Keeping this blog up to date was a goal of mine at the beginning of the year. I totally lost track of it, and realized this week that I really needed to get back into it in order to keep everyone abreast of what was going on in the classroom. Here's a general update!
In reading:
The Organic Squirrels have been working on diphthongs. These are sounds like oi, ou, oo, aw, etc. They're reading with greater fluency and recognizing more words and sounds! Hopefully you've noticed this at home, too.
The Screaming Mustaches and Ice Dragons have been reading chapter books. The most recent is Frindle which is a book about how words are created and spread, and the importance of language.
The Zesty Wombats have been working a lot on nonsense words, and have been focusing on the long e sound. They've learned 8 spellings for long e (e, ee, e_e, ei, i, y, ey, and ea).
In writing:
The First Graders have been learning how to craft a paragraph. They are learning the parts of paragraphs, and primarily working on topic sentences. They understand that topic sentences tell what the paragraph is about, and are working towards creating solid ones that capture their paragraphs.
The Second Graders have been working on opinion paragraphs. We spent a lot of time talking about the difference between facts and opinions, and they are coming to understand that an opinion is best argued when backed up by facts. They are working towards writing opinion paragraphs that incorporate facts as well as feelings.
In Project:
The kids have learned all of the parts of a plant - the root, stem, leaf, seed, flower, and fruit. They have been making models of different kinds of plants that include all of the parts of the plant. They know that some plants have fruits, while others only have flowers. When the models are finished, they will be displayed!
In Social Skills:
We've really been working on expected behavior in all parts of the day. We've been talking a lot about what's expected, and working towards having expected behavior every day. We also spent a lot of time talking about bossiness, being a role model, using I-statements, and being inclusive. We're working hard to appreciate everyone's differences and celebrate how special each member of the class is!
I plan to keep up with the blog for the rest of the year. I apologize for the lapse, but I recognize how important it is, and will work hard to update regularly!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Social Skills
This week we are learning about what to do when our friends make us uncomfortable or hurt our feelings.
First we talked about different things that friends do that bother us. Things ranged from being bossy to not letting us choose what we play. The kids said that they don't usually tell their friends when they're upset because they worry that they won't want to be their friend anymore.
Next, I introduced the "I-statement". An I-statement is a way of explaining how a person feels and why, while keeping the focus on themselves. The general guideline goes like this:
I feel __________ when you __________. I need __________.
If someone was making fun of my boots, I'd say, "I feel hurt when you call my boots ugly. I need you to stop doing that."
The main idea of this is that the focus is initially on the upset person's feelings, not on the aggressor's actions. Also, it specifically labels the action that the upset person finds bothersome. Last, it explains what needs to change.
We've been practicing it whenever something comes up in the classroom, as well as in role-playing. The more it is reinforced, the more likely kids will use it on their own when the need arises!
First we talked about different things that friends do that bother us. Things ranged from being bossy to not letting us choose what we play. The kids said that they don't usually tell their friends when they're upset because they worry that they won't want to be their friend anymore.
Next, I introduced the "I-statement". An I-statement is a way of explaining how a person feels and why, while keeping the focus on themselves. The general guideline goes like this:
I feel __________ when you __________. I need __________.
If someone was making fun of my boots, I'd say, "I feel hurt when you call my boots ugly. I need you to stop doing that."
The main idea of this is that the focus is initially on the upset person's feelings, not on the aggressor's actions. Also, it specifically labels the action that the upset person finds bothersome. Last, it explains what needs to change.
We've been practicing it whenever something comes up in the classroom, as well as in role-playing. The more it is reinforced, the more likely kids will use it on their own when the need arises!
Project - January 30, 2013
Today we divided project up into two separate parts. First, the kids did some research on the iPads for their Exhibitions of Mastery. I made a packet of questions and found some good websites that have a lot of information written in a fairly kid-friendly way. The kids looked at the websites and started learning more about their vegetables.
In the second half, the kids learned about leaves. They also tasted some leaves. They ate radicchio, chicory, and rainbow chard. I'm trying to help them see that we eat all parts of plants, though not usually all parts of any one plant. Then, they continued to work on their plant models. Many students are finished with their roots, stems, and leaves! They are very cool, and are starting to look like the plants they are supposed to be!
Below, you'll see a carrot, onion and pumpkin vine!
In the second half, the kids learned about leaves. They also tasted some leaves. They ate radicchio, chicory, and rainbow chard. I'm trying to help them see that we eat all parts of plants, though not usually all parts of any one plant. Then, they continued to work on their plant models. Many students are finished with their roots, stems, and leaves! They are very cool, and are starting to look like the plants they are supposed to be!
Below, you'll see a carrot, onion and pumpkin vine!
January 21 - 25
This week was a good week!
In skills, the organic squirrels are working on story comprehension questions. They're working at answering questions in complete sentences. They started a new book, Fables.
The zesty wombats have also started a new book, The Job Hunt. They're working on tricky vowel spellings and are reviewing long I. The screaming mustaches and ice dragons are all reading chapter books. They're reading either Mrs Piggle-Wiggle, Fantastic Mr Fox, or Henry and Ribsy.
In centers we started learning all about topic sentences. We're also working on writing super sentences. This is the start of a big push in writing!
In social skills this week we talked about thinking with your eyes. We know that when we think with our eyes we learn better because we pick up clues about what's going on around us. We also know that thinking with our eyes helps with communication because it helps us intuit what others are thinking.
It's been tough having so much indoor recess, but the kids have been real troupers. They've worked hard to still get along and be kind and inclusive. It's actually been nice or see how the kids interact when they don't have as many choices about who to play with for a longer period of time, and I've actually seen new friendships develop over the last few days!
In project, the kids are still working on their plant models. It was much more successful this week! Everyone got a solid start on their roots and stems, and they worked together to finish the soil. It had to dry, but they'll add their underground animals next. I wasn't sure how things were going to shape up, but it looks like we'll have some close approximations of plants when they're done!
In skills, the organic squirrels are working on story comprehension questions. They're working at answering questions in complete sentences. They started a new book, Fables.
The zesty wombats have also started a new book, The Job Hunt. They're working on tricky vowel spellings and are reviewing long I. The screaming mustaches and ice dragons are all reading chapter books. They're reading either Mrs Piggle-Wiggle, Fantastic Mr Fox, or Henry and Ribsy.
In centers we started learning all about topic sentences. We're also working on writing super sentences. This is the start of a big push in writing!
In social skills this week we talked about thinking with your eyes. We know that when we think with our eyes we learn better because we pick up clues about what's going on around us. We also know that thinking with our eyes helps with communication because it helps us intuit what others are thinking.
It's been tough having so much indoor recess, but the kids have been real troupers. They've worked hard to still get along and be kind and inclusive. It's actually been nice or see how the kids interact when they don't have as many choices about who to play with for a longer period of time, and I've actually seen new friendships develop over the last few days!
In project, the kids are still working on their plant models. It was much more successful this week! Everyone got a solid start on their roots and stems, and they worked together to finish the soil. It had to dry, but they'll add their underground animals next. I wasn't sure how things were going to shape up, but it looks like we'll have some close approximations of plants when they're done!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Exciting progress for Organic Squirrels
Today the first graders began unit 3! We learned a new sound /oo/ as in moon. We practiced a bunch and they picked it up very quickly! Our new book is called Fables and we will begin reading it tomorrow. The kids will bring home a letter tonight letting you know that we will be starting with weekly spelling quizzes. Please practice with them! I am proud of how hard they all worked today and how easily the grasped the new sound. We will be learning many new sounds more quickly as the year progresses now - but they are ready!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Project Pros and Cons
Today's project was quite an adventure!
During the winter, we do a lot of things during project that somehow relate to the farm, plants, fruits, or vegetables. Today we started a big unit on the parts of a plant. We will make models of different types of plants, and the models will show all the parts of those particular plants.
Today we read two books - one was on roots and one was on stems. After that we attempted to make the stem part of the models.
First, the cons of project: We tried to use papier mâché to make the stems. It was kind of a disaster. The balloons were super hard to blow up (even for the adults) and they were hard to put together to make them look how the kids wanted. Some balloons popped, some kept twisting apart. In the end, nobody got enough accomplished to even resemble a stem! It was at least moderately enjoyable for most of the kids, though, and that was good.
Next, the pros: to show the kids different kinds of roots and stems we can eat, I brought in some unfamiliar foods for the kids to try. The roots they tried were jicama and daikon radish. The stems were fennel and asparagus. The kids overwhelmingly liked the jicama, daikon, and fennel. It's hard to keep asparagus a good texture when it was cooked the night before, but the kids tried it!
Even though project today was kind of frustrating, and not much product came from it, the kids still worked hard and persevered. They worked well together and they learned, at the very least, how difficult it is to work with long, skinny balloons!
During the winter, we do a lot of things during project that somehow relate to the farm, plants, fruits, or vegetables. Today we started a big unit on the parts of a plant. We will make models of different types of plants, and the models will show all the parts of those particular plants.
Today we read two books - one was on roots and one was on stems. After that we attempted to make the stem part of the models.
First, the cons of project: We tried to use papier mâché to make the stems. It was kind of a disaster. The balloons were super hard to blow up (even for the adults) and they were hard to put together to make them look how the kids wanted. Some balloons popped, some kept twisting apart. In the end, nobody got enough accomplished to even resemble a stem! It was at least moderately enjoyable for most of the kids, though, and that was good.
Next, the pros: to show the kids different kinds of roots and stems we can eat, I brought in some unfamiliar foods for the kids to try. The roots they tried were jicama and daikon radish. The stems were fennel and asparagus. The kids overwhelmingly liked the jicama, daikon, and fennel. It's hard to keep asparagus a good texture when it was cooked the night before, but the kids tried it!
Even though project today was kind of frustrating, and not much product came from it, the kids still worked hard and persevered. They worked well together and they learned, at the very least, how difficult it is to work with long, skinny balloons!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Squirrels !!
The first graders are working hard at getting back to a regular routine. They were working so hard and quietly I just had to snap a picture of them! We are beginning to wrap up "GRAN" and we will be entering a pushing point to review this week and early next week. Please continue to practice sight words at home and have your child read to you each night!
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