We are continuing to focus on conservation in first grade. We kicked off this week with a special visit from Captain Coral and the Coral Reef Foundation. The students were equally educated and entertained by his scientific information and experiments. Our students were captivated as they learned more about the threats and deterioration of our coral reefs. In addition, we studied the importance of soil and began experimenting with different types of soil and how this affects plant growth.
Our phonics focus tied in beautifully with our science unit on “soil” as we analyzed the sounds of /oi/ spelled oi and oy. We discussed where you will most often find each spelling pattern and had fun finding them in context.
We hope you are enjoying reading My Father’s Dragon with your child as much as we are in class. The students are very engaged and enthusiastic to share their predictions, insight, and volunteer to role play each chapter through Elmer’s pursuit to save the dragon. We are asking for your assistance to ensure your child returns his or her book each day to class and to make sure children do not read ahead. Each chapter is magical and we want students to experience the full benefit of reading the story together. We benefit from anticipating and predicting before we read each chapter and then gathering to experience Elmer’s adventure through Wild Island together.
In math, students studied probability and place value while playing games. We used the words “likely, unlikely, impossible, and certain” to describe situations and the probability of items that could possibly be pulled out of a bag. Students also engaged in a variety of Smartboard games that reviewed their number sense. Other concepts such as fractions, expanded notation, reading larger numbers, and mental math were challenged through a variety of hands-on activities. The students shared the names of the probability games they play at home and Jean Louise brought in a game of strategy called “Fish Stix” that students enjoyed playing and graphing their findings.
Our phonics focus tied in beautifully with our science unit on “soil” as we analyzed the sounds of /oi/ spelled oi and oy. We discussed where you will most often find each spelling pattern and had fun finding them in context.
We hope you are enjoying reading My Father’s Dragon with your child as much as we are in class. The students are very engaged and enthusiastic to share their predictions, insight, and volunteer to role play each chapter through Elmer’s pursuit to save the dragon. We are asking for your assistance to ensure your child returns his or her book each day to class and to make sure children do not read ahead. Each chapter is magical and we want students to experience the full benefit of reading the story together. We benefit from anticipating and predicting before we read each chapter and then gathering to experience Elmer’s adventure through Wild Island together.
In math, students studied probability and place value while playing games. We used the words “likely, unlikely, impossible, and certain” to describe situations and the probability of items that could possibly be pulled out of a bag. Students also engaged in a variety of Smartboard games that reviewed their number sense. Other concepts such as fractions, expanded notation, reading larger numbers, and mental math were challenged through a variety of hands-on activities. The students shared the names of the probability games they play at home and Jean Louise brought in a game of strategy called “Fish Stix” that students enjoyed playing and graphing their findings.