Ms.Soulas' Classroom

Here are some highlights from the week... In both reading and writing we are focusing on non-fiction text! The first graders are both writers and teachers in our non-fiction chapter book unit. We have been using the writing process (thinking, planning, writing, revising) and have begun creating our very own non-fiction chapter books about topics that they are experts on. The authors are excited to share all of their knowledge!  In math this week we are continuing to build our fluency (knowing our addition and subtraction facts in a snap). As we build our fluency we are able to tackle bigger and unfriendly numbers. One subtraction strategy we focused on this week is called "Take from 10." This helps when students are subtracting a higher one digit number from a teen number. (ex. 14 - 9 =). The students break the teen number into tens and ones (10 + 4). Now they subtract the 9 from the 10 and add up the remaining numbers (1+4 = 5). Ask your first grader to show and teach yo...

It was a busy week in Room 112... In math this week we have been    extending students’ kindergarten experiences with direct length comparison to indirect comparison. The length of one object is used to compare the lengths of two other objects.  Longer than and shorter than are taken to a new level of precision by introducing the idea of a length unit.  Students have been exploring the usefulness of measuring with similar units. We also logged into Moby Max (an adaptive math app). The students took a placement test and will be accessing it throughout the rest of the year for some extra math practice at their level. We met with our buddies on Wednesday. As you know, we have been studying rocks in Room 112 and the 4th graders have been reading about natural disasters. We combined both of those subjects in our Mystery Science about volcanoes. We learned about volcanoes and where they exist in the world. The buddies got the coordinates of different volcanoes around t...

Here are some highlights from the week... In science, the geologists were introduced to Sedimentary Rocks. They were given a cup of river rocks and different sized screens to sort the rocks by size. They identified pebbles, gravel and sand and after sorting them glued them into their rock journal! We have s tarted our new reading unit! We are going to be focusing on reading, decoding and comprehending non-fiction text. In this unit we get to soar through space, swim in the sea, travel around the world and study lots of different topics - here we go!  For writing, the first graders spent time writing thoughtful cards for Mr.Galindo. We discussed the value and importance of making cards personal - and wow, did they do it. I was so impressed with what they came up with and I know that Mr. Galindo will appreciate all of the time, love and care put into the cards.  We ended the week with a 3-D shape art project! Our calendar this month has a growing 3-D shape pattern, ...

We got to ease back into school mode with a short week! This week the students started sharing their traditions with the class. It has been great hearing all of the different (and similar) family traditions! We still have a lot to get through, so presentations will continue.  The students wrote New Years resolutions with Mrs.Snodgrass, and wow do they have some good goals for 2019! In math we reviewed and continued to build our understanding of repeated addition (multiplication). We worked through different problems together and showed our work using pictures, number sentences and charts. Our goal in first grade is not to know our times tables, but we are laying the foundation and creating a strong understanding of grouping numbers so they can build on that in older grades. In these early years it is important that they are not only computing, but also representing the math in a visual and concrete way. I encourage you to practice this at home  (ex. At the dinner table ev...