1B Classroom Update 11
April 20, 2018
Hello Spring!!
Important Dates
· Friday, April 20 | Anytime/Anywhere Brainstorm Meeting
· Thursday, April 26 | First Grade Parent Coffee (8:30am - 9:15 a.m)
· Monday, May 07-11 | Staff Appreciation Week
· Monday, May 28 | Memorial Day | No School
Academics
Reading
In reading, our 1B friends have begun to explore the world of genres, particularly fairy tales. We took some time identifying similarities and differences between genres (e.g. fiction vs. nonfiction) and will now delve into exploring fairytales. Our readers worked with partners to look for particular features we can find in a fairytale. In order to enhance our 1B friends knowledge have them read more fairy tales and make a list of specific features they come across.
Writing
Our friends have been introduced to King How’s Niece! Her name is Olivia Opinion! Olivia is full of opinions and loves to listen to others that may feel very different about different topics! As we have started our Opinion Writing Unit, our friends have been sharing their thoughts and views on different subjects. We kicked off the unit by playing the game Would You Rather? Would You Rather is a game full of questions that also need strong support to back up your answers! Some of the questions included Would You Rather swim in a pool of snakes or a pool of spiders!
During one of our Writers Workshop lessons Olivia Opinion joined our 1B friends in a fruit tasting session. Friends were able to taste 3 types of fruit and give reasons as to why they liked or disliked that particular fruit. Once the session was over our friends made a circle map about their favorite fruit or vegetable. In the coming weeks, our friends will start writing their opinion pieces and adding particular features such as a catchy intro and convincing your reader to agree with your opinion.
Math
Over the past few weeks 1B has continued to build their conceptual understanding of place value. Students have been mastering their ability to represent tens and ones in pictorial sticks and circles, and have begun adding and subtracting within these values using a variety of strategies. Diving into representing and solving problems in more abstract forms have opened up the conversation about different ways to represent numbers. 1B students have learned four different ways to represent the numbers they are working with; numeral form, expanded notation, model form (sticks and dots), and written form, as well as the difference between an equation and an expression. During the course of this unit, the class has also been refining their skills as mathematicians, and working on learning how to read and answer a problem completely while showing their work.
1B students have enthusiastically embraced learning how to tell time! The introduction to telling time began with discussing how to partition a circle into halves, fourths, twelfths, and what is an equal part. Currently, students are working on telling time by the hour with both digital and analog clocks. 1B will continue building their time skills over the next few weeks. Ask you child which is the minute hand and which is the hour hand!
Readers Workshop
Focusing on our new genre
Fairytale Feature Detectives
Readers Workshop in Action
What features did you find?
Super Focused
Literacy Block Station
Writers Workshop
Whats your opinion?
Writing out their reasons
Authors in Action
Everyone Meet Olivia Opinion
"Oh Hellooooo Everyone!"
"Pink is the best color in the world!"
Math
Sticks and Dots
What Time Is It?
Adding and Subtracting tens and ones
Celebrate Good Times ...Come On!
Valentines Day
What Celebrations are we experts on?
Chinese New Year
Curriculum Share
We would like to also take this opportunity to thank families that came to our Curriculum Share. Your attendance made our Curriculum Share super successful and fun! For those families that could not make it, we missed you but please check out the below photos!
· We did a museum walk of our constructions of homes from around the world: Ghana, Peru, Cambodia, Oman, and Argentina.
· Had a special performance with Coach M at the Playspace
· We read our published nonfiction books