This Week's Homework 4/2

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Permission to Photograph

Please hand-in the permission to photograph slip as soon as possible.  If your slip is not received I will assume that you do not want your child's picture to be posted.  Photos will begin being posted next week, stay tuned!

Finding Facts about Your Topic

Check out this link to help you see what a fact looks like.

Watch some videos below to gather some information:

Turtles
Frogs
Beavers
Ducks
Raccoons
Alligators

What topic did you choose?  Click on a link below to look at facts.  You may want to include some of these in your writing.




Facts about Cats
Facts about Dogs
Facts about Rabbits
Facts about Fish
Facts about Turtles
Facts about Lions
Facts about Butterflies
Facts about Tigers
Facts about Dinosaurs

Superstudent of the Week

2-4-6-8

We think you are really great!

You are fun and you are kind,

Your friendship is a super find!

Congratulations Sharleny and Mozhair,

You are Super Students!

Keep shining*

Leave a comment below to cheer on your friends for all their hard work at school. 

This Week's Homework 3/26

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Writing to Learn and Teach About Science

In writers workshop this month, we have been exploring like scientists.  We began this unit by researching in centers -- looking closely with magnifying glasses and scientist *starglasses* at animals, pictures, computer clips, and a special "What is it?" clue game.


What we hope to see at the end of this unit:

• writing to record, question, hypothesize, and observe closely
• ask big questions and answer them
• elaborate on ideas by saying: I noticed... I think... I used to think, but now I know... I wonder...
• sketching with labels and captions
• using precise vocabulary

What are you writing about? 

What kind of book did you decide to make?

         All About book, Different kinds of..., Question / Answer book, Life Cycle book

Superstudent of the Week

B-E-L-I-N-D-A

We are so proud of you, for all that you do!

R-O-N-A-L-D

Always keeping his 1-2-3 "eyes on me"!

Congratulations Ronald and Belinda, you are Superstudents!

Keep shining*

Leave a comment below to cheer on your friends for all their hard work at school.

Sea Turtles

Watch the video below to learn some interesting facts about sea turtles.  This documentary was filmed in Egypt.  What facts did you learn about sea turtles?

At the end of the documentary, the film director says that sea turtles are endangered animals... not because of other animals but because of people.  Ms. Platt is very passionate about animals, particularly turtles, as she had a beloved pet turtle growing up that she would read to every day.  This is what made me a reader!  Let's make sure we take care of ocean life and non-threatening animals.

Ms. Platt's pet turtle Freddy Teddy Platt, that she got when she was 7 years old.  Here is Freddy at age 3

This Week's Homework 3/19

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We Can Add Doubles Part 1

We Can Add Doubles Part 2

Quarters

Quarter is worth 25 cents

We are learning how to count quarters.

Let's practice: 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200!

Watch video below to help practice counting by 2's, 5's, 10's,

Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.

They're all worth a different amount.

We can trade them all for each other,

If we learn how our money counts.

Scientists

, 

This week we began reading and writing like scientists (more information to follow regarding what we are specifically learning and how you can help at home)...We will be learning more about the ocean throughout the classroom day -- through poetry, read alouds, video clips, and reader's and writer's workshop.  This week we have been gathering facts about sea turtles.  Did you know that a baby sea turtle is called a hatchling?

Scholastic News

Periodically you will be receiving a Scholastic News in your child's folder.  Today we learned a fun limerick and noticed what is so special about them:  lines 1,2,5 rhyme.  And lines 3,4 rhyme.  We called this an A-A-B-B-A pattern. See if you can find the rhyming words below.

There once was a young sheep named Kelly.
She had wool from her ears to her belly.
When rain started to fall,
She didn't like it all.
The rain made her wet and smelly!

wool

---

(WUHL)

The soft, thick, curly hair of sheep. People use wool to make some types of clothing and blankets.

Super student of the Week

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
We sure are lucky...

To have friends like you!

Congratulations Wenchao and Eduardo! You are Superstudents!

Keep shining*

Leave a comment below to cheer on your friends for all their hard work at school.

This Week's Homework 3/12

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**Don't forget to set your clocks an hour ahead!

**Parent conferences are this Tuesday, 12:10-2:10PM & 5:30-8:00PM.  Please come as early as possible to ensure enough time.  A sign up sheet will be placed outside of our classroom, and I will be meeting with you in the order that you arrive -- please make sure to sign in!
**Please bring report cards signed to parent conference.

Sight Words

Sight words are a very important component to reading.  In first grade, we are learning a lot, especially when it comes to reading!

Visit Sight Words where you can click on "Lists" of sight words that you should know instantly, without having to use our reading strategies to solve -- see it, say it, in a snap*

If you are unsure of these words, please listen to the correct way of saying them. 

--This website is super cool, it's by a first grade classroom, just like ours.  They are boy and girls from California, on the other side of the United States.  They are bookworms just like us!

**Play Popcorn Sight Game online -- just like we play at centers.  Listen carefully for the sight word that the monkey says, and click on the right popcorn kernel.  Choose which level is best for you.  Hope you can reach level 3!

Superstudent of the Week

2-4-6-8
Who do we appreciate?

Angelica!

Amy!

Hooray (Table 7!)

Congratulations Amy and Angelica.  Keep Shining*

Leave a comment below, of kind words, to cheer on your classmates :)

Poem of the Week

Good Morning, Rainbow

Good morning, rainbow,
You make the rain worthwhile!

Good morning, rainbow,
You're an upside down smile!

This Week's Homework 3/5

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The Paperbag Players "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh"

We were so excited to see real actors and actresses perform on stage!  Prior to becoming an audience member we learned a lot of vocabulary that we would hear in a theater.  We were so excited when we got to meet ushers, receive a playbill, and listen to the music that the musicians composed.  We were so excited to see John rock out on his keyboard!  We learned about the props that the actors would be using and how easy they are to make -- all you need is a cardbox box and some paint or markers.  It got us thinking... maybe we could put on our own special show!  Check out the clip below to revisit the opening act.

And... one of our favorite songs from the show:  Bubbles, bubbles, I love bubbles, bubbles, bubbles, pop, pop, pop! --- Ezra Jack Keats, our mentor author, writes words that he wants to emphasize three times!  In this play we saw Keats' craft used in the bubble song, and even in the title of the show -- Laugh, Laugh, Laugh!