Welcome back to a short school week! The Question of the Day was Have you ever stayed overnight on a ship? This led to a brief discussion about Christopher Columbus and long ocean voyages of days gone by. Morning work was to make a rectangular prism. Students will make a different three-dimensional shape each morning this week. Today we worked on making sharp folds.
Our spelling unit this week focuses on words with/oo/ and /ew/ spelling patterns. Even though it is a short week, the spelling test will still be on Friday. Following spelling, we worked on our field trip books. The students added the dedication, copyright, and Table of Contents pages. We used the observation journal from the Surprising Seeds workshop as the chapter for our trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden.
During reading, we looked at some new materials from the Field Museum. We have a Mr. and Mrs.. Mallard plus many animal home specimens. This will tie in nicely to our study of human homes! The boys and girls also completed an animal sort based on body covering: fur, scales, feathers, or shell. Ask your child for some examples that fit each category.
'Our reading lesson centered on two-dimensional shapes. We counted the sides and vertices of triangles, a variety of quadrilaterals, and pentagons. The students used rulers to draw shapes in their math books. This was a bit tricky for some. You may wish to have your child practice this on dot paper at home. Tonight's homework requires students to use a straightedge to draw pictures.
Following lunch and lunch recess, we had Quiet Time. E Day is one of the two days we don't have to hustle out of the classroom to get to a specials class at 12:15. This means I can give students a longer Quiet Time if needed. Today, the boys and girls read, worked on a puzzle, or sketched some of the new additions to the classroom.
The first graders were excited to see that their pumpkin plants had sprouted. They noticed that some of the plants still had seed coats attached to the new leaves. We also observed the wheat growing in straws. There was additional excitement when the students pulled the straws out of the cups and saw roots coming out of the bottom. Last, but not least, the first graders observed their brassica cups. Many plants had seed pods! The pollination session last week must have worked! There was more pollinating taking place today. Ask your child about his/her plant observations, especially his/her brassica plant.
During social studies, we used our Map Champ Atlas books to learn about different kinds of communities: urban, suburban, and rural. The first graders used their alphabetical order skills to find words in the Map Champ Atlas glossary.
The day ended in music class with Ms. Lambert. I will take an educated guess that the first graders may have practiced songs for the upcoming Halloween assembly. Parents will be invited to see the primary students perform on stage the afternoon of October 31. Details will be sent home soon!
We will read the first story in our Junior Great Books tomorrow.
Our spelling unit this week focuses on words with/oo/ and /ew/ spelling patterns. Even though it is a short week, the spelling test will still be on Friday. Following spelling, we worked on our field trip books. The students added the dedication, copyright, and Table of Contents pages. We used the observation journal from the Surprising Seeds workshop as the chapter for our trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden.
During reading, we looked at some new materials from the Field Museum. We have a Mr. and Mrs.. Mallard plus many animal home specimens. This will tie in nicely to our study of human homes! The boys and girls also completed an animal sort based on body covering: fur, scales, feathers, or shell. Ask your child for some examples that fit each category.
'Our reading lesson centered on two-dimensional shapes. We counted the sides and vertices of triangles, a variety of quadrilaterals, and pentagons. The students used rulers to draw shapes in their math books. This was a bit tricky for some. You may wish to have your child practice this on dot paper at home. Tonight's homework requires students to use a straightedge to draw pictures.
Following lunch and lunch recess, we had Quiet Time. E Day is one of the two days we don't have to hustle out of the classroom to get to a specials class at 12:15. This means I can give students a longer Quiet Time if needed. Today, the boys and girls read, worked on a puzzle, or sketched some of the new additions to the classroom.
The first graders were excited to see that their pumpkin plants had sprouted. They noticed that some of the plants still had seed coats attached to the new leaves. We also observed the wheat growing in straws. There was additional excitement when the students pulled the straws out of the cups and saw roots coming out of the bottom. Last, but not least, the first graders observed their brassica cups. Many plants had seed pods! The pollination session last week must have worked! There was more pollinating taking place today. Ask your child about his/her plant observations, especially his/her brassica plant.
During social studies, we used our Map Champ Atlas books to learn about different kinds of communities: urban, suburban, and rural. The first graders used their alphabetical order skills to find words in the Map Champ Atlas glossary.
The day ended in music class with Ms. Lambert. I will take an educated guess that the first graders may have practiced songs for the upcoming Halloween assembly. Parents will be invited to see the primary students perform on stage the afternoon of October 31. Details will be sent home soon!
We will read the first story in our Junior Great Books tomorrow.