Christmas with Chromebooks

When we checked out the Chromebooks this week, we used them to warm up for our math hour.  The games linked below have fun Christmas themes and practice addition and subtraction fluency.  Enjoy!

1. Reindeer Cafe

2. Cone Crazy

3. Add with Santa

4. Snowflake Subtraction

5. Hidden Picture

Matter Chatter

Our last set of reading books in our "World Changes" unit has been about how matter changes.  The students loved and learning about the three states of matter and how matter can change.  The different reading books explored various topics like water, geysers, lava, and more!  Above, the students are using their reading book to cite text evidence of the three states of matter.  See if your child can tell you three states of matter and give you some examples.

Since the reading unit was about how matter changes, we also spent a significant amount of time discussing how and why matter changes form.  Using this interactive game, the students experimented with how temperature can effect change.  You may access the site from home by clicking here.

Fact Families

Learning about fact families takes a lot of concentration!  We have been working hard at this important mathematical standard.  We are making a lot of progress.  Since this is a difficult concept, I want to include some resources in this post, as well as, share the ways we are practicing in class.  This would be a great concept to practice at home.   

The students are very solid in knowing how to put together an addition equation and writing the commutative property for addition.  For example, if you gave your child the numbers 3, 5, and 8, they are proficient at being able to see the equations 3+5=8 and 5+3=8.  However, making the two subtraction equations using those numbers is much more difficult.  A common mistake is just plugging the numbers in anywhere and making false equations like 3-5=8.  

I found this teaching video by the "Teacher Tipster" and thought it was a great way to explain how to write a fact family.  I used this method as soon as I had the chance.  Using color mixing to remember where the numbers in a fact family go made so much sense to the students. We are having a lot of success with this method. Please watch this video and see if your child can explain this method back.

   

After the light bulbs started turning on with the color mixing idea, we have been practicing fact families as many ways as possible. We have been doing many games on the interactive whiteboard and practicing writing fact families on our old fashion whiteboards. We have been taking quizzes using the ipads so I get instant feedback on how the children are understanding. I am finding that the students are getting stronger everyday but we still need some practice. Our class average score has been between 78-83%. I would like to get that up to 90%.  Another way we are practicing is with a Christmas math partner game.  The students toss two counters on Santa's beard and then write the fact family that would result from their toss.

Here is a fun website called Block Builder that helps practice fact families with an interactive game on the computer.  Also the app Fact Families is great for the ipad.  The app is $1.99.  Please work on this important concept at home.  You will notice that last week's homework was practicing fact families.  Thank you for your continued support!

Hour of Code

We are up for this challenge! We are ready to code! Click start to begin writing your lines of code. START

Last week was "Computer Science Education Week." The week was declared to bring computer science into schools and promote student interest in coding. A challenge was put forth for students to participate in an hour of code. The Connected Ones participated and wrote over 1500 lines of code in class. I see some future programmers in this class. 

 We started as a class working through a tutorial on the computer science education week website: csedweek.org.  The students had to solve puzzles to program an angry bird to move through mazes.  While they are "playing" the students are learning how code with repeat-loops, conditionals, and basic algorithms.  They had to use logic and problem solving skills.  The challenges also tested their persistence and "I can" attitude.  As they moved up levels, the students received video tutorials by gifted computer scientists in the field like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.  The children were amazing.  After we worked together for awhile, the students went to the Chromebooks and began their own coding.  Look how intense!  The children can code from their home computer as well.  Just follow the link above.

Of course, we also had to try coding on the ipad.  We used the app LightBot where students use programming to move a robot and light up tiles in a series of puzzles.  We have also used apps called Run Marco and Kodable.  All of these apps are free on the itunes store.  On free choice Friday, ALL of the students choose programming with one of these apps.  WOW!

Food Drive

     Thanks for all the donations to our food drive.  We have lined our hallway with all the cans and boxes!  The students at Eagle Cliffs are on such a roll that the food drive has been extended for one more week.
     Also, Mrs. Wolverton has offered a reward.  Any student donating 25 items gets a golden ticket.  The golden ticket enters the student in a raffle.  The raffle prize is a lunch date with Mrs. Wolverton and a guest.  Then, the winning student gets to race Mrs. Wolverton around the school.  The student will run as Mrs. Wolverton rides her scooter.  Pretty fun prize!
     Of course, the real winners are the family's in need this Christmas season. Your donations are much appreciated.

Grinch Day

We had a terrific Grinch day!  It was a busy, joyful day!  We started the day making a Grinch craft.  I just gave the children the paper and tracers...but no directions.  In the front of the room, I put up the finished example.  I love to see them work through and problem solve to figure out how the pieces go together.

Of course, we read the great book How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  I have the book as an app on my phone.  The book is on sale for $1.99 on the app store.  I love the OM Book apps because the students can read along with the book.  Click here to link to the book in the app store.

After reading the story, we talked about how the Grinch didn't have joy.  Together we brainstormed a list of things that bring us joy.  Then, the students made their own lists.   They worked so hard.  We used our joy lists to complete the morning craft.  We wrote on the Grinch's smile how we would make the Grinch grin.

Here are some of the excellent examples.  

I would make the Grinch grin by telling him jokes. 

  I would make the Grinch grin by showing him love.

I would make the Grinch grin by taking him to school.

I would make the Grinch grin by showing him joy.

I would make the Grinch grin by showing him my family. 

We made some magic Grinch dust to keep the Grinches away this Christmas.  To make Grinch dust you need a small bag of something sweet.  Then you add two drops of love and two drops of joy.  You must hug the love and joy in the bag until it turns green.  I have to ask you to do the last step at home.  Sprinkle the Grinch dust on your lawn Christmas Eve to keep the Grinch away and keep all your Christmas joy.

We also had an enormous QR hunt with Ms. Frey's class.  The Grinch tried to steal our Christmas by scrambling all our Christmas words and sight words.  We had to hunt all around the first grade classrooms to unscramble all the words.

It was such a wonderful day.  Check out the slide show below to see more images from our Grinch Day!

Grinch Day on PhotoPeach

Grinch Simile Writing

The story of the Grinch has a TON of figurative language.  The children were having so much fun on Grinch day they didn't realize we were still so busy learning.  One of our Common Core first grade objectives is to understand figurative language. 

We discussed the similes in the Grinch and then worked on writing our own similes.  First, we brainstormed lists of adjectives that describe the Grinch.  The children came up with some great words: furry, rotten, nasty, clever, lonely.  We continued with adjectives by listing words that described the Grinch's heart at the beginning of the story (tiny, empty, cold) and the end of the story (large, caring, happy).

Then it was time to write.  The students had to use a word on each chart to write a simile.  These first graders are incredibly creative.  Listen to a couple of the writings by listening to the audio clips below.

We also did some directed drawing to go with our writing.  The children are so proud of their drawings.  They should be because they worked so hard!

All the drawings are delightful.  I am working on typing up the similes and hanging the writing and drawings together in the hallway.  You will have to come take a look at all the great work on Gingerbread decorating day!

Gingerbread Stories

We have spent these first days of December reading and discussing different gingerbread tales.  We read several different versions of the story.  We read The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Bear, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Cowboy, Gingerbread Baby, Gingerbread Friends, and Gingerbread Pirates....just to name a few.  Did you know there were so many?  While we read, we compared and contrasted the stories.  We recorded our notes on a huge classroom chart.  We wrote the characters, refrain, and endings for each story.

We had some wonderful help meeting this important standard.  Our pen pals, education majors from Rocky, came into the classroom to read six of the versions on Wednesday.  The college students did such a great job reading and discussing the story elements.  Some even dressed up and brought props!  Then, at the end of their visit, the Rocky students gave each of the children a homemade gingerbread cookie that they decorated to go with their story.  So fun!  

The students were so lively in their discussions.  I even caught them independently discussing other versions that they had read or listened to on the ipads.  In addition to reading the stories, we also had learning centers with a gingerbread theme like the boy below that is sorting words by beginning sound.  For art, we made gingerbread ornaments.

Gingerbread even made its way into science.  In one of the gingerbread stories, the fox tricks the gingerbread man by convincing him to ride on his back across the river.  In this science experiment, our key question was: What would happen to the gingerbread man if he "swam" across the river himself?  We made predictions then tested our hypothesis.  The students observed and recorded what was happening to the gingerbread man in water at 20 minutes and one hour.  They concluded that water makes the gingerbread soggy and it will break apart.  Great work, scientists!