Math Strategies, Read to Self Stamina, and an Exciting Project!

What does it really mean to be a mathematician? Math is all about thinking and mathematicians think about and solve problems in the most efficient way. In first grade we spend a lot of time talking math! Sharing and learning from each other is a key element in our math program. I'm always so impressed at the math thinking I see, even in October! Here are 2 examples of how a first grader might go about solving an addition problem.











Building stamina is all about being able to do something longer and better. Building reading stamina is all about becoming a better reader. Independent reading or "Read to Self" is an important daily routine in first grade. Ask your child the 3 ways they can read a book.

Answer:

After brainstorming and modeling correct, (and incorrect read to self behaviors-think very silly and lots of first grade laughter!),we were ready to start building our reading stamina. We started with just 3 minutes. Each day we'll add 1 minute until we reach our goal of 15 minutes of sustained independent reading. We can do it!!

Very Special Project!!
Thanks to the generosity of  Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP  and Christopher Kido (Addie's Dad) our class has been given the funding for an incredible project. Within the next few weeks we will be receiving an Epson Document Camera. This tool will bring instruction to life and can be used to enhance curriculum in countless ways. One of our first projects with the document camera will be to dive into the world on non-fiction text. I will keep you all updated as the project progresses. Stay tuned but in the meanwhile check out the link below.

Give 1st Graders A Birds Eye View with A Document Camera

Extra! Extra!

Thanks to our very first mystery reader, who came with a wonderful selection of books that the children loved!

Another addition to the library pumpkin patch

Sharing her American Girl Doll, the accompanying book and.........

matching hairdos!!! 

Sharing a special stuffed shark straight from the aquarium

Open Mic Friday Reader's:

Meaningful Math and Peer Editing

A short week won't slow us down! 4 days is just enough time to dive into some meaningful math work, learn about -ck word patterns, become editors, and start a new routine; sharing!

Children are participating in a math routine called Quick Images.  They view a dot image on the smartboard, (think several dice), record it, then discuss the patterns that helped them remember the combo. These quick activities are meant to reinforce fluent math thinking.

Highlighting ick and ack patterns on the whiteboard. We learned -ck comes at the end of short vowel, 1 syllable words like quack & quick

Deep in concentration as he edits a story for his writing partner. Editors are looking for best spelling, finger spaces, and the use of a sentence frame :)

Read All About it!!

Group reading Chester by Melanie Watt. I absolutely love when children reach for books that I've read aloud to them. This has become a fan favorite!! 

Selecting stories for independent reading from our Fairy tale and Folktale bucket

Using a retelling tool called a Story Grammar Marker. This helps us talk and think about certain parts of a story like characters, setting, kick off, and main events.

Drumroll please.......kicking off sharing

A Giant Shell

A Remote Control Helicopter

Getting into the Halloween Spirit

Pumpkin Heads!! Scary....happy...silly ones too!

An AWESOME addition to Mrs. Groden's Pumkin Patch in the library! Can you guess the character??
Pippi Longstocking, of course!

Be sure to check out our new Google Doc calendars; one for mystery reader and the other for reader's workshop volunteers! Also I am starting to implement a new independent reading routine. Although we do independent reading every day, this new method really focuses on the independent aspect of reading including book choice. Here is where I need YOU! Please think of our classroom when and if you clean out your children's bookshelves. I am looking to increase my classroom library and would greatly appreciate any and all donations to this cause!! 

Bucket List and So Much More!

Monday morning I saw a sea of green! I love that so many of my kiddos were part of the 3V3 and wore their green shirts with pride. It was too cute not to include!

Yay team spirit!!

Where to start....this week was all about buckets, folkales, and TAG. Read on to find out what I'm talking about.

Folktales

What is a folktale? Ask your first grader and see what they say! Answer-a story or legend that has been handed down from generation to generation and often includes some exaggerations. We learned about the legend of Johnny Appleseed this week. We brainstormed what we thought we knew, then after reading a few stories we revisited our brainstorm to add or remove some of our ideas. Children then drew pictures of one of Johnny's adventures and shared them with a peer. 

The many adventures of Johnny Appleseed

Comparing drawings of Johnny Appleseed's adventures

Bucket List

Did anyone order this book from the September Scholastic? It was a fabulous read! We used it as a platform to brainstorm how to treat one and other. In our class our new motto has become "let's fill not spill our buckets."

TAG!
We do a ton of  "pair sharing" in first grade, especially during writer's workshop. In order to help partners focus I use an acronym that guides discussion:

Tell 1 thing you remember

Ask 1 question

Give 1 compliment

Writing partners at work sharing some of their fabulous writing with each other

Open Mic Fridays

Here are some EXTRAS to round off our week:

Everyone needs a brain break! Here we are doing some "ocean" breathing to regroup and re-energize

Our version of a working lunch: a working snack!

Don't forget book orders are due. I plan on submitting the order Sunday night. I'm still trying to figure out the whole shared calendar. It's updated until the start of January. If you'd like a date please email me and I'll plug you in. Also check out the link below. Mrs. Groden and the library staff are working on growing a pumpkin patch and you can help!

Storybook Pumpkin Patch

Sentence frames & Math games

How do you frame a picture? With a frame! And how do you frame a sentence? With a sentence frame of course! You'll see this little picture on many of your children's papers. It's a visual reminder that you frame a sentence by starting with a capital letter and ending with a period (aka stop sign). Now you know what that funny looking symbol is on those weekend updates :)

Sentence frame being put to use on the smartboard

The math word of the week is EQUATION! We have been playing games that encourage combining numbers and then recording an EQUATION. We have also started story problems. The "show how you know" part is always trickiest. Here is what I'm looking for....pictures, numbers, or words to describe their thinking. It's never too early to promote these math habits!

A game of Heads and Tails

Here's what else is happening in the world of your first grader:

Writer's Workshop

Working on finger spaces

Pair Share....celebrating work in progress

Word Play

Brainstorming in and it family words on the smartboard

Sorting in and it words on a whiteboard

Using magnet letters to build words at the reading table

Comprehension

An anchor chart we created as we start to explore character traits

Working on our own character traits

Extra! Extra!

We had our first Get Along Gathering on Friday. The theme was respect and manners. Duck and Moose made their annual debut! We also participated in the Global Read Aloud thanks to Mrs. Groden, our fabulous librarian. Starting this week all around the world classrooms are participating in the GRA by reading texts by Eric Carle. You can go to The Global Read Aloud to find out more.

Finally, our class is in need of volunteers for library. You can volunteer as little as once a month during our library time (every other Friday from 10:20-11). The volunteers make the process of checking out books so much smoother for the children. If you are interested you can email Donna Knot at dknott@medfield.mec.edu.  Thank you!