Today was Grandperson's/Special Persons' Day. It was wonderful to meet all of the Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and other Special Persons. The children presented their Special Person with a writing piece about them and together they wrote a special acrostic poem about the children. The children recited a poem about being thankful. Then we all participated in a Sing a long in the AP Room. It was a lovely day.
The First Grade and Kindergarten "chemists" got together and did a fun science experiment. We made popcorn kernels "bounce" by mixing water, vinegar, and a few pinches of baking soda. The children had a fantastic time and learned something new! Popcorn also ties in with our lessons on the Native Americans. The Native Americans taught the Pilgrims how to grow different crops, such as corn.
In Math, we continued to work on addition and subtraction facts to 12. We used many strategies to help us add and subtract. We used pictures, a number line, counters, and counting up. The children love working on their Fact Packs and Math Challenges. We learned about temperature and practiced reading the temperatures on a thermometer. We also made paper thermometers. We learned how addition and subtraction are related and began fact families.
In Science, we started our unit on Weather. We talked about different kinds of weather, temperature, and the sun. We learned how the sun affects the weather and how it effects the seasons. We did an experiment using thermometers. First we measured the temperature in the room. Then we held the thermometer tight in our hands and then we saw how the temperature rose. Finally we put our thermometers in ice water and observed what happened! Today we recorded the temperature of a thermometer placed directly in the sun and one in the shade. Then we discussed the results.
In Reading we continued to work on using good reading strategies. We finished up our unit on short vowels. We will begin blends next week. We worked on identifying character traits and comparing/contrasting characters. We read some super books with some very interesting characters. The Pain and the Great One, Amazing Grace, and Koala Lou are just a few examples. We also read Henry and Mudge the First Book, which all of the children loved. We also continued to work on reading with expression. This week we began reading and acting out make believe news reports. The children practiced reading with expression with a partner.
In Social Studies we have been learning about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans and the First Thanksgiving. We learned that the Native Americans used special pictures called pictographs to write stories. We wrote stories using pictographs. Everyone did a wonderful job. We also added our homes to the First Grade 3D Community map. We looked at a map of NJ to see where we lived and then we had to figure out where our towns were in relation to Wardlaw. The children had to find out if their town was North, South, East, West of our school. Here is a photo of the completed map!
We finished revising and editing our stories. Now we will begin the Publishing phase. Stay tuned for details about our Publishing Party...
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful class and wonderful parents too!
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