This was the perfect end to our informational writing unit. We will be ready to make our own human body books next year when we are 2nd graders!
We have just finished our unit on informational writing, but we had the opportunity to listen to 2nd grade's informational writing. They came to our classroom and read their books to us. It was fun to learn about the human body from these 2nd graders, and it was also cool for the students to see what would be expected of them next year.
This was the perfect end to our informational writing unit. We will be ready to make our own human body books next year when we are 2nd graders!
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Indoor recess isn't the best part of first grade, but we have figured out how to have extra recess fun even in our classroom. I was a little nervous about having so many students in one small space playing different games, but these students always prove me wrong. They did great!
Was it loud? Yes. Was it under control? Yes! Was it fun? For sure! Our American symbols are important so we have been learning about them all week. We learned that the Statue of Liberty was built by Frederick Bartholdi and was given as a gift to the United States from France. We also learned that this symbol stands for hope and freedom. Here are some of our fun facts about the Statue of Liberty. We also sorted information about Mount Rushmore into Facts and Opinions. We have really enjoyed our American Symbols unit and are excited for President's Day next week!
I don't believe that students are "smart" or "not smart". Even more importantly, I don't want my students to think in terms of smart or not smart (it is devastating how early kids start to identify in this way). For this reason we talk a lot about growth and effort. Our class celebrates getting better at things and fixing mistakes. So today many classrooms will celebrate being "100 Days Smarter" but in room 116 we are celebrating being 100 Days Stronger. Our brains are stronger, our cares and concerns for each other are stronger, and our stamina is stronger. We really do have a lot to celebrate. Sometimes teachers try to spice things up, and then things go horribly wrong. Sometimes teachers try to spice things up, worry the entire lesson, and then things go well. That happened today. In writing we have been writing informational texts. We call them teaching books. As a teacher, I want my students to have a well-rounded idea of what that can look like. It's really easy to fall into a routine of writing about animals, school, or fairly basic topics. There is a lot of value in this because students can focus more on the writing strategies than the writing topic. But then on a random Thursday morning, the daring teacher wants to stretch their brains... Today our class did a bit of research, recalled what we've learned in social studies class, and chose a writing topic based on those social studies topics. It should have been a huge disaster. Who knows how much they actually remember from our past social studies units? Plus putting these facts into "chapters" is much more difficult than putting an animal book into chapters (All About Animals, Animal Bodies, Animal Diets, Animals Playing). Like I said, it should have been a mess. It wasn't though. Students wrote about Martin Luther King Jr., maps, American symbols, the state of Missouri, and many other wonderful social studies topics. I was thrilled that the students were able to integrate their knowledge of social studies into the framework of writing an informational text. These kids are impressive. I can't wait to see these finished products! Day One: In what ways are we different? We started this social studies unit reading the book by Mem Fox, Whoever You Are. This beautifully written and illustrated book describes how we are all different in many ways, but in just as many ways, we are the same. We all love, we all hurt, and we all laugh. After reading and discussing differences and similarities, we created posters showing our unique characteristics. We are all different, we are all similar, and we are all special in our own ways! Day 2: How can we show respect to others even if they are different from us? After reading the book, Marianthe's Story: Painted Words, we discussed how we can show respect to people. The class came up with many wonderful ideas. Some were simple like smiling to someone or waving to them in the hall. Other ideas were more specific like helping someone up when they fall or pulling out a chair for someone. I'm lucky to spend time with such respectful, thoughtful students! Day Three: We'll read the book Marianthe's Story: Spoken Memories and continue our conversation on respect...stay tuned! The Hallway Display showing off our "All About ME" POsters.Today we were lucky enough to be joined by our district's IT experts! They brought incredible technology devices and software with them. Plus they brought the Steam bus! We spent all day learning about coding, circuits, robots, green screens, ipads, and so many other cool technologies! It was such a fun day that taught both students and teachers. Check out what my class thought about Tech Day at the end of this post. Here's what our class thought about Tech Day. A general consensus was that it was awesome!
Isabelle: The green screen was really fun! A green screen is something that news reporters use a lot. Vivi: My favorite technology was Dash & Dot. They are robots and you can use an ipad to control them. You can even play the xylophone with them. Dalton: The STEAM bus has a bunch of cool stuff on it! Khalan: I liked the musical fruit. Maliyah: We used circuits to make the fruit make noise. I liked Dash & Dot too because they can talk. Ava: I liked Dash & Dot. They are robots and they can move. They can run. Alex: I liked the bus because there is a robot on it that follows the track. They had cool seats. Erick: The wires on the bus were cool. Richmon: I liked the green screen because you can put pictures that aren't real. A green screen is a background where the back is all green then on the computer you can put pictures onto your background. This week during social studies we have been learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact he made on the civil rights movement. We have learned the details of MLK's life and work as well as the importance of equality and desegregation. It was very cool to see our class come together and picture what life would look like for us if MLK hadn't shown such bravery and determination. As one of my students said, "If Martin Luther King didn't fight with his words, we couldn't be a family (meaning class)." Today was the first day for our student teacher, Mrs. Ducommun. She is a wonderful teacher and already making a big impact on our class. It has been fun to hear the kids teach Mrs. Ducommun all about TMP and our classroom.
If you see Alyssa, please make her feel welcome! The prairie pup and I are most certainly excited to have her join us! Ah the sweet sound of a quiet classroom. It is good to be back! These first graders came in with a mix of exciting stories to tell and sleepy eyes. Our brains are muscles and if these kiddos are anything like me, they haven't been working that muscle too hard in the last few weeks. We are easing back into the grind by writing about our breaks. The students did a great job working quietly and for an extended period of time. Day One: success! |
About Room 116We are mathematicians, readers, writers, scientists, teammates, and first graders. We spend our days exploring, listening, and learning. We know that learning can feel uncomfortable sometimes, but as a team, we support each other and help each other reach our goals. Join us on our journey! Archives
August 2016
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