Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Today we wrote a how-to list, telling the steps to follow in order to carve a pumpkin. This is our list:
1. Pick a pumpkin
2. Cut a circle around the stem
3. Take the top off
4. Scoop out the seeds and pulp
5. Decide on a face and draw it on the front of the pumpkin
6. Carve the mouth, nose, and eyes with a knife
7. Push out the pieces and take them out
8. Put a candle inside and light it
9. Enjoy!

During Reader’s Workshop, the Wednesday group got to shop for new books. This is our first time getting to shop for new books in our just right book bins. When we shop for new books, we remove our post its, put the books back in the proper bin(s), and then choose new ones. We reviewed the strategies that we learned (get your mouth ready, look for chunks, look at the pictures) and reviewed getting our minds ready before reading. (Getting our minds ready means that we look at the title, “read” the picture on the cover, take a picture walk, and think about what we already know about that topic. We’re all going to practice doing these things when we read at home just like we do at school!

We had a talk about the importance of good listening and following the directions the first time they are given, especially since that is our first class rule (always listen carefully and follow the directions). Ms. Stern gave recent examples where consequences were given because some children didn’t listen or follow the rules and asked what we as a class could do differently to improve. Here is what the children came up with:

Problem: “I already know what we’re talking about so I’m not going to pay attention. Oops…now I don’t know what to do.”
Solution: Kids ask more questions during class discussions---just to be sure.

Problem: Skipping problems on our papers
Solutions: Check over your work first before handing it in; Ms. Stern marks the problem as incorrect if we’re being careless.

Problem: Not listening after the first or second time directions are given
Solution: Silent snack for that person

Good listener
Solution: Earn free choice time; special treat; read/work in the reading corner; positive note sent home

Problem: Bad choices
Solution: Lose recess; negative note/call home

After snack we did math. We used pattern blocks to follow two rules. First, we worked alone. Ms. Stern gave us a number. Everyone had to show that number using the different pattern blocks. The second rule was that each alike shape had to be touching. After we worked alone, we worked with a partner to make larger numbers. Carly, Mia, and Axl liked working with a partner better. Darren, Nolan, Bartosz, and Isabella preferred working by themselves.

In Gym, we practiced using hula hoops. We danced as our Halloween costume characters. When the music stopped, people had to find a hula hoop. It was sort of like musical chairs. After the game, we had free time to play with the hula hoops.

We had Library. Ms. Eyer read How Many Seeds are in a Pumpkin? We talked about how the number of lines on the outside of a pumpkin gives a clue about the number of seeds on the inside. After the story we got to have book exchange.

A quick reminder: Friday will be our Halloween party and parade. The party begins at 9:00 and the parade follows at 10:30. Hope to see you there!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Today was Caps for Kids Day and School Spirit Day. We raised $15.25 in our class. The whole school raised over $400.

We did a listening activity where we made a pumpkin by coloring in squares to match the directions that Ms. Stern gave. We only used four colors: blue, yellow, orange, and green. Some children thought it was easy and some children thought it was difficult. The hardest part was figuring out how to color boxes that had diagonal lines.

During Reader’s Workshop, we reviewed strategies. Strategies are tools that we use to figure out tricky words. The strategies that we have learned so far are:
-look at the picture(s)
-get your mouth ready (looking at the beginning part to figure out the first sound)
-look for chunks or smaller words (ex. championship—amp and ship)

Sounding out is NOT a strategy!!!!!!!!

In Art we made 3-D skeletons. We made them by cutting, bending, gluing, and decorating our work. Ms. Stern thinks they look fantastic!

We read Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Patridge, by Mem Fox during Writer’s Workshop. We talked about what a memory is. Joshua knows that memories can be sad, happy, scary, or confusing. Nolan learned that they can be as precious as gold. Isabella learned that they can be as warm as an egg. Everyone had a chance to share a memory with a partner. On Monday we will be sharing our photographs. If you have not yet done so, please remember to send in 4 photographs for us to use with our writing. They should be pictures of the children in situations that they remember and can talk about.

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

This morning we did a spelling review activity. It was sort of like a spelling test. Today we practiced short i, sight words, and a dictation. We are trying to remember to start sentences with upper case letters, end with punctuation marks, and have a finger space in between words.

Yesterday, we talked about using strategies to help us read. A strategy is like a plan to help us do things. During reading, we need strategies to help figure out tricky words. We learned to look at the picture. Today, we learned to get our mouths ready by looking at the beginning of the word. During private time, lots of children were able to figure out tricky words by using their strategies.

In P.E., we had stations. One station had balls to play with. Another station had rubber chickens that we threw up in the air and had to catch them before they hit the ground. At the football station, Darren practiced throwing the ball to his brother and to Sean. Nolan played with Joshua and Sammy. They were playing a game like jacks. The number that they picked up was the number of points that they got. Mia played with the beach and soccer balls. Isabella, Sophia, and Emily played soccer.

Today was our last day of “fancying up” our stories. People were working on coloring, creating a title and cover, fixing up spelling and handwriting, About the Author pages, and practicing rereading our stories to get ready for our Writer’s Celebration tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

This morning we had our first Reader’s Celebration during Reader’s Workshop! We signed a Reader’s Workshop Pledge. Zoe got to cut the tape to officially open our class library. Now we have another space for children to read, think, and handle books with care. We wrote about how we have grown as readers or what our goals are to continue to improve our reading skills. Sophia thought the best part was thinking and writing about her reading. Michael thinks he has gotten better at reading by doing it every day. Ms. Stern is so proud of everyone for working hard and sticking with it, even when reading felt frustrating or made people nervous.

In Music, we played with pink stretchy bands. We tugged on them to match the beat to music. Then, Mrs. Fox taught us a new song. It was called “Chihuahua.”

This afternoon, we reread EVERYTHING in our writing folders because we are getting ready to publish. We realized that we’ve done a lot of writing since the start of the year. Some pieces were better than others. In the middle of reading, the fire alarm went off. We had another fire drill! We came back inside after the drill was over. Our job was to choose the two best pieces. If people had time, they added on to their writing. We are really excited to start fancying up our writing and finish our first published piece of writing in first grade!

Friday, October 3, 2008

This morning we were very excited because our Smartboard finally worked! We practiced moving our names for lunch count. Some people found that it was easier to move objects with the stick than with their fingers. Ms. Stern told us that either way was okay. Kevin and Mia were able to do their jobs by themselves today!

Joan’s last day in our class was yesterday. She moved to the Jersey Shore. Isabella switched her seat from the Dragons to the Meteors. Now, each table has 5 children.

We are making a book called All About Us. Everyone has a turn sitting in a chair and holding Teddy. Their job is to answer questions that help to tell about themselves. We are asking lots of “What is your favorite…” questions and also “How many…” questions, too. Ms. Stern quizzed us by asking us to close our eyes and try to remember who she was reading about.

In, P.E. we learned a new game called “Freeze Your Gator Ball.” Kids are playing tricks with balls and when the music is shut off, everyone has to sit down and freeze their ball. If someone touches the ball, they are out for one round and come back after that. Sammy thought it was fun. No one in the whole class got out!

Today, during Writer’s Workshop, we looked back on our green (unfinished) side, and tried to give readers more information by including who, what, when, and where. It was tricky figuring out where we needed to add more. Ms. Stern and Mrs. Barsanti showed us how to include more words using carats. At the end, Kevin shared his writing on the Smartboard. He did a great job adding who, what, and when to his story.

Odds and Ends from Ms. Stern:
-Our trip to Philipsburg Manor has been rescheduled for November 24th.
-Scholastic some incorrect books in the September order. I spoke to them about it and the proper books are on their way. If you did not receive part of your order, please know that they will be arriving next week.

Have a great weekend!