1A Classroom Update 14
June 3, 2016
Our Final Month!
Hello June! It is amazing to think that 9 months ago our friends were entering the first grade not knowing what to expect. Now that we look back on all they have accomplished we are happy to say that they continue working hard to end the year on a great note! Here is what our 1A friends have been up to these past couple of weeks!
Writing
Through these past terms we have had some special surprise guests joining us during Readers and Writers Workshop. We could not end the year without introducing Petey the Pirate Poet! It was only right since we have entered our unit on Poetry. These past couple of weeks our friends have had the opportunity to explore different types of poems, which included, 5 senses poems, rhyme, shape, and acrostic. This week students learned how poets use special descriptive language to describe their topics in a more meaningful way by also using adjectives. They were given different topics chosen by the teacher and were encouraged to use descriptive language and adjectives to describe the topic. Our poets used phrases such as “wet as a waterfall” to describe the topic Rain and “hanging on to your brain for dear life” to describe Reading! Next week, our friends will start writing poems with 5 senses as well as poems with rhyme!
Math
These last two weeks, our 1A mathematicians have been continuing their work adding together two-digit numbers. They have been working on adding numbers all the way up to 99. In their work solving 2-digit addition problems, our scholars have been delving deeper into the concept of redistribution when the ones place in an addition problem adds up to more than 10. Our next step is to begin subtraction with 2-digit numbers. Our 1A students have also been continuing to develop their real world skills, learning more about the concept of money and time. We have now gone over the value of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. We have also been practicing "purchasing" different items around the classroom, as well as seeing the different combinations we can make with these 4 coins. In our unit on time, 1A has been introduced to the concepts of both an analogue and digital clock. They have started to learn about the minute and hour hands. They have also started telling time to both the hour and half hour.
Note* Please make sure our 1A friends are completing at least 28 problems a day in order for us to arrive at Australia! Students should bring in these problems everyday so in the morning they can build up fuel for our trip!
Reading
We have started our last unit in Reader's Workshop, and the kids have been so excited! In our exploration of different genres this year, we have studied nonfiction, fairy tales, and now we are finishing up the year with poetry. The kids have stepped into the poetry world. They have learned that there are several types of poems, such as rhyming poems, senses poems, and shapes poems. They have also been making personal connections to individual lines in poems they have read.
Inquiry
In inquiry we have been finishing up our unit on celebrations. We ended our study of Dia de Los Muertos by having the students each color in a large mural of a sugar skull. We then moved on to the celebration of Carnival. The students learned about both the traditions and reasons behind the massive party. They all made their very own masks and then took part in a classroom parade where they marched around the room and danced to some of their favorite music. We also got to enjoy some yummy cake made by Ms. Thomas. We are now starting our final step in our celebrations unit, which should be a great surprise for the curriculum share!
Day of the Dead!
Lets Celebrate!
Special Decor
Im Ready!
Current Rolls!
I spy!
More Decorations!
Yummy!
Lets Go!
Poets In Action
Practice!
Line by Line!
Brooklyn Grange Field Trip - Bzzz Bzzz
Our students used their five senses to explore the intricate world of a bee colony as part of our study of sustainability. Students observed the innerworking of a honeybee super-organism through an observation hive, plant bee-friendly crops, and taste the delicious honey that bees work so hard to produce.
Learning about Honeybees
Bees!
Lunch Time
Learning about the Bees
HoneyComb!
Taste Time
Author Visit - Brian Pinkney
Mr. Pinkney Shares
Read Aloud
Play Time
REMINDERS!!!!
Thursday - June 9 - Brooklyn/Queens Day - School Closed
Friday - June 24 - Trip to Brooklyn Bridge Park
Monday - June 27 - Curriculum Share
Tuesday June 28 - Last Day of School - Early Dismissal
Whacky Times in Music Class!
Working together, students learned to sight read music and perform as an ensemble by playing musical "videogames"; decoding "mystery" sheet music, composing original songs and performing those songs as a group.
Dance With Ms. Siby
First graders are preparing for our BPCS Olympic Opening Ceremony by learning to dance, sing and play instruments in a traditional Brazilian dance-martial art hybrid, Maculele. They are learning the roots and origins of the dance, which was initially performed with machetes and fire! No need to worry, we will be dancing with rhythm sticks! Please feel free to play our Maculele song at home, so your young dancer can practice. Before playing the song, you may ask them to sing the introduction and show the three rhythm stick positions. Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday, June 22nd from 11:30am-12:30pm for our Opening Ceremony!
¡Y en Español!
Grade One is moving forward and fast en Español!! As part of our IB Unit Celebraciones, students celebrated birthdays (cumpleaños) and weddings (bodas) in Spanish class. We played Pin the Tale on the Donkey — moving izquierda, derecha adelante and atrás! What fun! Additionally, we made money in Español to throw it in a pretend wedding. Unlike typical Caribbean and Nigerian weddings, first grade guests collected the money to throw over and over again. How sweet!
This week 1A began PODs in Spanish! ¡Sí, en español! It has been delightful to see your students growing and accepting the Spanish language in different and challenging ways. They are great Risk Takers! During our PODs, 1A students moved through fifteen minute stations including reading, pronunciation, Zingo, and Twister. We are practicing our writing in Spanish too! ¡Muy bien 1A!
Please check out our pictures below and practice our new songs at home.
Muchas Gracias,
Ms. Rosado
Rosado Station - Writing and pronunciation
I-pad Station - Listening, Pronunciation and wirting
Rosado Station - Writing and pronunciation
Zingo Station - Practice voc words
DEAR Station - LEER
Twister - ¡Mano izquierda azul!
1A Teachers
Email: dtes1a@brooklynprospect.org
Location: 80 Willoughby Street, Brooklyn, NY, United States