Learning To Go Mr. Avery's Class on the Web 

 This week’s new comprehension strategy is predicting. Always, the #1 thing we want students to do when they read for meaning is to think about the text. When we do that, we can’t help but make predictions–predictions about where a story is going next; predictions about what language or vocabulary we will likely encounter next; predictions about answers to our questions that arise when we read. Equally important is to check our predictions, or guesses, as we read on, and adjust our thinking accordingly. It’s what helps us learn new things and it makes us engage with text, building our lifelong learning skills. Check out this fun video from BrainPop Jr., along with ideas for how to help your child practice at home: http://www.brainpop.com/educators/community/bp-jr-topic/make-predictions/

 Our work with Entertaining Beginnings continues, as we practice language related to good beginnings (Sounds–BANG went the bar of the roller coaster car; Actions–We jumped into the roller coaster car and slammed the safety bar down.; Questions–Have you ever gone so fast you thought you were flying?). We will learn this week to relate our beginnings back to the prompt to provide clarity for our readers (That’s just what happened to me the time I took a trip to…).

 You may have seen how some of the topics in math this year are presented. EDM is big on the concept of spiraling: we learned briefly about measurement; then about inches; and now we will briefly learn and practice with centimeters. What’s important is that kids learn to measure with a variety of units, and to measure with accuracy. Also this week we will practice math facts with games, models, and fact triangles. Here is a game from EDM that uses several different models to get at math facts, which is a real bonus for kids thinking about numbers: https://em-facts-workshop.everydaymathonline.com/te_main_menu.html?PHPSESSID=1af45454a12f595c9d85c2bcf2cddf01#

Last, we will learn to identify quarters and their values. We will also practice exchanging coins up to 25 cents, a challenging activity for first-graders that makes use of number sense, counting, adding, and trading in pennies for nickels, nickels for dimes, etc. Trading in is a big skill in other areas of math too: 10 + 16 is just 2 tens and 6 more–that kind of flexibility is optimal!). Here’s our favorite quarters song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq6rTT8RmzY

This week we’ll identify what services are in economics, and begin to explore them in our neighborhood and town. The notion of ecommerce has added new and interesting twists (enter Bit Coin!) but the heart of the matter remains the same. When you are out and about with your first-grader, help himorher notice the many ways people provide services for pay in our community. Why are those services important? To whom do they matter? Why do some people work hard all day without getting paid (volunteers, moms or dads)? What might happen if not enough people need services that are offered?

 100 Day is here! Thank you for working with your child to develop a mathematical understanding of 100 and sending in your projects–they look awesome! Monday we’ll be sharing and analyzing the works to share the wealth of knowledge they contain! The display will be set up all week: there’s still time to get in on the learning if you missed the deadline. Because we’ll be spending math time on number sense and patterns to 100 on Monday, look for a separate math homework sheet (e.g. not in the homework packet).

 This is the last week to return permission slips and money for our field trip coming up in March. Please make checks payable to FSS Student Activity Fund. Reminder: Your child will need to be driven to school that morning, instead of taking the bus! If you need help arranging a carpool option, let me know–or you could use our class list of addresses/phone numbers to find others near you. The field trip buses leave promptly at 8:30, which is when the first of the school buses arrive for the day.

We will exchange valentines this Friday as a way of boosting our caring classroom community. If you will be participating, please send in one for each student (there are 20 in all). We’ll be trading valentines at snack time. Though we don’t do parties with food anymore, you may send in something special for your child alone to eat to mark the occasion!

 

This week we will be learning to use Fact Triangles to practice math facts. These can be a very useful tool because they condense math facts into a visual form. A plus/minus triangle need only contain three numbers (e.g. 2, 3, 5). Students are encouraged to memorize just that combination of numbers, from which a “Fact Family” emerges: 2 + 3 = 5; 3 + 2 = 5 (we call those two Turnaround Facts); 5 – 3 = 2; and 5 – 2 = 3. That’s four math facts for the price of one triangle–lots of bang for the buck! It can be a really powerful tool. Here’s more on the how and why: http://instruction.aaps.k12.mi.us/EM_parent_hdbk/activities.html

And while the homework packet has a few triangles in it, here are more:  http://donnayoung.org/math/tricards.htm

And here is a downloadable game that mimics how they will be used here at school:  http://elementarysoftware.com/triangles/triangle.html

In addition to Valentine’s Day, our class will further the aims of a caring classroom community by sharing the wonderful book, Have You Filled A Bucket Today? (McCloud, 2006). The premise is that we all have emotional and psychological needs, and metaphorically when we meet those needs and help others to do the same, it’s like filling a bucket. Young children are just beginning to understand that others have needs of their own, and this is a great way to help things appear more concrete for them. Along with all of Floral, we will spend time exploring these concepts, culminating in our monthly School Meeting on Friday.

Our writing work involving Entertaining Beginnings when starting personal narratives continues this week. We will learn the power of starting our pieces with a question to hook the reader. Boring opening sentence: I went on a roller coaster. It was fast. Better: Have you ever gone so fast you felt like you were flying? That’s just what happened to me the time I went on a roller coaster last summer.

In Social Studies, we will learn about the extraordinary life of Abraham Lincoln and analyze the traits that made him successful. We will tie that into the importance of the office of the presidents in advance of President’s Day coming up.

We have begun initial explorations of economics by learning what goods are and how to distinguish between wants and needs (in economics, only clothing, food and shelter and how they affect our personal economies and those of the community/world). What’s important at this age is that children begin to understand that goods and services affect what most people do every day, and that in turn affects other people. When you’re driving around town, or working/shopping online, or using anything in which cost plays a factor, encourage your child to think about how and why the goods and services that impact our everyday lives are there.

Our blog will be on vacation until 2/24. I wish you a happy holiday and vacation, and thanks for your continued work on behalf of your child!

 

Reference: McCloud, C. (2006). Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Northville, MI: Nelson Publishing & Marketing

Field Trip News! Coming home Monday is a permission slip for our field trip to Boston’s Children Museum on March 7. Please read and return the bottom this week! * NOTE: because of the early schedule required by the museum, first-grade students will need to be dropped off to school that day, no later than 8:15. The buses will leave promptly at 8:30. Parents interested in chaperoning should make sure they’ve got a current CORI check clearance. Scholarships are available if the cost of the trip presents a hardship. If this is the case, just let me know and return the form, and I’ll take care of the rest.

The 100th Day of School is coming! This Friday marks the occasion (my apologies–last week’s blog said it was on 2/14). Please see last week’s blog for ideas on how your child can contribute to the fun and learning!

Pedometers are here again! This is the third of 4 data collection weeks (the last will be the first week of April). We almost earned the prize last time for returning all recording sheets and pedometers on time. Please help us reach that goal this week!

Let the games begin! This week marks the start of the XXII Winter Olympiad. We will incorporate map skills and history, and explore character traits of Olympic athletes, as we learn about this year’s event. You can keep the learning going at home and support the athletes from Team USA by learning more about the extraordinary men and women representing us, including more than a few who call New England home: http://www.teamusa.org/Athletes.  The official Olympics website is chock full of all things Olympics as well: http://www.sochi2014.com/en Try keeping a tally of medals and countries over the next few weeks. Your first-grader should be able to read and interpret that data skillfully, including an analysis of most, least, more/less than, etc., since it is a skill we practice every morning!

Our writing focus this week brings us back to personal narratives. We will learn ways to start our stories with Entertaining Beginnings. Consider this opening: I went on a roller coaster. It’s straightforward but doesn’t grab the reader’s attention. A question, sound, action, or dialogue would do that better: BANG went the safety bar as it crashed over our heads. We will explore what value each of these kinds of beginnings offer, and try writing one of each.

Science lessons this week involve explorations of motion using wheels and axles. We will learn what it means to roll (a state of motion in which the balance point is continually shifting above the base yet often remains stable). We will also design “rollers” that wobble, slide, and change direction based on the size of wheels and the arrangement of wheels and axles.