Warm Winter? No Problem! 1st Graders Make Their Own Snow!

Winter seems to be running at little late. So, first graders at RES decided to take matters into their own hands and make their own snow.  We called upon our good friend Professor Snow to help us create our own snow with a super absorbent polymer!  It was a blast bringing a bit of winter into our classroom.

What's the pattern?

First Graders are learning all about numbers and the patterns they make when you count.  Today, learners created counting strips.  They noticed that the one's column repeats 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and then back to O.  Then 10’s column does the same thing but repeats the same number 10 times.  Many students are wondering what will happen when they reach 100. Ask your first grader what number comes after 100 to find out!

Hour of Code in 1st Grade

Ever wonder how a video game works or how your computer knows how to do stuff? Today our first graders got a glimpse of how code works. Code is simply instructions for your computer. We tried out Scratch Jr. for our Hour of Code. Learners got a chance to code character design, movements, sounds and backgrounds to create mini scenes. It was amazing to watch our learners experiment and problem solve together. Scratch Jr. Is a free app that can be downloaded to use at home. We will continue to practice with it here at school too!

Bon Voyage!

Our first graders have packed their bags and boarded their first flight bound for Israel.  Upon arrival, our passports were stamped as we entered the country. During our visit, we are learning a bit about the geography.  Many of our first graders would like to take a dip in the Dead Sea.  Ask your child why it's called the Dead Sea!  After a refreshing swim, we are going to learn all about Hanukkah.  Kept checking our blog for updates to our intinerary.  Here a few pictures of our plan ride, including the in flight movie!

What Does Literacy Look Like?

Literacy in first grade can look like many things. Ask one of our first graders what literacy is and they will tell you many things, but the most important is learning to read and write well! 

As I looked around our room today, I had a moment of true joy! Every learner was engaged and working hard to improve their literacy skills. Some students were working in a small group, some were working on spelling, some were reading independently, while others were playing literacy games on our new iPad!

It is so exciting to see our learners gaining independence and taking responsibility for their learning. Ask your first grader what they like best about literacy!

Ice Cream in the Classroom

During our final visit with Miss Virginia, our students got a chance to make a dairy favorite, vanilla ice cream. We mixed cream, sugar, and vanilla on one side of the ice cream ball and added salt and ice to the other. Then we let the good times roll! Students passed the ball, keeping it constantly rolling along! After about 20 minutes, we couldn't wait anymore! We decided a milkshake was almost as good as ice cream!  Thank you Miss Virginia for  coming into our classroom and teaching us all about farms in Vermont!

Number Talks

2 days a week, our first graders are treated to number talks with Mrs. Roberge. During our 10 minute talks, students break down numbers and number sentences and share their thinking. These talks are a great opportunity to learn from one another and look at number combinations in different ways! 

Donors Choose For Our Classroom

Friends and Families,

I want to make sure my students have the materials they need to succeed, so I just created a request for my classroom at DonorsChoose.org: 

iPads For Opportunities In First Grade 

Give to my classroom by November 14, 2015 and your donation will be doubled thanks to DonorsChoose.org. Just enter the code SPARK on the payment page and you'll be matched dollar for dollar (up to $100). 

If you chip in to help my students, you'll get awesome photos and our heartfelt thanks. 

Thanks so much, 

P.S. If you know anyone who may want to help my classroom, please pass this along! 

The DonorsChoose.org Team

Cool Cows

This week with our Dairy in the Classroom program, our students learned more about dairy farms and created amazing cow Tshirts.  Students also learned how important cows are for our favorite foods! Below we have also included the first time washing instructions for your child's new shirt.  

Fiber Farms in Vermont

First Graders continue to learn all about farms in Vermont.  This week Miss Virginia taught us all about fiber farms.  Many people think of sheep and wool, but our learning didn't stop there.  We also learned about alpaca fibers.  Did you know alpaca wool is 2 times warmer and lighter than sheep wool?  It's also is a lot softer!  We also learned that rabbit hair can be used to create a soft warm yarn.  Each student got a hands on experience pulling and twisting a variety of the fibers.