Today we did 2 of our 4 science rotations!  Our team learned about translucent, transparent and opaque objects as seen through light.  We also did experiments with tuning forks, rubber bands, balloons and rulers to explore vibrations to learn about sound waves!

FYI there is stomach bug going around the first grade.  Today we reviewed what kids can do to stay healthy: drink water, get lots of SLEEP, eat healthy and wash their hands!  We will keep wiping the tables down!

Today we welcomed a new team member to room 107!  Welcome Stanley!
We now have 18 kids on our team!  I was very impressed with how nicely the team welcomed and helped him.
We are gearing up for an exciting week ahead.  Tomorrow and Wednesday we will be doing SCIENCE CENTERS!  We will be learning about light and sound waves!  Then on Thursday we are going on our big field trip to the Dover Children's Museum!  Remember to pack a cold lunch that day for your student!

A letter (and a bag) is coming home today inviting students to please bring in a collection of some kind in to kick off our new writing unit on Opinion Writing!  I have had lots of different types of collections come in the past...marbles, baseball cards, action figures, head bands, stickers, postcards etc.

A new book bag came home today!  Thanks for supporting your student to be reading at home.  Remember to extend your reading try to have them retell the
beginning / middle / end
all the characters
the problem
the solution
what was the message the author wanted us to get from this book?

Tomorrow is our feast!  If you offered to send in mini muffins, thank you!  Please send them in the morning if you can as we try to set it all up before the kids come.  Remember to send your student in their pilgrim best, dark bottoms and white/light tops.  Girls can do aprons if they want and boys can pull high socks over their pant legs if they want to!

In math we are learning about money!  Today we introduced the penny,  the symbol for cents and played a great game called Penny Plate.  You start with a set number of pennies, for example 5.  One player closes their eyes and the other player puts some of the pennies under the plate and the remainder on the top.  For example 4 under 1 on top.  Then the player with closed eyes opens and figures out how many are hiding based on how many they can see ( basic algebra!)...we started with 5 and worked up to 10 with our partners today.  This is a great game to build number sense, give it a try!

Today we did some special Thanksgiving centers where they first graders rotated to every classroom!  ASk your first grader what they liked the best and why.

We also did a turkey greeting at our morning meeting, have then show you how to make it with their two hands!

Here is a list of what team 107 is thankful for...

Anthony- My parents and my brothers to play with
Kylie- My daddy and my Grammie's lake house
Ross- My Uncle Eric coming over to set up my old computer
Delyla- My family and friends and arts and crafts
Lily- My cousin Taylor and my cousin's dog Kayla
Aurelian- Gliding lizards and school so I can learn
Reanne- My Auntie's dog and oxygen
Mily-friends to play with and school to learn to read
Isabelle-My Dad and my Mom
Kaylee- My mom and my Dad to play with me
Zoey- My elf on the shelf named Elsa and Miles my dog
Charlie-my dry bone toy and sunflowers
Tyler-playing frisbee at school with friends and my having sleepovers at my Grammie's house
Piper-My puppy Rosie and my birthday
Jenny- my family and friends
Andrew- My dog Daisy to cuddle and sleeping over my Grammie's house
Isaac-My Dad and my brother Jonah

We have continued to talk about Thanksgiving and learn about what life was like a long time ago for the Pilgrims.  Today one of our centers was to read the pictures in some picture books about the first Thanksgiving.  We talked about how good readers use all the clues, including picture clues to make meaning.  The kids were able to tell a lot from the illustrations!

We also made bingo cards to play bingo with all our words that have bonus letters ( shell, buzz, mess, huff etc.)  We have been reviewing our first glued sound all.

This week our trick words were you, your , I & they.

In math we sorted number sentences for true and false.  It was important for us to explain not only how we knew an answer was correct but how we knew it was false!  " I knew 5+5+5=10 was not true because it takes two 5's to make 10, three 5's would be bigger" etc.

At morning meeting we are sharing something we were thankful for.  Today kids could share anything they feel thankful for tomorrow they are challenged to share something they are thankful for that cannot be bought at a store!  I will post the responses tomorrow!

We filled up our bucket and voted on a privilege!  We are going to get an extra recess!  We will likely save this for Friday.  Speaking of recess if your first grader wants to bring any equipment to recess from home (balls, jump ropes, frisbees etc) they are welcome to!  The school has some of these items to offer the kids but you can also send it items if you want to.  I would recommend labeling anything with your child's name and room 107.  

Still looking for several first grade families who could donate a dozen mini muffins for our feast.  Ideally we would like 6 separate 1 dozen donations for our feast next Tuesday morning ( 830 am parents are welcome).

On Tuesday the 22nd when we have our book pal feast we will be the Pilgrims.  Please help your child pick our their best Pilgrim outfit ( do not go buy anything!!).  Kids usually try for white or light colored tops ( collars are a plus) and black or dark bottoms.  Sometimes girls wear aprons, sometimes boys pull high socks over their pant legs.  We will provide the hats!  Thanks!

Thank you for coming out for PTC, it was so great to share progress with you and show off some of your first grader's hard work.  Please do not hesitate to get in touch (email is best) if you want to chat more or have a follow up question.

New trick words this week are  you & your.   We also have been learning about bonus letters (1,z,s,f) that see at the end of a word with a short vowel (example: shell, mess, fill, buzz).  We introduced our first glued sound /all/.  We know if we can spell all we can spell many more words like fall, call, small etc.

We have Library on Monday!  We missed it the last few weeks due to PTC and guidance.  Please send library books and book bags back to school this Monday!

Hopefully you saw the blue notice that went home last week about the BES first grade mitten tree.  We are collecting gently used or new mittens, hats, scarves etc. to be donated to children in need of items this upcoming winter season.  Please consider sending a donation (especially if your child has out grown an item).

Our upcoming book pal Thanksgiving Feast will be Tuesday 11-22 at 830 am in our BES cafeteria.  Families are welcome to come and watch (heads up it is very quick about 25 minutes) but it is primarily for the students to snack and exchange gifts with their fourth grade pal.  

On Monday we voted in a first grade election for what gift we should make for our book pals.  The first graders went into an election booth and voted for either necklace, picture frame or bookmark.  Necklaces won!

We are in need of some items for our book pal feast: 

17 drinks (water bags or juice boxes or a gallon of cider) 

mini muffins one dozen per donation (homemade or store bought any flavor) total of 6 dozen.

Today we had a great time making and graphing our Turkey Glyphs!  We made turkeys where each color feather represented a food we may or may not like to eat.  

Red-cranberry sauce

Orange-pumpkin pie

Yellow-corn

Green-green beans

Pink-potatoes

Brown-stuffing

We found that orange, yellow, green and pink were very popular!

Despite the rainy day and the indoor recess we had a great day in room 107!  These students continue to impress me with their academics!  We reviewed our words of the day from our phonics programs and started talking about synonyms and antonyms for each word like  shut -  close & open.  See if your first grader can offer you other words that mean the same thing as a word you name or an opposite.  

In math we are learning that there are many ways to show a number sentence! For example, if we see this domino we can generate these number sentences:

5+3= 8, 3+5 =8 (both of those in a vertical format) then 8=5+ and 8=3+5 

 Tomorrow we will even add on the subtraction number sentences 8-5=3 and 8-3=5

Sorry this blog has been quiet for a few days, I have been very busy finishing my narratives you will receive at PTC next week!

Thank you so much for all the Halloween special snack supplies last Friday!

Today we talked about the 3 ways to make the /k/ sound -c -k -ck.
We learned that if the /k/ sound is at the end of a word like THICK we write a -ck.

In math we are working to develop a number grid in our minds!  Ask your first grader to close their eyes and tell you who goes before and after the number 4?  13?  56?  Challenge: Who is 10 more or 10 less from those numbers?

Please be aware we go out every morning at 10 am for am recess and it is still chilly!  Send those warm items!