Week 25

Our new reading Samurai!

Presenter teaching about Uganda

100!!!! on our hundreds chart

Students with 100 day glasses

We had a crazy and exciting week of learning!

Special Activities: This week we celebrated 100 day!!!  The students had a blast with it! (Although we did have to pause our activities to regroup behaviorally.)  We wore 100 day glasses to lunch.  We had some 100 day prizes, and students brought bags with 100 of something in them.  Other classmates had to guess what was in the bag.  They all had a great time with it.

We also had a visitor this week that gave a slideshow presentation about Uganda, as explained below under social studies. 

Funny Stuff From Kids: In one of our lessons, a student had a connection about marshmallows, but she thinks they’re called “smashmallows.”

First graders are so much more excited about school than older students.  I loved it when I heard a student say, “School is my favorite thing in the whole world!”

During social studies, part of our lesson led to a discussion about soldiers.  Students had many connections regarding soldiers that they know of.  I told them that I want to be a soldier part time but be a teacher too (National Guard), but my wife won’t let me because she’s afraid of me getting hurt.  One student raised her hand and said, “So what you’re saying is that you’re not in war right now because you’re afraid of your wife?!”. . .It’s funny how kids have a way of summing things up sometimes.

My students have really grown to love science, but in this case it wasn’t such a good thing.  During one lesson, I had a student raise his hand and say, “Look at my science experiment, Mr. Smith.  I can turn my arm red.”  He had given himself a hickey on his arm! A few minutes later I turned around from writing on the board to find half of the class sucking on the inside of their elbows trying to give themselves hickies!  Of course I had to nip that science experiment right away.

Homework: Please help students keep up on their homework!

Social Studies: We talked a lot about President’s day, including what George Washington and Abraham Lincoln did for our country.  We also had a visitor teach us about Uganda.  He and his wife volunteer at an orphanage/school there every year.  The students were surprised to learn about the living conditions there, including how they dump their garbage in the streets because they don’t have landfills like we do.  They also loved learning about the animals that are over there.  Most of all they were surprised to find that many Ugandian women shave their heads!

Math: We’ve been focusing and reviewing an adding strategy called “making a ten to add.”  This where students figure out that 8+7=15 because 5+2=7 and 8+2 =10…+5=15.  It’s pretty complex for first grade, and I think they’ve grasped it well enough for us to move on.  

Project Read/Spelling: This week we focused on ending blends again (2 consonants together at the end of a word), but this week it was l and t blends (help, fact, etc.).   Students are continually astounding me with how well they can read!

Speedy Words and Rocket Math: Students are working hard to earn their ice cream party.

AR: Students keep progressing, and we got a new Samurai this week!!!!!

Writing: This week our writing mostly focused on how we should plan out our writing and improve it if we’re going to give it to anyone.

Science: For science this week we looked at things under our class microscope.  I introduced the concept of a science fair so that students can begin thinking about experiments for the science fair coming up in April.