Fall Fun Adventures!

 

 Learning highlights from the week:

• Math- Second graders continued their work with number strings this week. Work will wrap up next week and we will be moving on to work on “enough for the class” problems.  

•  Example:  Ms Jones has 24 students and 16 pencils.  Does she have  enough pencils for the class?  How many more does she need?  I am looking for students to not only solve the problem, but to represent it   with an equation and show proof of their thinking.  First graders continued to work on addition story problems, choosing a strategy, showing their work and writing an equation.  

• Reading- We continue to build our reading stamina and we're slowly  stretching our reading times as well.  This next week we will officially be launching our Literacy Block.  Our goals for the week will include “building good reading habits, staying focused during our reading stations and building stamina”   

• Writing- We continued working in our writing notebooks and directed drawings. We were really focused on forming our letters correctly, using capital letters to begin sentences and periods and exclamation marks to end sentences.

• Science- Students learned more about the properties of rocks. We learned how pumice is formed and tested the density of different rock types. We used a float or sink experiment and learned some rock types float!

• Mindfulness - We continued to read books and talk about kindness, friendship and acceptance.

• Building Strong Work Habits-  So much of the hard work we do in first and second grade involves building strong work habits.  Helping students build stamina, perseverance, and resilience are integral parts to our school day.  It’s not uncommon for students, at this time of year, to come home very tired.  

• Time Management - Students are also learning how to manage their time during their school day.  Getting work completed in a given time frame is a learning goal for all first and second graders.

Exploring Rocks and Working Together!

 

 Learning highlights from the week:

• Math- Second graders continued to review their combinations to 10 and today we discussed order while adding 3 or more addends.  We will be  continuing that discussion next week.  First graders learned strategies for adding and solving story problems with both counting on and counting all strategies. They also learned the part, part, whole (math mountain) and 10 frame strategies.

• Reading- This week we worked on phonemic awareness, handwriting journals,  worked on stamina during book box time and continued work with Lalilo.  Next week I hope to begin small group work! 

• Science- Students learned that rocks are made up of minerals. We examined different types of rocks and learned a little about the rock cycle.

• Mindfulness - We continued to read books and talk about kindness, friendship and our emotions. We learned about the zones of regulation and the different kinds of thoughts we have.

Sunshine and Laughs for Week 3!

 Learning highlights from the week:

• Math- Second graders are working on combinations of numbers under 20 as well as an exploration of coin names and their value.  First graders have been practicing counting, playing Roll and Record and Double Compare!

• Reading-  Because we will be running literacy time using skill stations this year, the focus of our time right now continues to be how we function within a center model.  This includes; rotating through stations, building stamina and keeping our voice level low while reviewing letter sounds.  

• Writing-   This week we are working on self-portraits and basic handwriting skills. Letter formation and conventions are the foundation of our writing skills for the year.

• Social-Emotional Learning- We are learning all about the brain! Students learned that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is your wise leader and helps you to stop, think and make a good choice. They also learned that the Amygdala is your feelings center. We are learning how to regulate our bodies so we can learn. 

• Celebrations- This week we celebrated International Dot Day!  We read the story The Dot by Peter Reynolds, sang the song and created Dot Art to help inspire everyone to make their mark! Here is the link to the book and the song!               
• The Dot (story)                              The Dot song w/ motions