Number Bonds

This week we are beginning our second chapter in Math in Focus, Number Bonds. Number bonds are a visual tool that we will use for addition and subtraction this year. We use them when we combine numbers to find a sum as well as when we take a whole and break it into parts. Look for more posts about number bonds coming soon!

Back to School

Today we began our first unit in Imagine It, Back to School.  Here is some information about some of the program and our unit:

           Before students begin reading on their own, it is important for them to be exposed to a variety of reading materials.  This school year, the reading process in our classroom will develop in three stages: through sharing in Big Books during the first half of the year, but reading the First Reader in the middle of the year and by reading the Student Reader during the second half of the year.

            Each of our units centers on a theme.  These themes will be read about, thought about, discussed, investigated and written about.  I will keep you informed about what your student is learning throughout each theme-based unit.  From time to time I will also send home activities related to the unit that you and your students can enjoy together.

            Big Books provide an opportunity for students to develop an awareness of print by following the text from left-to-right and top-to-bottom, recognizing letters, distinguishing words, observing capitalization and end punctuation.  Although all students will not actually read the text, the sharing of Big Books is an alternative that allows students to participate in reading behaviors as they observe what an experienced reader does.   In addition to the sharing of Big Books during whole group time, I will also be reading with students on an individual level and in small groups.

            In these first weeks of school, we will be reading a number of stories and poems about going back to school.  We will learn that children go to school to learn similar subjects all around the world.  We will also discuss the feelings that students experience when they know an answer or when they do not know an answer in school.

            As we continue to adjust to our school routines and read about school, you may wish to ask your student about his or her school.  What does he or she like and dislike about it?  Help your student understand the importance of schools and education.  What is it that we learn during the day that is important to your student?

            During the year I will continue to let you know what topics we are reading about and how you can help discuss them at home.  If you ever have any questions regarding our reading program please feel free to contact me!

           

Problems and solutions

Today's one of our ALPS teachers came to introduce the students to the engineering process. They saw a clip of kids sharing their inventions,

 looked at lunchboxes from long ago,

and shared problems we have today's lunchboxes.

Ms. Hanson then pulled TONS of ideas for ways to solve these problems. 

Finally saw, the students drew their new perfect lunchbox and told everyone what it could do.

 No more forgetting lunchboxes, squished food, or zipper problems!

We are looking forward to more engineering and working on STEM projects with Ms. Hanson and Mrs. Trembly this year.

All in a Row

Today we worked on taking turns and ordering numbers to 10 playing a partner game called All in a Row. You can play this at home with a typical deck of cards. Scroll to the end of the post for a video of how to play, or click on the Math Game tab to see this and other games.

Library Cards

Be sure to take a look through your students folder tonight--there is a big packet of papers with lots of info. One piece caught my eye:

If you have a library card or get a library card, you can enter! If our class gets the most students with library cards, we will win a visit with Miss Vickie and Miss Grace!

There are many papers with lots of good info. Be sure to check it out!

What a great start!

We had a great start to our first grade year!

As we got to know each other and practice routines, we talked about why we come to school:

We also shared our hopes and dreams for the year:

This week we will be looking back at our hopes and dreams to come up with class rules that we will need to meet these goals. I am looking forward to another great week in first grade!