We reviewed all of our recently introduced spelling patterns today. Additionally, we learned to double consonants before adding the inflectional endings: '-ed', and '-ing' after short vowel (cvc) syllables. We took extra independent work time to continue worker reports. Four students have finished those reports.
We discussed faces and vertices as parts of solid shapes in math. This is also our homework.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Fiftieth Day
Today we blended through /y/ spelled 'y_'. We discussed some properties of various simple machines including the lever, wheel, and ramp (inclined plane).
We discussed many aspects of safety and ways of staying safe as part of our health standards.
We worked with solid shapes in math. Our homework is a math page and writing page on the /ar/ sound.
We discussed many aspects of safety and ways of staying safe as part of our health standards.
We worked with solid shapes in math. Our homework is a math page and writing page on the /ar/ sound.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Forty-Ninth Day
Wow, long week.
Today we blended with /kw/ spelled 'qu-blank'. We discovered that not only does the 'w' before 'a' change its sound (eg: water, wash) but so does the /w/ sound in /kw/ as in 'quart' and 'squash'.
I'm hoping everyone has a good holiday week with family and friends.
Please understand our shortened year and this missing week will likely affect our holiday performance. The missing rehearsal time is unfortunate but this group will be lacking none of the heart.
Today we blended with /kw/ spelled 'qu-blank'. We discovered that not only does the 'w' before 'a' change its sound (eg: water, wash) but so does the /w/ sound in /kw/ as in 'quart' and 'squash'.
I'm hoping everyone has a good holiday week with family and friends.
Please understand our shortened year and this missing week will likely affect our holiday performance. The missing rehearsal time is unfortunate but this group will be lacking none of the heart.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Forty-Eighth Day
Today we unveiled the /ng/ sound with a spelling pattern of 'short vowel-ng'.
We opened topic 8 with plane shapes.
A math page and a writing page on /ar/ is for homework.
Our winter festivities will be upon us shortly and I've had a few questions which I thought I would take a minute to address. The district allows classroom time for 2 or 3 short classroom celebrations/year. I have chosen the last afternoon before winter break, the 100th day of school, and the very last day of school for these times. I did not choose October 29th for several reasons. It was not because (as some people thought) that I did not want "sweet" treats to be shared at school. It was largely because this day is already cut short and it is still an important instructional day.
We opened topic 8 with plane shapes.
A math page and a writing page on /ar/ is for homework.
Our winter festivities will be upon us shortly and I've had a few questions which I thought I would take a minute to address. The district allows classroom time for 2 or 3 short classroom celebrations/year. I have chosen the last afternoon before winter break, the 100th day of school, and the very last day of school for these times. I did not choose October 29th for several reasons. It was not because (as some people thought) that I did not want "sweet" treats to be shared at school. It was largely because this day is already cut short and it is still an important instructional day.
As far as what to share for our celebrations. I leave that up to the parents to decide. Some guidelines/suggestions/comments:
- Treats shared in the classroom should meet district health and safety guidelines.
- Treats which are individually wrapped are easiest to deal with (with the exception of cupcakes and cookies-those are easy too.)
- Juice boxes/pouches do not spill.
- If you decide to share 24 of something, it would be appreciated if the 24 whatevers are of the same color/flavor. Assortments make things difficult.
- Please no cakes which need to be cut.
As for February 14th, we will not have a celebration; however, we will be taking time in the afternoon of this day to exchange Valentines or whatever else we decide to send to our classmates. This is an important day for 1st graders and we can not let it pass without letting our friends know how much we care about them.
Thank you again for your understanding. I want you to know I really have appreciated your support so far this year in all of the big and little things. Some years are made much easier just because of parent understanding and cooperation.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Forty-Seventh Day
Today was an interesting day, some of the reasons for which I can share here. We blended with and reviewed /k/ spelled k. So now we have 3 official spellings for /k/ plus /k/ blend spellings which have been added making this quite a complicated spelling sound. Please note I added some links to yesterday's post which includes child-friendly information on simple machines.
We also finished taking our district quarterly math test. A high percentage of us did very well including two perfect tests with 4's on the constructed response question. If you are interested in your child's individual results, please see me.
In science we took time to make observations on a liquid which has some properties of a solid. Some samples will be following our scientists home. The substance (gak) is non-toxic and cleans up fairly easily when dry, however it would be best if it is kept away from carpeting. It is water-based so it is best if not allowed to set on wood surfaces.
When we return from break I expect we will explore a substance called oobleck-fun!
Our homework is the story problem math page. There seemed to be some confusion with about 50% of the class on the algebra question from last night's homework. If a square plus a triangle equals a circle (or whatever), then we may conclude that a circle minus a triangle equals a square. And likewise, if a giraffe plus a lion equals an octopus, then an octopus minus giraffe equals lion.
We also finished taking our district quarterly math test. A high percentage of us did very well including two perfect tests with 4's on the constructed response question. If you are interested in your child's individual results, please see me.
In science we took time to make observations on a liquid which has some properties of a solid. Some samples will be following our scientists home. The substance (gak) is non-toxic and cleans up fairly easily when dry, however it would be best if it is kept away from carpeting. It is water-based so it is best if not allowed to set on wood surfaces.
When we return from break I expect we will explore a substance called oobleck-fun!
Our homework is the story problem math page. There seemed to be some confusion with about 50% of the class on the algebra question from last night's homework. If a square plus a triangle equals a circle (or whatever), then we may conclude that a circle minus a triangle equals a square. And likewise, if a giraffe plus a lion equals an octopus, then an octopus minus giraffe equals lion.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Forty-Sixth Day
We stand at more than half of the class working on publishing their worker reports at this time. Today was spent reviewing many spellings previously introduced. In addition, we blended through /l/ spelled 'le', and 'el'. We began our unit on simple machines. We began today by cloming up with a class definition of machines: they help people do work, they make work faster and easier. We decided (for the time being) that tools were not machines. It was thought that tools were smaller than machines. We will see how our perceptions and definitions change over the course of the unit. Again, this unit is very specifically about simple machines.
We began the district quarterly math test today; we will try to complete it tomorrow. Math 7-3 is our homework tonight.
We began the district quarterly math test today; we will try to complete it tomorrow. Math 7-3 is our homework tonight.
Forty-Fifth Day
On the Forty-Fifth day we blended through the /er/ sound spelled 'er', 'ir', and 'ur'. Eight students began publishing their worker reports. We brought the worker unit to a close even though we will still continue our learning about workers in the weeks ahead.
We had our last dance lesson with Ms. Marrin.
We continued with subtraction to 12 in math. We will take the district quaterly math exam this week. For homework complete the math and writing sheet.
We had our last dance lesson with Ms. Marrin.
We continued with subtraction to 12 in math. We will take the district quaterly math exam this week. For homework complete the math and writing sheet.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Forty-Fourth Day
On our forty-fourth day we blended with /w/ spelled 'w_' and /hw/ spelled 'wh_'. A few more people completed seminar and one person started on their publishing.
Math was an easy lesson on subtracting with doubles facts.
Congratulations to table 2 finishing the week with enough grams; next week the goal will be 85 grams.
Math was an easy lesson on subtracting with doubles facts.
Congratulations to table 2 finishing the week with enough grams; next week the goal will be 85 grams.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Forty-Third Day
Today we reviewed our diphthong and digraph spellings so far. Nine students have now completed seminar on worker reports.
Yesterday our emphasis in P.E. was balance, speed and endurance. Today we practiced returning a serve in handball. Help students stay fit and increase core strength by assisting them with stomach crunches and push-ups each day. We will repeat our strength test again before winter break.
The district has proposed a mid-August start date for the school year for 2011-12 ending the year earlier June. I don't know when the decision will be finalized, but if you have an opinion in the matter we will probably need to find out the right ear to which to tell it.
We began topic/chapter 7 in math, which teaches subtraction to 12. We subtracted 0, 1, and 2 by thinking so many less as opposed to using our fingers or counting backwards, a subtle difference. Another strategy to keep in mind for this skill is to think fact families. The homework is math sheet 7-1.
In case you weren't aware the animal-free Circus Vargas is performing in Torrance currently. Vouchers are available for military Veteran's and those who are unemployed. For tickets and show times
Enjoy your time together tomorrow.
Yesterday our emphasis in P.E. was balance, speed and endurance. Today we practiced returning a serve in handball. Help students stay fit and increase core strength by assisting them with stomach crunches and push-ups each day. We will repeat our strength test again before winter break.
The district has proposed a mid-August start date for the school year for 2011-12 ending the year earlier June. I don't know when the decision will be finalized, but if you have an opinion in the matter we will probably need to find out the right ear to which to tell it.
We began topic/chapter 7 in math, which teaches subtraction to 12. We subtracted 0, 1, and 2 by thinking so many less as opposed to using our fingers or counting backwards, a subtle difference. Another strategy to keep in mind for this skill is to think fact families. The homework is math sheet 7-1.
In case you weren't aware the animal-free Circus Vargas is performing in Torrance currently. Vouchers are available for military Veteran's and those who are unemployed. For tickets and show times
Enjoy your time together tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Forty-Second Day
Thanks to all the parents who took time to meet with me to learn about their child's progress and goals for the remainder of the semester. I enjoyed getting to meet everyone. A few conferences remain and I look forward to meeting with those parents as well. My students are very lucky to have the great parents that they do.
Today we were introduced to r-controlled 'a' vowel card, /ar/ spelled 'ar'. These types of spelling patterns are sometimes refered to as "murmur diphthongs." Others of this type of diphthong will soon follow. One person completed seminar and moved on to revising. We will look forward to others moving on in the days to come.
More word problems in math today. That means we will be at the end of a math topic/chapter soon. There will not be a test for topic 6. Homework is the corresponding math sheet.
One homework aside: The "pig" card is named pig for "Giggles" the pig who says /i/ when you tickle her on the chin. I realize that sometimes the short vowel cards may cause some confusion at home. The short vowels are intentionally imbedded in cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant or "closed syllables", the final consonant being the most important) type spelling patterns: lamb, hen, pig,..etc., as that is usually how they appear in words and syllables. This is different than long vowels which are often either entirely alone in a syllable or otherwise only preceded by a consonant (open syllable) eg. the 'si' in silent. We have yet to introduce any long vowel spelling patterns; things will get tough.
Today we were introduced to r-controlled 'a' vowel card, /ar/ spelled 'ar'. These types of spelling patterns are sometimes refered to as "murmur diphthongs." Others of this type of diphthong will soon follow. One person completed seminar and moved on to revising. We will look forward to others moving on in the days to come.
More word problems in math today. That means we will be at the end of a math topic/chapter soon. There will not be a test for topic 6. Homework is the corresponding math sheet.
One homework aside: The "pig" card is named pig for "Giggles" the pig who says /i/ when you tickle her on the chin. I realize that sometimes the short vowel cards may cause some confusion at home. The short vowels are intentionally imbedded in cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant or "closed syllables", the final consonant being the most important) type spelling patterns: lamb, hen, pig,..etc., as that is usually how they appear in words and syllables. This is different than long vowels which are often either entirely alone in a syllable or otherwise only preceded by a consonant (open syllable) eg. the 'si' in silent. We have yet to introduce any long vowel spelling patterns; things will get tough.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Forty-First Day
Today we introduced our third digraph sound/spelling card /ch/ spelled 'ch' and 'short-vowel tch'. We continued working on our worker reports, writing from thinking map to rough draft.
We danced with Ms. Marrin today. We have one more lesson to go. Just a "heads-up," Ms. Marrin has asked if we would like to participate in her recital coming up shortly after break. I told her we would. Parents will be invited.
We continued with Second Step Violence Prevention. To update you, the feelings we've identified so far are happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust. Today we spoke about how aspects of the feelings affect our insides.
Today was an important lesson in math on using a ten-frame for sums greater than 10. Essentially this is eventually supposed to get children to see they can build tens to help them add and subtract.
We danced with Ms. Marrin today. We have one more lesson to go. Just a "heads-up," Ms. Marrin has asked if we would like to participate in her recital coming up shortly after break. I told her we would. Parents will be invited.
We continued with Second Step Violence Prevention. To update you, the feelings we've identified so far are happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, and disgust. Today we spoke about how aspects of the feelings affect our insides.
Today was an important lesson in math on using a ten-frame for sums greater than 10. Essentially this is eventually supposed to get children to see they can build tens to help them add and subtract.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Fortieth-Day
Today we began rough drafts working from our prewriting thinking maps. We discussed using commas for items in a series, stressing the idea of usually using only three items (eg. I like to eat burritos, tacos, and enchiladas.).
In math we used 5 as a constant in the 10's frame (five fingers) to add and then essentially find the difference to 10. You'll find the worksheet in our homework folders.
No table met the standard of 80 grams. So, the goal remains the same for next week.
In math we used 5 as a constant in the 10's frame (five fingers) to add and then essentially find the difference to 10. You'll find the worksheet in our homework folders.
No table met the standard of 80 grams. So, the goal remains the same for next week.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thirty-Ninth Day
Today we added our second consonant digraph sound spelling card /th/. We learned the difference between the vocalized and aspirated sounds of /th/. We applied both the 'sh' and 'th' spellings to dictation practice. We continued with Worksong and discovered a possible meaning to the "It" described in the selection. This involved some clever thinking and use of figurative language.
Building on our knowledge of doubles, we explored the idea of near doubles in addition to 12. Our homework is the near doubles math sheet and the writing page for /sh/.
Building on our knowledge of doubles, we explored the idea of near doubles in addition to 12. Our homework is the near doubles math sheet and the writing page for /sh/.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Thirty-Eighth Day
Today we uncovered our first consonant digraph sound-spelling card /sh/. We began our last Community Workers selection Worksong by Gary Paulsen, which can be accessed here: http://books.google.com/books?id=paVXgb6udkQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=worksong&source=bl&ots=3Xcpy_yXBl&sig=8f8KScJem0mkAwhU8fH39TNlRvQ&hl=en&ei=SEXSTNqWBoq0sAORu92fCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&sqi=2&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false
I've reviewed a number of other Paulsen books (mostly for older readers) on my book review blog. We learned today that some workers work at night. Some of the children were very familiar with that concept already.
We discussed adding doubles which will lead us into another important strategy for remembering addition facts: "near doubles."
Only math for homework.
I've reviewed a number of other Paulsen books (mostly for older readers) on my book review blog. We learned today that some workers work at night. Some of the children were very familiar with that concept already.
We discussed adding doubles which will lead us into another important strategy for remembering addition facts: "near doubles."
Only math for homework.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thirty-Seventh Day
Today we practiced with double consonant endings. We used discussed and practiced possessives using an apostrophe 's'. We began our pre-writing for community helper report using a Tree Map.
We cast our ballots for class president.
The topic 4 math test has been graded. The minimum score for a 3 was a 17 out of 26. Out of 22 tests recorded, two students scored 26, 1 scored 24, 3 scored 22, 2 scored 21, 2 scored 20, 2 scored 19, 1 scored 18, 2 scored 17.
We began topic 6: adding on 0, 1, and 2. In this chapter we will be exploring other strategies for adding other than using fingers.
For homework, please complete the corresponding math page and the writing page for short vowel 'u'.
Please take a few minutes to fill out the yellow packet sent home today as these pages will replace the emergency cards which you returned earlier in the school year; they have been declared obsolete by the district.
We cast our ballots for class president.
The topic 4 math test has been graded. The minimum score for a 3 was a 17 out of 26. Out of 22 tests recorded, two students scored 26, 1 scored 24, 3 scored 22, 2 scored 21, 2 scored 20, 2 scored 19, 1 scored 18, 2 scored 17.
We began topic 6: adding on 0, 1, and 2. In this chapter we will be exploring other strategies for adding other than using fingers.
For homework, please complete the corresponding math page and the writing page for short vowel 'u'.
Please take a few minutes to fill out the yellow packet sent home today as these pages will replace the emergency cards which you returned earlier in the school year; they have been declared obsolete by the district.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thirty-Sixth Day
Very difficult to fit everything in today. We cut our dance lesson short. We did manage to complete a math test. Results will be forthcoming.
Parts of 10 was the math topic today. We will begin adding and subtracting to 12 tomorrow.
We will also begin our pre-writing for our new topic tomorrow by applying out Tree Map skills to the topic of community workers.
New reading logs went home today due on the 30th. Please remember that decodable and "predictable" titles from me do not qualify for the monthly 10 titles.
Parts of 10 was the math topic today. We will begin adding and subtracting to 12 tomorrow.
We will also begin our pre-writing for our new topic tomorrow by applying out Tree Map skills to the topic of community workers.
New reading logs went home today due on the 30th. Please remember that decodable and "predictable" titles from me do not qualify for the monthly 10 titles.
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