November Happenings Part 4! Whew!

November was such a busy month!  We learned about Pilgrims, Native Americans, and turkeys of course!  We are currently learning various ways to organize our writing.  "Organization" is one of the 6 traits of writing we use to help us become great writers.  Last time, I told you we were learning about and using transition words.  We also learned about timelines.  The students created their own timeline after reading about the story of the Pilgrims sailing on the Mayflower and their friendship with the Native Americans.

Then, as a follow-up, the kiddos used a graphic organizer to record the activities they do on a Saturday.  They used this to help them write the activities in order.

When learning about the help the Native Americans gave to the Pilgrims, we read about them showing the Pilgrims how to plant corn.  Well, of course, we had to taste-test some popcorn and work in some math along the way!  Everyone tasted three different flavors of popcorn and then we gathered our data.  (We also learned a new word - Data!) Following this we completed several different types of graphs and wrote about what the graphs were showing us.   (Interpreting and writing about data is a part of the Common Core State Standards.)

This month we also continued to learn why it is important to be able to make inferences about the characters and plots in the stories we read.  We also learned how to use the text features in nonfiction books to determine important information the author is trying to convey.  We discussed how we use inferences every day in real life.  For example, we check the weather forecast to decide how to dress for the day.  One of our favorite activities is called "The Picture of the Day."  Students get into their small groups and make inferences about a picture.  They take turns sharing the clues they see in the picture and everyone writes those down.  Then, as a group, the boys and girls make an inference as to what is happening in the picture.  When everyone finishes, we share these as a whole group.  We also, have a "Mystery Box" in which there is an object and the kiddos have to make inferences as to what it is based on the weight, sound, and smell, etc.  They love this activity!  Here are a few pictures of the groups working on the "Picture of the Day."

Towards the end of the month we had a school-wide celebration activity for PBIS. The students were taught several different dance steps and practiced them to everyone's enjoyment!  We had a great time!!

Also, a group brought a dairy-themed nutrition, and physical fitness program to our school.  The boys and girls got to have lots of fun while learning about healthy eating and the importance of exercise.

Our cafeteria staff also decorates for us to help inspire healthy eating and to make it a pleasurable experience during lunch.

On to December!!  Happy Holidays!

Inferencing and Brown Bag Book Club

This week, as a part of our Daily 5 routine, time was spent introducing and practicing the use of inference when reading to increase comprehension.  We have been unofficially practicing this since the beginning of the year while discussing a "Picture of the Day."  With this students are told to use any clues they see in the picture to try to interpret what is going on in the picture.  There are no titles, captions or any other words to use.  We practice making "smart" guesses like a detective would when using all of the clues we can find.  We took this one step further this week as we used the David Shannon book titled "No, David!" for these activities. First, we discussed two terms:  "schema" (what we already know) and "evidence" (looking at the clues).  Then, as we read the story, students used "turn and talk" to discuss what they were seeing in the pictures.  They used these clues to aide in making their inferences about the story.  We wrote some of these down on chart paper for later reference.  Afterwards, students created a "David" and wrote about one of their inferences and the clues they used to make it.  We will continue to work with the inference strategy all year long.

 

"Cheerleader" spelling was used to practice our word wall words.  Students took turns leading the class in cheers for each of the words.  They had fun showing off their best "cheerleader moves."

Everyone was very excited on Friday when we got to have our first "Brown Bag Book Club." We use this time to discuss a book we have read during the week.  Students complete a story map, or some other type of book response to glue to their bag.  Then, I fill the bags with a treat to munch on during our discussion.  Students are seated in groups and practice taking turns being the group leader/spokesperson for each question.  They also have to practice good small group etiquette such as learning how to take turns and how to be good listeners.  Most of all,they have to really dig deep and think about the story, the author's purpose, and what connections they can make.  Our first Brown Bag Book Club went very well and the kiddos are looking forward to the next one!

In math we continued working on addition, story problems, and graphing.  We also took our first "timed" test over the addition and subtraction facts.  This will be used as a benchmark assessment.

Lastly, I want to close with something one of my little boys said that just made my whole week! He is one who for the first several days of school kept asking when it would be time to go home, or when it would be time for recess, or lunch.  In other words, he just wasn't into the school routine yet. However, this week he came to me at the end of a regular full day of school and asked if it it was a half-day.   When I told him that it had been a regular, full day and that it was time to go home he said, "No, it can't be time to go home!  We have so much more learning to do!"  Joy filled my heart as I thought, "Wow, we have come a long way in these first couple of weeks of 1st grade! It's going to be a great year!"