The Question of the Day was: Have you ever been to a country in Asia? We reviewed consonant blends/clusters during phonics. The boys and girls practiced two digit addition with and without grouping. They learned how to use writing paper to keep their numbers straight in math!
The specials class of the day was P.E and there was outdoor lunch recess. We practiced mindfulness with the day's Inner Explorer session. The students turned in the following books: Esio Trot, Anansi, and Hill of Fire. I am missing several copies of each. If your child has the books at home, please send them back to school tomorrow. Thank you!
During science, the first graders learned that there is an earth material even smaller than silt: clay! They explored clay balls, watched them crumble, held them in their hands, put them in water, and got clay dust on their hands. Finally, the boys and girls shaped the clay into something resembling balls and placed them in vials. After water was added to the vials, they shook them up as hard as they could. No one could make the clay completely disappear. We will check the vials next week to see if we notice any changes over time.
One of our spelling words this week is fair. You may have heard "That's not fair!" from your favorite first grader at some point or other. I know in school, we have recurring discussions about what fair really means. Today, in both reading and social studies, the boys and girls had historical lessons about fair and unfair laws.
In the morning, we read and discussed the Scholastic News article "When School Was Cruel." The boys and girls were able to make connections to what we had learned earlier about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Ask your child to tell you what he/she read about Linda Brown and Thurgood Marshall. What were their roles in changing an unfair law?
Later in the day, we returned to idea of changing unfair laws. The students learned about the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his use of nonviolent protest to bring about change in India. We read the book Gandhi: A March to the Sea and watched a short video about the Salt March. Gandhi's movement inspired people around the world, including Martin Luther King Jr. Even though first graders are obviously not ready to fully understand all these issues, they are certainly adding to their grasp of justice and the idea that everyone can be part of changing the world for the better.
As a side note, if family travels ever take you to Atlanta, you might consider visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. Seeing some of the places they learned about in school would be a meaningful experience.
Speaking of meaningful experiences, there will be one in school tomorrow! The boys and girls will share their hard work at our Meet the Authors event. Please drop in anytime between 2:00 and 3:00. The original time was 2:15, but we are starting a little earlier to accommodate our fifth grade buddies. There will not be any formal presentations, but be prepared to visit as many first grade authors as possible while you are here. Thank you!
The specials class of the day was P.E and there was outdoor lunch recess. We practiced mindfulness with the day's Inner Explorer session. The students turned in the following books: Esio Trot, Anansi, and Hill of Fire. I am missing several copies of each. If your child has the books at home, please send them back to school tomorrow. Thank you!
During science, the first graders learned that there is an earth material even smaller than silt: clay! They explored clay balls, watched them crumble, held them in their hands, put them in water, and got clay dust on their hands. Finally, the boys and girls shaped the clay into something resembling balls and placed them in vials. After water was added to the vials, they shook them up as hard as they could. No one could make the clay completely disappear. We will check the vials next week to see if we notice any changes over time.
One of our spelling words this week is fair. You may have heard "That's not fair!" from your favorite first grader at some point or other. I know in school, we have recurring discussions about what fair really means. Today, in both reading and social studies, the boys and girls had historical lessons about fair and unfair laws.
In the morning, we read and discussed the Scholastic News article "When School Was Cruel." The boys and girls were able to make connections to what we had learned earlier about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Ask your child to tell you what he/she read about Linda Brown and Thurgood Marshall. What were their roles in changing an unfair law?
Later in the day, we returned to idea of changing unfair laws. The students learned about the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his use of nonviolent protest to bring about change in India. We read the book Gandhi: A March to the Sea and watched a short video about the Salt March. Gandhi's movement inspired people around the world, including Martin Luther King Jr. Even though first graders are obviously not ready to fully understand all these issues, they are certainly adding to their grasp of justice and the idea that everyone can be part of changing the world for the better.
As a side note, if family travels ever take you to Atlanta, you might consider visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. Seeing some of the places they learned about in school would be a meaningful experience.
Speaking of meaningful experiences, there will be one in school tomorrow! The boys and girls will share their hard work at our Meet the Authors event. Please drop in anytime between 2:00 and 3:00. The original time was 2:15, but we are starting a little earlier to accommodate our fifth grade buddies. There will not be any formal presentations, but be prepared to visit as many first grade authors as possible while you are here. Thank you!