We have been busy since Winter Break! As you will read below, we have been studying fractions and measurement in math, reading and writing poetry in Language Arts, and learning about balance and motion in science. We also enjoyed reading books about Martin Luther King, Jr. and comparing and contrasting the books while at the same time learning about what a great impact he has had on all of our lives. The snows in our forecast have made for exciting weather watching!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Watch our Amaryllis Grow!
We have put your gift to the class to good use. We are incorporating it into our measurement unit in math. (see below) When we measured it on the day we returned from Winter Break, it was 6” tall. On Friday, it was 18” tall! We figured out that it is growing about an inch per day. We can’t wait to see it bloom!
Fraction Action!
Fractions are everywhere and we can learn about fractions in so many different ways. Our “Pie in the Sky” game helped us match written fractions with a picture and the fraction hamburgers helped us understand how whole parts o f a hamburger can be divided from halves all the up to twelfths. Ed Emberly’s book, “Picture Pie” inspired us to make our own picture pies using fractions of circles. Some of us wrote poems to go along with our pictures. We made fraction flags in the computer lab and played other games to help us learn about fractions.
Pajama Day
It was fun to been in school in our pajamas on Pajama Day. We liked reading with our stuffed animals!
Writing Poetry
Our poetry unit has helped us learn about different parts of speech like adjectives, nouns and verbs. It was fun to look up adjectives in the dictionary to help us describe ourselves when we wrote acrostic poems using our names. We have also been changing words in poems to make new poems and writing poems about our favorite animals. We have enjoyed reading different types of poems in books and in the “Poetry Journals” from Jamestown. We are excited about sharing our poems at our Poetry Publishing Party next week.
Balance and Motion
We have been studying balance and motion in science. We are learning that there are different ways to balance objects, including ourselves. We realized that when we do yoga we get a good sense of our own balance and that it can be tricky to balance a cup on our heads. Also, we are learning that objects move in different directions and push and pull are forces that make things move.
Measuring in the Classroom
Our math unit on measuring has been exciting! Instead of using standard units of measurement like a ruler or yardstick, we have been using cubes, tiles and paper clips to compare lengths and measure distances. The paper clips were the unit of measure of choice. We found that our meeting rug is 112 paper clips long and the classroom is 357 paper clips long and 469 cubes long. We learned that it’s hard to get precise measurements using these tools. Also, it takes longer to take the paper clips apart than to put them together!
Mystery Readers
Our Mystery Readers continue to surprise us on Friday afternoons and read some of our old favorites and introduce us to their family favorites.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Goodbye 2010!
The last few weeks of 2010 were lots of fun. We learned about the origins of winter festivals around the world and celebrated our own traditions. We got together with other classes for various celebrations and enjoyed our Winter Concert. Our Holiday Party was a great way to commemorate our time together so far and look forward to a new year!
Cultural Exhibits
After researching a country of their ancestry, the first graders set up exhibits about their country. They included a map showing the location of their country, its flag, and a paper doll dressed in traditional clothing. They also added artifacts to help their classmates and families learn more about their country.
Class Gift
The primary team teachers purchased a goat from Heifer International in honor of all the first and second grade students. WE read the book, Beatrice’s Goat to help us understand how a single goat can help a family make enough money for the things they need, particularly sending the children to school. We also ate goat-shaped cookies to celebrate our gift. If you’d like to know more about Heifer International, follow this link: http://www.heifer.org/.
Mystery Reader
We had a special treat when Palmer’s mom and sister read some holiday favorites to us!
Holiday Party
To celebrate the end of 2010 and in honor of all the holiday festivals that we celebrate at this time of year, we made gingerbread houses together. Parents sent in different types of candy for the houses and the children did the designing and decorating. Some of the houses have garages, second stories and security alarms! We ended our party with pizza and games.
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