Apple Day

We displayed our apples in a 3 color Venn diagram. We estimated the circumference of our own apple, and made a string graph showing strings that were too short, just right, or too long. We got to dip (not double dip) our apples into a caramel sauce. We painted apples to go with our portfolio poem. We saw a video about Johnny Appleseed and I made an apple pig. It was a delicious day!

Circle of Friends

Everyone has returned their doll that looks like them. They are amazing. Thank you for helping your child. Almost everyone has learned their classmates' names.

More Patterns

Our student teacher did a lesson about patterns in which they got to choose patterns made from 2 red, 2yellow, 2 green, & 2 orange gummi bears. They had to think of different patterns for each row. They got to share their favorite one at the microphone. They also created people patterns. The one in the picture is an AAB pattern. Girl, girl, boy, girl, girl, boy....

King and Queen

Each child will get to be a King or Queen for the day. We ask each child to tell us their favorite color, food, brothers, sisters, and what they like best in school. After we write a page in our book about them, we make words with their name. One child had 37 words from her name.

Bonanza Gold Mine

This is our Reading map and incentive chart. After the students return 3 slips, (one per day), their miners will appear on the map and they will get a Trip to the Principal and a certificate.

Bike Rodeo

We found out about the Bike Rodeo just last week. We sent two notes home and just about everyone got the message.


The weather was perfect for riding our scooters and bikes. The 5 kids that were pedestrians, also got to be train cars for the railroad crossing. That was fun too. Everyone remembered helmets. Safety was the rule of the day.

Centers in Training

We are practicing being independent workers at centers, so we can work quietly when guided reading with the teacher starts next week. We started with the Computer center and Listening center.


Also, we practiced being quiet for the Reading, Math, Art, and Game center. We all did the Journal center together.


Next week, we will practice doing the Word Work, Publishing, and Writing centers.

Store

On Fridays we have our "STORE", where the students cash in all of their eagle coins that they have earned for good behavior and responsibility. For each 5 eagle coins they get a sticker for their bus card. When the card is filled with 6 stickers, it becomes their bus ticket to our store. There are pencils, erasers, stickers, little toys, and small candies. They get one to go home with their ticket.

Pattern Math Games or Math Menus

The children practiced when they have been learning about patterns with some engaging activities. As I checked them off, I could tell if they understood the concept. The games were called surrounding patterns, bear stairs, pattern block walls, pattern bears game, button up, link-its, unifix cubes trains, and pick a pattern. When they finished all of the menu items, they got to make a huge surrounding pattern with pattern blocks.

Library and Literacy

The students are learning to check in their books. It's fun! After the librarian reads a story to them and they check out another book (if they returned last week's book)

then Mrs. Hamilton, our literacy specialist teaches a 20 minute lesson to them about comprehension or phonics.

Our Student Teachers This Year

I have two student teachers from the U. of U. again this year. Their names are Mrs. Morley (who is in Kindergarten right now), and Miss Vanderhoof. They trade off every 7 weeks with Kindergarten and my 1st grade class. They come on Wed. and Thurs. now and then in Jan. they will stay each day. They are both wonderful. They help out with stories, calendar, Making Words, kids who need help, etc. They will doing lessons too. Miss Vanderhoof has skills with sign language. She explained how she goes to Africa in the summers to teach deaf children.

Getting to Know You Game

It's called the M &M Sharing Game, but this year I didn't use M&M's. They are processed in a plant that uses peanut oil. I am getting used to reading labels carefully. As the students picked out a colored candy of a certain color, they got to tell the table friends about themselves. Then we learned some interesting facts about our friends as a whole class. For Friendship Circle, we are trying to learn each others names this month.

Silent Sustained Reading

Each morning the whole school does a Silent Reading time. My students are learning how to do this silently for a sustained time. I rotate boxes of books on various levels, so they may choose and enjoy many books during the week.

Watermelon Day

Watermelon Day was a surprise, because I had one in a box and the kids asked 20 yes or no questions until someone guessed ...a watermelon. We estimated the weight (18 lbs.), and the circumference (with strings), and how many seeds (363). We counted the seeds in our own slice and added them up with my giant calculator. We ate it outside under the tree and wrote some adjectives on a portfolio page with a cool art project with real seeds. We also took home a watermelon art page on graph paper.

Fruit Salad Day

Thanks for sending a fruit with your child. Everyone remembered! We graphed them, counted them, and compared them. Then Mrs. Morley washed and cut up the fruit for a fabulous fruit salad. We ate it under the tree outside. We also played a fruit basket game under the tree.

Popcorn Day

Our first day of school was poppin' good fun! We popped popcorn, estimated how many kernals in 1/4 c. (it was 366) and played a spinner game with popcorn. We learned a poem, illustrated a book and read the Popcorn Dragon. We also learned a bunch of rules and procedures, including LUNCH. Wow, the students did a good job on their first day.