Flexible Seating, Friends, Measurement, Looping Patterns, and Coding... Yes, Coding!!!!

We learned about a cool opportunity to work in different places around the room. We call this "flexible seating." Students can choose where to work as long as they are following our expectations for classroom volume level and... working!!!

This week we are learning more about the short a sound.

We are practicing decoding (sound out) CVC words that have the short a sound.

CVC means consonant/vowel/consonant like cat, dig, and nut.

As we gain a better understanding, we may begin adding blends and digraphs to make new words!

We are learning how to compare lengths of different units of measurement.

What is longer?

20 paper clips or 18 unifix cubes

Students learned how to measure with the same starting point, measure with straight lines, and make sure that the objects are not overlapping or with space in between.

We read a classic Dr. Seuss book and discovered that the story repeats.

We learned that this is a looping pattern.

We are going to use this knowledge as we begin to learn about coding.

After reading about looping patterns, we used a wide-range of math manipulatives to create our own looping patterns in our small groups. 

We had to work together, problem-solve, and follow directions.

When we were done creating our looping patterns with our group,

 we recorded our learning on Seesaw.

We began our Plants and Animals science unit.

Who is a good friend?

We began our writing prompt by writing two details (reasons) on why that person is a good friend.

I am very impressed with how hard everyone worked to complete this activity.

We learned about Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind.

We discovered that we need to have a plan in order to reach our goals.

Today, we wrote a goal and provided two examples of what we need to do in order to reach our goal.

When we were done, we shared our goals and plans with our tablemates.

We discovered a new coding app called Daisy the Dinosaur.

Students learned that when we code, we are giving specific directions for Daisy to follow.

We learned how to get Daisy to move, jump, spin, repeat a given activity, and to do an action when we tap or shake our iPad.

As we worked on this app, we used our problem-solving and synergizing skills. 

We also learned the idea of "Why did Daisy do that?" and "What happens if I try this?"

I am so proud of how the class persevered and worked together to strategize.

A Good Friend...

A good friend...


A good friend is a leader.   Maxie
A good friend shares. Ava
A good friend plays with you. Asher
A good friend helps people. Rose
A good friend is nice. Holland
A good friend plays with you. Dylan
A good friend plays with you nicely. Bear
A good friend eats lunch with you at the same time. Vihaan
A good friend helps you. Lucas
A good friend eats ice cream with you. Taylor
A good friend looks out for you. Mia
A good friend has manners. Charlotte
A good friend would not hurt your feelings. Andrew
A good friend has playdates with you. Riley
A good friend plays with you so you are not lonely. Maddie
A good friend would stay by your side. Sophia
A good friend helps you when you are hurt. Casey
A good friend will come help you when you are hurt. Andrei
A good friend doesn't be mean to you. Hannah

This Week in Room 8 (8/29 to 9/2)

This week first grade students will be MAP testing in the morning. 

Please make sure that your child is well rested and has a satisfying breakfast. 

ELA: 

Last week, we learned about our retelling rope that can help us recall key details in a fiction text. As a group, we practiced retelling the stories that we listened to in our whole group read alouds. This week, we will begin to use the retelling rope with a partner after listening to the different stories that we read about friendship. You can practice this skill at home with your child after you read together!

We will also build our vocabulary as we create a list of words that can describe a friend. During this time, we will be introduced to the words "synonym" and "antonym" to think of words that mean the same or the opposite of the given word. 

We will continue to review the kindy sight words.

We will introduce the short a sound and reading CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words with the short a sound.

Math:

We continue measuring various items to the nearest whole unit using non-standard measurement. We will begin to compare two objects with measurements by saying phrases like 

" ___ is 2 cubes longer than the __."

Science:

This week we will begin Unit 1: Plant and Animal Parts.

iPads:

We will continue our iPad boot camp this week and learn more about Digital Citizenship.

Leader in Me:

This week we will discuss Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind.

We will learn about how we need to think about the steps we need to take to reach our goals!

The Rest of the Week in Pictures!

What are good habits?

We wrote and illustrated some good habits we try to make each day.

We met with our leader, Mr. McConnell,  to learn about Kipling.

We also had an opportunity to ask him questions. 

We made connections with our classmates as we discovered similar interests.

What do you like to do?

We explored some of our math manipulatives.

Friends used their creativity and problem solving skills as they worked with their peers.

We explored our new SMART Lab with Ms. Schippers.

What is your superpower?

We learned that we have a special superpower...

We can grow our brains!

Ask your child how you can grow your brain.

We used our math vocabulary "shorter than" and "longer than" to describe

a set of objects. We compared the items to the red strip of paper.

We posted our learning on Seesaw so you can check it out!

During iPad Boot Camp, we learned how to take pictures and selfies with our device.

We will use the picture for our lock screen on our iPad.

We launched our ST Math program with JiJi.

I will be sharing more about this math program at Open House on September 6th.

We reflected on our first week of 1st Grade.

My favorite part of first grade is ___ because ___.

Check out our reflections on Seesaw!

We Synergized to help everyone reach the goal of posting on Seesaw.

Quick Recess Picture:

Reading Time!

Class Meeting:

Each Friday we meet as a class to share the great things that are happening.

We take turns sharing a put up with the class.

"I would like to give a put up to ___ because ___."

Great job filling buckets today!

Have a great weekend!