns, Ms. Rivera and Ms. Anderson, for all of your hard work this semester! We really enjoyed having you in class!

Rocking Away!

Today we went to the science lab with Ms. Goolsbay's class. to experiment with rocks. The students learned various properties of rocks by testing if the rocks sink or float, what will scratch them, and if they are magnetic. They also observed what colors the rocks are when they are dry and when they are wet. The students measured the circumference and mass of their rock as well. As an introduction to next weeks' science lessons over soil, the students examined sand with microscopes which we learned is actually small rocks and dirt particles. Below is a slideshow of our adventures in the lab.

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Thank you to Ms. Pollard, my teammate and fellow blogger, for setting up the lab for us today. We had so much fun!

Seeing Double!

We continued our math lessons today of adding and subtracting doubles. First, we used pop cubes to demonstrate doubles and created personal anchor charts of the doubles facts. Then, sttudents took turns holding up various doubles dominoes and saying aloud the addition fact represented and its corresponding subtraction fact. We then placed them on a Tree Map. The students then looked at pictures of real world examples of doubles and placed them on the correct branch of the tree. After we completed the Tree Map, students discussed the relationship between the addition and subtraction facts. As an informal evaluation of their understanding, the students put ladybugs with double dots on them in order from least to greatest. They then matched real object examples of doubles to the ladybugs. To help your child practice doubles, visit the Quia website to practice using flashcards, a matching game, and a concentration game.

O Christmas Tree

To get in the holiday spirit, students who wanted to were able to decorate our class Christmas tree. We decorated the tree in a reading theme by placing book cover pictures of our favorite books on the tree. The students then hung snowballs on the tree and placed a snowflake on top.

Skip Counting Reindeer

To practice skip counting patterns, the students created reindeer using their hands as the antlers. We then hung them up on the bulletin board and placed number cards under each reindeer to show the skip counting pattern. To review place value, we then went back and discussed how many tens each number in the skip counting pattern had. For example, if we were on the ninth reindeer then we knew it had nine tens. The students then would make the connection that nine tens is ninety. Below is a picture of the skip counting reindeer.

As a part of our skip counting lesson, the students also used interactive writing to fill in the missing numbers in skip counting patterns. You can help with skip counting at home by writing skip counting patterns similar to the ones pictures below for your child to complete. As you work with your child, start at various numbers in the skip counting pattern to make it more challenging and to see if your child really understands the sequence.

Life Without Rocks

This week in science we have been learning about rocks. We've been learning about the different types of rocks such as granite, marble, and coal as well as their uses. As a part of our study we read about various objects made from rocks and then created a Circle Map of those items. The students then wrote a sentences about objects or things we could not do without rocks.

Doubles Flashcards

This week we are learning addition and subtraction shortcuts such as using "doubles" (1+1=2, 3+3=6, etc.) To help you child at home, you can use the online interactive flashcards found on Math Cafe. There are flashcards for Doubles Addition and Doubles Subtraction. Students need to be able to understand how addition and subtraction problems are related.

Christmas Gifts that Teach

Several parents have asked if there are any specific items that you can buy to help your child with their reading and math. My best advice is to find games that teach. Below are a few games and toys that I highly recommend:

• Scrabble Flash - Students make as many words out of the letter combinations as possible. It is very similar to the Making Words activity that we do in class each Friday. Students will start to see patterns in words as they can change only one or two letters to make a new word. The great thing about this game is that it has automatic scoring and can be played independently.
• Bananagrams - The game is played like Scrabble but does not require the board and is easy to travel with. Through playing with words, students will begin to make more connections between the spelling of words.
• Bendomino - This is a twist on classic dominoes, which I also love. Dominoes help students with number recognition and can be used as manipulatives in a variety of ways. As you play dominoes with your child, have them add the two numbers of the domino before placing it down.

With those recommendations, I must say that I believe children do need time to just play and be kids. It is great to find teachable moments at home to reinforce what we are learning at school, but it is just as important to let children express themselves in stress-free, unstructured play. For that, I recommend having a supply of crayons, markers, blank paper, Legos and other types of blocks.

Don't Let the Cows Out!

In an effort to create an engaging way for the students to practice their math facts, I came up with a game called "Don't Let the Cows Out!" It's a game that you can play easily at home or even in the car with your children. The way to play the game is to get two dice - we use large foam dice - but you can use regular dice. Two players roll the dice, one per child. The dice are the "cows." The first student out of the two players to add the dice together and say the sum correctly wins and stays in the middle of the circle, or "fence." The students who are awaiting their turn act as the fence. While they are acting as the "fence" the students also pretend to cook for the "ranchers" in the middle. If a player has stayed in the middle of the "fence" for a while because they are winning, we take a break to pretend to throw some food as a way to encourage and cheer on the players. Students are reminded not to "let the cows out" of the fence as a way to keep the game in control. If a student rolls the dice out of the fence, they are automatically out and have to go "clean the cow stalls." Below are a few examples of the game in play. I encourage you to get some dice to keep in the car for long trips or for places where waits may be long (doctors' offices, etc.)

A Day of Giving Thanks

As a part of our study of Thanksgiving, the students drew or brought a picture from home of something or someone they were thankful for. As homework, they wrote about why they were thankful for that person or thing. In class, the students read their sentences and showed their pictures to their classmates. They did an amazing job! To end our day, the students were treated to a feast of turkey sandwiches and Thanksgiving sweets. Thank you to the parents for providing all of the treats for the students. Each student made a Thanksgiving headband and placemat which set the scene. Enjoy a quick slideshow of the day's events.

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Words of Thankfulness

Today we brainstormed a list of people we were thankful for on the outside frame of a Circle Map. Then the students brainstormed reasons they were thankful for that person using only one word. After our Circle Map was complete, we went to the Computer Lab to type them into an online program called Wordle. The students typed the name of the person they were thankful for several times and the word "thankful" several times to make these words stand out. They then used the class created Circle Map to list as many characteristics about that person that they were thankful for. After they were finished, the students used the program to turn their lists into word art. The students were able to change the colors, size, and fonts. We then printed out their work to take home. Below are a few examples of their Wordles. Wordle is a great tool you can use at home. Have your child practice typing their word wall and word family words into the program. You can also have them brainstorm nouns, verbs, and adjectives into the program. If you print them out, the could be used as study guides.

Handy Turkeys

Handy Turkey

This isn't just a turkey,

As anyone can see.

I made it with my hand,

Which is a part of me.

It's made with lots of love

Especially to say,

Hope you have a very

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Make your own slideshow design

Pattern Block Turkeys

In math yesterday the students reviewed patterns by making a new kind of pattern - symmetrical patterns. They turned their symmetrical patterns into turkeys! They started with a yellow hexagon as the center and then built their pattern one level at a time until the circle became larger. After building their patterns with the blocks, they used paper pattern blocks to tranfer their pattern to black paper. The students then added the turkey bodies. Thanks to a fellow blogger, The First Grade Parade, for this great idea! Enjoy a slideshow below of some of the students' work.

Make a greeting card

The Monkeys and The Hat

Yesterday we read a story called The Monkeys and The Hat. The story is very similar to the book Caps for Sale which led to the students making connections and comparisons about the story elements. After reading the new book, the students shared with their neighbor what the book reminded them of. The students then divided into small groups and wrote and illustrated the story elements: characters, setting, problem, and solution. They then shared their charts with the class.

Place Value Towers

This week we are reviewing Place Value and working on identifying larger numbers. One way that we are doing this is by playing a game called Place Value Towers. In Place Value Towers we have two teams. A player from each team draws a number out of a bag. The players race to see who can build that number the fastest with Pop Cubes. The person who builds it the fastest with the correct answer wins a point. Then we take the Pop Cubes and put them together in a tower to see which one is the greatest. It is a good visual representation for the students that the number that is the greatest will have the tallest tower. The team with the greatest number will also earn a point. So, a team could earn two points in one round or they could both earn a point. The team with the most points at the end wins. We keep track of the points by using Tally Marks which reinforces skip counting by fives.

D.E.A.R.

Today we had D.E.A.R. time! What is D.E.A.R. time? It is when we drop everything and read! The students got to choose their favorite books, stretch out and relax, and read for about twenty minutes. I encourage you to have your child read at home just for fun as often as possible. Below are a few pictures of the students reading.