Introducing the Osmo

The last 2 weeks our class has been so excited to be learning how to use our new learning tool, the OSMO!! The Osmo was a generous gift from one of our very own first grade families. It is an amazing piece of technology that motivates children by combining the iPad with a more tactile experience. So far we have explored 3 Osmo games.

Words

In this game, children worked together to fill in missing letters from picture clues on the Words app. Each child had tiles that they would place in front of the screen that the Osmo would then recognize. They had a blast!

Tangrams

This was a really fun math puzzle game. Children were challenged as they had to manipulate tangram pieces to fit the puzzle on the screen. They had to use their spatial reasoning and problem solving skills in tandem.

Masterpiece 

This Osmo app was another huge hit! Children learn to draw by using an image on the iPad. They trace the lines on the image using a pen and paper. We made 3 different collaborative pictures. Children were challenged, but excited about the process. In the end they were so proud of their "masterpiece."

We are so lucky to have this amazing tool as part of our learning arsenal! I am so excited to continue exploring  how to use the Osmo to enhance instruction, encourage problem solving, and inspire creativity!!

Check back in soon to learn more about our first grade happenings!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for this time of year! I am thankful for this great group of children! They are so kind and helpful and full of energy for learning. You can't beat that combination.

The last few weeks we've focused on math strategies for problem solving with numbers up to 20, learned about glued sounds for reading and spelling, and explored solids in science! Here's a glimpse of what all that looks like in the class.

Science

Our first science unit introduces children to the concept of solids and liquids. As an introduction, children learned how to compare 2 solids; a metal ball and a plastic spoon. They worked in small groups to brainstorm ways these 2 solids were alike and different.

Glued Sounds in Phonics

Children learned the "glued" sounds of  all, an, and , am this week. We learned that when we have a nasal sound like m or n it can change the way we say the vowel-namely a. We learned to tap out these sounds with "welded" or glued fingers (meaning our middle and index fingers together). We built words with letter cards, with magnet letters, and on dry erase boards.

Math

We learned some strategies for adding numbers all the way up to 20. This week children learned about how to use doubles, doubles plus 1, and doubles plus 2. We also learned how to use a 10 frame to decompose numbers to make 10 to add. Children are learning many different strategies in order to be efficient with their strategy use. Efficiency in math refers to the ability to be accurate, flexible, and effective when solving problems.

These 2 girls did a great job explaining how they solved a doubles plus 2 equation, (i.e 6+6=12 can help you solve 6+8=?.) Both girls had equally efficient strategies and did a great job explaining their thinking!

Hope you enjoyed learning a bit about our last few weeks! 

Veteran's Day Assembly and A Few Good Reads

We had a special treat last Thursday! Chief Wilson and her son Cadet Wilson (AKA Noah) came to our school to teach us all about the sacrifices that our veteran's make for our freedom. We learned about the branches of the military, sang Patriotic songs, and saw lots of photographs of military helpers.

We learned that there are 5 branches of the military and many jobs among each branch. You could be a helicopter pilot, a nurse or doctor, drive a tank, work on a submarine, or even be in a band! All of the different jobs are part of being a helper and fighting for our freedom! Ask your child if they can remember the 5 branches? (Hints below)

  Army

Air Force

Marines

Coast Guard

Navy

Boot Camp

We even got to have a try at boot camp. We learned commands like attention, about face, march in place, and at ease. This was a favorite by far!

Think Aloud

Ms. Tori read aloud a great story about friendship called Beekle. As she read she stopped often to ask children to make a connection to the story. This comprehension strategy is called a "think aloud" and encourages children to make connections to a text to better understand the story and  characters. Children can make connections to themselves or to other books they've read! You can help your child make connections as they read or listen to a story by asking them "What does this part make you think of? or Has this ever happened to you? Or have you ever felt the way this character is feeling?"

Writer's Workshop Share

As we get closer to the end of our small moments unit children are combining writer's craft with mechanics to better their pieces. Often, I have 1 or 2 students come up and share a work in progress with the class. We become their editing partner and help them edit on the go. Here are a few friends that came up to share their writing.

Hope you enjoyed hearing about our week! Check back soon for more updates!

Weekly Round Up

This week is one of those weeks we all have to work just a wee bit harder to keep our "engines just right." It can be a tall task, especially as we get closer to the Halloween festivities! It all goes down this Friday! We have the parade at 9:30 and parties in the afternoon starting at 1:30.

But until then.....here is what is happening in room 27!

Math
The last couple of weeks children have been exposed to addition and subtraction strategies that allow them to practice a deeper understanding of how number work together and to use those strategies to solve word problems. We've learned several strategies including number lines, doubles, near doubles, and think addition to subtract. Children continue to have hands on opportunities with the part-part-whole model. manipulatives, and number lines. We've also begun working on fact families to see the relation of addition and subtraction. Here are a few strategies we are using to solve story problems in our math journal.

Phonics
Children have continued to tap and blend to read and spell. In addition, we learned about letters that "stick together". Children have practiced reading, building, and writing words with digraphs or h-pals as well as with the ck ending. We are also continuing to learn about the appropriate sentence frame including capitalization and punctuation. Have your child be a "digraph detective" and look for words that have ch, sh, th, and wh. 

These are the picture clues we use to cue for the right h-pals

Visitors
We've had 2 different people come in as special readers this week! Our first was our very first Mystery Reader. The children were so excited trying to guess who it could be! Our second guest was M. Forrester (our school psychologist). She came in to read us a story and talk to us about following the "group plan." We have been working hard to keep our brains and bodies in the group and to follow the "group plan". We are even earning links towards a reward!

                                

                               

Happy Halloween!

Hope you found the highlights of our last 2 weeks helpful! Have a Happy Halloween!

Spotlight on Writing

We've had a few distractions this week.....from bus evacuation, pictures, to a first grade reading assembly, there is just never a dull moment! The class is getting so good at transitioning though so even when we do have a day where things are a little "flip-flopped" as we call it, it doesn't take much to get us back into the groove!

This week I thought I'd share a little of what writing time looks like in here. We have writer's workshop 4 times a week and I truly can say it is a FAVORITE around here. We start all together on the rug for a little mini-lesson and then they are off to their best working spots, sometimes along side their "writing partner" to get to it! After they write independently for a bit we try to make time for a quick share. Sometimes 1 or 2 children read their stories aloud to the class, sometimes they share a work in progress with their partner or table. They LOVE sharing!!! And I LOVE how proud they are of their writing!!

This weeks mini lessons focused on how writer's have a special partner they use for help with planning. We brainstormed question words to use then partners took turns reading their stories to each other. When partner 1 finished reading their story, partner 2 asked questions like who, when, how, where, and why. We used these questions to help add details to our story! 

We also learned this great phrase "Once You're Done, You've Just Begun!"  We talked about what to do when you think you are done with your story. Their are SO many options. You can start a new piece, add details to your pictures, and add details to your words.  We also learned that once a writer is done writing, they become a reader and they re-read their story slowly to look for any thing they can fix up! We even have special pens for that!!

I hope you learned a bit more about what writing looks like in here! I love how excited and enthusiastic they are about their stories. It's an absolute joy! I can't wait to share some of their work in progress with you soon!!

Here are just a few other highlights from this week....

The BIGGEST apple I have ever seen!

The Summer Reading Assembly

Our Summer Reading contest winner!! Congrats on logging in all of those summer reading minutes!

Check back soon!

A Round Up of Events

I have to start by apologizing!! I am usually much more consistent with my blog posts. Somehow these first few weeks have gotten away from me! That said, I am going to do my best to round up ALL that we have worked towards in our 17 days of school!


Daily 5 Round Up

Centers and reading groups are up! I am meeting with small groups and we are beginning to work on leveled texts together. To start, we are establishing routines for this small group time and setting expectations. I am conferencing with students as they read and learning about my first graders as readers! While I am meeting with groups, the rest of the kiddos are BUSY at literacy based centers and working with words activities. They love Daily 5!!

Writer's Workshop Round Up

We are well into our first unit: Small Moments. These are essentially narratives. We have learned a bit about carrying on independently as writers. We created an anchor chart that shows the steps writer's use to write a story.  Writer's think of a topic, plan across pages, write, and revise! We are continuing to build our writing stamina!

Math Round Up

For the past two weeks we have been working on different strategies for solving math problems including, adding, subtracting, and finding a missing addend or a missing part. Children are learning to visualize a problem, model the problem with cubes, and solve using a part/part/whole model.
As we progress along you may see some math packets (stapled pages) coming home. The nature of the math program is that not all students will get to all of the problems all of the time. We are using our math time for hands on learning as well as pencil and paper tasks. If  your child comes home with blank problems, it is OK! You can choose to help him or her work through any unfinished work but this is truly optional.

Word Study Round Up

We are continuing to work on letter sounds and letter formation as a review. We are paying close attention to the vowels and some of the trickier consonants. This week we also began reviewing the concept of tapping out words  for reading and spelling short vowel words. Ask your child to demonstrate tapping out some words such as map, sip, net, mop, and lug. 

Homework Round Up

Homework in first grade will consist of the Poem Notebook, Booktime books or Raz Kids (not yet begun), Sight word practice (as needed), and weekly math pages from the EnVisions curriculum. Please help your child build a routine that encourages 10 minutes of homework a night.  Math pages that come home Monday are due back by (or before) Friday.

Here's one way to schedule your child's homework time:

Monday -math
Tuesday-Booktime or Raz Kids (once it is established)
Wednesday- Booktime or Raz Kids (once it is established)
Thursday-Poem Notebook

Poem Notebooks have already begun to come home. Look for the other components of homework to begin in the coming weeks.

Thanks for taking the time to read about our days! Come back soon!