The topic of our Open CIrcle today was being calm. We talked about how our bodies feel when we are calm. (Slow steady breathing, comfortable bodies, feeling peaceful.) We learned some calm breathing techniques too. Ask your child to show you the balloon breathing, flower breathing and birthday candle breathing. Discuss ways to get calm at home.
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We spend a lot of time working on Language Arts in first grade.
Happy Autumn! Today we read the story The Lonely Scarecrow by Tim Preston. The story is about a scarecrow that is feared by the animals because of its scary appearance in fall but beloved by those same animals once it is covered in snow and appears to be a jolly snowman, Ask your child what lessons can be learned from this book. We created our own scarecrows and WOW they are amazing! Yesterday in math we played a partner game comparing unifix cube trains. The purpose of the game was to compare quantities using the vocabulary more, less and same. I was happy to observe students using the desired words and following directions. We worked really hard today in our first official math stations in first grade. I was very impressed with the focus and attention I observed.. As Luke reflected during a mid station check in, "I am having so much fun AND learning!" Students rotated through some independent exploration stations and some teacher led stations.
Today we continued to set up our math trays by putting in dry erase boards and markers. We used these math tools looking at quick images. I showed the class a collection of counters for 3 seconds and they recorded what they saw (each was less than ten). We talked about strategies for seeing how many quickly. I was very impressed with all he different strategies students used and the way they were able to explain thinking.
Gigantic thank you to all the family members present last night at Curriculum Night! If you were unable to attend, I sent home a packet today for you to review. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns. As always, I forgot to mention many things but will fill you in as we go along.
Please remember a hardy snack and drink every day. We have lunch at noon with a 9:45 snack break. Learning uses A LOT of energy. Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful and restful weekend! Today we learned how to play "Bunny Hop". Students hop forward and backward on a number line practicing moving according to the number on the dice. I recommend playing board games at home where children can practice moving forward a given number. We have been working on "All About Me" Books this past week. Each page gives a little insight into a favorite book, food or other personal preference. I am impressed with the artists in Room 3. I look forward to sharing them tomorrow at Curriculum Night.
During the first 6 weeks of school we lay the ground work for the entire year. Classroom routines, expectations, materials, hopes and dreams for the year are all introduced as we get to know each other and first grade. Students are delighted to find that some things are the same as Kindergarten but many things have changed. A favorite "first grade privilege" so far is being able to play on the entire back field and playgrounds for lunch recess!
I am looking forward to discussing first grade at Curriculum Night Thursday. Question of the day: Who teaches art class and skills lab? |
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