What an exciting week we had! Thanks to all that attended our International Breakfast on Monday. It was such a success! The students really loved sharing their projects. Thanks for traveling around to each child and checking in on their research. It really allowed the children to share all their hard work. Also, thanks for taking the time to create a dish that represents that country. It really brought this project to the next level.
During Readers' Workshop we have been doing a character study. As a class, we have been reading Franklin books and looking at internal and external character traits. Internal character traits are what the character feels like on the inside. We can use the story and sometimes the pictures to help us identify those traits. External is what the character looks like on the outside. The children have been learning the meaning of these words and applying them to their "just right" books.
In Fundations, we have been working on the Bonus Letter Rule. Words that have one vowel and end with the letter s, l, f, and sometimes z follow the Bonus Letter Rule. When a one syllable word ends with one of these letters the letter is doubled (examples; miss, buff, tell, and fuzz). We have talked about how their are exceptions to this rule with words like yes and bus. The students this week got the chance to come up with their own words that follow the Bonus Letter Rule. Those sheets went home in our Friday Folders.
During Writers' Workshop we are starting our Small Moments Unit. We started by creating lists of possible story ideas. The students then started writing. I have challenged the students to write their stories using only three to four pages. As the unit continues students will be taught strategies to write about one small moment of an event. For example, if the student was writing about their birthday party they may focus on writing about opening one present or blowing out the candles of their birthday cake.
Our Penguin Unit is still the focus of our Math time! The students learned about Little Blue Penguins and Gentoo Penguins this week. The students filled out a Data Sheet about the height and weight of these penguins as well as their physical characteristics. They worked with partners to measure with string and a measuring tape the height of these penguins. The students also compared the height of these penguins to themselves and to the other penguins we have been studying. At the end of this unit the students will be taking home all the work they have done to show you.
Our 100th Day Celebration was a success. The students had a great time sharing their 100th day of school collections and engaging in 100 day of school activities. Also, on Friday the class celebrated the earning of their Success Jar. The children have been working hard on expected behavior in the classroom and working to fill a jar with gems! They earned the Success Jar on Thursday. We celebrated Friday with sometime playing 4 Corners and having a special treat that I brought for all their hard work.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
First Grade Researchers
Wow! What a snowy week! The students seemed to enjoy their Snow Day on Wednesday. They did a great job coming back on Thursday and getting right back into their learning!
The students have been working so hard on their country research. They have been focusing on getting their final copies finished up to share with guests at the World Wide Breakfast on Monday, February, 7th! The students have been such fantastic researchers. For this challenging project they have created world maps, a research page about a country of their choice, and some illustrations to go along with the information they have discovered! The children have been practicing writing down information they get from resources in their own words. This skill is so valuable and it is great to see children at this young of age be such great researchers!
Our math time is still spent focusing on the Penguin Unit! This week we learned about King Penguins. The students measured the length of a King Penguin (36 inches) and were able to compare their height to that of the penguin. The students also learned about a new bird this week called a Skua (pronounced skew-a). We learned that this bird is a threat to penguins and their eggs!
The class did a great job focusing on expected behaviors in a whole group this week. The class has been working really hard on showing expected behaviors in our classroom. Ask your child what one expected behavior would be in our classroom!
Hopefully I will get to see many of you on Monday morning for our Breakfast Celebration. Just a reminder that this breakfast is not like ones in the past. The students should eat before they arrive because they will be required to stay at their tables and talk to the guests about the country that they have been learning about. Also, we have plenty of volunteers for Valentine's Day goodies. Thanks so much to those who volunteered! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
The students have been working so hard on their country research. They have been focusing on getting their final copies finished up to share with guests at the World Wide Breakfast on Monday, February, 7th! The students have been such fantastic researchers. For this challenging project they have created world maps, a research page about a country of their choice, and some illustrations to go along with the information they have discovered! The children have been practicing writing down information they get from resources in their own words. This skill is so valuable and it is great to see children at this young of age be such great researchers!
Our math time is still spent focusing on the Penguin Unit! This week we learned about King Penguins. The students measured the length of a King Penguin (36 inches) and were able to compare their height to that of the penguin. The students also learned about a new bird this week called a Skua (pronounced skew-a). We learned that this bird is a threat to penguins and their eggs!
The class did a great job focusing on expected behaviors in a whole group this week. The class has been working really hard on showing expected behaviors in our classroom. Ask your child what one expected behavior would be in our classroom!
Hopefully I will get to see many of you on Monday morning for our Breakfast Celebration. Just a reminder that this breakfast is not like ones in the past. The students should eat before they arrive because they will be required to stay at their tables and talk to the guests about the country that they have been learning about. Also, we have plenty of volunteers for Valentine's Day goodies. Thanks so much to those who volunteered! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
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