Week 20
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 you "Take from 10" :)
Our geologists did a final experiment that was quite tasty! They took 3 starburst and pressed them together to represent how sedimentary rocks are formed. After they had their sedimentary starburst, they applied heat (breath) and pressure (pushing) to turn it into a metamorphic rock!
We ended the week with a special visitor - the curator of the Rice Rock Museum! She shared different fossils and minerals with the first graders. The students had a chance to look at, touch and even bring home rocks and minerals of their own! The curator was very impressed with the first grade geologists :)
At home activity to support reading and writing: Make a nonsense book!
Materials:
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 you "Take from 10" :)
Our geologists did a final experiment that was quite tasty! They took 3 starburst and pressed them together to represent how sedimentary rocks are formed. After they had their sedimentary starburst, they applied heat (breath) and pressure (pushing) to turn it into a metamorphic rock!
We ended the week with a special visitor - the curator of the Rice Rock Museum! She shared different fossils and minerals with the first graders. The students had a chance to look at, touch and even bring home rocks and minerals of their own! The curator was very impressed with the first grade geologists :)
At home activity to support reading and writing: Make a nonsense book!
Materials:
- Ten or more index cards
- A small notebook
- Pencils, crayons, colored pencils, or markers
- Divide the cards into two sets. On each of the cards in the first set, have your first grader write a sentence subject like Dad, Justin, The cat, and so on. On each card in the other set, write a predicate like has a bath, is tired, has a bib, is in bed, and so on. Write all the subjects in one color, and all the predicates in a different color. This will make the cards easier to use.
- Now let the fun begin! Allow your child to pick a subject card and a predicate card. Then have them join the two cards to form a sentence, for example: The hat has a bib or The cat is in bed. Your child can read the sentence aloud, or you can read the sentence for him.
- If you’ve got an emerging writer on your hands, have them practice their printing by writing the sentence at the bottom of one page of the notebook. Now break out those markers and crayons! Let your child illustrate the sentence. Repeat this process several times until you have at least a half a dozen pages. Now read it aloud. You’ve made a nonsense book!
Reminders:
January 28: Author Visit
January 28: Report cards go home
January 31: Lewis and Clark College International Students to Visit 1st Grade Classes
January 28: Report cards go home
January 31: Lewis and Clark College International Students to Visit 1st Grade Classes
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