Smart Cookies

First grade is full of smart cookies.  In addition to comparing and contrasting different gingerbread stories, we did all sorts of learning with the gingerbread theme.  One of our learning centers was to sort the cookies by beginning sound.  In writing, we used adjectives and transition words (first, next, then, last) to write a piece on how to eat a gingerbread cookie.  Then, in spelling, we made words from the letters g-i-n-g-e-r-b-r-e-a-d. For art, we made gingerbread ornaments and giant gingerbread faces.  In math, we worked on fact families and missing addend problems.  For example, I have 15 gingerbread cookies.  8 are in the cookie jar.  How many are still in the oven?

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!

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! Click on photos in spiral to enlarge. 

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...but you will have to read about that in the "Smart Cookies" post above!

Fa La La 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. 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!

Spy School - Mission Complete

We had the best day!  Our classroom was transformed.  We were not first graders today, we were special agents investigating the science of sound.  Let me back up.  The intrigue started the day before our spy school.  Mrs. Wolverton came down to our classroom.  She had mysterious TOP SECRET message for each first grader.  The messages were dropped of by a special agent.  The children were so curious.  When they got the envelopes home, they found a message in a puzzle.

The students were so curious. Tuesday, when they arrived, our classroom was blocked with caution tape.  Students had to do a fingerprint scan with Agent S before being allowed access to spy school.  Inside...WOW!  The new agents had a mission card, dark sunglasses, an ID badge, and their Launch Logs.  It was finally time to learn about the mission.

The mission for the day was introduced with a short video message.  The students were to complete different experiments on sound.  The objective was to learn how sound is made and how sound can travel.  The agents of sound were so engaged in their learning.  After each station was complete, the agents put a fingerprint on their mission cards.

 

The sound investigations included listening to your heart using a stethoscope, creating different ways to get sound from a metal water bottle,  exploring the sounds of a rubber band against a plastic cup, and observing sound waves in action with salt, a glass, and tuning forks.  The special agents recorded their learning in their launch logs.  After the sound stations, the agents received a coded message.  The students were able crack the code to discover the message, "Sound travels in waves. Vibration creates sound."

 

The last task to complete was to use the knowledge of how sound travels to make a cup phone.  The agents worked hard to create the phone and then perform some tests.  The special sound agents had to test to see if the sound traveled better with a tight string or loose.  They also tested to see what happened if you held onto the string.  Would the sound still travel?

So much learning occurred before noon!  The agents worked very hard and received spy certificates.  What an amazing group of special agents.  Special thanks to Hope King at Elementary Shenanigans for the inspiration and to Project Lead the Way for the rigorous curriculum materials.  Also, thank you, Agent S and Agent K for assisting the learning.  Signing off....Agent N.

Turkey Time

Well, I could not be more thankful to teach these turkeys!  We have such a great time learning!  Of course, with Thanksgiving this week, we have been working on our standards but with a turkey twist.  For example, we made these fact family turkeys to practice properties of addition.

Since we have been working on animal locomotion in reading, we made a list of vivid verbs for "Run, Turkey, Run!"  Then, we made a class book about how some turkeys got away!

 Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.