Happy Tuesday! Today's morning work was to continue to work in the double digit subtraction packet. During our morning meeting, we quickly took care of all our usual Number of the Day business. The fun fact for Day 139 was: The movie Mary Poppins is 139 minutes long. We read the morning message seen above and eventually figured out that Down Under referred to Australia. (Click here for a music video the grownups out there may enjoy!)
Directly following the morning meeting, we read the book The Biggest Frog in Australia. Then, we read another version of this Dreamtime story called Tiddalick the Frog. The first graders then identified ways in which these two takes on a traditional aboriginal story from Australia were the same and different. The students were also introduced to some of the aspects of aboriginal art including drawing items from nature, using earth tones and white, and creating pictures with dots. They then chose one of the following activity sheets to work on: a word search, a coloring page featuring Tiddalick, or a coloring page with detailed patterns that showed the main characters in the story.
Directly following the morning meeting, we read the book The Biggest Frog in Australia. Then, we read another version of this Dreamtime story called Tiddalick the Frog. The first graders then identified ways in which these two takes on a traditional aboriginal story from Australia were the same and different. The students were also introduced to some of the aspects of aboriginal art including drawing items from nature, using earth tones and white, and creating pictures with dots. They then chose one of the following activity sheets to work on: a word search, a coloring page featuring Tiddalick, or a coloring page with detailed patterns that showed the main characters in the story.
Following a break, I spoke to the class about the autobiography project. I gave the students an overview of the main components and asked them to mark which chapter ideas were their favorites. I also showed the first graders how they could keep track of their progress using the little fishbowl chart paper they received last week. I advice making a plan with your child and mapping out what chapters he/she will work on and when that will happen. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Today's math lesson focused on becoming more familiar with the coins we regularly use. We looked closely at the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters brought to class. The students set up a chart to compare the coins based on value, color, ridges or no ridges, what is on the front, and what is on the back. We started filling in the chart together. Then, the students finished it on their own. Every component shown on the chart was described and examined during the live portion of the class.
Today's math lesson focused on becoming more familiar with the coins we regularly use. We looked closely at the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters brought to class. The students set up a chart to compare the coins based on value, color, ridges or no ridges, what is on the front, and what is on the back. We started filling in the chart together. Then, the students finished it on their own. Every component shown on the chart was described and examined during the live portion of the class.
We continued learning about the history, traditions, and culture of the Australian aboriginal people by first reading selections from the book Living in Australia. After that, I showed the class some aboriginal art from Australia. They also were shown a real didgeridoo, a model of the instrument, and a boomerang. We also looked at examples of aboriginal symbols used in various art forms. The students could then color a picture of Uluru or a dot art-style turtle.
The in-person learners took a recess break outside after DEAR Time. They were "boiling" but kept running around together! 🤩 When we rejoined the at-home learners, I showed the entire class another style of boomerang called a pirbu pirbu. The first graders were given instructions on how to make their own pirbu pirbu and a demonstration of how to throw it. They then worked independently to add designs, cut out, and practice throwing their paper pirbu pirbus. The in-person learners eagerly tried out their boomerangs in the hallway. It was great fun! Gluing the paper pirbu pirbus onto cardboard was the last step of the project. Let me know how the boomerangs work!
During closing circle, the students shared the designs of their pirbu pirbus with each other. I also gave the class a few more details about the history of money before bidding everyone adieu for the day.
Parents, please check the April 28 learning plan to prepare your child for class tomorrow. Thank you for picking up the bags of instructional materials and Taste of Australia items today. Here is the list of the instructional materials you received. Please note that your child's weekly snail mail is in the bag. He/she should open it today or tomorrow morning. Also, on a completely unrelated note, Fluffy thought you might be interested in this article about tarantulas and continental drift!
Finally, here is the second installment of The Sign of the Seahorse read-aloud. Enjoy!
Parents, please check the April 28 learning plan to prepare your child for class tomorrow. Thank you for picking up the bags of instructional materials and Taste of Australia items today. Here is the list of the instructional materials you received. Please note that your child's weekly snail mail is in the bag. He/she should open it today or tomorrow morning. Also, on a completely unrelated note, Fluffy thought you might be interested in this article about tarantulas and continental drift!
Finally, here is the second installment of The Sign of the Seahorse read-aloud. Enjoy!