January Wrap-up

Good afternoon! Wow...can January seriously be over?! We have been very busy this month working hard in many different subject areas. Upon our return from winter break we have.... started a new science kit: Balls and Ramps, learned the parts of a non-fiction text, did a unit on penguins, compared fiction and non-fiction text types, and completed unit 7 in math! Whew! We don't slow down in first grade! :) Below is some photo evidence of our learning the past three weeks.

Here is the anchor chart we used to compare fiction and non-fiction stories.

Students were given a pile of pictures of penguins. They had to decide how to sort the pictures. The goal was to recognize some were fictional illustrations and some were real photographs. They did a great job working as their table group teams to catch onto this!

Another activity was using hula hoops to make an interactive Venn Diagram to compare the two types of texts. Students got a chance to move the text feature to the appropriate circle. Other students then stated if they agreed or disagreed and why.

We read two fictional stories about Tacky the Penguin. Students LOVED these books! There are several books in this series if you want to check them out at the public library! They are fun read alouds!

Students have been learning about the properties of different types of balls in science. These two girls were shocked to discover the PS ball was lighter than the bouncy ball even though it is much larger in size!

 In math, students spent time interacting with the 120 grid. In order to get a better understanding of how numbers on the grid are organized, I had the students put together their own 120 grids! They had so much fun doing this hands-on math activity!

 These two boys were the first ones to solve the 120 grid puzzle! Great job!

Finally, we had a visitor from 5th grade! He used his PBIS tickets to come read to his sister's first grade class! Keep up the great work! :)

Tomorrow is our 100th day of school! I can honestly say it is my FAVORITE day of the year! It marks a HUGE milestone in our journey through first grade and gives us a chance to celebrate all of the learning that has taken place so far! :) Pictures from this special day will be posted this week!

Penguins Continued and Honoring MLK

Last week we continued to learn about penguins and started our own non-fiction books using facts we learned about penguins. The students are truly enjoying adding to their schema each day and are always super excited to view the live Penguin Cam at Sea World. Here is the link if you would like to watch the penguins from your home: https://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/AnimalVision/ViewAnimals/Penguins.

We add to our schema each day!

Working on their penguin books.

Showing a map of where penguins live around the world.

This week we also focused on learning about the great leader, Martin Luther King, Junior. We read the story Martin's Big Words and talked about how our lives are different today because of Dr. King. We also held a discussion about Martin's dream for the world and what our dreams are today. Each student wrote a few sentences about their dream and explained why it was important to them. I love the things they came up with...really goes to show that viewing the world through a child's eyes is so powerful!

"I have a dream that all kids be friends and that no matter what skin color they are. This is important because what is important is how you act not how you look." - Sheila

"I have a dream that people get stuff and have manners. That is important because then they thankful." -Davion

"I have a dream that people stop treating animals badly. This is important because animals are needed in the world," - Quincy

Have a great Monday off in honor of MLK! :) 

Penguins Galore!

Last week students learned about the features found in a non-fiction text. This week we are going to capitalize on that learning with a focus on penguins! Later in the week, students will write their own non-fiction story about penguins using the text features they previously learned.

To kick off the penguin fun, my teammate had the idea to let students solve a "mystery picture" of a penguin to find out what Arctic animal they would be learning all about for the next few weeks. They were super excited when they solved the picture!

Next, students walked around the room and looked at a variety of photographs of penguins. When I told them to stop, they each found a picture and wrote something about the picture, a question they had, or something they knew about penguins on the paper. This was a great way to activate their current schema! This attention-getter can be explained in more detail on the blog of the famous Reagan Tunstall. After students got several turns to stop and write, we met on the carpet and discussed things they observed or facts they already knew. We will read books and complete activities about penguins for the next few weeks...stay tuned!

Students on the gallery walk observing the penguin pictures.

Students stopped to write about the pictures.

"It is cute. The two penguins are holding hands."

"The penguin is sliding."

"Some penguins can sing."

"This penguin is catching fish."

"The penguin is a good swimmer."

"It laid an egg."

Graphing and Non-Fiction Fun

And just like that...it is January! I cannot believe we are half way through the school year. I hope everyone had a wonderful break and got to spend time with family and friends. Last week our class got back into the swing of things and had a very productive week. In math, we started working on tally and picture graphs and using the data from the graphs to answer questions. The first graders are picking up on this quickly and had lots of fun creating our own graph about our favorite school lunch.

Pizza was the overwhelming favorite! :)

During our Common Core reading time we introduced non-fiction text features. Students got several opportunities to discuss and label parts of different informational stories: heading, caption, glossary, table of contents, and diagram are a few of the many features. If you get a chance to read with your child at home, try to select a few non-fiction stories and see if your child can point out some of these features and explain how they help the reader.

Finally, we rounded out the week with a fun writing activity. Students listened to the story Snowmen at Night and then wrote their own fictional stories about what they would do if they were a snowman who came alive at night. They came up with some very creative ideas! :)

It is great to be back and this second semester will certainly be filled with lots of rigor and engaging activities. As a quick reminder, please remember to send your child to school with full winter gear everyday! Unless the weather does not allow, we got outside for three recesses, and students must have snow pants and boots to play in the snow. A big thank you to my parents, Tim and Nancy Gifford, for the hats and gloves provided to each student as a gift before winter break! :)