Jump, Paste, Cut, Taste, & Play!

Jumping for Spelling!

Math Fact Family Fun!

Trying to find fact families.

Spanish class learning shapes

Spanish- parts of the body.

Sceince - Sweet, Salty, or None of the above!

Playin' In The Dirt

Today was one big messy dirty day!

We began the day by taking a short trip over to the farm.  The kids have been learning about what animals need, and about the responsibility of animal ownership!  Whenever we have time, I love taking them over to take part in a few morning chores.  The kids love it, as well!

In language arts today, the class continued learning about compound words.  We took compound words apart to find their parts.  Also, we worked with the rule about "ck" coming after a short vowel sound (duck, lick, luck) and "ke" coming after a long vowel sound (cake, Luke, like).  Our spelling list for this week deals with words that follow this rule.

In grammar, the class played a game with common and proper nouns.  Afterward, we used capitalized proper nouns to write addresses.  The class learned about the purpose of zip codes, the comma between the city and the state, and state abbreviations.

In math class today, the kids learned another technique for subtraction.  We have been working on mental math strategies and fact families.  Today, I made sure that the students knew how to count back on a number line.  Many of us would take this skill for granted, but children often count the starting number when they count on and count back, which gives an answer that is 1 number short!  Over the next week, we will continue to work on subtraction skills.  It is my hope that the class will be able to commit the addition and subtraction facts up to 10 to memory.  This helps so much as math gets more complicated!

In history last week, Ms. Allison taught the class about elections.  With the upcoming Presidential election, the 1st grade class will be learning a little about the election process.  However, neither of us will be sharing any political opinions!  Instead, we are encouraging students to talk to their parents about the Presidential candidates and learning what they like and do not like about each one.  In November, we will have a mock election and let the children privately vote to see who the class would have elected!

After a talk about elections, Ms. Allison dove into the history lesson of Mohenjo-daro.  The class learned about the making of mud bricks... and the actually made one!  It was mess, but fun!  The class was amazed at the things ancient civilizations had to do by hand!

Science- Last week we talked about mixtures and mixing. This week we talked about UN-mixing. We UN-mixed mixtures. We mixed rocks and legos, then used a specific method (our fingers) to UN-mix. We mixed rocks and sand, then used three different methods to UN mix. We used chromatography to UN mix four different colors of food coloring in water. We used strips off coffee filters taped to our pencils to draw specific colors from the rainbow and water mixture. We UN mixed colors!!!!!

In Spanish class, Ms. Rose worked with the children on their Spanish numbers to 32 and months of the year.  They played a pretty difficult game.  Ms. Rose called out a Spanish number, and the class had to tell her which month it correlated with in the year!  Then, she reversed the instructions, giving them the Spanish month and having them tell her while month of the year it was, using Spanish numbers.  Afterward, the class worked on the spelling of the months.  Ms. Rose played another game with the class, similar to hangman.  She gave the class the vowels found in the Spanish month, one at a time.  The class had to guess which month it was... with all guesses in Spanish!  



Sometimes the integration of subjects can be surprising!  In agriculture class, the students were given rulers.  I taught them the difference between cm and inches, and helped them to measure lengths of paper.  They needed to know that you cannot simply measure from the end of the ruler.  You must measure from the 0 line!  They each measured and cut a length of paper to 1/2".  Using this as a visual aid, I taught the class how to plant carrot seeds.  Carrot seeds need to be planted 1/2" deep.  The kids were amazed at how tiny the seeds are!  I explained to the class that we will be planting the seeds in a shallow container, but will have to transplant and thin them into a deeper one.  Hopefully, the kids will be so excited to have carrots grow, that they will actually want to eat them!

"Work"

Inman Farm Heritage Days!

Morning Chores

What a gorgeous day we had today!

Right off the bat, the class learned a new word: intentionally.  They learned this because I intentionally (on purpose) did not feed our animals this morning.  Instead, we went over as a class to feed them, water them, and let the chickens out of their coop.  Along the way, we learned about their needs, their need to be protected from predators, and we even learned about catalpa worms!  We have a few catalpa trees that are full of the cute little caterpillars right now.  The kids loved it!

In grammar today, the class recorded their video for the poem, "Work".  We also discussed common and proper nouns.  It is taking a lot of practice to remember which nouns need to be capitalized and which ones do not!  We used individual white boards to practice this.

We have finished up with our letter by letter study of the alphabet in handwriting class.  The kids were given a little quiz to show that they are ready to move on to the weekly lessons and border sheets!  I am trying to get each one of them to slow down and focus on letter formation in handwriting class.  When they slow down, each of them write beautifully!

In math today, the class learned how to apply the part/whole method that we have been working on for weeks to subtraction problems.  This is simply a way to look at subtraction problems that can help with mental calculation.  The students worked on word problems for subtraction, and created their own word problems.  I explained to the class that although addition problems can be set up in different ways (2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 2 = 5), subtraction problems cannot.  In addition, the two "parts" add up to the "whole", no matter what order they are in.  In subtraction, the kids learned to always begin with the "whole", and then subtract a "part" to find the other "part".

After we discussed each spelling word and the special rules that it follows (or doesn't), we played a game of "popcorn".  Each student took turns popping up and spelling a word from the list.  We will continue to use our Wednesday class as a review and follow up to the list that was learned and studied at home throughout the week. 

The kids had a great time sharing their stories today on their favorite hiding places!  Each of them took turns sharing their stories.  Even though it has only been 7 weeks, they have come so far with their attitude towards writing!  I am going to continue to "pump them up" on this subject... in an attempt to make writing fun!  After we listened to stories, the class worked on a dragon story... and a dragon booklet to keep it in!  Crafts like these are such a big deal to 1st graders!  They really worked hard on them, and were very careful to bring them home without squishing their creations!

In science today, Ms. Caroline taught the class about mixtures.  They learned about soluble and insoluble substances, and were able to see these in action!  According to the children, some substances love each other, and some do not!  I guess solubility is all you need.

Ms. Rose worked with the class on the months of the year, days of the week, numbers, and time today.  Each of them did an amazing job studying their numbers up to 31!  When they work hard at home, it really shows in class!  They used calendars and clocks as hands on prompts for their Spanish words.  They will be working on these words at home in the upcoming week.

Bunnies and Chicks!

Our eggs hatched!  We have 8 little maran chicks who will be joining us at our agricultural exhibit this weekend! 

Spelling- In spelling today, we reviewed list 3, which the students have been working on at home.  First, we discussed the rule, "When two vowels go a walkin', the first one does the talkin'."  A lot of the words in this week's list follow this rule.  As a review, we used letter tiles to create the words. 

Reading-  Today, we read from our "Fun With Pets" book.  Each child was able to read a portion out loud, as they felt comfortable.  We discussed some of the phonics rules that we encountered along the way.

Handwriting-  We went through lesson 26 today, as a class.  I explained to the kids that handwriting lessons are NOT about getting the page finished!  It is about practicing good writing habits, and thinking as you write each and every letter.  First, I made them put their pencils down.  They listened and watched as I explained the lines on the page, and where the letter is supposed to fall on each line.  They then used "sky writing".  They used teir finger to write the letter, correctly, in the sky.  Then, they were able to pick up their pencils!  I checked the letters as they went along, choosing my favorite letter from each child's page.  Compare today's lesson to earlier lessons in their book!  They can DO IT! 

Grammar-  We had a brief review of common and proper nouns today.  We will be working on this concept a lot!  Why?  Because it is tricky, and they need to hear it over and over and over again!  We will be making our video for the poem, "Work" next Wednesday!

Writing-  The class shared their writing assignments today!  Each of them did a wonderful job writing about their favorite food!  I hope that sharing the writing as a group, and all of the positive praise, is helping them to enjoy writing at home!  For their next assignment, they will be writing about their favorite hiding place. 


History-  In history class today, Ms. Allison decided to take some time to talk about current events!  She explained to the class that this is a big year... it is an election year!  The children learned who our presidential candidates are, and they discussed presidential terms and elections.  They will be talking to parents and family about the candidates and the election process. In November, the class will be going into their own little voting booth to cast their ballots!  After our current events lesson, the children ventured back to Egypt.  Ms. Allison discussed information that they have learned about Egypt from their reading.  They then created pyramids using sugar cubes and glue!

Math-  In math today, the students took a test.  This was the first in-class test for them.  I read through the directions out loud, and we all progressed through the pages.  They all did a wonderful job, not only with the math problems, but with sitting quietly and patiently, and raising their hand when they had a question!

Spanish-  Ms. Rose and the kids sang a song from their CD which names common objects in the room.  They discussed the words, and then they played a game where they had to go around and label objects!  They learned their Spanish numbers through 31.  At home, they will be working on review and repetition!

Science-  Ms. Caroline picked up where they left off last week.  They pulled out the red cabbage indicator and tested different substances to see if they were a base or an acid.  Then, the class combined some of the acids and bases and charted the results!  Not only did they learn about acids and bases, they learned about the scientific process and the skill of documentation!

Agriculture- It was a big agriculture day today!  Our chicks hatched... and we had a little Netherland Dwarf Rabbit in the room!  This is one of the bunnies that will be raffled at Inman Farm Heritage Days this weekend.  We will be raising money for our field trip fund!  To get ready for the big event, the class worked on a display for the lessons they have learned.  Each child created an animal or a plant from construction paper, and added them to the display!  We will have it up at the table this weekend... Look for it!

Candling Day!

Language Arts- Ms. Allison was not feeling well today, so I filled in!  The students and I worked on the "ck" and "ke" rule from Lesson 21.  Words that end with "ck" have a short vowel sound, while words that end in a "ke" have a long vowel sound.  I then gave each student a pile of words.  They sorted the "ck" words into their vowel sounds.  After completing our workbook page, we reviewed our spelling list.  Each child took turns reading the word, then spelling it out loud, and then reading it again.  Finally, we read to page 65 in our "Fun With Pets" books.

Grammar-  In grammar today, the students reviewed the definition of a noun (which they have memorized beautifully), as well as common and proper nouns.  We looked at nouns that are "places" today, giving examples of common nouns for places and proper nouns for places.  The students worked on capitalizing the names of cities, states, and countries.  They also learned that you place a coma between the city and the state!

Poetry-  The class is working on their new poem, "Work".  They did such a great job with their last one!  I'm excited to make another fun video in a couple weeks!

Math-  In math class, we have been working on memorizing math addition facts up to 10.  When we use number bonds and repitition, we are working on building a foundation for mental math.  However, it is also important for children to know how to "count up", as I discovered today!  Using a number line, the class learned to add by counting on.  At first, many of them wanting to count the number that they started on.  For instance, when adding 6 +3, they would want to count "6" as the first number!  They were able to learn that you always have to jump to the next number before you can count it.  We played a number line game using a number cube.  Each student took turns rolling the cube and then adding the number on the cube to their position on the line.  The trick was.... if someone landed on your number, you had to go back to 0!  Also, they had to land exactly on 10!  It took a while, but the kids were loving it... and adding!

History-  In history class, we have been studying about Egypt and Mesopotamia.  Today, we read a story about the beginnings of Israel.  This was the story of Abrahm, Isaac, Jacob, and the 12 tribes of Israel. 

Spanish-  In Spanish today, Ms. Rose worked with the class on numbers, sayings, and colors.  They playeda game where Ms. Rose called out a color and the class had to go find that color in the room!  One of the most helpful learning experiences in Spanish class is just listening to Ms. Rose speak.  When she speaks to the children, she mainly speaks in Spanish.  She uses hand gestures and context to help the class know what she is talking about.  Hearing the spoken language gives them a great foundation for learning!

Science-  In science today, the class worked with acids and bases in a science experiment!  They used a red cabbage indicator to determine whether or not various substances were acids or bases.  They charted their findings.  It was a bit stinky, but totally successful!  

Agriculture-  We squeezed in some agriculture today, because the embryos in our chicken eggs are big enough for us to see when we candle them!  The class saw squiggly little embryos kicking around in there!  We had a review of chicken embryo development before the big event.  I explained that today is day 14 of development.. which means they should be hatching next week!