Heart Maps - Collecting Story Ideas

In our Writers' Workshop this morning, we started working on our Heart Maps.  A heart map is a place where we can write down story ideas that are "near and dear to our hearts".  The students drew pictures and printed words about things that are important to them.  The heart map will be a place where they can look if they need an idea for a story.  Students drew pictures of important people, places, things they care about, special memories, things they like to do, and objects or things that are important to them.  We will finish them on Monday.  Here are a few samples.

 

Our Home Reading Program starts on Monday!   Your child will bring home a little book to read to you and their Home Reading Duotang where they will record the date and title of the book.  Please read the information on the first few pages of their duotangs for suggestions on how you can help your child as he/she learns how to read.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Terry Fox Run/Walk

After the walk across the bridge, eating popsicles!

On our way to the bridge.

On the bridge!

We had a wonderful, warm, sunny day for our Terry Fox Run.  At 1:30 we headed to the SkyTrail Bridge.  After running or walking to the end and back, there were icy popsicles for a treat before walking back to the school.
(You can click on the pictures to enlarge them!)

Word Work and Cool Cats!

We are learning how to do the next part of the Daily Five.  (The first two that we've learned are Read to Self and Work on Writing.)  Word Work is when students use a variety of materials to practice spelling words.  The pictures below show some of the different things we use to learn how to spell our popcorn and word family words.

This student is using a tracing template to spell words.

Wikki sticks (kind of like thick pieces of wool dipped in wax) can also be used to make letters!

Dry erase markers on plastic plates.  We use a "magic" mini glove to erase the letters.

Big lima beans can spell words too.

Play dough rolled to form letters.

In Art this afternoon we made Crazy Cats.  First we learned about how artists use different kinds of lines in their pictures and paintings (straight, thin, thick, wavy, zigzag, etc.) Then we looked at different pictures of cats.  Some were sitting, some were lying down (lazy, fat cats!) and some were standing.  We practiced drawing different kinds of cats before students got their "good" paper and drew large, beautiful cats.  Then, they divided the body of the cat into sections and drew a different kind of design or pattern using a variety of lines in each section.  We think these cats are pretty cool!

Artist hard at work!

 

 

See the cat with the hat?

 

Final product!

Here is the link to a website that teaches children how to draw animals step by step:
http://www.drawingnow.com/how-to-draw-animals.html

Our class collected $32.50  worth of pennies yesterday for Terry Fox!  (That was nearly one third of the amount that the entire school raised!)  Way to go Grade One!

 



 

Checking for Understanding

Today I introduced the students to a new Comprehension strategy called:  "Check for Understanding".  I showed them how good readers often stop and think about what they are reading to help them remember what the story is about. I showed them a large check mark (made out of craft foam) with the words "Check for Understanding" on one side and the words:  "Who?" and "What?" on the other side. 

This morning I modelled this strategy for the students when I read them the book called Bark, George!  Every couple of pages, I would stop, put the book down and think out loud about who and what I had been reading.  

Tomorrow I will be sending home a blue sheet that has suggestions on how you can practice this strategy at home when you read to your child.

Next week we will be starting our Home Reading Program.  Your son or daughter will be bringing home a little book each day to read to you.  He/she can practice checking for understanding with these books too!

Sound Slides and Translating Patterns

 

This morning we began learning how to read CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words by using a sound slide.  Students have letter cards that they use to "climb" the waterslide.  They slide the letters down the slide, saying the letter sound as it goes down and then slide all the sounds together at the bottom to make the word!  I did it on the Smartboard as students did it at their desks (see pictures below).  We made words using these letters: m, s, f, b, t, c, and a (short a sound).  The words we made were:  mat, sat, fat, bat, cat and Sam.


Sound slide on the Smartboard
 

In Math we learned about translating patterns.  We looked at different patterns and discovered that although the pictures were different, they all repeat the same way.  Students were challenged to make their own patterns with cubes that repeat the same way or draw a pattern that repeats the same way.  Ask your child to make patterns that repeat in different ways (AB, ABC, AAB, ABB, AABB, etc.)  You can use Lego, coins, colours, toys, pasta...

Students looked at these two patterns (both ABB patterns) on the Smartboard, then made a pattern with their cubes that repeated the same way (see below)

 

Your child is bringing home a yellow sheet with our first lesson of popcorn words and sentences.  Please listen to him/her read the sentences several times.  I will be testing students next week to see how well they know the words.  Extra practice will be sent home if necessary.  Thanks for your help!

(Remember to tell your child to let me know if you read the blog!)

Learning about Texture!

Our Art lesson this afternoon was all about texture.  We felt the bumpy parts on green leaves, painted the leaves and made leaf prints by rubbing the paint onto a white paper.  They turned out beautifully! I've included a few pictures below of the artists at work and their final products.  I hope that parents can come tomorrow evening for Meet the Teacher Night (7:00 - 8:00) and take a look at all the pictures, as well as some of the work we have done since school began.  See you tomorrow!
(Remember to tell your child to whisper in my ear that you read the blog when they come to school in the morning!)

Painting the underside of the leaf.

Sylvia Chave

Today we had a special visitor in our school:  Sylvia Chave.  Sylvia is a children's entertainer and is currently touring schools in Saskatchewan to promote Culture Days (September 28-30).  She gave a presentation to the school this morning and then students participated in grade-alike workshops throughout the day.  The boys and girls enjoyed creating actions to her song "Dream Team" and using the ribbons.  Funding for Sylvia's visit was provided by SaskCulture and Saskatchewan Lotteries.



Sylvia Chave

Partner Reading and Writers' Workshop

Students have been working hard to learn the first set of our "popcorn" words (I, am, play, like, is, my, Here, here). Today we practiced reading with a partner.   (See first 5 pictures above.)  Partners sit "eekk" (elbow to elbow and knee to knee) and one person uses a small pointer to read while the other listens carefully and helps if necessary. Your child is bringing home a sheet with sentences called "I Can Read". Please listen to them read these sentences and words several times to develop fluency and quick recognition of these sight words.

We also began our Writers' Workshop today! The boys and girls were really excited to share their story ideas by writing "picture stories". We learned how we can tell a story by drawing a picture with lots of detail. Some students were able to label their pictures with letters and words, some wrote sentences and some just drew pictures. The pictures below show students hard at work!

**Remember to tell your child to tell me in the morning if you read this blog! Tomorrow is trading day for our Fuzzies and I'm hoping that lots of students will have 10 fuzzies to trade for a coupon!

Fuzzy Information

Hello parents!
Hopefully you are looking at our class blog because you have read the information that was sent home with your child today!  My goal is to post blog articles at least twice a week, perhaps more often depending on what we are doing in class.

Your child wrote in his/her journal today:  "Let me tell you about fuzzies!"  Here is some information about our fuzzy routine:

1. Fuzzies (small and large pompoms) are given to students to reward good behaviour (basically following our school Code of Conduct and Classroom Rules, doing poem and reading homework).
2. Fuzzies are kept in a little plastic container in students' desks.  Students are not allowed to play with their fuzzies (or they get taken away!)
3. Students can trade in their fuzzies on Friday mornings.  They trade 10 fuzzies for a coupon or special privilege (e.g. wear your hat for a day, bring your favourite stuffy to school for a day, eat lunch with the teacher, be the teacher's helper for the day, be the calendar teacher for that day, be the line leader for the day, etc.)
4. Students can also have fuzzies taken away for not following our school rules (e.g. running in the school, coming in late after the second bell, interrupting the teacher, being disrespectful to others).

Today I gave out fuzzies to those students who remembered to walk to class on their way back from gym and who did their Poem homework on the weekend.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

**If you read this blog, please tell your child to whisper in my ear tomorrow morning:  "My mom/dad read the blog" and I will give them a fuzzy!  (Be sure to read the two previous posts that were written last week.)

Read to Self

Since the first day of school, we have been working on a routine called Read to Self.  This is part of the Daily Five - a collection of literacy procedures that promote independent practice.  Read to Self is when students take their book baskets (which they keep in their lockers), find a spot in the classroom, and practice reading.  We've learned that there are three ways to read a book:  read the pictures, read the words and retell the story.  The behaviours associated with Read to Self include:  using a whisper voice, staying in one spot, reading the whole time, getting started right away and building our stamina.  The first day, everyone was able to read for 3 minutes, yesterday was 4 minutes and today we read for 5 minutes!  The pictures below show a few students hard at work practicing their reading skills!

Back to School!

Hello everyone!  I would like to welcome all of you to our classroom blog!  One of the best ways to let you know what is going on in our class is through a blog.  This is a place where I can show you what your children are learning, as well as suggestions as to how you can work with them at home.  I sometimes include links to various websites that provide good practice for concepts that we are studying.
The first two days have been very busy!  A lot of time is spent during the first month establishing routines and procedures so that learning can take place more easily during the rest of the year.   Students have been learning about important behaviours so everyone can learn and be safe in our classroom.  They have been practicing active listening skills too!  (See what your child does when you say:  "Super scholar style in 1-2-3!")
Today we started learning about "popcorn words".  (If I have taught other children in your family, we used to call them "heart words" or sight words.  The students voted and decided that we would call them popcorn words because they pop up all over the place!)  These are words that don't always follow the rules and can't always be sounded out.  Our first two words were:  I  and am.
In Math we began a unit on patterns.  We discovered that patterns repeat.  Maybe you can help your child find some things at home that have patterns (pictures, clothing, carpets, wallpaper).  Below you will find some pictures of students working together to create patterns with a variety of math manipulatives.
Finally, it is so important that there is open communication between your family and me.  I encourage you to call, e-mail or write a note if you have any questions or concerns about what your child is learning at school.  No question is too small!