They’re here!
The books from the first round of the Book Order Project arrived this week! Students enjoyed them first as read-clouds and will now be able to choose them to read during Reader’s Workshop.
The books from the first round of the Book Order Project arrived this week! Students enjoyed them first as read-clouds and will now be able to choose them to read during Reader’s Workshop.
How can students in Room 123 achieve their goals as a learning community? Students turned to fiction texts to discover answers!
Students listened to and discussed many stories, then inferred the lessons the authors wanted them to think about.
As they did so, they also practiced using key comprehension strategies.
Last week, students read and analyzed Milk Goes to School, using text-to-text connections to help them understand the story better.
Readers will continue to refine their use of these strategies throughout the year, both during read-alouds and in their own reading of text.
After our field trip to the Farmer’s Market, first graders in Room 123 enjoyed a rainbow feast of fruits and vegetables!
Students shared their preferences after eating and analyzed the resulting graph.
This field trip served as the start to our study of healthy eating–watch for updates. Special thanks to our field trip chaperones and all our families for preparing the foods!
Students in Room 123 have completed the first round of the Book Order Project! Here’s how the project works:
Working in small groups, students selected books they would like to add to our classroom library; the total cost could be no more than $20. Then they made and presented their choices to their classmates. Their presentations included reasons to choose the books as well as explanations of their math thinking. Finally, they voted on which group of books to order. The books chosen have been ordered–you’ll be able to see which ones when they arrive!
In the process, students began learning how to work effectively in small groups. Take a look!
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First graders in Room 123 recently learned how to use PicCollage, an iPad app that incorporates photos, text, and stickers. They worked in pairs or groups of three to experiment with this app, which they will use throughout the year for a variety of writing projects.
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As defined in Room 123, skeptics are people who listen carefully, think about what they heard, ask questions if they don’t understand, and sometimes respectfully disagree and explain why.
It is easy to convince yourself or a friend, but it is much harder to convince a skeptic! Mathematicians in Room 123 are learning to do just that by using precise math language.
Students concluded our study of geometry by finding shapes in the real world. They worked in pairs or small groups to find shapes and list the evidence for their choices. Then they presented their findings to their classmates, who acted as skeptics. Take a look!
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A large and wide-ranging vocabulary is key to deep comprehension when listening and reading as well as to effective communication when speaking and writing. To help students develop such vocabularies, students in Room 123 are introduced to several new words each week. Most words are connected to literature being read in class. Often, the words have multiple meanings. Students listen and look for these words throughout the day, eventually making the words their own.
These words are intended to become part of students’ listening and speaking vocabularies in first grade. Families can help students by incorporating these words into conversation at home. Look for new words along with student-friendly definitions each week on the Wondrous Words page above!
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Mathematicians in Room 123 are learning about geometry, focusing on 2-dimensional shapes. At the same time, they are learning about what mathematicians do.
Earlier this week, they persevered to solve this challenge!
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In a classroom makerspace, students have access to various materials with which they can design and create. As envisioned by the Institute for Technology in Education (ISTE), makerspaces “promote learning through play and experimentation and are cross-disciplinary, with elements of art, science, and craftsmanship.” Classroom makerspaces encourage “a stance toward learning…a conviction that problems are made to be solved.” Development of this growth mindset will benefit students in all areas of schooling and life. Take a look at one of the first days in our makerspace!
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Room 123 prepared and presented plays based on Douglas Florian’s poems. Take a look at the process!
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