Field Day Part II
What a beautiful (and cold) day! The Superheroes were pretty excited about field day. We worked all week on our special banner. Which promptly got torn in the windy breeze. Congratulations to Allie who got to silly string Coach Jody. The most exciting thing was winning the Hula Hoop Game and then having Mr. Obi announce it. ( I have it ALL on video!)
Construction Completed!
The gingerbread house is officially done!! Our pesky little elf came up with the idea to use pink border to make it look like icing. I have to say he was right! We had some leftover ornaments so we decided to hang them in the house to get that lovely cinnamon aroma just like what Hansel and Gretel must have smelled!
Glitterizing?!
The final stage in the process of making the cinnamon ornaments is to glitterize them! This was the fun part. The Superheroes came up with beautiful ways to make their ornament special.
Audience
I think everyone enjoyed the show! A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Bardin who made this all possible. She is amazing! I told several parents that all I did was line up the students from tallest to shortest. Mrs. Bardin did everything else!
Time for the Music Program
First picture shows how great we all look. Ready to perform.
The second pictures shows how we feel inside!!! So excited and nervous!
Holiday Party
We loved our holiday party! Thank you to Henry's mom and Julia's mom. The ornaments were fabulous and the ice cream delicious!! We used the leftover paint to create a painting party for the newly created, but still unfinished gingerbread house. Once the roof was up, Kiara was the first person to try it out. Looks like a good spot for reading!
Gingerbread Girls and Boys
If you build a gingerbread house, you will need gingerbread girls and boys to decorate it with.
Building a Gingerbread House
Once upon a time Mr. Johnson, our plant operator, gave us the inside of the paper towel box to use in our classroom. We used them during math workstations to sort objects and practice skip counting. (Ms. Patin came in to observe one time and was quite impressed!) The Superheroes decided to create more challenges in math workstations and did not need the cardboard anymore. We all discussed what could we build? Well, the day after reading Hansel and Gretel and making cinnamon ornaments - we decided to build a Gingerbread House! But how would we do it? The students gathered their materials, drew blueprints, and tried many different ways. In the end, we decided the boards should lay horizontally and be stacked on top of each other. I had the ingenious idea of using duck tape to stick it together. And the rest as they say is history...
Mapping Stories
This time instead of writing about the characters and the plot we actually mapped where our character went in the story. The students used three important parts of a map: compass, title, and map key to create a map of the story. Our first attempt did not work as well as expected. After reflecting about what the purpose of a map is the students realized that they needed to try again. The second mapping effort was amazing. We compared our first and second attempts and we were very proud of the effort thought, time and expertise we displayed. The map keys use symbols to represent places on the farm where Rosie walked. They were clear and easy to follow.
We realized that it was a circular map much like the stories we have been reading by Laura Numeroff. Love this transdisciplinary approach to learning in the classroom!
Gingerbread Ornaments
We were inspired by the story Hansel and Gretel to make our own gingerbread. This recipe is a little different because we used GLUE! We encountered many conundrums while making the mixture. As you can see it is a little messy. One student came up with the idea of using plastic wrap on the rolling pin and that solved the problem! Next, we had to wait for the the ornaments to dry. The smell was delicious and everyone who came into the room wanted to know if we were baking cookies! The last step was to add glitter and VIOLA... beautiful ornaments that smell good enough to eat!
Holidays around the World
We continued our inquiry of different holidays around the world and the symbols used. Today we used the map to find the country of Israel and discussed Hanukkah. We learned the story of the eight lights and how it is symbolized with the Menorah. The students are enjoying talking about the different cultures and traditions that each of us celebrate.
Student Led Conferences
The Superheroes are getting ready for student led conferences. They are reviewing their summative assessments so they will be prepared to talk about the units of inquiry completed. For this planner, we created a dramatization of what we know. The students worked in cooperative groups to write a script that showed what they know about the central idea and the three lines of inquiry. I created a QR code that will the parents to scan and watch the video!
SinterKlaas Dag!
This is a group of very excited Superheroes! Turns out that if you make a model of klompen (wooden shoes) Sinterklaas just might come and visit you. Of course, you must leave hay and carrots to feed his white horse. We are not sure how he made it here all the way from Spain, but we love the treats he left for us. Dank u Well, Sinterklaas!!
Symbols Around The World
Looking at symbols around the world is a great way to incorporate winter holidays. I began with my tradition which is Sinterklaas Dag. The students learned about how a different country and culture celebrate. This includes the foods we eat, the songs we sing, and the stories we read. We learned about the geography of the country and the land forms that exist. We found out that the Dutch must wear wooden shoes because it is so wet. (Because it is below sea level)
Our Classroom Economy
As we delved into our central idea about economic activities, The Superheroes decided that we should develop a classroom economy. After much discussion and debate - here's what we finally decided on. The first day the school store opened it was interesting to hear the students discussing what item to buy and what criteria they were using to make that decision.
World Market
The second group of Superheroes wrote a play about a world market selling
all different kinds of goods that required a variety of resources to make.
I turned the plays into QR Codes which you can scan and then watch on our I phone.
Please be sure to come to student led conferences in order to see The Superheroes in action!
The Pizza Place
Roll A Story
Today for a fun writing activity we did a Roll A Story. Everyone loved it! The Superheroes came up with some great plot twists in their stories. So proud of all the hard work. Next, we had to share them all because they were so good! I hope you enjoyed listening to them during your holiday break!
Goods and Services
This is a good time of the year to discuss the goods and services we use. As we discussed how things are organized we decided to look at goods and services around the world not just in our community. We are realizing that it is more difficult then we thought. After many conversations, this is what we developed so far.
Learner Profile and Attitudes
Today we did an in-depth study of the attitudes. It was interesting because all three of the groups had a hard time with the word empathy. Most students connected it to how would we feel if we were homeless. We reread and discussed classroom books and determined what attitude the character was showing. Next, we had to present the book, the character and our reasoning for the choice.
One last time...
This is what I love about my Superheroes... We sat down to watch all the other grade levels walk by in costumes. When it was all over and we had to wait...
The Superheroes just started reading their books!
Fairy Tale Parade
It was an exciting day today! Loved all the costumes and characters that showed up in the classroom. The students were so enthusiastic about their choices!
Literacy Stations
Here's a glimpse into the literacy stations in our classroom. You can find students reading and writing in all parts of the room. In the science station, students are exploring using science tools such as magnifying glasses and balances. We are also carefully watching the seeds we planted to see if they sprout. In the writing center, students are engaged in several different writing possibilities from zig zag stories to a weekend report. I love seeing what emerges on the large white board during stations. This week I saw the questions who, what , when where and why used as an organizer to map out a possible story. During Stop, Drop and Write, students are encouraged to build a setting and then write the story that goes with it. So much creativity, imagination and fun with learning!
A Superhero...
Together the team of Superheroes put together this chart as a reminder of Who We Are. We want our first grade year to be the best! We finished reading a trilogy by Emily Jenkins and it ends with the three animals wondering why they are there? I posed that question to the Superheroes...
We are here to make friends
to learn math
to be kind to each other
to help one another
Roles and Responsibilities
Our second line of inquiry asks what are the roles and responsibilities of people in our community. Today the students created a school community and then discussed what everyone's job was in the community. Some of the jobs do involve economic activity whereas other do not. For example, a student in the classroom as the responsibility of working and cooperating with others. They do not earn an income for doing that. On the other hand, teachers have a responsibly to teach and for that they earn an income. We will continue to explore the central idea that interactions in a community involve economic activity.
Our Spooky Stories
Here's is the second part of the assignment. The students worked together to create a picture that matched the story. It was great to see the pride in both classes for the final work product.
After the fifth grade buddies left, we reflected on our learning. Here is what we found out:
I learned you have to be patient because you have to be respectful when the fifth graders are talking.
If you work together you get more ideas.
We made mistakes on the organizer, but I figured it out when we started to write.
I had to be a risk-taker because we made mistakes.
I learned how to be a communicator because by talking I got more ideas.
You have to read after you write to make sure it makes sense.
Fifth Grade Buddies!
Last week was very exciting! We met our fifth grade buddies for the first time! When Ms. Dennis moved to fifth and I moved to first we thought it would be a great learning combination for the kids. Every year we create experiences for the students to share together. Our first visit was a writing/art activity. The fifth graders worked with the first graders to brainstorm ideas for a ghost story focusing on our objective for the week which was developing the plot of a story. Next, the fifth graders wrote the story while the first graders dictated it.
Random Photos
Allie's mom generously donated a camera that she was not using to the classroom. First I needed to figure it out and now we have a student interested in taking photos also. Here are some random shots of the classroom. It's always interesting to see the room through the students' eyes.
Poetry Buddies
We are using poetry to explore language. This week the topic was antonyms. The perfect poem for two voices! Students worked with a partner to present the poem of the week.
How We Organize Ourselves
We are delving into our new planner by exploring the first line of inquiry: Needs and Wants. The students were quick to understand that most of the things we are asking for are wants. The one item that caused the most discussion was a bed. Each group decided it was a need, but upon further investigation we discovered you don't need a bed to survive. Next, we will take this perspective global to see if needs and wants are the same around the world.
Field Day Shirt
We are so excited that our design came out so great! The Superheroes voted on the picture and then we all worked together to decide the colors and what should be written on the cape. I think the end result came out great! That's what happens when a community works together!
(A special thanks to Ellis' mom for making it happen!)
Spooky Spaghetti
Saturday afternoon was very exciting! I saw lots of great costumes! Congratulations to Luna for winning the costume contest! The Cake Walk was a HUGH success! The line was all the way down the hallway. I know some kids kept coming back for a second or third try. And did you see the haunted house in first grade hallway! Scary!!
p.s. Do you someone in a black hat and a black wig? Who could that be?
Summative
You can see the students are engaged with the process of using the Learner Profile. The students had to choose a profile word that they exemplify. Next, they conferenced with a friend to explain why they choose the word and how would they show evidence using words and pictures.
Scientists at work!
We utilized our five senses to study a pumpkin. First we made observations about the pumpkin whole and then we cut it open! The first thing we noticed is that it smells! It also feels wet and slimy and gooey.
The Superheroes turned into inquirers and had a lot of questions such as:
The Superheroes turned into inquirers and had a lot of questions such as:
Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? Why does it smell so much when you cut it open?
What is all the gooey stuff on the inside?
Literacy Stations
Literacy stations is a block of time during the day when students are working independently on different goals. They are reading and writing in science, big books and word work.
Writer's Workshop
The Superheroes (aka Super Pandas) are loving Writer's Workshop. They are learning how to revise, edit and publish their writing. The students are reading their work out loud to make sure it makes sense. Then they work with a partner and conference about their stories.
Learner Profile
As we near the end of our first unit of inquiry, the students worked together to define our attitudes and Learner Profile. The partners researched what the definition of their attitude word meant and then came up with a plan to teach the rest of us! It was great to see the students so engaged with their learning and having fun at the same time!
Compliment Party
I just found these great shots on my camera. The Superheroes did an amazing job working together as a community. Their actions were noticed by others in the school and that's how we earned our first compliment party! Ice cream sandwiches for everyone!
Leaders of our Community
As we continue to explore our central idea that attitudes and actions affect our community, we wondered who is in charge of our community. Students wondered who was making the rules for who. Today we explored this idea using pictures of important community members. First, students gathered in small groups and discussed what they already knew or who they already knew. Next, we walked and talked to see what all members of the community had decided. The one person no one knew was our new superintendent. After establishing who everyone was, the groups put them in order and then determined what role this person plays in our community. I love that one student stated that Mrs. Patin's role is to make sure we are learning!
In Our Classroom...
As a whole group activity, the students have been working on a classroom project. Together, we have gone through the writing process of drafting, revising, and editing to the final published piece. To accompany the writing, each student created a classroom setting with themselves as the characters.
International Peace Day
We had a special visitor today! Mrs. Cowan!
She came to work with us to create a special message for International Peace Day.
Our Message is, "Everyone in the world should be nice to each other no matter how different!"
The final work is hanging in the front hallway on Mark Twain's Peace Wall.
The Germy Potato Experiment
Yikes! Today we used our scientific tool of observation to find out what happened to our Germy potato. The potato with the skin on did not change much. The potato that was peeled with clean hands looks like it is growing. BUT the germy potato looks disgusting! Conclusion: It is important to wash hands and sneeze and cough into your elbow to prevent germs from spreading.
The experiment made us wonder: How did the potato start to grow if it wasn't outside?
Who We Are
As we continue to explore our lines of inquiry for the planner: Who We Are, the students are discovering what it takes to make a community work. This week we discussed the concept of bucket dippers. We all have an imaginary bucket that can be added to with kindness or someone can dip into the bucket. The question becomes what do you want to do?
Square Art
The students were very excited to create Square Art today. Each student created an individual work of art. These masterpieces will be available to purchase in a multitude of ways - pillowcases, jewelry, phone cases, sketch books and key chains to name a few.
Keep looking in the Tuesday Folders for your order form.
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