Chaperons

Just a quick email to clarify the field trip forms... we are inviting any interested chaperons to participate in our field trip.  There is a $4.00 cost for all St. Louis County and City residents (adult chaperons).  We are able to bring 3 chaperons for free for each class and will be drawing from a hat once we get closer to the field trip. Once the names are selected I will return the $4.00 to those parents whose names were drawn.

April 20-24

Only 19 more days until we are second graders!  19 days is a short amount of time, but we have plenty of learning left.  We are working hard up until the last day of school.  Check out what we've been up to this week...

Reading
We continue our work in our Nonfiction Reading to Become Experts with..

• keeping track of our reading through writing
• participating in reading clubs
• using wonderings to help us choose a text
• summarizing and rephrasing new learning

Question:  How do you use a wondering you have to choose a text?

Writing

Our writing unit of Studying the Craft of a Nonfiction Mentor Author fits in perfectly with our current writing unit!  This week we...

• studied Jim Arnosky 
• studied National Geographic Kids
• learned how to use a search engine
• learned how to research a nonfiction topic

Question:  What is the writing style of the National Geographic Kids books?

Question:  How can you use a search engine to research a nonfiction topic?

Math

Geometry has been a lot of fun this week!  We are continue to learn how to...

• create composite shapes from 2D shapes using pattern blocks
• make a new shape from composite shapes using pattern blocks
• create composite shapes from 3D shapes using geo blocks
• describe composite shapes using shape names and positions

Question:  How can you make a hexagon using 1 hexagon and 6 trapezoids?

Science

Observing organisms has been a lot of fun and hard work!  This week we...

• planted our own seeds
• observed woodland plants
• observed freshwater plants
• observed freshwater snails
• observed guppies

Questions:  What was your favorite organism to observe this week?  Why?

Upcoming Dates

5/4 - Mrs. Nagy Out

5/8 - Field Trip to the Botanical Garden

5/14 - JA in a Day

5/15 - Edible Botany

5/20 - Flip Day

5/21 - Last Day of School (1/2 Day)

Early World of Learning & World Book Kids

Below is Barretts Library Media Center Website, you will find lots of fun and safe learning websites your child can use at home.  

Click on the library databases, there you will find Early World of Learning and World Book Kids. These are two safe websites that your child has been taught how to use to look up nonfiction information.  

Username: pkwyhome

password:  pkwyhome

http://www.edline.net/pages/Barretts_Elementary/Activities/Barretts_Elementary_Library

Exploring the Inside of a Seed!

In preparation for planting seeds next week, we got to explore the inside of a lima bean seed!  Check out what we found!

Producers and Consumers

The Cheetahs and Lions got together to celebrate the end of our Producers and Consumers unit in Social Studies!  We took turns acting as producers and consumers in our classroom stores.

April 13-17

24 days left until we are officially second graders....time really flies when you are having fun!  This week we started the last of our new units and are getting very excited for the warmth and sunshine that seems echo signs of spring time at Barretts.

Reading

In reading this week we continued on with our non-fiction expert unit.  We learned about....

• RAN charts (reading and analyzing non-fiction)
• Thinking about "what I know" before I read
• Thinking about new learning before I read
• Noticing wondering as I read
• Noticing new learning after I've read

Question: How does a RAN chart help me think about non-fiction books before, during and after reading?

Writing
In writing we spent three days completing a cold write to assess where students non-fiction independent writing skills were as compared to district expectations and grade level peers,  We also learned about two non-fiction mentors...

• Seymour Simon 
• Gail Gibbons

Question: What did you notice that was different about Simon books as compared to Gibbons non-fiction books?  How are nonfiction authors like fashion styles?

Math
Our math lessons focusing on attributes of shapes.  We learned...

• The definition of a defining attribute
• The difference between open/closed shapes
• Attributes of 2-D shapes

Question:  What is one defining attribute of a square? What about a cube?

Science
In science we spent time exploring our new unit on organisms.  We discovered...

• Organisms are living things
• All organisms require food, water and air
• Organisms are able to move,reproduce, and go through a life cycle
• Parts of seeds
• explored the inside of a seed

Question:  What are the parts of a lima bean seed?

Upcoming dates:

5/8 Field Trip to Botanical Gardens

5/14 JA in a day

5/15 Edible Botany
5/15 Summer School Registration closes

5/20 Flip Day

5/21 Last day of school (half day)

April 6-10

Six more weeks before we say goodbye, but lots of learning still to go! Check out what we've been up to  this week...

Reading

Our last reading unit is Nonfiction Reading to Become an Expert.  This week we studied...

• nonfiction books sorts by topics
• reading club habits
• purpose for reading nonfiction books

Question:  What is a reading club?

Writing
The students are continuing to work on their book reviews by:

• digitally publishing their book review
• planning a new book review
• writing an introduction
• retelling
• adding opinions and reasons
• providing a sense of closure

Question: How did you digitally publish your book review?

Math

Our last math unit of the year is Geometry.  This week we studied...

• 2D shapes
• Attributes of 2D shapes
• identifying 2D shapes in our environment
• learned how use the Shapes Software on the computer

Question: What are the attributes of a square, circle, and triangle?

Social Studies

The first graders are really enjoying our Producers and Consumers unit!  This week we produced goods for our classroom store.

• how goods and services connect producers and consumers together
• creating goods to sell as producers in classroom store
• learning how to be a consumer for the classroom store
• learning about the jobs needed for a classroom store

Question:  Tell me about your experience with the classroom store?  What job did you have?  What did you buy at the store?

Upcoming Dates:

4/10 - Trivia Night
4/13 - Mrs. Nagy Out

5/8 - Field Trip
5/15 - Edible Botany
5/20 - Flip Day

5/21 - Last Day of School (Half Day)

Pretzel Sale!

Barretts is having a Pretzel Sale on Friday, April 10 in conjunction with Abilities Awareness Day!  If your child would like to purchase a pretzel, I will be collecting money this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Money will be turned into the office at 9:05 on Thursday.

March 30-April 2

Happy Thursday!  We had such a busy week with a shorten week, a late start, and Leadership day in our building, but the students kept working hard.  There is no homework or blog slip, just read and discuss the questions!

Reading
This we week are wrapping up our Character Study unit by:

• studying different characters (Knuffle Bunny & Pete the Cat)
• looking at cause and effect
• external character qualities

Question:  Can you explain cause and effect?  Give an example from Knuffle Bunny.

Writing
The students are continuing to work on their book reviews by:

• planning a book review
• writing an introduction
• retelling
• adding opinions and reasons
• providing a sense of closure

Question:  Which book are you writing your book review on?  What is your favorite part of your book review?

Math

We are wrapping up our Extending Numbers and Operations unit before we move onto Geometry next week!  We finished up by:

• solving problems by drawing 10s and 1s
• taking the Common Assessment

Question:  Can you explain how to solve an addition problem by drawing 10s and 1s (i.e., 43 + 24)?

Social Studies

The first graders are enjoying our Producers and Consumers unit!  We are continuing to study producers and consumers by learning about:

• goods and services
• supply and demand
• how goods and services connect producers and consumers together
• the lemonade game

Question:  How do goods and services connect producers and consumers together?  How do you play the lemonade game?

Click the link to play the lemonade game!
http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-lemonade-stand 

Upcoming Dates:

4/3 - No School

4/10 - Trivia Night

5/8 - Field Trip

5/21 - Last Day of School

Lemonade Stand

http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-lemonade-stand

I promised the Cheetahs that I would post the Lemonade Stand link!  We've been learning about producers and consumers, so we've been working to transfer our new learning.