October 6-10, 2014 witnessed a leap in the social and academic maturity of the Grade 1 learning community. With all expectations in place and procedures well established, students revealed they are ready to take the next step in their academic challenges and social responsibility. This next developmental stage includes the tasks of working independently in small groups so teachers may conduct guided practice at differentiated levels in literacy and math. In math students concluded their unit on position and ordinal numbers and began numbers within 20. Mental math is now a part of our daily practice as we wait in line or move through transitions. Fluency in place value and skip counting are the focus in calendar math. Cognitive flexibility is being practiced with pattern language including color, shape, and vertical/horizontal identification. In literacy students learned how to "tap out" their words as a tool for spelling and to build phonemic memory. In Fundations, the "bonus letters" f,l, and s were explicitly taught as the letters that often double up when they follow a short vowel at the end of words. Sound mapping was introduced as a way of sorting phonics sounds according to where they occur in the mouth. The anchor book Room on the Broom is being used to introduce the story lab project of perspective taking where the students are currently considering the story from the Cat's point of view. In Social Sciences we are mediating orientation in space, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills, by painting fine lines and following directed drawings. In Science our unit on genetic traits is off to a strong start as students identify observable physical traits in humans and animals and consider what happens in offspring. We will use this as a platform for our next unit where we study the various ways parents help their offspring thrive. Thank you for returning reading folders daily and signing off after your child has practiced them for fluency. Have a great weekend!
September 29- October 3, 2014
Sept. 29- Oct.3, 2014 provided Grade 1 with the opportunity to dive deeply into our new unit in math, where students are learning how the relationship between "part-part-whole" can be used for subtraction as well as addition. Students created their own math stories and practiced reading directions to solve different types of math problems. Students were introduced to the why behind the how of following written directions in math. In literacy, students began their study of the bonus letters f, l, and s which double up to make a single sound. We used our magnetic letter boards to build words using silent e. We also practiced phonemic awareness using word chains. Students express that their nightly reading is going well and are reflecting this in their ability to independently read their good fit books. In social sciences, students further examined how to apply the breathing tool using scenarios from their own lives. We used the book The Day the Crayons Quit to understand that our thoughts affect our attitude and overall perspective of a situation. The students found it interesting to discover that the same situation could be perceived in several different ways depending on the point of view. In science, students observed like a scientist by looking at various rubber insects where they were required to describe the similarities and differences in writing. The class is moving along smoothly and we commend the students for exhibiting so much self regulation.
September 29- October 3, 2014
Sept. 29- Oct.3, 2014 provided Grade 1 with the opportunity to dive deeply into our new unit in math, where students are learning how the relationship between "part-part-whole" can be used for subtraction as well as addition. Students created their own math stories and practiced reading directions to solve different types of math problems. Students were introduced to the why behind the how of following written directions in math. In literacy, students began their study of the bonus letters f, l, and s which double up to make a single sound. We used our magnetic letter boards to build words using silent e. We also practiced phonemic awareness using word chains. Students express that their nightly reading is going well and are reflecting this in their ability to independently read their good fit books. In social sciences, students further examined how to apply the breathing tool using scenarios from their own lives. We used the book The Day the Crayons Quit to understand that our thoughts affect our attitude and overall perspective of a situation. The students found it interesting to discover that the same situation could be perceived in several different ways depending on the point of view. In science, students observed like a scientist by looking at various rubber insects where they were required to describe the similarities and differences in writing. The class is moving along smoothly and we commend the students for exhibiting so much self regulation.
Sept. 22-26, 2014 was a week full of discovery, exploration, and learning. In literacy, we learned how to "tap out words" to sound them out for writing. The conventions of writing such as letter placement, final punctuation, initial capitals and correct spacing were reviewed. Considering our audience, when writing, was introduced along with sequencing our written account correctly. We are learning about the different aspects involved in selecting a good fit book including rate, accuracy, voice, and comprehension. In math, we used number stories to create accurate subtraction sentences. We continued practicing part-part-whole within 10 so we can reach automaticity with base ten combinations. Our math time is currently divided between calendar, explicit instruction, guided practice, and independent practice. We worked with balances to understand that equal means same as. In Science we introduced chemical reactions and conducted experiments with baking soda, water, and vinegar. As always we recorded our data. We also learned how to measure liquid in a graduated cylinder and flask. Lots of science gear was brought out for our equipment study, complete with aprons and goggles. In handwriting we are studying the "bumplines" in Handwriting Without Tears and the Sky line, Plane line, Grass line, and Worm line in Fundations. In social studies we are studying Social Thinking with Superflex and the Unthinkables. We were excited to celebrate the rainy morning last week and discussed expectations for rainy days. Thank you for returning reading envelopes each day in the green nightly folders.