This morning we learned a little bit about the country of Greece by sharing Flat Dylan’s journal. She went to visit her aunt. We learned about the Parthenon, a statue of Zeus, Mykonos, the Parliament, and the Olympic Games. After looking on Google Earth and sharing her journal, everyone wrote about Dylan’s trip.
Ms. Stern read with Victoria and Anthony D. during Reader’s Workshop. Everyone was working on asking questions before, during, and after reading. The Wednesday shoppers also got to shop for new books during the first five minutes.
We got to play games during math today. After we reviewed addition ideas, Ms. Stern explained the activities and choices that we had. Our choices were to play pig with 1 or 2 partners, Calculate and Color alone, Candy Count with a partner, or Adding With Doubles by ourselves. Everyone had fun reviewing addition strategies by choosing an activity that they preferred.
During Writer’s Workshop we thought about how we could add thoughts, words, and actions to our stories to make them more interesting to the reader. At the end, Stephen, Sasha, and Lauria shared their stories with the class and explained what they added today.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
We started our day by attending the Jan Brett assembly to formally open Brett Boulevard, the back hallway where our classroom is. A parent helped Mrs. Piteo by using the artwork from the book The Umbrella to make a mural at the end of the main hallway. First, we watched a video of Jan talking about making the book. Then Mrs. Polansky read us the story while we looked at the pictures on a humongous screen. Afterwards, we headed to the hallway for the ribbon cutting. It was interesting to learn that it took Jan a year to write the book and Mrs. Malora and her husband over 2 months to do the artwork. It looks beautiful!
After the ribbon cutting ceremony we came back to the classroom and reviewed some of our phonics poems before learning a new one called Soaking My Toes. We used two highlighters today to find ow and oa words. Then we worked backwards in order to practice our newer poems first.
We celebrated Emma’s birthday today. She turned 7. There were vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. The icing was pink and yellow. We also had orange juice. Happy birthday Emma!
We observed the mealworms for the fourth time today. At table 1, Nancy did some really careful observing. Two of the fat things were on their plate. One was darker than the other. The children at that table noticed that the tail was moving. Nancy predicted that a baby mealworm would come out. Dylan A. thought it would get darker and darker. Lauria is predicting that it is in a chrysalis it will turn into a bug. We had a problem at table 3. After lunch, someone found a mealworm on the floor. Unfortunately, it died.
Ms. Stern shared the recording that people wrote in their mealworm journals. She noticed that the thinking taking place is different than the writing. We talked a lot about what we saw, we looked at photos on the Smartboard, we had time to observe, reviewed and made an example together. Everyone is going to work really hard to make their writing match their thinking the next time that we work and to use our time better.
Today was the first day of Gym City. The streets are named. They are Sitting Street, Tummy Turnpike, Hudson Highway, Seeney Street, and Backwards Drive. The classes split up into different stations. We use scooters to move around in different ways, depending on the streets that we are on. When we get to Station #9, we walk around and act as police to make sure that people are following the rules. One person gets to operate the traffic light. It was so much fun! Coach Hudson sprayed us with water on our way out. We are so excited to go back on Thursday!
Eesha shared her favorite website on the blog yesterday. Check out the comments section to find out what it is and to leave your own!
After the ribbon cutting ceremony we came back to the classroom and reviewed some of our phonics poems before learning a new one called Soaking My Toes. We used two highlighters today to find ow and oa words. Then we worked backwards in order to practice our newer poems first.
We celebrated Emma’s birthday today. She turned 7. There were vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. The icing was pink and yellow. We also had orange juice. Happy birthday Emma!
We observed the mealworms for the fourth time today. At table 1, Nancy did some really careful observing. Two of the fat things were on their plate. One was darker than the other. The children at that table noticed that the tail was moving. Nancy predicted that a baby mealworm would come out. Dylan A. thought it would get darker and darker. Lauria is predicting that it is in a chrysalis it will turn into a bug. We had a problem at table 3. After lunch, someone found a mealworm on the floor. Unfortunately, it died.
Ms. Stern shared the recording that people wrote in their mealworm journals. She noticed that the thinking taking place is different than the writing. We talked a lot about what we saw, we looked at photos on the Smartboard, we had time to observe, reviewed and made an example together. Everyone is going to work really hard to make their writing match their thinking the next time that we work and to use our time better.
Today was the first day of Gym City. The streets are named. They are Sitting Street, Tummy Turnpike, Hudson Highway, Seeney Street, and Backwards Drive. The classes split up into different stations. We use scooters to move around in different ways, depending on the streets that we are on. When we get to Station #9, we walk around and act as police to make sure that people are following the rules. One person gets to operate the traffic light. It was so much fun! Coach Hudson sprayed us with water on our way out. We are so excited to go back on Thursday!
Eesha shared her favorite website on the blog yesterday. Check out the comments section to find out what it is and to leave your own!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Blog Challenge #3: Your Favorites
Last week I asked everyone to check out the Primary Games website to try some spring games. This week, I am asking YOU to share a website with your classmates and me. In the comments section, please share a link to the website along with an explanation about what you do there and why it is a favorite of yours. Remember to use your FIRST NAME ONLY and share a website appropriate for other first graders! Read your classmates' posts and try some of them out for yourself. Let's see if we can make a collection of at least 10 sites to try! I'll include a few to get us started:
Robot Calculator: Robot Calculator is a game to practice addition and subtraction facts. Start off on easy before trying out the medium level.
Long Vowel Drag n' Spell: Find the long vowel combination to complete the correct spelling of the word and picture
Word Drop: This is a fast paced word game where you need to make words from tiles that drop in columns. The challenge is to progress through six levels, each with increasing levels of difficulty without allowing a column to become filled with letters
Robot Calculator: Robot Calculator is a game to practice addition and subtraction facts. Start off on easy before trying out the medium level.
Long Vowel Drag n' Spell: Find the long vowel combination to complete the correct spelling of the word and picture
Word Drop: This is a fast paced word game where you need to make words from tiles that drop in columns. The challenge is to progress through six levels, each with increasing levels of difficulty without allowing a column to become filled with letters
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
St. Patrick's Day: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
This morning we reviewed our adjective activity from yesterday. Everyone came up with words that described us and school. Ms. Stern took our words and put them on the Smartboard. We looked at them and found words that didn’t belong (like girl, glasses, and learnful). Then we looked again and found words that were tired and boring (words that get used ALL the time): cool, good, awesome, fun, and nice. Next, we looked for colorful, interesting words: challenging, helpful, hyper, friendly, creative, brave, and talented. 
These words make our writing more enjoyable for the reader. Thinking about colorful and tired words, we then had to stretch our minds and thinking to describe two new nouns: homework and the Tooth Fairy.
We revisited our mealworms again. Last week time, we noticed some white mealworms. Today, they were nowhere to be found…but we did see something else that changed. There were things that looked sort of like mealworms but they were lighter in color, curved, and they didn’t really move.
Each table had conversations about what they observed, how things changed, and what might happen in the future. Everyone was expected to draw and write about the things that we saw (or noticed were different from other times), make a prediction, and ask a question. 
Our work was interrupted by the sound of bagpipes. A parent in Mrs. Kuhn’s class came to play. Everyone was invited in the hall to listen and watch as he played and marched.
Yesterday we also got to see and hear bagpipes being played. Miss Beglin’s brother-in-law came and talked to us about these beautiful musical instruments, answer questions, and play a few songs. 
After lunch, we went to the library. Mrs. Cornelius wasn’t here today so we didn’t stay the whole time. Everyone who brought their books back got to have book exchange. Those who didn’t were allowed to browse, go to the listening center, or read with a friend. The next star reader is going to be Nancy.
At gym, we practiced on the scooters again. We need to make sure that everyone knows the rules and stays safe. We went forward and backward and used different muscles and body parts. Once, a girl with long hair got caught in the scooter and Coach Hudson had to cut her hair. Gym City is coming next week!
During Reader’s Workshop we practiced asking questions before, during, and after reading. We ask questions to get to know the book better. Before we read we think about our schema and make predictions. While we read, we ask questions to check for understanding and to make more predictions. After reading, we might have some unanswered questions about things that happened or about what happens after the story ends. Today we used a paper to record our thinking instead of using post-its so that Ms. Stern could see the proof as we practiced. Lots of great questions were asked!
Don’t forget about this week’s blog challenge! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
These words make our writing more enjoyable for the reader. Thinking about colorful and tired words, we then had to stretch our minds and thinking to describe two new nouns: homework and the Tooth Fairy.We revisited our mealworms again. Last week time, we noticed some white mealworms. Today, they were nowhere to be found…but we did see something else that changed. There were things that looked sort of like mealworms but they were lighter in color, curved, and they didn’t really move.
Each table had conversations about what they observed, how things changed, and what might happen in the future. Everyone was expected to draw and write about the things that we saw (or noticed were different from other times), make a prediction, and ask a question. Our work was interrupted by the sound of bagpipes. A parent in Mrs. Kuhn’s class came to play. Everyone was invited in the hall to listen and watch as he played and marched.
Yesterday we also got to see and hear bagpipes being played. Miss Beglin’s brother-in-law came and talked to us about these beautiful musical instruments, answer questions, and play a few songs. After lunch, we went to the library. Mrs. Cornelius wasn’t here today so we didn’t stay the whole time. Everyone who brought their books back got to have book exchange. Those who didn’t were allowed to browse, go to the listening center, or read with a friend. The next star reader is going to be Nancy.
At gym, we practiced on the scooters again. We need to make sure that everyone knows the rules and stays safe. We went forward and backward and used different muscles and body parts. Once, a girl with long hair got caught in the scooter and Coach Hudson had to cut her hair. Gym City is coming next week!
During Reader’s Workshop we practiced asking questions before, during, and after reading. We ask questions to get to know the book better. Before we read we think about our schema and make predictions. While we read, we ask questions to check for understanding and to make more predictions. After reading, we might have some unanswered questions about things that happened or about what happens after the story ends. Today we used a paper to record our thinking instead of using post-its so that Ms. Stern could see the proof as we practiced. Lots of great questions were asked!
Don’t forget about this week’s blog challenge! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Blog Challenge #2: Spring Games
We have had a LONG and hard winter. The good news is that Spring is just around the corner! Try out one of the games on this website:
Leave a comment telling which game(s) you played. Write a review for at least 1 game. Share 1-2 things that you liked about the activities and games or strategies that you discovered. What type of learner might also enjoy playing? What is the most challenging part?
Remember to check with a grown up before using the computer first. Only first names or initials, please!
Leave a comment telling which game(s) you played. Write a review for at least 1 game. Share 1-2 things that you liked about the activities and games or strategies that you discovered. What type of learner might also enjoy playing? What is the most challenging part?
Remember to check with a grown up before using the computer first. Only first names or initials, please!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Today we celebrated Hunter’s birthday. It was the 3rd birthday that we had this week! (Happy birthday to Sarah and Dylan A.!) His dad brought in munchkins. For Dylan’s birthday, his dad brought in beautiful blue cupcakes. Mrs. McCahill, our school reading teacher, had her baby that day! On Sarah’s birthday, her mom came in to read the class one of her favorite stories: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. She explained how Dr. Seuss is an important author in her family and shared some of her family’s special memories with us. Then everyone got to eat special dairy- and gluten-free birthday snacks!
During Reader’s Workshop, we learned that good readers ask questions before they read, while reading, and after reading. Ms. Stern showed us how. Then everyone went off to read and practice by themselves. At the end of Reader’s Workshop, we made a chart of our questions. Some children remembered to record their questions while they worked.
We observed our mealworms again for the second time today. Some really great observations and conversations took place at each of the tables. People noticed and compared differences between the mealworms. Based on our observations, we made predictions and asked questions. We love being scientists!
In art, we started working on our still lifes. Still life drawings are pictures of things that do not move. Ours are of different types of flowers. First we are drawing with pencil. Then we will paint them. Jacob worked on twelve flowers. Adam drew lots of flowers and started working on the stems.
During math, we reviewed the strategies that we have already learned. Sarah played one round of Sum Sense on the Smartboard. We learned another addition strategy today: counting on (start with the bigger number). We practiced by playing a game called Pig. The first person to get to 100 wins. You get points by rolling 2 dice. Each player can go as many times as they want (except if you roll one 1 you lose your turn). If you roll 2 ones your score goes back to zero. Ms. Stern played against the class first. She kept on rolling a 1! She ended up losing! Afterwards, everyone got to play in groups of 2 or 3.
Thank you Dylan, Amanda, and Sarah (and her mom) for giving the Things That Are White blog challenge a try! It’s not too late to add more ideas. Look for another question of the week next week.
Have a terrific weekend. Stay dry!
During Reader’s Workshop, we learned that good readers ask questions before they read, while reading, and after reading. Ms. Stern showed us how. Then everyone went off to read and practice by themselves. At the end of Reader’s Workshop, we made a chart of our questions. Some children remembered to record their questions while they worked.
We observed our mealworms again for the second time today. Some really great observations and conversations took place at each of the tables. People noticed and compared differences between the mealworms. Based on our observations, we made predictions and asked questions. We love being scientists!
In art, we started working on our still lifes. Still life drawings are pictures of things that do not move. Ours are of different types of flowers. First we are drawing with pencil. Then we will paint them. Jacob worked on twelve flowers. Adam drew lots of flowers and started working on the stems.
During math, we reviewed the strategies that we have already learned. Sarah played one round of Sum Sense on the Smartboard. We learned another addition strategy today: counting on (start with the bigger number). We practiced by playing a game called Pig. The first person to get to 100 wins. You get points by rolling 2 dice. Each player can go as many times as they want (except if you roll one 1 you lose your turn). If you roll 2 ones your score goes back to zero. Ms. Stern played against the class first. She kept on rolling a 1! She ended up losing! Afterwards, everyone got to play in groups of 2 or 3.
Anthony D. played with Adam. Anthony kept rolling ones! Dylan A. thought the game went perfectly! He and his partner were going back and forth being in the lead. At the end, he won!
Thank you Dylan, Amanda, and Sarah (and her mom) for giving the Things That Are White blog challenge a try! It’s not too late to add more ideas. Look for another question of the week next week.
Have a terrific weekend. Stay dry!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
We reviewed our spelling rule this morning. We learned that when there are two vowels together, the first one does the talking and the second one does the walking. It means that the first vowel says its name and the second one is silent. We watched a spelling rap video about it.
Then we played some games together on the Smartboard. The games can be played by anyone online by clicking here.
This morning we got to observe and handle mealworms!
They felt smooth but they tickled our hands a little bit when they moved around. Dylan was scared at first because she was afraid they might bite. By the end of science, she was sad to see them go. Eesha was also scared at first. She only picked up the smaller one because it didn’t look as determined to crawl on her as the others. She named him Speedy. It kept racing around the plate! Stephen noticed that the mealworms would stay near one another. Some of them looked like they were fighting. After we had a few minutes to get used to them, we had to stop thinking like kids and begin thinking like scientists. We made observations and predictions. We also drew a picture and asked a question. Most of us are very excited to observe the mealworms again soon.
We read another book by Mem Fox. It was called Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild. Harriet reminded us of lots of different people that we know in our own lives (including our siblings and even ourselves)! We concluded that she doesn’t intend to get into trouble, much like Junie B. Jones or Amelia Bedelia.
When we went to the library we played Magic Mirror on Kids Keys. We practiced using the keyboard to type like grownups. It got a little confusing figuring out which finger to use. Dylan A. liked typing the same keys more than once. Everyone who returned their books also got to choose new ones.
We played Star Wars in P.E. The coaches pick a Jedi. The Jedi stands on a dot and saves people who get hit by a ball by touching them with their light saber. If the Jedi is off of the dot, and s/he gets hit with the ball, the other team gets a point. Everyone else is throwing one of the many balls at the other team. If you are hit with a ball you have to sit down until a Jedi saves you. Eesha and Adam were the Jedis for our class.
After P.E., we talked about Mem Fox. We are reading many of her books to get to know her better as readers and writers. She is from Australia. We looked at the city of Adelaide on Google Earth. It’s VERY far away! We learned a little bit about her and her family. Many of the ideas that Mem thinks about when writing are the same things that we concentrate on, too. So far we have read: Koala Lou, Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild, Sleepy Bears, and Zoo Looking. We know that she writes about things that have happened to her, important people and events, and she writes with her audience in mind. Together, we started writing a story about the Rockland Read In, so that our readers would feel the peaceful, cozy feelings that we had on that special day. Tomorrow we will begin writing our own stories.
Please don’t forget to add to our Things That Are White blog entry. We are going to be having a competition with Mrs. Jacobs’ class to see who can come up with more white items. Remember to post your ideas in the comments section and to use only first names or initials. Get those brilliant minds thinking!
Then we played some games together on the Smartboard. The games can be played by anyone online by clicking here.
This morning we got to observe and handle mealworms!
They felt smooth but they tickled our hands a little bit when they moved around. Dylan was scared at first because she was afraid they might bite. By the end of science, she was sad to see them go. Eesha was also scared at first. She only picked up the smaller one because it didn’t look as determined to crawl on her as the others. She named him Speedy. It kept racing around the plate! Stephen noticed that the mealworms would stay near one another. Some of them looked like they were fighting. After we had a few minutes to get used to them, we had to stop thinking like kids and begin thinking like scientists. We made observations and predictions. We also drew a picture and asked a question. Most of us are very excited to observe the mealworms again soon.
We read another book by Mem Fox. It was called Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild. Harriet reminded us of lots of different people that we know in our own lives (including our siblings and even ourselves)! We concluded that she doesn’t intend to get into trouble, much like Junie B. Jones or Amelia Bedelia.
When we went to the library we played Magic Mirror on Kids Keys. We practiced using the keyboard to type like grownups. It got a little confusing figuring out which finger to use. Dylan A. liked typing the same keys more than once. Everyone who returned their books also got to choose new ones.
We played Star Wars in P.E. The coaches pick a Jedi. The Jedi stands on a dot and saves people who get hit by a ball by touching them with their light saber. If the Jedi is off of the dot, and s/he gets hit with the ball, the other team gets a point. Everyone else is throwing one of the many balls at the other team. If you are hit with a ball you have to sit down until a Jedi saves you. Eesha and Adam were the Jedis for our class.
After P.E., we talked about Mem Fox. We are reading many of her books to get to know her better as readers and writers. She is from Australia. We looked at the city of Adelaide on Google Earth. It’s VERY far away! We learned a little bit about her and her family. Many of the ideas that Mem thinks about when writing are the same things that we concentrate on, too. So far we have read: Koala Lou, Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild, Sleepy Bears, and Zoo Looking. We know that she writes about things that have happened to her, important people and events, and she writes with her audience in mind. Together, we started writing a story about the Rockland Read In, so that our readers would feel the peaceful, cozy feelings that we had on that special day. Tomorrow we will begin writing our own stories.
Please don’t forget to add to our Things That Are White blog entry. We are going to be having a competition with Mrs. Jacobs’ class to see who can come up with more white items. Remember to post your ideas in the comments section and to use only first names or initials. Get those brilliant minds thinking!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Blog Challenge: Things That are White
We worked in partners to brainstorm as many objects as we could think of that are or could be white. Remember, if you think of more things that fit this category, leave them in the comments section. By Friday, everyone is asked to brainstorm other things that are white that have NOT been mentioned yet (either in class or by other children in the comments section). I can't wait to see what else you think of!
This is what we came up with so far:
Dylan A. and Stephen
paper, socks, cotton, clouds, snow, marshmallows, moon, crayons, wipes, diaper, milk, vanilla ice cream, snowflakes, underwear, shirt, shoes, Bakugan, clock, paint, sweater, mittens,eraser, makeup, gum, dots, book, words, tape, horns, horse, hair, box, fox, flags, rabbits, fur, plastic, teeth, cow, scissors, radiator, games, stars, seeds, seats, lima beans when they are not cooked, wall, marker, stuffed animal, penguin, icing, laces, pens, pencil
Sasha and Meaghan
socks, marshmallows, clocks, vanilla ice cream, table, basket, snowman, whipped cream, journal paper, refrigerator, shirt, shoes, books, scissors, cards, bathtub, bottle cap, shades, container, ceiling, lunch calendar
Adam and Anthony
paper, cloud, tissues, teeth, zebra, boxes, snakes, snow, ice, glasses, eggs, Smartboard, shirts, house, lights, my dog, shoes, books, car, paint, jacket, clock, refrigerator, crayons, watches, candles, candy, container, fish, sushi
Victoria and Sarah
swan, duck, snowman, shorts, flowers, shoes, calendar, eraser, clouds, polar bears, fish, clocks, laptop, stickers, ice cream, horses, snow, Elmer's glue, diamonds, paper, books, eyes, teeth, snowy owl, rabbits, buttons, tissues, stars, dots, frosting, sprinkles, sparkles, paper towels, gummy bears, gum
Dylan M. and Emma
diapers, paper, t-shirts, clouds, paper towels, cats, snow, glue, dogs, paper plates, plastic knives, tiles, crayons, lights, moon, zebra, polar bear, tissues, napkin, shoes, Snoopy, rabbits, kitchen, paint, eraser, stars, underwear, plastic bin, bone, notebook, rulers, milk, eggs, hair, cows, white chocolate chips, horses, hens, cream cheesse, wires, baseball, pencil, eyes, marker parts, scissors, binder, teeth, cheese, ice cream, vanilla, white chocolate, birds, butter, salt, sugar, fan, bag, jacket, ball, book, blinds, shirt stripes, seeds, refrigerator, toilet, wall paper, box, clock, microwave, sink, tub, snowman, card
Drew and Hunter
skeleton, paint, snowball, refrigerator, cards, calendar, cat, bins, shell, crayon, Yankee sign, plastic, karate belt, shades, clouds, eraser, paper, shirt, tissues, book, eyes, snowman, snow fort, glue, hair, cup, mail, cream, salt, egg, ice cream, ring, flashcards, toilet, light, binder, butter, tub, panda
Nancy and Amanda
polar bear, inside of a fish, duck, shell, cat, snow, snow bunny, bathtub, mouse, wheel, egg, snowman, snowflake, salt, tooth, cheese, lightbulb, vanilla ice cream, ice, panda bear
Jacob and Lauria
zebra, tissues, shirts, crayon, mugs, name tags, snowflakes, snow, folders, mail boxes, paper, snowman, magnets, balls, balloons, refrigerators, soap bottles, paper towels, walls, cash register, tap shoes, sneakers, goats, sheep, boats, bat, cows, words, socks, shorts, post its, stripes, markers, clouds, wrapping paper, toilet paper, car
Eesha and Dylan
erasers, glue sticks, crayons, cloud, paper, rulers, diamonds, mashed potatoes, stickers, labels, eyes, teeth, pencils, tigers, buttons, wipes, tank tops, snow, owls, rabbits, fish, dogs, cats, birds, ceilings, folders, journals, signs, hangers, bottle caps, shoes, refrigerator, swan, magic markers, book covers, freezer, heater, ducks, hermit crab shells, penguins, stars, clocks, timers, skin
This is what we came up with so far:
Dylan A. and Stephen
paper, socks, cotton, clouds, snow, marshmallows, moon, crayons, wipes, diaper, milk, vanilla ice cream, snowflakes, underwear, shirt, shoes, Bakugan, clock, paint, sweater, mittens,eraser, makeup, gum, dots, book, words, tape, horns, horse, hair, box, fox, flags, rabbits, fur, plastic, teeth, cow, scissors, radiator, games, stars, seeds, seats, lima beans when they are not cooked, wall, marker, stuffed animal, penguin, icing, laces, pens, pencil
Sasha and Meaghan
socks, marshmallows, clocks, vanilla ice cream, table, basket, snowman, whipped cream, journal paper, refrigerator, shirt, shoes, books, scissors, cards, bathtub, bottle cap, shades, container, ceiling, lunch calendar
Adam and Anthony
paper, cloud, tissues, teeth, zebra, boxes, snakes, snow, ice, glasses, eggs, Smartboard, shirts, house, lights, my dog, shoes, books, car, paint, jacket, clock, refrigerator, crayons, watches, candles, candy, container, fish, sushi
Victoria and Sarah
swan, duck, snowman, shorts, flowers, shoes, calendar, eraser, clouds, polar bears, fish, clocks, laptop, stickers, ice cream, horses, snow, Elmer's glue, diamonds, paper, books, eyes, teeth, snowy owl, rabbits, buttons, tissues, stars, dots, frosting, sprinkles, sparkles, paper towels, gummy bears, gum
Dylan M. and Emma
diapers, paper, t-shirts, clouds, paper towels, cats, snow, glue, dogs, paper plates, plastic knives, tiles, crayons, lights, moon, zebra, polar bear, tissues, napkin, shoes, Snoopy, rabbits, kitchen, paint, eraser, stars, underwear, plastic bin, bone, notebook, rulers, milk, eggs, hair, cows, white chocolate chips, horses, hens, cream cheesse, wires, baseball, pencil, eyes, marker parts, scissors, binder, teeth, cheese, ice cream, vanilla, white chocolate, birds, butter, salt, sugar, fan, bag, jacket, ball, book, blinds, shirt stripes, seeds, refrigerator, toilet, wall paper, box, clock, microwave, sink, tub, snowman, card
Drew and Hunter
skeleton, paint, snowball, refrigerator, cards, calendar, cat, bins, shell, crayon, Yankee sign, plastic, karate belt, shades, clouds, eraser, paper, shirt, tissues, book, eyes, snowman, snow fort, glue, hair, cup, mail, cream, salt, egg, ice cream, ring, flashcards, toilet, light, binder, butter, tub, panda
Nancy and Amanda
polar bear, inside of a fish, duck, shell, cat, snow, snow bunny, bathtub, mouse, wheel, egg, snowman, snowflake, salt, tooth, cheese, lightbulb, vanilla ice cream, ice, panda bear
Jacob and Lauria
zebra, tissues, shirts, crayon, mugs, name tags, snowflakes, snow, folders, mail boxes, paper, snowman, magnets, balls, balloons, refrigerators, soap bottles, paper towels, walls, cash register, tap shoes, sneakers, goats, sheep, boats, bat, cows, words, socks, shorts, post its, stripes, markers, clouds, wrapping paper, toilet paper, car
Eesha and Dylan
erasers, glue sticks, crayons, cloud, paper, rulers, diamonds, mashed potatoes, stickers, labels, eyes, teeth, pencils, tigers, buttons, wipes, tank tops, snow, owls, rabbits, fish, dogs, cats, birds, ceilings, folders, journals, signs, hangers, bottle caps, shoes, refrigerator, swan, magic markers, book covers, freezer, heater, ducks, hermit crab shells, penguins, stars, clocks, timers, skin
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Last night was the dance festival at Tappan Zee High School. We went into the back gym. Each class walked out into the big gym and then sat down in a line. We alternated the way we faced so that parents on both sides could see us. Victoria was really tired before it began. She ended up having lots of fun and making it through. Eesha was tired at the end from all of that dancing. She felt happy when her mom and little sister danced with her during the Cha Cha Slide. Drew had stage fright! At first, Emma had stage fright too. It went away after a few dances. Stephen was sweaty from all of that exercise. Lauria thought the best part was the Cha Cha Slide because she got to help her dad learn the dance.
Today we had gym. We played Wheel of Torture. Victoria was the winner! She won against Richard in Mr. Gunther’s class. People were shouting Anthony D.’s name. He won last time so everyone wanted him to win again. Once he got out, everyone starting cheering for Victoria.
We got exciting news today. Just like we got to study living things in kindergarten, we are going to learn about the life cycle of mealworms in first grade. Today we went over the rules. Then we had to think about all of the things that we know or think we know about them. It was sort of challenging because a lot of us didn’t know much and Ms. Stern wouldn’t give any information away! Here is some of our thinking:
Mealworms do not read. –Jacob
They live underground. –Anthony D.
Mealworms help flowers grow. –Sarah
They eat the soil and then they poop it out. –Victoria
They have a head. –Arlo
Mealworms are worms. –Adam
Next, we had to think of questions we have or things that we want to learn about mealworms.
How long do they live? –Lauria
What do they eat? –Stephen
Do they go to the bathroom a lot? –Emma
Why are they called mealworms? –Dylan A.
Are mealworms similar to earthworms? –Eesha
Do mealworms have legs or no legs? –Nancy
Next week we will get to begin observing (and handling!) the mealworms as they grow and change.
We read The Cat’s Quizzer. It is a Dr. Seuss book that asks lots of interesting and silly questions. Lauria brought it in to share with the class. Thanks, Lauria!
The Animal Encounters Blog Challenge is up on the website. Everyone is encouraged to research one (or more) of the animals that we saw during our assembly earlier this week. Give it a try! http://sternwos.blogspot.com/2010/03/animal-encounters-research-challenge.html
We have MANY children who have given the Over and Above All Stars a try! Congratulations to Dylan A., Eesha, Anthony D., Victoria, Sasha, Jacob, Arlo, Lauria, Hunter, Sarah, and Dylan. A special congratulations to Lauria for being the first person to inducted into the Hall of Fame. So far, she has completed 54 activities and is a silver medalist! Eesha is a bronze medalist, with 32 completed activities. Keep it up!
Have a great weekend!
Today we had gym. We played Wheel of Torture. Victoria was the winner! She won against Richard in Mr. Gunther’s class. People were shouting Anthony D.’s name. He won last time so everyone wanted him to win again. Once he got out, everyone starting cheering for Victoria.
We got exciting news today. Just like we got to study living things in kindergarten, we are going to learn about the life cycle of mealworms in first grade. Today we went over the rules. Then we had to think about all of the things that we know or think we know about them. It was sort of challenging because a lot of us didn’t know much and Ms. Stern wouldn’t give any information away! Here is some of our thinking:
Mealworms do not read. –Jacob
They live underground. –Anthony D.
Mealworms help flowers grow. –Sarah
They eat the soil and then they poop it out. –Victoria
They have a head. –Arlo
Mealworms are worms. –Adam
Next, we had to think of questions we have or things that we want to learn about mealworms.
How long do they live? –Lauria
What do they eat? –Stephen
Do they go to the bathroom a lot? –Emma
Why are they called mealworms? –Dylan A.
Are mealworms similar to earthworms? –Eesha
Do mealworms have legs or no legs? –Nancy
Next week we will get to begin observing (and handling!) the mealworms as they grow and change.
We read The Cat’s Quizzer. It is a Dr. Seuss book that asks lots of interesting and silly questions. Lauria brought it in to share with the class. Thanks, Lauria!
The Animal Encounters Blog Challenge is up on the website. Everyone is encouraged to research one (or more) of the animals that we saw during our assembly earlier this week. Give it a try! http://sternwos.blogspot.com/2010/03/animal-encounters-research-challenge.html
We have MANY children who have given the Over and Above All Stars a try! Congratulations to Dylan A., Eesha, Anthony D., Victoria, Sasha, Jacob, Arlo, Lauria, Hunter, Sarah, and Dylan. A special congratulations to Lauria for being the first person to inducted into the Hall of Fame. So far, she has completed 54 activities and is a silver medalist! Eesha is a bronze medalist, with 32 completed activities. Keep it up!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Animal Encounters Research Challenge
Today we got to see (and touch!) a variety of reptiles from the Animal Encounters program. The animals that we saw were: 
- Box Turtle
- Snapping Turtle
- Blue Tongued Skink
- American Alligator
- South American Tegu
- Milk Snake
- Russian Legless Lizard
- Albino Burmese Python
In the comments section, share what you learn about the animal’s habitat (where it lives), diet (what it eats), and 2 other interesting NEW facts about that animal. Use your first name or initials only. Please do NOT include your last name. I can't wait to see what you learn!
Tuesday, March 3, 2010
This morning we went to an assembly called Animal Encounters with Ms. Beglin’s class. We sat in a circle and talked about the rules for handling and looking at the animals. All of the animals that we saw were reptiles. Reptiles are animals that have scales and backbones and breathe with lungs instead of gills. Reptiles are cold-blooded. They get warm from the sun or heat. They cannot warm themselves like people do. We saw lots of different animals. Some were: a blue-tongued skink, an alligator, a milk snake, an albino python, a snapping turtle, and a box turtle. We were allowed to touch some of the animals with our pointer fingers. Hunter thought some felt kind of smooth. Anthony D. thought the skink felt soft. Lauria said the box turtle was hard. We didn’t touch the snapping turtle because it has really strong jaws! Bruce, the handler, even saw a snapping turtle break a broomstick in half once! Nancy thought the milk snake felt kind of bumpy. Emma liked touching Hannah, the milk snake, because she felt squishy and cold. Sarah thought it was kind of frightening seeing all of the snakes because she hates snakes. At the end, she felt much better! After the assembly ended, we came back to the classroom and made sure to wash our hands very well with soap and water!
Amanda brought in a Dr. Seuss book called Horton Hear’s a Who! Ms. Stern read it to us. We discussed what we thought Dr. Seuss’ message(s) may have been that he wanted his readers to learn.
We learned a new poem this morning. It is called Hide-and-Seek Sheep. We highlighted “ee” words.
We also read lots of our other poems together. The more we practice, the better they sound! We also worked on a cloze activity sheet. That’s when we have to figure out a word that fits into a sentence.
We practiced again for the dance festival. Tomorrow is our dress rehearsal and our last practice before the real thing. Mrs. Fox thinks we are in good shape. Coach Hudson and Coach Seeney’s mothers are both going to be at the dance festival!
During Reader’s Workshop, we continued trying to infer to figure out words or events that the author wants us to understand but doesn’t tell. Ms. Stern read Koala Lou by Mem Fox. We had to infer to figure out words like emu, platypus, preparations, and gum tree. We were able to figure them out by using words, pictures, and our schema!
At the end of the day, we split into groups again. The first group went to the library to use the computer lab for World Maths Day.
The other half of the class stayed in the classroom and read. 
The groups switched halfway through the period. Lots of kids did even better today than they did yesterday!
Please look for the Animal Encounters blog post on the website: http://sternwos.blogspot.com/ Everyone is invited to research one (or more) of the animals that we saw today. (More information is available on the blog.)
Amanda brought in a Dr. Seuss book called Horton Hear’s a Who! Ms. Stern read it to us. We discussed what we thought Dr. Seuss’ message(s) may have been that he wanted his readers to learn.We learned a new poem this morning. It is called Hide-and-Seek Sheep. We highlighted “ee” words.
We also read lots of our other poems together. The more we practice, the better they sound! We also worked on a cloze activity sheet. That’s when we have to figure out a word that fits into a sentence.We practiced again for the dance festival. Tomorrow is our dress rehearsal and our last practice before the real thing. Mrs. Fox thinks we are in good shape. Coach Hudson and Coach Seeney’s mothers are both going to be at the dance festival!
During Reader’s Workshop, we continued trying to infer to figure out words or events that the author wants us to understand but doesn’t tell. Ms. Stern read Koala Lou by Mem Fox. We had to infer to figure out words like emu, platypus, preparations, and gum tree. We were able to figure them out by using words, pictures, and our schema!
At the end of the day, we split into groups again. The first group went to the library to use the computer lab for World Maths Day.
The other half of the class stayed in the classroom and read. The groups switched halfway through the period. Lots of kids did even better today than they did yesterday!Please look for the Animal Encounters blog post on the website: http://sternwos.blogspot.com/ Everyone is invited to research one (or more) of the animals that we saw today. (More information is available on the blog.)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Ms. Stern gave us our 100 facts back from yesterday. Almost everyone in the class beat their score from last week! It was a great feeling to improve and complete more problems. Everyone is going to aim to do even better next week. A few children graduated and are ready for subtraction. One math smartie is moving on to addition-5 minutes!
Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. We read a whole bunch of his books. So far this week, we have read 10 Dr. Seuss stories. He has an incredible imagination! After we read “Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” we had to try to figure out what “schlopp” and “snuvs” mean. We had to infer to get an idea. Lots of people had different thinking. Later on, during Reader’s Workshop, we tried our best to infer as we read to figure out the meaning through the words and pictures.
We made a special trip to the library to use the computer lab. The class split into two. One group read Dr. Seuss books while the other group was on the computer. We were on the World Maths Day website. Everyone has a special username and password. After we entered our private information, we played the game. We play against other children all around the world that are our age. Some students were in Egypt, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Korea, and the United States. Some children even ended up playing against other children in our own class! The way you play is by answering addition problems. You have 1 minute to answer as many problems as you can. You can get up to 3 problems wrong in each round. After the time is up, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place is given out and you can start again with new kids. Ms. Stern gave us our login information in case we want to play at home.
During specials this week, all 4 classes are going to the gym to practice for the dance festival at the same time. We are practicing with Mrs. Kuhn, Mr. Gunther, and Mrs. Yelin’s classes. We were practicing most of the dances for the dance festival on Thursday.
Another tooth was lost today! Amanda was eating her Oreo during lunch time when she discovered that her very first tooth came out!
Flat Drew came back from Florida. We looked on Google Earth to see the area that he went to visit. There were lots of features on the map that we were able to see: houses, palm trees, lakes, houses, pools, roads, tennis courts, and baseball fields. We learned about his trip and the many things that he did. After we shared his journal and photos, we turned and talked to a partner to review where he went and what he did. Everyone had to write about his trip when we were done. A bunch of children thought it was a challenging activity. We talked together about why that happened. If we didn’t listen carefully, writing about Drew’s trip was difficult. Children gave themselves 3s or 4s for listening had a much easier time completing this task.
We had a talk about listening and being respectful today. Lots of times during the day, a whole bunch of children talk at the same time without listening to their classmates. We are trying to remember how it feels when people do it to us so that we won’t make other people feel badly. When we don’t listen, it can make it harder to do our work, to learn, or know what to do. When people call out, it is very difficult to understand what others are saying. It also keeps us from listening to what others have to say, ask, or share. Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start. Let’s all try our very best to take turns, listen carefully, and make good choices!
Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. We read a whole bunch of his books. So far this week, we have read 10 Dr. Seuss stories. He has an incredible imagination! After we read “Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” we had to try to figure out what “schlopp” and “snuvs” mean. We had to infer to get an idea. Lots of people had different thinking. Later on, during Reader’s Workshop, we tried our best to infer as we read to figure out the meaning through the words and pictures.
We made a special trip to the library to use the computer lab. The class split into two. One group read Dr. Seuss books while the other group was on the computer. We were on the World Maths Day website. Everyone has a special username and password. After we entered our private information, we played the game. We play against other children all around the world that are our age. Some students were in Egypt, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Korea, and the United States. Some children even ended up playing against other children in our own class! The way you play is by answering addition problems. You have 1 minute to answer as many problems as you can. You can get up to 3 problems wrong in each round. After the time is up, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place is given out and you can start again with new kids. Ms. Stern gave us our login information in case we want to play at home.
During specials this week, all 4 classes are going to the gym to practice for the dance festival at the same time. We are practicing with Mrs. Kuhn, Mr. Gunther, and Mrs. Yelin’s classes. We were practicing most of the dances for the dance festival on Thursday.
Another tooth was lost today! Amanda was eating her Oreo during lunch time when she discovered that her very first tooth came out!
Flat Drew came back from Florida. We looked on Google Earth to see the area that he went to visit. There were lots of features on the map that we were able to see: houses, palm trees, lakes, houses, pools, roads, tennis courts, and baseball fields. We learned about his trip and the many things that he did. After we shared his journal and photos, we turned and talked to a partner to review where he went and what he did. Everyone had to write about his trip when we were done. A bunch of children thought it was a challenging activity. We talked together about why that happened. If we didn’t listen carefully, writing about Drew’s trip was difficult. Children gave themselves 3s or 4s for listening had a much easier time completing this task.
We had a talk about listening and being respectful today. Lots of times during the day, a whole bunch of children talk at the same time without listening to their classmates. We are trying to remember how it feels when people do it to us so that we won’t make other people feel badly. When we don’t listen, it can make it harder to do our work, to learn, or know what to do. When people call out, it is very difficult to understand what others are saying. It also keeps us from listening to what others have to say, ask, or share. Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start. Let’s all try our very best to take turns, listen carefully, and make good choices!
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