As you can see from the photos above and below, we had a successful day of building structures in Room 104! Parents, thank you for providing our building materials. The first graders were tasked with creating sturdy structures, each on its own piece of land (aka boot tray). First, each team had to decide what type of structure they wanted to build. Once that was decided, the team members were assigned a space to work. Each group was given a set of boxes, cartons, and tubes from which to start. Before building, the team members planned the design of their structures. They then set to work! The teams had to be flexible with each other and rethink what they were doing when something did not go as planned. Boxes fell and were put up again in new ways. Materials were shared between groups. I am happy to report there was minimal pouting. Finally, all the structures were completed! Hurrah! Ask your child about his/her team's structure!
After lunch, we had a debriefing session about the morning's team-building exercise (pun fully intended). The students shared what went well in their groups. This included not giving up, trying each other's ideas, not getting frustrated when things fell apart, and changing their building methods. The students also shared challenges they faced. These included not always agreeing on what to do next, the process of taping the boxes together, and placing the materials to make them sturdy and balanced, Following this discussion, the teams named their structures. A couple groups had difficulty agreeing on a name, but worked it out with some compromising. Flexibility and cooperation played huge roles in today's endeavors! Ask your child about successes and challenges encountered in his/her team.
Each student also drew a sketch of what his/her team's structure ended up looking like. None were exactly like their original plans and that was okay! The drawings will be placed on display near the structures. We concluded today's building experiences by reading the books Building a House and If I Built a House. The latter story described the imaginative rooms the narrator would include in his home if he were in charge of building it. This got the creative juices flowing in the first graders, who then drew pictures of what they would include if they built their own houses. Ask your child about his/her drawing!
Other events of the day included going to P.E., working in field trip books, and taking the spelling test. The super bonus word was architecture. We also went to the computer lab. The boys and girls learned to animate their slide shows! Parents, you will be able to view your child's Shapes PowerPoint presentation when you come to parent-teacher conferences on November 14.
Our trip to Goebbert's Farm takes place on Monday, October 22. We will go rain or shine so be sure your child is properly dressed! Please remember to pack a bag lunch to eat at the farm. Everything included must be eaten, recycled, or thrown away before leaving the farm. Thank you!
After lunch, we had a debriefing session about the morning's team-building exercise (pun fully intended). The students shared what went well in their groups. This included not giving up, trying each other's ideas, not getting frustrated when things fell apart, and changing their building methods. The students also shared challenges they faced. These included not always agreeing on what to do next, the process of taping the boxes together, and placing the materials to make them sturdy and balanced, Following this discussion, the teams named their structures. A couple groups had difficulty agreeing on a name, but worked it out with some compromising. Flexibility and cooperation played huge roles in today's endeavors! Ask your child about successes and challenges encountered in his/her team.
Each student also drew a sketch of what his/her team's structure ended up looking like. None were exactly like their original plans and that was okay! The drawings will be placed on display near the structures. We concluded today's building experiences by reading the books Building a House and If I Built a House. The latter story described the imaginative rooms the narrator would include in his home if he were in charge of building it. This got the creative juices flowing in the first graders, who then drew pictures of what they would include if they built their own houses. Ask your child about his/her drawing!
Other events of the day included going to P.E., working in field trip books, and taking the spelling test. The super bonus word was architecture. We also went to the computer lab. The boys and girls learned to animate their slide shows! Parents, you will be able to view your child's Shapes PowerPoint presentation when you come to parent-teacher conferences on November 14.
Our trip to Goebbert's Farm takes place on Monday, October 22. We will go rain or shine so be sure your child is properly dressed! Please remember to pack a bag lunch to eat at the farm. Everything included must be eaten, recycled, or thrown away before leaving the farm. Thank you!