Going Green with Green Eggs and Ham

Tuesday of our super fun Seuss week included Green Eggs and Ham.  In the morning, we ate green eggs and ham.  Delicious!  Thank you to the Mockels and Culps.  The children LOVED it! Of course, we read the famous story.  Then, we did a graph of if we liked Green Eggs and Ham or not.  Most kids did!

Then, we did a rewrite of the story Green Eggs and Ham.  The students had to think of something they didn't like to eat and make some rhymes to go with!  They turned out great! The students had to work really hard on the rhymes.

We not only wore green for Green Eggs and Ham.  In the afternoon, we talked about "going green" for our environment.  We read Dr. Seuss's story The Lorax.  The Lorax has an important ecology lesson that goes perfectly with our latest inquiry unit of protecting Earth's natural resources.  After we reading the story, we discussed the book and made connections to the reading we have been doing in our ecology unit.  As a class we made a Popplet about protecting the Earth's treasures. 

Using our Popplet, we did some writing.  The students wrote how they would be like the Lorax and protect/help the Earth.  After writing, we colored an Earth on a coffee filter.  When we sprayed the colored coffee filters with water, the effect made a beautiful looking Earth.  Our craft and writing is now hanging in the hallway. 

Fox in Socks~ Reading Kick-Off

To "kick off" our read-a-thon reading, we wore silly socks.  Our annual read-a-thon coincides with Read Across American and Dr. Seuss's birthday, so reading the book Fox in Socks seemed like a must today!  We read it despite the clear warning at the beginning of the book that the sentences can tie your tongue in knots with all the rhymes.  The children wore their craziest socks and we practiced finding and making rhymes.  We even did a fun sort of real words and nonsense words.  We also read Dr. Seuss's Foot Book, for feet go well with socks.  Check out our  "Foxy" socks and cute feet!

Our literacy centers are filled with Dr. Seuss this week. Here are just a few. We have several books on our class ipods. The children are loving listening to them at "read along" center.  There is a magnetic letter center where students are assembling famous Dr. Seuss quotes. Students are writing silly sentences of rhyming words in another center.  For word work, students are matching the scrambled green eggs of mixed up sight words.  I also have a collection of Dr. Seuss digital books for the iPad. The apps are the books with the option to have the books read aloud. The apps are on sale this week from Oceanhouse Media Books. I highly recommend!

Yay For Long A

In spelling and phonics, we have been exploring the different ways to make long a.  Specifically, our words this week have ai, ay, or a_e patterns.  In first grade, we don't do the traditional get your word list on Monday and take a test on Friday.  However, we do have a spelling focus weekly.  We practice the patterns through several different modalities and mediums.  We use our whiteboards, the iPad, stamps, games...any engaging idea I can think of to read, write, make and break spelling words.  Watch the weekly newletters and completed center work to see what patterns we are working on next.  Of course, I am always here to answer questions as well.

Hoppy Leap Day!

We took advantage of our leap day with great learning.  In science, we have just started studying the sun, so the students were very interested in the Earth's orbit around the sun taking 365 days and 6 hours.  We acted out the Earth's orbit using a marble as the Earth and a big playground ball as the sun.  Next we did some math to figure out when the next leap year would be and how old these first graders would be.  The future thought really astounded the children.  On the next leap day, they will be fifth graders!



Then it was time for some real LEAPING!  The first graders had a blast measuring three giant leaps.  But it wasn't all about the measuring. 

After the three leaps, we added our measurements.  Student used their iPad as a tool to manipulate base ten blocks and solve equations like 47+42+45.  Amazing job!

Mental Math~ 10 more, 10 less

    The students are getting very proficient at place value concepts.  They have been working so hard.  We have now moved to adding large numbers with in 100.  You would never guess that they are first graders with how they add, subtract, and build tens.  They are amazing.  Before getting in the thick of double digit addition and subtraction, we are building some mental math fluency by taking a number and quickly knowing 10 more, 10 less, 1 more, and 1 less.
     To build this mental math quickness we practice in a variety of ways.  For example, at morning meeting we have been solving different number mazes.  The children start at a particular number, in the example to the left it was 50.  The path to the next step gives a direction: 10 more, 10 less, 1 more, or 1 less.  Each time a new direction is given the students have to model the action on two reflected iPads (pictured below).  One iPad has base ten blocks to model the numbers, additions, and subtractions with manuplatives.  The other iPad has a 100s chart to flip the number path.  Students quickly discovered numbers moved to the left for one less, to the right for one more, to the top for ten less, and downward for 10 more.  At the end of the maze, the students discovered the "secret number." 
   The students really worked well as a team to read the clues, act out the additions and subtractions, and write down the numbers on the maze.  Such impressive thinking. 
    Of course, we have a partner game for every important math concept!  When students were doing well whole group, the concept of mentally adding and subtraction ten went into a partner game.  In this game, student uncovered a number at the top and then had to add or subtract 10 to cover and number on their game board.  The first player to get three in a row won the game.  Look at the concentration!

Last, we also practiced this mental math concept independently.  We have had paper pencil activities, like this paper with a QR tech twist. 

 Certainly part of the students' success and achievement with place value has to be the apps and online computer games.  The ipads and computers provide such engaging independent practice.  Further, the apps give the children immediate and specific feedback about their math work.  The apps also allow the students to work at their exact level, pushing and strengthening their conceptual knowledge right where they need it.  For this particular standard, a great app has been Mystery Number . The app contains four different games that give students lots of opportunities to explore concepts of number and place value.  The game "More or less?" practices ten more ten less.