Happy Halloween and some extra Treats

What a busy week leading up to ...Halloween!! There is a definite sense of excitement in the air as kids talk about costumes, ghosting, and Halloween parties! The children are so excited for the parade and party Friday afternoon. Parents are all welcome to attend the parade....it's quite a sight!

Although I was competing with the thought of candy overload, we did settle enough to have a very productive week! There was lots to do in reading, writing, math and everything in between. We continued to discover and use craft moves during writer's workshop. We learned a new routine in math called "Today's Number". We reviewed the short sounds of a, i, o, and u and practiced reading and writing words using several short u word patterns. We brainstormed what we know about the non-fiction genre and looked for nonfiction text features during read alouds and reading group. And finally, with engines running so high we took some time to learn and practice some new calming down strategies! 

Here is our week at a glance...

3 writers share their use of craft moves including pop out words and ... (ellipses).

Other children who used craft moves in their writing shared by giving me a great big thumbs up!

Phonics

We practiced short u patterns by reading and sorting words that end the same. Each week as children learn new word patterns we brainstorm new words, practice open and closed sorts to identify similar word endings, and use manipulatives, such as magnet letters, wikki sticks, and whiteboards to build and record the words and patterns to learn. 

Nonfiction text talk

We took some time at the beginning of the week to discuss what children already knew  about nonfiction texts. As we read more nonfiction books throughout the week we continued to add to and revise our brainstorm list. It's important for children to recognize the different genres so that they can begin to expect patterns in the books they choose to read. This kind of text knowledge reinforces that we read for meaning and with purpose!

During reading group children used sticky notes to mark nonfiction text features they found while reading including diagrams and photographs.

After reading a nonfiction text  about how to care for alligators at the zoo  these children created a web to organize the important information they learned. They shared their cooperative product with the rest of the class.

As the seconds tick towards Halloween I wish you all happy trick or treating from my kiddos to yours!

The Facts of Math

Rain, Rain go away...these first graders need to go outside and play! Here's to hoping the sun comes out (or at least a lull in rain) by recess tomorrow!! 

Although it's (very) grey outside....inside we are bright and cheery and full of learning! We have been focusing on adding and subtracting strategies during math. Children are sharing their ideas and learning from each other. Our math discussions are very collaborative. During writing time we are learning how to notice and try out craft moves from our mentor author, George McClements. During read aloud and reading table we are noticing non-fiction text features and thinking about an author's purpose in writing a nonfiction text. 

Writing

The last two weeks we have really been trying to bring our stories to life by incorporating various craft moves into our writing that we notice other authors using. This week in particular we studied our mentor author and created a chart of some of the craft moves he uses. We noticed that using ellipses builds excitement  and writing exact actions helps to make a movie in the reader's mind. Children went off to try to use some of these moves in their own small moments.

Writer's hard at work adding exact actions to their stories

Making characters "talk"

Using ellipses to ... add excitement!

Math

I posed these questions for partners to discuss.

This week we spent a lot of time focusing on how to solve the problem and how to show your work. We pair shared our strategies after solving a problem in our math notebook. Then a few children used the document camera to showcase how to show their work.

These partners are using pictures and words to show counting on.

These children are using a number line to show how to count on.

After children had a chance to share we created this anchor chart of strategies that children will use as a future reference.

We followed a similar process as we began to discuss story problems in which the action requires subtraction. We talked about some of the important vocabulary to look for when reading a story problem including take, gave, how many were left.....These may indicate that the answer will be fewer than the number they started with. 

A lot of children will follow the same natural progression solving a subtraction problem as with an addition problem. Many children will start by drawing a picture, then crossing out the amount that was taken away. Some children will start with the larger number and count back. Others will use known facts or relate it back to addition. Through our math discussions children will be exposed to all of these strategies and in turn apply the one that best suits their developmental stage. As children progress in their mathematical thinking, so will their use of efficient strategies.

Counting back on a number line

Using a picture to cross out the part from the whole

Counting back on fingers

Using a known fact and relating it to addition

As your children work to solve these story problems at home and at school you can continue to support them by using the same vocabulary they are hearing at school and by asking them to explain their thinking. Even when they say known fact I always ask them to expand by telling me what the known fact is and to make sure they are recording a strategy that best resembles their thinking. It is a mathematical process and we are only 2 months in, but already they are growing as mathematicians. Woot! Woot!

Have a fantastic weekend! 

Characters and Menu Boards

We're 32 days in! I can't believe Halloween is right around the corner. Dr. Bilsborough included a letter outlining some of the Halloween festivities in the Thursday packet. I hope to see many of you at the parade!
We had a short, but super productive week! We put up our new CAFE menu board to help students identify and use good reading strategies for comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary. We expanded our learning about characters and character traits. We worked on several math games that encouraged students to use addition strategies such as counting on and decomposing numbers. And finally, we started using Raz Kids! If you haven't yet registered, please take the time to do so soon. Your child will continue to use this online reading resource here at school, but registering allows you to access their information at home. 

CAFE Menu Board
The goal of the CAFE board is to highlight and anchor good reading strategies. Comprehension is understanding what you read. Accuracy is reading the words correctly. Fluency is reading smoothly and with expression. Expanding Vocabulary is finding and using interesting words. 
This week I modeled check for understanding under comprehension and cross checking (does the word look right, sound right, and make sense?) under accuracy. 
As I model and name a reading strategy I add it to the menu. We learn that the CAFE menu is just like a restaurant menu in that good readers choose and use many strategies at once just like ordering several courses at a restaurant!

Character Counts
As we read books, fiction and non, we learn to interact with the characters in several ways. One way is to discuss what the characters  do and say in order to identify their character traits.  It is so important for children to back up their thinking with evidence from the text. We brainstormed character traits then I tasked children with the job of picking a trait that described themselves. The result was an eclectic bulletin board display of first grader character traits!

Here are just a few examples close up...

Math
The focus this week was to continue to add numbers together, but also to specifically engage students in games that encourage counting on and decomposing numbers in a way that facilitates flexible math thinking. Children played a variation of games previously learned like 5 in a Row and Roll and Record but instead of using 2 dot cubes they used 1 number cube and 1 dot cube. The number cube was used as the starting point and then children counted on using the dots.

Children also learned a new game called Dot Addition. In this game children used 2 or more dot cards together to find the sum of the numbers on their game board. They could only use the game cards they had left so children had to rearrange accordingly. For example they may have originally had 4+5=9 but maybe they needed the 5 for another sum, in which case they might replace or decompose the 5 into a 2 and a 3.The ability to quickly and accurately decompose numbers aides in math fact fluency and the overall understanding of number sense. 

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog! As always I hope you find the info helpful. Have a wonderful weekend!

A Little Change of Pace

As some of you know, it has been a somber week here at Memorial School. We had to say goodbye to our dear friend, colleague, and leader; Andrea Trasher, who passed away last Friday. Thank goodness for the smiling faces of First Graders to get our staff through this time. In leu of my normal post I'd like to share 5 things I am grateful for in honor of Andrea who had an amazing zest for life and presence bigger than words.

5 things that I am grateful for...

Number 1: The big toothy grins of children (my own included!) There is nothing like those beaming smiles when they are telling you about a lost tooth, a soccer goal, or a silly sibling story to lift your spirits. You can't help but smile when you are surrounded by those little faces.

Number 2: The teachers at Memorial School. They are the MOST supportive group of co-workers one could ever hope for. Personally and professionally there are the cream of the crop.

Number 3: The little town of Medfield, a town I had never heard of until I sent in my resume 11 years ago. I remember thinking, where the heck am I, as I drove past horse farms on the way to my interview. Little did I know then what a gem of a town I had luckily stumbled upon.

Number 4: Parents; past and present! Whether you are volunteering, sending in wish list supplies, or responding to an email with kind and supportive words you are the best! I have encountered many families since I began working here at Memorial school and I have been lucky enough to form lasting bonds with so many of them. 

Number 5: My decision to become a teacher. I was lucky enough to know early on what I wanted to do in life. I was luckier even still to have the means to reach those goals. Some people dread going to work....not me! Even on the most challenging of days (and there are certainly a few) I am grateful for the oppurtunity I have been given to help form the little minds that I have been charged with. In the words of Mrs. Trasher, how lucky am I.

Have a wonderful long weekend!! Enjoy your time and prioritize :) 

Missing Numbers and More

3 days of indoor recess this week...yikes! We are sure ready for the sun although I know we needed the rain. Thank you ahead of time for all of you who (very quickly) signed up to volunteer either for Mystery Reader or Literacy Block. It will be great to have you in! Just a few reminders about next week...
Monday we will have bus evacuation drills.
Thursday is picture day. I just found out that we will be having our pictures taken first thing in the morning so you don't have to worry about lunch spills :)
If you are planning on ordering school pictures please make sure to send the picture form to school with  your child on or before Thursday.
Friday is an in service day so no school for the kiddos!

Now onto MISSING NUMBERS

This week in math I have begun to introduce the concept of missing addends. We started this off by playing a few games in which the total and 1 part  were known and the children had to solve for the unknown. One of the games we played is "How Many am I Hiding?" In this game 2 math partners worked together. They had a tower of 7 cubes. One partner breaks the tower apart and hides part of the tower behind their back. The other partner counts how many cubes are  not hidden and uses that information to solve for the unknown. For example if 3 cubes were shown, then 4 were hidden.

We talked about strategies for solving this kind of problem. Some children will relate it to addition starting at 3 and counting on  to 7. Other children will relate it to subtraction (without even knowing) by starting with 7 and counting back or taking away 3. Others still will use a known fact such as 3+4=7. All 3 of these strategies are a great basis for the understanding number relationships.


Writer's Workshop

This week we have been working hard on adding to our narrative stories. Children are learning to unfreeze their stories by making their characters move or talk. We even talked about how to add quotation marks to show conversation. Next up we will discuss how to tell stories in itsy bitsy steps. This is all in an attempt to develop their narrative writing into detailed accounts as opposed to a summary of events. After all of the hard work that children put into their pieces we showcased a few authors by having them share their writing. 

And Finally....introducing our new Clip Chart!

Children walked in this morning and quickly noticed this new addition:

This is our new positive reinforcement chart. When I notice a child doing something positive such as helping a friend, demonstrating good work habits, or following directions I'll ask them to clip up!On the other hand if I notice behavior that is destructive, dangerous, or disrespectful I'll ask a child to clip down. I've used this in years past and the act of clipping up can serve as a real motivation. My hope is that if a child clips down it's enough of a warning that they try extra hard to clip back up. The chart is fluid, meaning that children can move up and down throughout the day.
 My intent is never to have children clip down and stay down...I am always looking for and reinforcing positive behavior!! 

On a side note....I have a little request. We have expanded our Work on Writing choices during our literacy block to include writing letters and cards. If you have extra note cards or stationary or are willing to purchase some for our class it would be greatly appreciated by me and more importantly your budding authors :)

Have a wonderful weekend!