Rock On!

We are studying rocks and soil in our last science unit of the year. The class has been working on classifying rocks based on size and exploring different items that are made from rock material. Today, we went outside to find pebbles, gravel, sand, silt, and clay. We were able to find them all out on our playground.

A Camping We Will Go!

Today we started our Camping Unit. It will last for about 4 weeks and will be a good theme to have as review our literacy and math concepts from the year. Check back in to see all the neat camping things we are working on!

A Week in Review

We had an awesome week filled with lots of great activities. We are in an exciting part of the year. There are many things going on during and outside of the school day. Here are some pictures from the past week. 

This week in math was out last NEW topic for the year. For the next 5 weeks we will review before our  end of the year math assessment in May. This week we learned about 2 digit subtraction and addition and even learned REGROUPING!

We played a game called Scoot. During the game students traveled around the room every time they heard the bell and completed a different problem on their chart.

On Friday we attended Cafe de Glenwood. It was a French cafe set up in the courtyard. Students ordered in French from the menu and practiced speaking French with each other as they enjoyed croissants and Nutella.

A Few Lost Pictures

Here are a few lost pictures from the past month. Enjoy!

UNC Medical School Resident Presentation.

Read-A-Thon basketball game with the grinch.

Probability Activities 

Class Graph Activity...it's a Nephew! 

March Birthday Celebration

Getting cozy during reading centers. 

22 out of 22 kids LOVE Fractions!

This week in math we are working on fractions. We started the week learning about equal and unequal parts. Today we had a fraction scavenger hunt around the room. I gave the students a starting fraction and they had to find something in the room that matched. It was a challenge and they really had to get those brains in gear. Here are some examples of what they found!

See if you can find fractions around your house. The more you look the easier it gets! 

Music in the Classroom.

We use music as much as possible in the classroom. During center work in the morning we often have classical or other instrumental music playing to help students monitor their noise level. Music is also used for transitions. When students hear any of the songs below they know it's time to clean up and head to the carpet. It is such a great way to transition and gets us all singing, dancing, and smiling.

Here are a few of the songs we use:

I Mustache You a Question....

We are off to a quick start after Spring Break. I love this time of year in first grade because you can really see the student's growth take off both academically and socially.

This week in math we are looking at data and graphing. We will be working with bar graphs, tally charts, and pictographs. Here are some pictures of our activities this week.

Spending and Saving

The first lessons in our current Social Studies unit helped us compare needs and wants. The second lesson in the unit is to explore how to save money and how to spend it. This week the students were given a job to do in the classroom. Once they had completed their jobs they would get paid a "salary" to put towards their needs and wants in the classroom. Here is our price list:

The top three items are the "needs" of the classroom. These needs are what they must buy everyday before they are allowed to buy any wants. The wants are all the items in green. To add to the experience, students were given a variety of jobs with a variety of salaries. Some students have just enough money to pay for their needs while others are able to save more. We have had some great discussion as a class about whether this is fair or not. Overall the kids have been extremely excited this week to do their job and receive their salary. 

Bankers handing out money as people finish their jobs. 

Letter Sorters are putting all the letter in the right spot. 

Custodian is making our floor shiny and clean!

Surprise Box continued...

We opened our box today, and we were VERY excited about the present inside. It was something that was going to really help us practice our descriptive writing. We were going to have to use all 5 senses (even our favorite sense of taste!)

A Surprise Box...

This present arrived in the classroom this morning:

It's a present for the kids, we are using it to work on our descriptive language. We have been working with adjectives and property words in both writing and science. In order for the students to find out what was in the box, they had to complete a descriptive writing sheet first. Check back later in the week to find out what was in the box!