Week 14

Here are some highlights from the short week...

I know that grandparents and special friends day was last week, but Room 112 had a special visitor on Tuesday...my brother! He was in town from New York and because he shares a birthday with one of my favorite authors, Dr.Seuss, I thought it would be extra special for him to come in and read The Cat in the Hat! 

Our second Art Literacy was on Tuesday!  The first grade artists made foil art of cats and dogs. They turned out great and will be on display on the bulletin board outside of Room 112! Thank you again to Julie Plato and Jen McUne for their time and support :)

We ended our short week with our 4th grade buddies. The kiddos got to make their very own paper bag turkey! All of the kiddos had lots that they are thankful for :)

Some photos from the week...

Week 13

Some highlights from Room 112...

For science, we continued reviewing igneous rocks this week. We have been focusing on the features, textures, colors and location of each rock and adding information to our rock journals. The students also got to see what happened to their rocks (basalt, scoria and tuff) when they put them in water. They made great observations about the changes that not only happened to the rocks, but also to the water! The first grade geologists are doing a great job and I am excited to continue our study of rocks!

In math we are continuing to develop our number sense and reinforcing counting by 5's and 10's through different interactive games, clock activities and timing transitions.

And of course, we ended the week with Grandparents/Special Friends' Day! It was truly special to see and meet all of the guests in Room 112, and the first graders were absolutely beaming! What a great way to end the week :)

Reminders:

11/24 -- Art Literacy @ 8:30
11/26 - 11/27 -- No School - Thanksgiving

Here are some photos from the week...

Week 12

Here are some highlights from the week...

We had a great class discussion about why we didn't have school on Wednesday - Veteran's Day. To honor our veterans we wrote letters to them to send to the VA Hospital. I was blown away by the thought and love that each of your first graders put into their letters. I know that the veterans will appreciate it too!

Science is off to a great start! We have started our Rocks, Pebbles, Sand and Silt Unit and the Room 112 geologists got their official rock journals. They explored and sorted 3 different igneous rocks (basalt, scoria, tuff). We will continue exploring rocks and learning how they are formed. The first grade geologists ROCK -- pun intended :)

In writing, students have been doing a great job sharing their small moments and stretching their small moments across pages. We have been focusing on being a supportive writing partner by listening, giving specific compliments and asking questions. It is awesome to see the eager and excited authors of Room 112!

Reminders:
11/16 - 11/20 -- Scholastic Book Fair
11/17 -- Room 112 Library Time at the Book Fair
11/17 -- Grandparents and Special Friends' RSVP DUE
11/18 - 11/19 -- Ms.Soulas @ workshop - Substitute *No volunteer day
11/20 -- Grandparents and Special Friends' Day


Here are some photos from the week...

Week 11

This is the first full week of school we've had in a while, and it was a busy week!

In math we completed our counting by 10's crab chart, and our Room 112 ocean is filled with some pretty adorable crabs! The students made observations about the pattern and the counting progression that helped deepen their understanding of counting by 5's and 10's.

On Thursday, we had a special guest come to our classroom. Ms. Jennifer is an autism specialist with the district and came to talk to the class about autism. She read an awesome story called "All My Stripes." The story is about a zebra who has some stripes that make him different. Ms. Jennifer focused the discussion on how we all have "stripes" that make us different and unique, but they make us who we are! We all have things that might be hard for us, but we also have things that make us pretty amazing.

This week I introduced what an IPICK is. These are books that are not too easy, not too hard, but just right! The IPICK acronym helps students go through a mental checklist when they pick out a book (written below). After going over the acronym, the students went on a scavenger hunt to find their "just right" book. This can be a challenging task, but the first graders did an excellent job identifying when a book might be too hard or too easy.  We will continue to practice and reinforce picking and reading IPICK books throughout the year. 

I - I can choose a book

P- Purpose -- Why am I reading it?

I - Interest -- Does it interest me?

C - Comprehension -- Do I understand it?

K - Know -- Do I know the words? *** 

*** Our current focus when picking books that are just right. 

0 - 1 tricky words on a page = too easy
2 - 3 tricky words on a page = IPICK
4 - 5 tricky words on a page = give it a try 
5 or more tricky words on a page =  goal book

We ended the week with a lion portrait art project! The first grade artists got to use oil pastels to get started on some lions that are really something to roar about - pun intended :)

Reminders:

11/10 -- Picture aretake @ 8am
11/11 -- No School - Veteran's Day

Here are some pictures from the week...