Wednesday, April 29, 2009

We had our trip to Storm King today. Our class took the bus with Miss Beglin’s class. Lots of people thought the ride was long and boring. Ms. Stern put us in groups once we got there. Gianluca, Kaitlyn, Zoe, Isabella, Emily, and Michael’s parents all joined us. Next, we went on a tram. It looks like a train but there are wheels instead of a track for it to move. Sammy thought it was really fun. It was bumpy and he got to sit next to Darren. Emily got to sit next to the nurse. Bartosz thought the sculptures were cool. After the tram ride, we went up an elevator that looked like the letter H. Once everyone went up the elevator, we started our tour with our docent, Kathryn. Our first stop was a sculpture with lots of poles and cables. It is named Free Ride Home, by Kenneth SnelsonThey were like bones and muscles. We sketched what we saw from the top of the hill. Then we went down the hill to take a closer look. The sculpture was much bigger close up than we had expected!
Next, we went to the Momo Taro (Peach Boy) sculpture. Everyone got a chance to sit inside. It is the only sculpture that we were allowed to touch. Mia knew that it was made of granite. Nolan thought it felt like glass. Some parts were smooth and some parts were bumpy. We sketched lots of pieces of art that we saw. For one sculpture, three people had to act out different parts. Mia, Sean, and Bartosz were asked to act like the David Smith sculptures after being directed to pose by their classmates. Kaitlyn helped look for the third apple on another one of his sculptures. Emily was able to see her reflection in it.

People had lots of ideas about the next sculpture. It was black and had lots of curves. We saw a horse, giraffe, dog and even a foot in it. The docent had us sketch the sculpture first and then had us look at the shadows that it made next. Lots of kids ran through the sculpture when we first got there.

There were many other sculptures that we saw and still even more that we didn’t get to see! Finally, our tour came to an end. It was time to go have lunch. Miss Beglin’s class beat us there. We had to walk all the way around, across two roads, and down a hill to get to the picnic tables. Our lunches were waiting for us when we got there. We were starving! After lunch, everyone used the bathrooms. They weren’t what we were used to but we made do. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to school.

Nolan thought the trip back to school was faster than the trip going. Sophia said it’s because you’re excited to see what you’re going to see on the way. And on the way back, you already know so time goes by faster. A great day was had by all!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

This morning we watched a video with Miss Beglin’s class about our trip to Storm King. We got to see the sculptors who made the sculptures, including the man who made Momo Taro (the Peach Boy from Ms. Eyer’s kamichibai lesson).

Next, we went to Technology. Mr. Tanenbaum showed us how to play more games. One was about animal tracks and homes and another was about gravity and ramps and balls.

In math, we continued measuring by lining up an object at a starting point and making sure that the units touched without overlapping. We even measured our rug using our feet, going from toe to heel to measure. Here’s what we found:
Person # of Feet
Ms. Stern 13
Zoe 16
Axl 14
Darren 13 ½
Carly 16
Daniel 14
Emily 13
Rebecca 15
Michael 15

Instead of everyone using something different to measure, we decided it’s best to use something that’s always the same and doesn’t change so we learned to measure using a ruler. There are 12 inches in one foot. We talked about why we use standard units (like rulers) instead of non-standard units (like cubes, paper clips, or shoes). Standard units are always the same. Non-standard units could be different from person to person or home to home. We practiced on the Smartboard first. Then we worked with a partner to measure objects around the room.

We saw a performer named David Gonzalez who sang and told us stories. He told us that magic can happen, as long as you do 3 things: watch, listen, and learn. We sang a song about it together. David sang first, then the kids, and finally the teachers. The teachers sang with puny voices! He told us lots of stories. One was about a turtle who didn’t want to live on the ground. He wanted to fly in the sky like the bird. The turtle said mean things so the bird dropped him on the ground, which made his shell crack into pieces. The turtle had to go around collecting the pieces and putting them together again. We learned some new words from David. Anthony learned to say hola. That means hello in Spanish. Nolan learned that anyone who is Spanish says Coca-Cola is their favorite drink. Mia learned that a grandma is called an abuela when David told a story about his family.

This afternoon we spent some more time reading non-fiction books independently. Yesterday we filled out a preference sheet that told what our top 5 choices were for topics that we want to learn more about. We are going to start doing research on our topics. We learned about facts (the things that we learn about a topic from reading) and features (parts of the book that help us get the information). Some of the features we talked about are headings, glossary, index, bold print, photographs, diagrams, labels, and zoom ins.

Tomorrow is our trip to Storm King. Remember to watch the weather and dress appropriately!

Homework: Choose 1

We have lots of events taking place this week: Circle of Books, a visit from storyteller David Gonzalez, a trip to Storm King, a bus drill, spring photos, Ms. Stern's birthday, and RIF!

Choice 1: Many of Ms. Stern's family and friends have asked what she wants for her birthday this year. If you were Ms. Stern, what would you ask for and why? Also, what is the best gift you ever got? Who gave it to you and why is it the best gift?

OR

Choice 2: On Friday, you will get to choose a new book to keep during our RIF visit. What kinds of books are you most interested in reading? Are there any authors, series, or topics you are hoping to see? What would you recommend the PTA order for next year's first graders?

Can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Earth Day-Wednesday, April 22, 2009

We started our day with bonus P.E. We played High 5 Tag.

We didn’t get to do our math lesson this morning. Lots of children forgot to bring in their stuffed animals. Everyone is going to try to remember real hard to bring one in tomorrow.

Yesterday, we decorated brown paper bags from Shoprite. We brainstormed a list of important messages that we wanted people to know and think about. Then we wrote our message and drew a picture to go along with it. Finally, we colored them so that they would catch people’s eyes. Most people had time to make 2. Ms. Stern collected the bags from all of the first grade classes that participated. At the end of the day, the children helped make groups of 10. The final count was 220 bags. Ms. Stern returned them to Shoprite in Northvale last night so that they could be distributed today. We were so excited to participate!

This morning we went all around the outside of the school looking for garbage. We split up into groups of 4 so that everyone could help. When someone in the group found something that didn’t belong outside, they put it in their bin. Sophia was surprised that there was so much garbage. One group found so much trash that their bin was overflowing. Talking about this made Nolan think of Wall-E because Wall-E had to clean up garbage, too. Carly found 2 slugs on a piece of bark. Bartosz found a few worms. The class found a tire in a tree in the front of the school. Ms. Stern is going to talk to Mrs. Polansky about that. We also found something that felt like plastic in the trunk of the tree. It was yellow and wouldn’t come out. Zoe’s group found lots of cigarettes.

When we came back inside, Ms. Stern emptied all of our bins on the rug. We came up with different categories to sort the garbage into: paper, plastic, cans/metal, glass, and garbage. Everyone got lots of turns sorting the objects. A very large spider crawled out from our pile. Ms. Stern caught it and put it in a container. We passed it around for everyone to look at. Later on, Gianluca discovered a caterpillar on a Vitamin Water bottle. It was very fuzzy and plump. Ms. Stern collected that one too so that everyone could take a peek. There were lots of other bugs that found their way inside with us. Not everyone was a fan of the insects. After all of the materials were sorted, we found lots of plastic bottles, some paper, some glass, some metal, and lots of garbage that couldn’t be recycled. We also found 2 lacrosse balls that we’re going to try to reuse instead of throwing them away.

Mrs. Piteo was absent today. Mrs. Spagnolo was our substitute. She read us Curious George Gets a Medal. Afterwards, we drew pictures of our favorite part and then we wrote 3 sentences about it.

During writing we had more time to write stories of our own choosing. Some people are working with partners. Lots of people wanted to work together yesterday. We found out that writing together is a big challenge!

From Ms. Stern: Tomorrow is Take Your Child to Work Day. Please let me know if you plan on participating. Thanks!

Homework: Thinking Links

Put on your thinking cap for this one! Write the answers to the questions below and don't use the same answer more than once. Good luck!

1. Think of the color of a cloud. ______________
2. Think of something that color which is soft. ______________
3. Think of something soft that is smaller than your hand. ______________
4. Think of something smaller than your hand which has holes. ______________
5. Think of something which has holes that you can eat. ______________
6. Think of something you can eat which is round. ______________
7. Think of something which is round that you can slice. ______________
8. Think of something you can slice that is juicy. ______________
9. Think of something juicy that is red. ______________
10. Think of something red that you see by a street. ______________
11. Think of something you see by a street which is made of wood. ______________
12. Think of something made of wood which you find in a house. ______________
13. Think of something you find in a house which is flat. ______________
14. Think of something flat which your feet can touch. ______________
15. Think of something your feet can touch which is cold. ______________
16. Think of something which is cold that is...whew!...the COLOR OF A CLOUD. ______________

REMEMBER: The same answer cannot be used more than once!

Celebrating Writing Like Mem: Authors as Mentors Unit

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Today’s blog is brought to you by our class reporters: Isabella, Sean, and Sammy. They wrote about the day’s events after they finished their writing since Ms. Stern was at a meeting at the end of the day. Here’s what they had to say:


Today Isabella had her birthday. She brought in chocolate cupcakes with white icing and blue sprinkles.



We had lunch and PE. Then we went back to our classroom to do Writer’s Workshop. Then Ms. Stern had to go to a meeting so somebody watched us. Then buses got called so then we went home. -Isabella


Today at morning meeting we checked the weather. It was 39 degrees. It felt like 32. Another part of today is when we went to PE. I got to be a coach. I chose Darren. He got everything right. I took him for a jog around the gym. Darren hit Rebecca as soon as she stood up. We were playing Star Wars. Rebecca was on the other team. Sam was the Jedi. We had a lesson with Ms. Eyer. We made simple machines. My team came in first place because my machine shot the marshmallow the farthest. My team’s score was 108. -Sean and Sammy









Have a wonderful vacation! Hope to see you on April 20th for our Writer's Celebration at 2:00!

Homework: Earth Day

We have been talking about ways that we try to help the Earth in our classroom. We recycle plastic water bottles, we reuse water bottles, turn the lights off when we leave the room, reuse extra school papers for drawing, and reduce the amount of paper by emailing. Many families are already doing lots of helpful things to reduce, reuse, and recycle at home as well. As we have discussed, the only way we can protect the Earth is to get the people who live here to practice good environmentally friendly habits and to replace bad habits with better ones. Check out this website made by first graders in Westchester. Or research other ideas about Earth Day and taking care of our environment here. What is something new that you and your family will commit to changing or start doing to take care of the Earth? I can't wait to read your responses!

Homework: Simple Machines

Last time Ms. Eyer came to our classroom, we talked about different types of simple machines. Check out this activity on Edheads.com or research other simple machines on askkids.com. In the comments section, give 3 or 4 examples of simple machines. Try to come up with different responses than your classmates.

Blogging Challenge #2: Things That Are White

Things That Are White

We worked in partners to brainstorm as many objects as we could think of that are or could be white. Mrs. Jacobs' class did the same activity. Next week, we're going to compare our results.

Remember, if you think of more things that fit this category, leave them in the comments section. Can't wait to see what else you think of!!

This is what we came up with so far:

Gianluca/Daniel/Axl
shirt, paper, teeth ,glue, fan, crayons, snow, bin, crate, book, lunchbox, tissue, milk, container, wood, stick, shark, bridge, car, bird, house, cup, carpet, blanket, pillow, pencil, computer, uniform

Sammy/Nolan
eggs, refrigerator, teeth, paper, tissue, plane, shirt, net, smoke, igloo, baskets, crayons, fan, eyes, microwave, water bottle, snow, snowman,shoes, boat, ball, vanilla ice cream, glue stick, folder, hanger, dice, car, pants, house, cream cheese, White House, books, clock, moon

Kevin/Kaitlyn
tissue, teeth, paper, dove, paper towel, napkin, fan, house, hair band, tissue box, White House, gloves, snow, bear, t-shirt, refrigerator, light, wall, clock, Smartboard, clouds, folder, sky, metal, bottle, flowers, hat, cup, heater

Mia/Anthony
paper, clouds, teeth, shirts, bubbles (bath), bath tub, polar bear, snow, eggs, tooth brush, clock, sprinkles, crayon, marshmallow, toilet, pupa, jacket, eyeballs, tennis balls, hats, glue stick, rocks, tissue paper, moon, dogs, baseball, cup, flowers, bags, Smartboard

Sean/Joshua
tissue, diaper, shirt, sneakers, laces, fan, unicorn, igloo, net, dog, smoke, face of a watch, paint, clouds, swan, underwear, paper, egg, cow, chicken, cap of a water bottle, stripes, teeth, napkin, coat, spelling book, books, Smartboard, glue, ice pop, bathtub,toilet, feather, rabbit, snow, snowman, car, paper towel, towel, clothes, closet, socks, ice cream, clone trooper, Luke Skywalker, White House, pillow, clock, goal, skunk, flag, flowers

Sophia/Isabella
teeth, shirt, sneakers, igloo, tissue, pans, crayon, paper, inside of our eyes, skirt, light, house, napkin, coat, cup, folder, water bottle, bag, dresser, paint, tiles, eraser, pencil, bunny, snowman, snow, cars, door, headband, socks, glasses, clouds, sink, clock, money, house, White House, dress, tub, pillow, clip, lunch box, cheese, dog, cat, hat, flowers, chips,mouse, garage, egg

Rebecca/Emily
tissues, glue, snow, light, shirt, paper, paint, egg, wall, teeth, clouds, socks,igloo, pillow, crayon, home

Carly/Zoe
shirt, teeth, paper, paper towel, lights, tissues, egg, snow, clock, frosting, crayon, folder, marshmallow, toilet paper, pupa, bag, wall, tights, hat, water bottle, hand sanitizer (top), Smartboard, necklace, White House, dog, flowers, hair, tub, nails, house, eraser, shoes

Darren/Michael
cloud, sock, walls, teeth, table, water bottle, planet, clock, tub, word, background, calendar, Uggs, paper, shirt, basket, light, ball, tissue, hair, bus, stuffed animal, house, hat, cooler

Friday, April 3, 2009

Since both of our classes have blogs, we’re going be having a competition with Mrs. Jacobs’ class. In order to get ready, we practiced working on thinking questions with a partner. We had to think of as many things as possible that are or can be white. Many children thought of similar ideas but there were also a ton of really interesting and unique responses. Look for them to be posted on the blog. Kids, feel free to add new ideas in the comments section!

Today we got to play Pig during math. Ms. Stern had to go to a meeting for a little while. The class played against the substitute. We won! (We hogged our turns!) The score is now 2-2. Afterwards, got to choose partners or groups. Michael played against Ms. Stern. He won!

We finished our secret project in art today. We had lots of fun making them. Some people thought it was easier to do than it looked. Our next project is going to be making a landscape using Q-tips and paint.

During Writer’s Workshop, we worked on our piece to be published. We looked for places in our writing where we told instead of showed. Mem taught us that good writers show so we fixed the spots where we forgot. We also started checking our work for spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Just as we were about to get started, we heard lots of thunder and lightning. Some children got scared but we all got to work and the thunder and lightning stopped. Next week we will continue to edit and fancy up. Our Mem Fox Writer’s Celebration will take place on Monday, April 20 at 2:00 p.m. Parents are invited to attend!

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Today is April Fool’s Day! Ms. Stern played a few tricks on us. When we came in this morning, the wrong names were on the Smartboard! They were the names of the children in Ms. Stern’s class last year. After the prank, we got our regular lunch count slide back. During math, she gave us second grade paper about addition and subtraction. Everyone thought it was so hard that we grabbed our clipboards and wanted to come to the rug for extra help! Then Ms. Stern yelled, “April Fools!” Ms. Stern wasn’t the only one pulling pranks. Isabella came back from lunch telling her that she had ants in her lunch box…APRIL FOOLS. Mia told Ms. Stern that her sister’s leg was broken…APRIL FOOLS. Sammy pulled the worst prank ever…he told Ms. Stern that he brought her a gigantic Reese’s peanut butter cup (her favorite!)…APRIL FOOLS! Zoe told Emily she had lots of candy for her…APRIL FOOLS!

After learning about nouns and proper nouns, we started talking about adjectives today. Adjectives are describing words. Ms. Stern read us a book called, Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What is an Adjective? Together, we came up with a list of adjectives. Afterwards, we had to come up with a list of adjectives that describe us and also a list of words that describe school. Some of our words to describe us were: nice, friendly, lovely, playful, fast, helpful, pretty, lucky, nice, crazy, fun, and kind. Some of our school words were: awesome, wide, filled, neat, easy, old, red, wild, big, red, and fun.

Lately, we’ve been finding some ants with wings in our classroom. We did a little bit of investigating to find out what they are. We thought they were either flying ants or termites. Termites have 2 body parts and ants have 3. Termites’ antennae are straight and ants’ are bent. Most children think we have termites. Ms. Stern made sure to let Mrs. Polansky and the custodians know.

During the real math we practiced doing related facts. We learned that the operation means addition or subtracting. In related facts, the numbers are the same but the order is different and so is the operation. We know that by looking at the plus or minus sign.

Just before lunch, Ms. Stern showed us some photographs. They had to do with mealworms, which we are learning about. She told us ahead of time that they were going to be gross, and they were! The photos were of her brother at a market in Thailand. Instead of selling fruits, vegetables, or pickles, they were selling BUGS!!! Lots and lots of bugs. Her brother bought a few different bags, including the mealworms, to try. Nolan thought the photos were awesome! Axl thought it was gross. All Mia could say was, “BLECH!” We are going to email Ms. Stern’s brother to find out what it was like eating them.

In art, we are going to start sculptures but we didn’t have enough time. On Friday, we are going to work on a surprise (for Mother’s Day). We got to do free drawing, doodle folders, and our still lifes.