We are Kind and Helpful!

This week, the children learned that one way we can be kind and helpful is by donating items to a local food bank.  As children have brought in their donations, we have counted the items and graphed the number of items donated by our class.  Families, thank you for all the donations you have been made!

This week during Reading Workshop we:

• learned to read a shared text, I am Thankful.  We reviewed that readers point crisply under each word as they read, and they hop from one word to the next.
• used the book I am Thankful to learn the words "am," "for," and "my."  We also used this text to play "guess the covered word."  Children used the pictures to think of words that could make sense for the covered word.  We then uncovered the word to determine which word matched.  This lesson helped children practice using Eagle Eye (pictures), Lips the Fish (saying the first sound in the word), Stretchy Snake (saying all the sounds in a word), and thinking of what would make sense.
• learned that when we get stuck on a word, we can go back to the part we know and reread it to get a running start.
• learned that readers can use sticky notes to mark how a part of a story made them feel.  We can share those parts with our buddy during buddy reading.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This week during Writing Workshop we:

• learned that the last page in a pattern book can be different than the rest, just like the pattern books we read.
• learned that since pattern books have the same words on each page except for one or two words that change, we should be able to write at least one book every day.  Many of the words in our pattern books are on our word wall.
• learned that when we are having trouble thinking of a topic to write about, we can browse through the pattern books in our classroom library to get ideas.
• added to the I am Thankful book we read during reading workshop.  Children wrote two pages about what they are thankful for.
• reviewed that the pictures in our pattern books need to help our readers figure out the changing word on each page. 
  
  
  

This week during Math we:

• practiced counting-on as an addition strategy.  Children rolled two dice, named the die with more dots, then counted on from there.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• noticed patterns on a number-grid.  Through our observations and discussions, the children learned that when you go across a row, the digit in the tens' place stays the same while the digit in the ones' place increases by one (except for the last box which changes to the next decade).  When you move down a column, the digit in the ones' place stays the same while the digit in the tens' place increases by one ten.
• practiced reading and finding two-digit numbers on a number grid.  Children worked on using the patterns they learned about the number grid to find numbers efficiently. 
  
   
• practiced solving subtraction number stories and writing the corresponding number models.
• used Cuisenaire Rods to learn about the visual representation of numbers 1-10.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This week during Science we continued our study of rocks.  Our little scientists did an experiment in which they observed what happened to three different types of rocks when they were immersed in water.  They then compared the dry rocks to the wet rocks.   They love science time!!

Since we only have two days of school next week, I will not post to the blog next week.  My next post will be at the end of the school week that follows Thanksgiving break.  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.  I am so thankful to be the teacher of so many amazing children!

Thankfully,
Katie

Snowy Morning!

The children arrived at school today to find a snow filled playground.  Although the snow has since melted, I thought I'd share our winter playground rules.  If there is snow on the ground, students must wear snow pants and boots in order to play on the snowy areas.  Without snow pants AND boots, children are required to stay on the tarred area.  When snowy weather arrives in full swing, please send your child to school in the morning prepared to play on the playground (boots, snow pants, jackets, hats, gloves/mittens).  Please send a change of shoes your child can change into when he/she gets in the building.  Thank you!

Last week during Reading Workshop we:

• read a poem called American Soldier in honor of Veteran's Day.  We used the poem to learn the word "we," which we then added to our word wall.
• learned about Stretchy Snake as a strategy for reading new words.  This strategy reminds us to stretch the word out like a snake, saying the sound that each letter in the word makes.
• learned about Skippy Frog as a strategy for reading new words.  This strategy reminds us to skip a word we don't know, read on to the end of the sentence, then go back and think of a word that would make sense for the word we skipped.
•  learned that we can use sticky-notes to mark our favorite part of a story.  We can then share our favorite part when we are reading that book to a buddy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
  
• read with our first grade reading buddies. 

Last week during Writing Workshop we:

• learned that we can use the words on our word wall to help us write pattern books.
• learned that we can write a seesaw pattern book.  A seesaw pattern goes back and forth between two different patterns connected to the same topic.
• learned that we can write more than one sentence on each page.
• learned that all the pages in our pattern books need to be connected to the same topic.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Last week during Math we:

• learned about calculators. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• learned the word "attribute" and sorted blocks, and ourselves, by common attributes.
• played a game that helped us read two-digit numbers and locate them on a number grid.
• practiced interrupted counting...counting by tens then switching to ones (10, 20, 30, 31, 32, 33...).
• started a "Dot Card Museum" during math stations.  On a sticky-note, students record how many dots are on a card then attach it to the card.  When another child comes to the museum, he/she can check other students' work.  Right now, each dot on the card represents one.  As children become stronger with subitizing (automatically knowing how many dots there are) we will change the value of each dot to mean ten, five, or two.
  

Enjoy your weekend!
Katie