January 26-30

We are back to a full week of learning!  Check out what we've been up to in first grade...

Reading

This week we continued our unit over story elements. After reviewing the main story elements (characters, setting, problem, and solution), we focused on...

• thinking about characters and how they change
• thinking about the setting and how it changes
• plot

Question:  How can setting changes affect the character in a story?

Writing

We are finished our first nonfiction book over animals and began a second nonfiction story.

• add a glossary and bold words
• made a new story plan
• added a Table of Contents
• added heading and facts

Question:  What is or what will be your topic for your second nonfiction story?  

Math

We are continuing work with the Place Value and Properties of Operations Unit.  The focus week was working with combination problems

• crayon puzzles with a total of 7 or more (some are blue and some are red)
• crayon puzzles where there are more blue crayons or more red crayons
• finding all the possible combinations of crayon puzzle problems
• challenge crayon puzzle problems
• addition game-Five-in-a-Row

Question:  Explain what a crayon puzzle is and how you solve the problem to find all the combinations of the total number? (ie. I have 7 crayons.  Some are red and some are blue.  How many of each could I have.)  

Science

In science, we wrapped up the unit over balancing and weighing by...

• finding the weight of cupfuls of food in cubes
• figuring out which container had 6 marbles using a balancing scale

Question:  What strategy did use to figure out which container had 6 marbles?

Looking ahead...

2/3 Symposium Site Visit (wear class t-shirt) 

2/4 Dental Presentation

2/4 Late Start

2/12 Valentine Party 2:40-3:40

2/13 Records Day (No School)

How to Catch a Star

Math Games

January 20-23

Happy Friday, families!  It was a short week, but we remained extremely busy with new learning and performing!  Check out what we've been up to in first grade...

Reading 

This week we dove into our new unit over story elements. After reviewing the main story elements (characters, setting, problem, and solution), we were able to discuss and read to practice...

• thinking about characters as we read
• learning about characters
• describing characters
• how characters change
• identifying a setting

Question:  Describe a character in a book you are reading.  How does that character act?  How does that character feel?

Writing

We are wrapping up our first nonfiction book over animals.  We worked in our books to...

• write an introduction
• write a closing
• add a glossary and bold words

Question:  How did you hook in your reader at the beginning of your nonfiction book?

Math

The first graders are working hard on collecting, organizing, and inventorying by...

• adding on new packs of 10 (ex. 43 + 10, 26 + 40...)
• playing collecting stamps
• playing rolling for 10s

Question:  How can you use a 100s chart to help you add new packs of 10?

Science

In science we continued working in our unit over balancing and weighing by...

• finding the weight of objects in cubes

Question:  How did you use cubes to find the weights of objects?

Looking ahead...
1/27- Author Judy Young Visits

Balancing and Weighing!

ABRA-KID-ABRA!

January 12-16

Wrapping up another week of learning and loving first grade! 

Check out some of this week's happenings...

Reading

This week in reading we finished our non-fiction text unit and spent time reviewing identify text features, main idea, and details.  The children practiced finding supporting details (evidence) on webs and continued marking their noticings during "me" and "we" time reading.  We also kicked off our new unit "Story Elements". Looked at...

• Why do readers read fiction?
• What are story elements?

Question:  Name one difference between fiction and non-fiction texts?

Writing

This week in writing we continued crafting our first non-fiction animal books.  We worked on...

• adding facts to our books
• elaborating on facts
• using pictures to support the facts
• adding labels & diagrams
• crafting an introduction

Question:  What was one thing you added to your non-fiction book and how will it help your reader understand your topic?

Math

We continued counting, organizing, and inventorying items this week.  Our activities included...

• class inventory charts
• reviewing combinations of 10
• recording packs of 10 (noticing place value of 1's and 10's)
• collecting groups of 5 &10 (counting stamps)

Question:  Which counting strategy helped you count most quickly?  Why?

In the number 86, how many tens and ones are there?  How do you know?

Science

In science we continued looking at balancing and weighing but moved on to these new topics...

• exploring equal arm balances
• comparing objects with equal arm balances
• ordering objects by weight

Question:  In order to achieve balance will I need more or less counter weight for heavier items using an equal arm balance?

Upcoming Events

1.19-No School
1.21-Musical at 2:45

1.22-Musical at 7:00

1.27-Author Judy Young visits

FGIF this Friday!

Just a reminder that Friday (1/16) is a grade level wide First Grade Is Fun (FGIF) event at 3:15  The children will be participating in a three day long math workshop called Abra-kid-Abra and we plan to share their learning with you.

Please plan to join us!

January 5-9

First Grade is back on the learning track!  Take a peek at our week packed with lots of new learning and fun!

Reading

We are continuing to navigate our nonfiction books by...

• Reviewing nonfiction text feature
• Identifying a main topic
• Identifying key details
• Using pictures and text to decode unknown words
• Review bold words and glossary 

Question:  What is the difference between main topic and key details?

Writing

We started a new Nonfiction Expert Unit in writing.  We learned about...

• Fact vs. opinions
• Generating nonfiction ideas
•  Planning a nonfiction book
• Writing a Table of Contents 
• Making Headings 

Question:  What is the topic of your first nonfiction book?

Math

We are starting a new unit in math (Organizing and Collecting)  This unit develops a more abstract understanding of place value, viewing 2-digit numbers as tens and ones.  This understanding of place value supports counting on and making ten strategies that students can use to become more efficient in addition and subtraction situations. 

• Counting strategies
• Grouping counting object in packs of ten
• Recording counting information on class inventory chart

Question:  Tell me about the counting strategies you used this week to take inventory?

Science

In this unit, students expand their understanding of the relationship between balance and weight as they explore activities in balancing, comparing, and weighing.

• Brainstormed what balancing mean
• Discovered how to balance a paper butterfly
• Explored how a beam balances
• Learned how a fulcrum works

Question:  How does a fulcrum help with balancing?

Looking ahead...

Abra-kid-abra Math Residency Program- 1/12-1/14

FGIF Event- 1/16

MLK Holiday 1/19 (No School)

1/21- 1st & 2nd Musical Performance 2:45

1/22- 1st & 2nd Musical Performance 7:00