December 11, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
December 16 - delayed start
December 17 - Winter Performance
December 24 - vacation starts

Literacy:
We have been working so hard on doing an organized retelling of the stories we hear and read. First, we talk about the character (the animals or people in the story). Second, we talk about the setting (where the story takes place). Third, we tell what happens by listing the important events in the story. Finally, we talk about the character's feelings and how they changed throughout the story. Each child has their own bookmark that they use in school to help them retell their stories.


Math;
We have continued to work on measurement. We got to measure a bunch of paper fish this week. Students worked with a partner to measure perch, mackerel, and alewife. Then, the partners compared their answers.

I'm so impressed with the students' math talk. They are building on each others ideas. They also share whether they agree or disagree and can back up their thinking with mathematical concepts and ideas. The students have worked so hard on this! Through our structured math talk, we are building the ability to compare mathematical thinking, notice patterns, and learn new ways of solving problems (multiple pathways). Super job mathematicians!




Classroom fun:

It was Miss Osha's birthday! We used this occasion as a team building activity to create one, big, giant card to give her! The students had to all work at the same time on one big piece of paper. They shared ideas and then everyone got to work. Miss Osha was surprised when we gave it to her on Thursday.  Good work team!

We also counted our stars! First grade has run out of stars and we have no idea how many we already earned. So, as a grade, we each decided to count all our stars and then add it together. We will then set a grade level goal. Our class dumped out our stars and did what mathematicians do, they organized their counting! For us, that meant putting the stars in groups of ten. Our class earned 863 stars! We were shocked that there were so many! After counting, the kids put 100 stars in my hand. Then we passed the 100 stars around the circle so each person could feel what 100 stars feels like.

December 6, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
December 16 - delayed start
December 17 - Winter Performance
December 24 - vacation starts


Literacy:
I wanted to share a link to one of my favorite podcasts, Books on the Nightstand. The episode I linked to is about creating a family book club. It's another way to read with your child. Instead of just reading a book to your child, have the whole family read the same book (you can read it aloud to younger kids like our first graders) and then discuss as a family. You will be surprised with the insights our students have about books! They often make connections that I don't think to make. Our students are deep thinkers and love to talk about books!



Math;
We started measurement this week! This is a fun unit. A big concept we are working on right now is understanding in between. Most of the things we measure are not exact. So instead of saying 8 cubes long, we need to say in between 8 and 9 cubes long. It's a tricky concept!



Classroom fun:

The rain last week made for a couple of days of indoor recess. But this class really enjoys indoor recess. There is a group that loves to play with the legos, a group that loves to color, and then a game group. We've been playing Jenga and we love this game! The kids are so good at it!

November 28, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
December 16 - delayed start
December 17 - Winter Performance
December 24 - vacation starts

•  I enjoyed meeting with families on Parent/Teacher conference day. If you were not able to meet, feel free to let me know when you would like to meet. I look forward to meeting with you. 
• I hope everyone had a nice vacation and enjoyed time with their families. I had a great time with my extended family in Rutland and my dog Tessa enjoyed a few extra walks during my time off. 
  
  

Literacy:
The last couple of weeks, we have worked hard on asking ourselves questions as we read to make sure we understand what is happening in the story. Then, we are able to change our predictions as we go. We have also worked on asking questions to our reading buddy, to better understand their thinking. All the students have enjoyed curling up with books throughout the class room either by themselves or with friends.



We read two books by Jon Klassen: I Want my Hat Back and This is not my Hat. The endings led to some interesting conversations because some of us interpreted the ending differently than others. It was a lively discussion and a great example of why books are meant to be talked about!

Math;
We finished up a math unit  that had the students working with three types of story problems (addition, subtraction, and combination), making friendly numbers (10), skip counting, and deepening their understanding of the equal sign. I am so impressed with how hard the students worked throughout the unit. Our next unit is measurement and we will be starting that on Monday. We continue to work on math facts everyday. We love math!

Classroom fun:
We loved making our Talking Turkeys on Friday before vacation! We read a book that had "talking bubbles" and we decided to make our own turkeys and have them say whatever they wanted to say! The class had fun creating their turkeys and working together.

November 8, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
November 11: No school

November 23: Parent/Teacher Conferences

• On Friday, I sent home notices about parent/teacher conferences. Please send them back as soon as possible so I can schedule times for us to meet. I can't wait to share all the hard work the students have been doing. If the 23rd doesn't work for you, let me know and we can look at another day/time.
  

Literacy:
Our focus  in literacy this week has been on making predictions. Readers are always thinking about what will happen in story before, during, and after reading. Being aware of your prediction and then changing your prediction or growing your idea helps you better connect with a story.







We read Swimmy, by Leo Lionni during our book club discussion time. We all shared our initial predictions and then shared our thinking as our ideas grew and changed. We realized how much we love Leo Lionni! The students then did some great artwork inspired by the author/illustrator.




Math:
I had math studio training on Tuesday, which meant Bill Feeley, our math studio teacher, came in to observe on Monday. He was so impressed with how hard the class is working! Good job mathematicians!



This week, we spent time building on the idea of using a friendly number (10) and what to do if you don't have a 10 in your equation. This is some tough work and the students are really pushing their thinking. We are continuing to work on this core math idea next week.

October 31, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
November 11: No school

•  It is getting cold. Make sure you send warm clothes for recess. We go outside everyday unless it is raining.

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 

Literacy:
It was so much fun seeing Jarrett Krosoczka on Monday! We worked hard the week before creating balloons that went along with his new book, It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon. Laura Abbene hung them up in the library for Jarrett to see. Then, we surprised Jarrett by arriving in the Performing Arts Center wearing bagheads, just like the main character in his book Baghead.
 






Math:

 Incredible mathematical thinking this week! We are starting to build the concept of friendly numbers. In order to do this, we needed to discover that adding a number to 10 is easy! We worked with tens frames to subitize, or instantly see how many is being shown, teen numbers. Then, we played a game where the students had to add a number to 10 each time. This week, we will work on building friendly numbers. More to come on that!

Halloween:
For Halloween, we made our own healthy snacks. We created creepy spiders and a creepy Halloween tree. I learned that we have some  students in this class that could live on humus! I don't know what was more fun, building our snacks or eating them.

October 25, 2015

October 25, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
October 26:  Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka  is coming to visit!
October 30: School Spirit Day - Mismatched clothing!
November 11: No school

•  It is getting cold. Make sure you send warm clothes for recess. We go outside everyday unless it is raining.

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 

Literacy:
Another week of great read alouds! We read some of Jarrett Krosoczka's books to get ready for his visit on Monday. Books we read:  Peanut Butter and Jellyfish, Baghead, It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon, and Punk Farm Band on Tour.

You can check out Jarrett Krosoczka's TED talks, NPR videos, and more.

Here is the book trailer for his newest book, It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon:


Math:

We worked hard on refining our mathematical thinking. As mathematicians, we look for patterns to help us solve story problems. The students worked with a partner to discover the pattern in solving for 10. We then worked on applying this learning for solving for other sums. 

We are also working hard on learning our math facts. We call this time of day Fact Power.  More information about Fact Power next week!

October 18, 2015

Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
October 21: Late start. School starts at 8:40 on this day. Students are still welcome to come at 7:30 for breakfast.
October 26:  Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka  is coming to visit!
November 11: No school

•  It is getting cold. Make sure you send warm clothes for recess. We go outside everyday unless it is raining.

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 

Exciting Classroom News:
Last week, Grammy DeDe started in our room. She will be here for a 2 week period to see if working in our first grade class is a good match for her and for us. The students have been very welcoming to her and Grammy DeDe has been a huge help. Thanks Grammy DeDe!

Literacy:
Our read alouds this week were books by Mo Willams. It doesn't get much better than that! We read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late, and The Duckling Wants a Cookie. As a class, we talked about how the pages connect together and connect to the title. There is always something to find that adds to the story. We loved how the characters in his books are talking directly to us, the reader.
  
Math: It was a big review this week of all the math concepts we have been working on this year. On Friday, we took our first math assessment. The students worked so hard! I'll share the assessment with you during parent/teacher conferences in November.


Wellness: Jaycie Puttlitz, our school's wellness coordinator, let me borrow a copy of books from her. We read the interactive book Star Pose by Tove Ohlander and Susan Cline Lucey. As a class, we did the yoga poses described in the book. After reading, I had the students go back to their seats and think about the part of the book they liked the best and then draw a picture of how they felt during that part of the story.

October 12, 2015

 Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
October 21: Late start. School starts at 8:40 on this day. Students are still welcome to come at 7:30 for breakfast.
October 26:  Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka  is coming to visit!

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 

 Literacy:
The students are increasing their independent reading. This week, we focused on character in our read aloud, mini-lesson, and then in our independent reading. We read two books by Kevin Henkes because he has such fun characters: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Chester's Way. During our class discussion, Bway made a great connection between Chester's Way and The Rainbow Fish, a book we read a few weeks ago. Great thinking Bway!



Math: We learned about another type of story problem. This story problem has multiple combinations of answers. In these story problems, we are given the sum and the students have to figure out the addends. Super work mathematicians!


Social Thinking: We continued work on learning about our engines by finishing up our word wall and writing our own books about our engines.

October 4, 2015

 Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
October 5-9: Book Fair
Thursday, October 8: Coffee with Sara Rabbe in the library. Stop by from 7:45-8:15 and introduce yourself. Sara would love to make connections with our wonderful community!
October 12: No school
October 21: Late start. School starts at 8:40 on this day. Students are still welcome to come at 7:30 for breakfast.
October 26:  Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka  is coming to visit!

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 

Students working on their projects.

 Literacy:
We read one of my favorite books this week! One, by Kathryn Otoshi is about acceptance and
courage. Everyone counts is the repeated phrase in the book. We spent several days reading the book and digging deep into the theme. We watched a video of children acting it out and we acted it out ourselves! Finally, we worked on a project to show how we were accepting to others. I'll get these projects hung up in the classroom this week. Taliah came up with a great quote about acceptance: That's the power of friendship!




There is a book fair this week at school! The dates are October 5-9. Feel free to send in money with your child in a labeled envelope. I will send your child down with an adult  to shop for books.


Math: Wow! We started working with number lines this week. I can't believe how well the students are doing with the tricky concept. We talked about the importance of showing your thinking in more than one way. We call this multiple pathways. The class has been solving story problems by making a representation using circles. But now, they have a second way to represent their thinking by using a number line.


Social Thinking: All of us have an engine. Are engines can be high, low or just right. Becoming aware of our engine, helps us become better learners. We can use our mindfulness techniques to calm an engine that is too high. We can take a movement break to wake up an engine that is too low. As a class, we have worked on engine sorts and now we are developing vocabulary to help describe how we feel when our engine is high, low, or just right.

Wellness: We had Officer Dave come in and talk about safety. He talked about the importance of knowing the names of your parents, phone number, and street address. I was impressed with how many students could answer all those questions! Thanks for coming in Officer Dave!

September 27. 2015

 Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 
• The visit of author Jarrett J. Krosoczka has been changed. He is now coming Monday, October 26. I sent home the order form again in case anyone would like to order his books.
• Sorry for the short update this week! I was away this weekend cheering on my nephew and his soccer team in the big Nashua South versus Nashua North battle. We won!

 Literacy:
We have been working on increasing our independent reading time and also learning how to read and discuss books with a partner. I read books about friendship to the class:

Friends by Helme Heine
What are Friends For by Sally Grindley
 
Math:
Wow! The students are working so hard during math! I see an increase in the amount of independent practice. I also see a huge improvement in how the students share their thinking with a math partner. Here is a picture of some student work. As mathematicians, we want to show our thinking with a representation, write an equation, and have an answer with a label.  

Social Thinking:
We have been focusing on Space Respector and Space Invader. Space Respector is the Thinkable that helps us to defeat Space Invader. Space Invader is the Unthinkable that encourages us to get into other people's space and not respect the bubble around each person.

September 19, 2015

 Important Dates and Reminders:
Tuesday: Library
Wednesday: no school

• Thanks to everyone who has sent in family photos. Our family wall is getting big! Please feel free  to send one in if you haven't yet. I would love to have a photo from every student on the wall. 
• The visit of author Jarrett J. Krosoczka has been changed. He is now coming Monday, October 26.

Routines:
The class is really getting into our routines! Every morning, the students go over the the easel and
answer the daily question. The questions range from do you like white milk or chocolate milk to do like to camp or not? These questions lead to a discussion and sharing during our morning meeting. The questions also help us continue to get to know each other.

 Literacy:
The class is starting to getting into the groove of our literacy routines! I love our independent reading time and seeing how excited the students are about the books they have chose to read! We also learned how to use our large classroom library. We discovered how the books are organized and spent one morning putting books into the correct baskets. We have also talked about the importance of rereading books. Rereading helps us develop fluency and deepens comprehension. The students use reading mats to organize their books as they read. We also enjoy reading with a friend! Books are written so that they will be discussed and enjoyed with others! I know when I read a great book, I can't wait to talk about it with others!

Math:
We've started working on solving story problems! As mathematicians, we have to figure out what the story problem is about (addition or subtraction), write an equation, and then come up with a representation of our thinking. I see the mathematicians becoming more willing to take risks in their work!

Wellness:
This YouTube video has become a favorite this week! Our class can dance!

September 13, 2015

This coming week is a very busy week. Here are some important dates:

Tuesday: The author Jarrett J. Krosoczka is coming to talk to the first graders!
Tuesday: Library
Wednesday: Delayed start: Students are welcome to come to school at 7:30 but they don't need to be here until 8:40.
Wednesday: Picture day!



 Literacy:
We are continuing to develop our classroom routines and build our learning community. It is so fun getting to know the students in our class. One way we are getting to know each other is through sharing what we like. We are working on posters that will be shared and displayed. We are also learning how to choose book based on topics we like. Some popular topics are: weather, animals, Harry Potter, princesses, castles, and dragons.


We love looking at books! We are learning how to read our just right books and talk with a partner about our books. We read in the classroom and we even went to read outside. It's fun to read books anywhere!


Math:
During math time, we are learning the habits that all mathematicians use. So far, we have worked on private reasoning time and representation. The mathematicians have been counting and representing their objects in an organized way. They also have been learning some math games. Through math games, we can build our math concepts and also learn how to work together to solve problems. This week we played the game Double Compare. The students worked so well together! I saw and heard partnerships using kind words and helping each other to add the numbers together.

Wellness:
We love to move during the day and it's good for you too! One of our favorite sites is Go Noodle. It's a great site with movement and calming activities. Check it out! I know you will be glad you did!.

Family Photos

I shared some family pictures with the class today and we thought it would be fun for everyone to bring in family pictures. Please send in a picture of your child with family members or other important people in in your child's life. We would like to display these pictures in the classroom. If your picture is needed back at home, let me know and I can scan it to make a copy for the class.

Thanks so much for helping us create our classroom family.

Big news... an author visit!

We are so lucky to have Jarrett Krosoczka coming to visit JFK! Jarrett Krosoczka is an author and illustrator of many books, including picture books, graphic novels, and chapter books. His newest book, It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon, comes out on September 8.

On September 15, Jarrett will be visiting the kindergarten and first grades. Today I sent home an order form in case you are interested in ordering any of his books. The order form needs to be in by Friday. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Here is the book trailer for It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon.

The first week of first grade!

Hello and welcome back to school! I'm so excited to start a new school year. I usually update this site once a week. During the beginning of the year, I will be posting about the people who work in our classroom and sharing our schedules, expectations, and daily routines. There will also be student work, class videos, and celebrations of our learning.

Some things to keep in mind as we start the school year:

We eat snack in the afternoon. Please make sure to send in a healthy snack and drink for snack time.

Our weekly specials schedule is:

Monday - Gym
Tuesday - Music and Library
Wednesday - Art
Thursday - Gym
Friday - Guidance

A big part of the beginning of school is learning routines and getting to know each other. We are a team and the relationships we build with each other help us to learn and grow. One way we are building relationships is through morning meeting. We are having so much fun with different greetings and songs. Ask your child about our Sunshine Greeting that we did on Friday.


We also have been enjoying the book Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. We made our own Pete the Cats on Friday. They will be hanging up next week. Feel free to stop in and see them in the hallway!  Here's the song, have fun singing along: http://assetlibrary.supadu.com/images/ckfinder/687/images/Pete-the-Cat/audio/pete-the-cat.mp3

Have a super weekend! I'm looking forward to Monday!

First Grade Fun Day

Sorry for the lack of updates! The class has been super busy!

Yesterday (June 5), first grade celebrated First Grade Fun Day! As a first grade, we earned 400 green thoughts and celebrated with a fun day of activities. Each classroom was able to participate in  movement, cooking, and art activities. At the end of the day, I asked the class which activity was their favorite. One student said, "Dancing, food, and art... it's just too hard to pick just one! I loved them all!"

The week of June 8 is our last week of school. It will be a busy week:

Monday, June 8:  School wide celebration for all of the stars we have earned as a school!

Thursday, June 11: Step Up Day: The students will find out who they will have for second grade. We also have a school-wide wellness event in the afternoon.

Friday, June 12: Last day of school. The students get out of school at 11:00.

March 20, 2015

Classroom News: 

• Hopefully the weather will warm up. As it does, the playground gets really wet, it's a good idea to send in an extra pair of socks to change into after recess
• Don't forget, gym is on Monday and Thursday. Please send in sneakers on those days.

Literacy

We celebrated the end of our reading with expression unit by having Mrs. Moulton's class come and partner read with us. The first graders worked hard on preparing a book that they could read fluently and with expression. They also put in a sticky note to mark a good spot to stop and ask the second grader to make a prediction about what will happen next in the book. All students, first and second graders, did a great job!

Math

We have started our next math unit: place value. We are exploring how our number system is organized by using tens and ones. The student have jumped right into this unit and are doing great! Even coming up with the observation that in the  number 37, the 3 is more than the 7 because the 3 is really a 30! Super work mathematicians!

Science
The five senses are so much fun to learn about! One of the activities we did this week was a taste test to discover the some of the different things we can taste: salty, sweet, and bitter.


Cross Grade Connection

This is a district wide project where  each JFK class is paired with a middle or high school class. The goal is to build relationships across the grades and district. Last month, Mrs. Sherrer's class  came to our room and joined us for mindfulness and introductions. This month we went over the middle school and had a blast! Mrs. Sherrer and her students led us in a movement activity and a dance. Then the younger students worked with their older partners for a building activity. Mrs. Sherrer and I saw and heard great discussion between the partners. The projects came out great!

March 13, 2015

Classroom News: 

• Delayed Start: March 18
• Fun Fair: March 20 4:30-6:30 - hope to see you there!

Literacy

For the last few weeks we have been working on listening to ourselves read. Before reading, we look that pictures for clues to how the characters are feeling and what they are doing. Then we read, focusing on reading with expression to show how the characters feel and  what they are doing. We pay attention to punctuation, including quotation marks. Talking tag words (said, whispered, yelled, etc.) also help us know how to sound. The goal is to sound smooth like a storyteller.


Each child is working on reading one of their just right books. This coming week, Mrs. Moulton's second grade class is coming and the first graders will have a chance to show off their expressive reading! We are looking forward to the visit from our neighbors!


Also, the entire district participated in Vermont Writes Day!

Math

We finished up our big unit that developed our additive reasoning strategy toolbox. We learned how to count on/add up, count back, use fact families, make 10, and be more flexible with how we use numbers. Monday we start our next unit which is all about place value. I'll talk more about that next time! We also will be working on telling time to the hour and half hour.


Jump Rope for Heart:
I've been teaching first grade a long time. I've never had such a great class of jumpers! We had so much fun jumping together, getting good exercise, and taking care of our hearts.

February 19, 2015

Classroom News: 

• No School: February 21 - March 3
• Jump Rope for Heart information went home on Tuesday. We are jumping on March 11
  

Penguin Plunge

 

I loved participating in the Penguin Plunge for the second year in a row! I can't wait to do it again next year!

Celebration!

JFK had a school-wide celebration in honor of earning 100,000 stars! We got to see a show put on by Foodplay. We learned all about healthy food choices and activities to keep our bodies healthy. There are lots of great resources on the Foodplay website, including a video to teach you how to juggle!

Literacy
We read a wonderful book called Ish by Peter Reynolds. We are also currently reading Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. The class and I are really enjoying these books! As we read, we are working on making our voices match the emotion in the story. We also are starting to learn how to stop and jot while we read to help us keep track of events in the story.


We also have started to write stories about penguins. We even made some penguins to inspire us!

Math

We are continuing to work with our additive reasoning strategies. This means we are learning many different strategies that mathematicians can use to solve addition and subtraction equations.


Brain Break
We discovered a fun new song that makes us laugh until we cry. I hope you have as much fun with Shake Break as we do!

January 31, 2015

Classroom News:

• Penguin Plunge: February 7
• February 18: Delayed Start
• February 22-March 3: No School

Do you have an old pair of snow pants or boots? We could use them as extras for when students forget to bring some to school. Feel free to send them in and we will put them in the extra clothing locker.

 

Penguin Plunge

Winooski School District has a Penguin Plunge team made up of staff, students, parents, and other family members. I am doing it for the second year and this time around my aunt is joining the team too! I'm so excited to help support Vermont Special Olympics. Feel free to come on down to the lake on Saturday, February 7 to cheer on Team Winooski! Or better yet, join the team yourself! You can register, donate, or find out more information through this link:  Penguin Plunge.

Literacy

We finished up our study of how readers read nonfiction texts and we are back to looking at fiction. As usual, our focus is on how readers think about books and the questions they ask themselves. This month we take a close look at the characters in fiction texts. As we read we ask questions about the characters:

• What is my character doing?
• Why did my character do it?

We have closely analyzed the books Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats and Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems.

 

Math

We finished up our measurement unit and are not working on deepening our understanding of the number system and the many ways flexible mathematicians can work with numbers. 

One strategy for working with numbers is to create a "friendly number." This is a number that is easier to work with, for example the number 10. We call this strategy Make 10.

In the example to the left, the student is adding 6 + 9. They know that 6 + 4 = 10, so they take 4 out of the 9, that makes the new equation:

6+4+5=n.

10+5 is easy to add, so the student knows n=15.

By working with this strategy, students are becoming more flexible in decomposing (breaking apart) and composing (putting together) numbers.  Then, the students start applying this to story problems and addition equations with larger numbers.

January 4, 2015

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fun vacation. I'm ready to be back and looking forward to seeing everyone!

Classroom News:

• Monday is library day. Don't forget to send back library books.
• Delayed start: Wednesday, January 14
• No School: Monday, January 19

Literacy

We had a new focus in December during read aloud and independent reading time. We've been learning all about nonfiction and we love it!

We read nonfiction differently fiction. Authors write nonfiction to teach us information. They do pictures, labels, headings, and words. Before reading, we look at all of this on the page to get an idea what the page will be about. Then we read the page and think about how the information goes with the rest of the book.

this by using
As we read we ask ourselves:

• What is the author trying to teach me here?
• How do those two pages go together?

The students have loved our study and have learned really cool facts about a large variety of topics.  By understanding how nonfiction works, the students  are able to take control of their own learning and read about topics that interest them, allowing them to become experts. We will continue our study of nonfiction into January.

Project Based Learning

We finished our projects! The students investigated how to create a classroom to help us learn. They worked in groups of three or four to research the words in STARS. Each group chose an expert, developed interview questions, filmed the interview, and then created a poster to show what they learned. The posters came out great and are hanging in the hall. Make sure you check them out when you come into the building.

Math:
We have started our study of measurement. During this unit, we are learning how mathematicians measure objects and compare lengths of objects. The mathematicians have been working with partners to measure a variety of objects using different units of measure (paper clips, unifix cubes, and tiles).