Blog Archives

LIBRARY DAY!

11/30/2015

We really love visiting Miss Lisa May in the library. She brings her read aloud books to life. Which is pretty perfect considering we are working on visualizing books in the classroom.

Today we got to practice more visualizing with the book In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming. It may seem like a simple book at first, but it's really in intricate poem. The descriptive words allowed us to paint all sorts of cool pictures in our heads while we listened. For example: close your eyes and make a picture for "crunch, munch, caterpillars lunch" or "dart, dip, hummingbirds sip" or "crack, snap, wings flap." Keep working on visualizing at home!

OFFICIALLY PUBLISHED writers AND OTHER big things

11/20/2015

This morning it became official. WE PUBLISHED OUR WRITING! We finished our small moment story unit, picked our favorite piece, edited it and polished it up, put a cover on the front, gave it a title, and called it done! We can't wait to share them with you after break!

This afternoon we had a little free time. We were given the option to have free choice or do some pre-Thanksgiving break cleaning. Do you know what we chose to do first? Turns out we love cleaning! We cleaned out our cubbies, got out the cobwebs, scrubbed them down, and then scrubbed the tables too. We had a blast. If you need some cleaning help over break, just ask us!

Dandelion
by Don Freeman

Last but not least, we met our second Secret Reader. Remi's mom came in with a fabulous book. This one was new for all of us and Miss Kylie too! The book Dandelion is a clever story about a lion who wants to look fresh and fancy for a tea party with friends. BUT, when he gets to his party his friends don't recognize him. He's left out in the rain and soon looks like his normal self again. He returns to the party and they all have a laugh. We think the moral is JUST BE YOURSELF! Thanks Jennifer!

JUST RIGHT BOOKS AND INDEPENDENT READING

11/19/2015

We're building our reading stamina. This means that everyday we practice reading on our own and everyday we get better and better and read for a little bit longer. Right now we're up to 9 minutes!

Today we talked about picking just right books. We want to make sure that the books we pick are interesting, not too hard, not too easy, and that we can understand them. Here we are working on making sure books are just the right difficulty.

MAKING MAPS AND THANKSGIVING

11/18/2015

Today we continued our study of maps. Before we embark on our gigantic task of making a map of the school we decided to do a practice round with our bedroom. Today we were challenged to make a legend to go along with it. We're labeling everything with a small picture. We're also practicing reading legends and maps that other people have created.

Check out this super cool book! Did you know you can make a map of pretty much anything. The author of this books has maps of her bedroom and neighborhood, but also her day, tummy, and family! It's cool to think about maps in a different way. They are a great way to organize our thoughts. You can see the tummy map below:

Here we are working hard...

Here are some of our maps...

Thanks for joining us for our fabulous Thanksgiving feast. Tenille definitely makes a delicious meal that we can all be thankful for.

EVERYTHING HANDS ON

11/17/2015

Today was a hands on kind of day all around.

We are working on long o and long u right now in spelling and reading. LONG O can be spelled with a sneaky e on the end like slope or with /oa/ in the middle like coat. LONG U makes a couple different sounds and can be spelled with a sneaky e on the end like mule, /oo/ in the middle like food, or /ui/ in the middle like fruit.

In math we are working on place value. Today we started our new unit by talking about grouping. Ten is an easy number to work with. Instead of adding 9+1+4 we can combine numbers to make it 10+4. They both equal 14! We started off by balancing some equations to make 10 on both sides.

PUBLISHED WRITERS

11/16/2015

We are wrapping up our small moment story writing unit and PUBLISHING our writing. It is very exciting stuff! Today we looked back over the many stories we've written since September and picked our three favorites.

First we referred to our editing checklist to make sure we knew what to look for.

Then we made sure we remembered our periods and capital letters.

Then we added lots and lots of details. With some sound effects and word shapes for fun!

Finally, we went to work making sure our stories were looking good. Tomorrow we'll pick our best work and publish it with a cover and everything. Then it will be ready for the world to see.

FIRST GRADE SCIENTISTS

11/13/2015

Lilah, our Scientist of the Week, wanted to know: What is the best way to clean a penny? Good question, now we want to know too! Lilah came prepared with a couple of different options and lucky for us we each got to try them out. You may find some cleaner pennies around your house this weekend!

Check out the scientific method for this experiment and be sure to try it at home.

Materials

lime juice

coca cola

soapy water

ketchup

vinegar and salt

and of course... a penny

Procedure
Place your pennies in each of the different liquids or mixtures. Wait 3 minutes. Scrub the pennies with a sponge. Observe. For better results, let the pennies sit in the liquid or mixture overnight.

Hypotheses
Coca Cola with work the best. (1)
Soap and water will work the best. (3)
Lime juice will work the best. (2)
Ketchup will work the best. (3)
Vinegar and salt will work the best. (4)

Conclusion
Vinegar and salt worked the best. After only 11 seconds the pennies in vinegar and salt were noticeably cleaner. And after a little scrub they were shiny like new. We are going to leave them over the weekend to see if they get even shiner!

Happy Birthday Tessa!
7 is just the best!

KID REX AND A VISIT FROM THE HISTORIAN

11/12/2015

The internet is a big and scary place. Lucky we for us we found a super cool safe site just for kids. It's called Kid Rex and it's awesome--basically Google for kids. We're big curious first grade learners and Kid Rex is the perfect place for us to explore our curiosities on our own.

We've spent some time answering questions on Kid Rex. If you were going to convince your parents you absolutely had to have a pet and were totally responsible enough to take care of one, what would you need to find out?

What do guinea pigs eat?
How do you clean a litter box?
How much exercise does a puppy need?
How much sleep does a snake need?
Does a shark make a good pet? (only in Despicable Me)

And now for the afternoon news...

Peace from the Wreckage

Taj brought in a very local article today from the Aspen Daily News! In 1987 a plane left the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport on a sightseeing flight up to Ruedi Reservoir. The plane was caught in a downdraft and crashed in a very dense forest near Mount Yeckel in the Lenado area. Luckily all four passengers survived and walked out with their lives, but some bad burns. Now one day short of the 28th anniversary, the plane was found by two of the original passengers. They found some remaining wreckage and hopefully some peace too!

PUMPKIN STITCHING

11/11/2015

We're practicing our fine motor skills with a little fall harvest pumpkin stitching. It's challenging and fun! We're psyched to be doing something a little different when we finish our other work! Perfect work for a snowy and cozy pajama day!

ZENTANGLES

11/11/2015

We're working on some pretty sweet art projects coming your way as a holiday surprise! Today we did a star shaped art work through the practice of Zentangles. What's a Zentangle? Great question! Here's an example...

The Zentangle art form is a way to turn everyday doodling into form of relaxation and focus with detailed repeating designs. Today we created star Zentangles. There was intense concentration and focus happening in the classroom. Though we used the Zentangle to create artwork today, this technique is a great way to calm down, give yourself a break, and relax. Here's what it looks like and sounds like...

Have your kids try it at home when then need a little quiet time. It's works like magic!
Or try it yourself!

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