Go Texan Day!

Well, the day started off right!  First graders were treated to a donut party as a result of raising money during Bash.  The cowboys and cowgirls were very excited!  We also tried to see the trail riders.  We received a false report that they were on their way.  We headed out the door only to find out there were not on Stella Link.  That was a hugh disappointment.  One student exclaimed, " I wore this outfit for nothing!"   However, you can see from the pictures we still had a Fun Friday!

The Classroom Store

Just one fun item to be found at the classroom store!

Money, money, money

Umm... The Superheroes were a little excited about spending their money in the classroom store!  We spent a lot of time counting money which was great math practice.  The students determined their opportunity cost based on what they wanted and how much money they had in their wallets.  The greatest unplanned teaching moment happen when students began to recognize their classmates for jobs well done.  They were telling me who performed a service for the class and deserved to be paid! 

Goods and Services

The Superheroes are learning about the difference between goods and services.  In the course of our inquiry, we decided to create a way to earn income at school.  This chart was the result of that discussion.  We realized that by performing these services we are also taking responsibility for our actions at school.  So, for the next two week, The Superheroes will be earning income for performing the above stated services. 

Needs and Wants

One of our lines of inquiry for the current planner is to explore needs and wants.  First the students took a look at their own needs and wants.  Here are some more interesting things on their lists:

Needs:  corn, a teacher to learn, money (not to much, love, and books

Wants:  high heels, zero tests (I want that too!!) more iPad time, legos. 

Next, we want to move beyond our local community and see what needs and wants exist globally. 

Not Rainy Day Recess but...

A super cold, too cold for the teachers to go outside recess.  The Superheroes had a great time being super creative when they couldn't go out to the playground. 

The Exchange!

The best part of the day is the actual Valentine exchange!  As you can see (click on picture to enlarge) the students had a great time passing out their Valentines' to all their friends.  There was so much excitement in the air!  I took all my cards and posted them on a huge heart.  I received lovely gifts and heartfelt messages  (and the biggest bag of black licorice jelly beans!). 

Heart Graphing

Of course, we had to use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to use math too!  The Superheroes worked with a partner to determine how many hearts were in one box.  Then they had to determine how many of each color.  It was interesting listening to the conversation as students started wondering why one box has 13 blues and one box only has two.  

Voting

The first thing we did on Valentine's Day is vote on the box we felt was the most creative and interesting.  Each box was given a number and students picked their top three choices.  We had a lot of fun discussing which box we liked and why.  

It was a good lesson learning what an opinion is verses what is a fact. 

Valentine Boxes

The "create your own Valentine box" was a huge success!  Here is a sampling of some the amazing creations by The Superheroes.  Everyone did such a great job coming up with unique and interesting ideas.  I have to admit my unicorn came out of a package (but I did have to paint the box!).  

How We Organize Ourselves

The Superheroes continue to inquire about what a community needs and what a community wants.  Together we added several places to our already evolving map.  It's interesting to hear how the students are connecting Where We are in Time and Place to our current planner.  We needed our map skills and knowledge in order to create a community!