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.

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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!



Subtraction Practice

Also on MoreStarfall, your child can play bowling to help practice subtraction. The students roll the ball and then a subtraction problem appears which helps them visualize taking away objects as a form of subtraction. We play a variation of this game sometimes in class with miniature bowling pins that I picked up in the toy section of Target. The students take turns rolling the ball twice. They count how many pins they knock over on the first roll and add it to however many pins they add on the second roll. You can extend the learning to relate addition and subtraction facts by having the students first count how many bowling pins there are and then subtracting how many they knock over in their fist roll. This can lead to a discussion of fact families.

Addition Practice

Last week we worked extensively on addtion and subtraction problem situations. The students practiced using a variety of math problem mats and manipulatives. They also practiced solving problems by acting them out and by drawing pictures. One of the mats that we used to help solve problems was a part-part-whole mat. Although not exactly the same, there is a game on MoreStarfall that helps the students visualize two parts coming together to create one whole group when adding. You can click here to play the game.

Digraph Practice Online

To help your child practice digraphs at home, visit the reading website Starfall. They can practice the /sh/ sound at the beginning and ending or words here, the /wh/ sound here, the /th/ sound here, and the /ch/ sound here.

Digraph Show and Tell

Over the last several weeks our word work has been based on the digraphs /sh/, /ch/, /th/, and /wh/. We have sorted words beginning with these sounds, found them in word searches, wrote them in dictation sentences, put together word puzzles with them, and wrote sentences independently with them. To bring it all together, we held Digraph Show and Tell. Students could bring in one item that begin with one of the sounds.

Book Character Parade

As a part of our Red Ribbon Week festivities and in perfect timing for Halloween, our school held a Book Character Parade. It is an annual event that the students, parents, and staff look forward to each year. The students showed their "character" by saying "no to drugs" by dressing up as their favorite storybook character and parading through the school.

Red Ribbon Week - Door Decorations

Last week was Red Ribbon Week at our school. First grade decorated with the theme "First Graders 'Clothes' The Door on Drugs." Each class decorated their door with a different type of clothing and saying. Our class decorated with cowboy boots and our saying was "We give drugs the boot!"

Magnetic or Not Magnetic?

Last week the students went to the science lab to discover which items were magnetic and which were not. Thank you to my co-teacher, Mrs. Timms, for being so flexible and taking my class to the lab when I was out. The students then went back to class and illustrated objects that were magnetic and items that were not magnetic.

Franklin's Halloween

As a part of our study of making connections, we read Franklin's Halloween by Paulette Bourgeois. The students made text-to-text and text-to-self connections to the story.

Bats on Parade

To identify the features of a fantasy text, we read Bats on Parade by Kathi Appelt. The students brainstormed various reasons why the book was a fantasy:

• Bats do not wear hats.
• Bats do not drive cars.
• Bats do not play instruments.
• Bats cannot talk.
• Bats do not have parades.

The students wrote at least one reason they knew the story was a fantasy and illustrated that part of the story.