HOMEWORK 12-1-11

To finish our November themes, we read I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie.  We have read several stories similar to this one which makes it easy to make text-to-text connections (students discuss how two books are similar). 

For tonight's assignment, have your child try to recall the items that the woman swallowed.  Next, have your child watch and read along with the PREZI to see if s/he was able to recall all of the items.  Then, have your child clap the number of syllables in each of the items that the old lady ate (refer to the video to see how we clap the number of syllables in a word - thanks to Max and Ansley for the demonstration and to Courtney for filming).  Finally, have your child make a list of which words have 1 syllable and which words have 2 syllables.

COMMENT BOX:  Type your list of 1 syllable items.  Type a list of the 2 syllable items.  Remember to put your name so we know you did your homework.  Last, tell us one other thing that you would like to have seen her eat.  Make sure it stays within the theme of the book.  How many syllables does your item have?  :D

Find Frosty

We are embarking on a new adventure in December!  Each day we are going to FIND FROSTY!!!  Frosty will hide in our classroom each day.  We will hunt for him and then write about where we find him and what he is doing.  Each student will get a chance to photograph him and publish their own piece to let everyone know where Frosty has been!  We will compile all the pieces and present them using digital media (not sure whether we will use PowerPoint or Prezi).  We will keep everyone up to date by publishing on the blog as well!  I have not done this project before so I am eager to see how it works out!  I hope the students are as excited as I am!!

Phonics Fun!

I was just looking around for some online reading games.  Here are a few you may want to try.  :)

THIS IS NOT AN ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT!  THIS IS FOR FUN AND EXTRA PRACTICE.  :)

For practice with consonant-vowel-consonant words, here is a site that offers a few options.  When you get to the site, you will need to select the red box that says 'game'.  In Concentration, you will match the picture to the word.  If you select Collect the Stars, you will be given a picture and a keyboard.  You will need to tap and then build the word.  The last game option at this site is called Shoot Out.  You will read a word and then "shoot" the picture that matches.  If you choose the 'quiz' option, you will need to choose the correct vowel to complete each word.  Have fun!

Dinosaur Eggs Phonics is a fun way to practice the digraphs 'sh', 'ch', and 'th'.  You can also practice other sounds that we have not covered yet.  This would be a wonderful way to extend your learning!  The only issue that I have found with this game is that the words are being said by someone with a British accent.  Some words are more difficult to understand than others.

Sight Word Practice

Want a fun way to practice trick words?  Check out this link for a DIY project you can make and use to help your child practice!

PICTURE DAY!!!!

Picture Day is November 29th (Tuesday)!  We did not receive order forms.  You can see an order form and/or print it out to send in by clicking the link.  If you want to order pictures, you must pay for them when they are taken. 

The Great Thanksgiving Challenge!!!!

Students who bring in a note on the first day they return from break listing what educational activities they did during break receive a special prize (not Caught Being Good coupons or something from the regular prize box).  Students can read, write, practice math problems, play online games (if you do the activities on the blog and comment on them, no note is needed).  A list of activities or actual work will be accepted. 

Here are some ideas!  Check back throughout the break for other ideas or come up with some of your own.  Have fun!

Write and illustrate a first, next, then, last story (like the one where we wrote how to catch a turkey) about your Thanksgiving day.

Find objects around your house and play The Drop Game.  Record your results. The Drop Game is similar to Draw the Line.  


Play an online math or reading game.  Copy and paste the link into the comment box and write about what you learned while playing it.


Read a book of your choice.  


Have fun!!!!

HOMEWORK 11-22-11

We are still working on recalling facts from expository text (non-fiction).  Please read the Kind News magazine in your child's homework folder with your child and complete a 3-2-1 chart using this material.  This publication is available to us due to the generosity of the Dare County Animal Shelter of the Outer Banks.  Please consider sending them a thank you note.  :-)
You can refer to last weeks homework for instructions on how to complete this type of chart.  

COMMENT BOX:  In the comment box, use the 3-2-1 Strategy to review what you learned.  You can (but are not required to) use the online 3-2-1 strategy chart while you are reading (if you open another window) and note your ideas as you read/listen.  On my computer it would NOT save the information I typed in.  If you would like to print out the sheet and bring it in (instead of posting your work in the comment box) that will be fine.  If you CAN save the online strategy, you can email your work to your teacher [graykr@daretolearn.org OR keeli@daretolearn.org]. Remember to put your name so we know you've done your work.  

HOMEWORK 11-17-11

This week we have learned the 3-2-1 strategy for examining expository text.  Expository text is
non-fiction and full of facts intended to teach the reader about a topic.  After reading a non-fiction text, we recall what we have learned using this strategy:

3 - Write 3 sentences.  Each one should tell something you learned.
2-  Write 2 sentences.  Each one should tell something you found interesting.
1-  Write 1 question.  What would you still like to know about the topic?

ASSIGNMENT:  Read/listen to The Thanksgiving Feast/Thanksgiving Slideshow.  The speaker icon will read the selection to you.  You can also have an adult read it with you (they can read the larger words and you can read the trick words and the words that can be tapped).  Then, complete the COMMENT BOX assignment.  There is no book baggie homework tonight.

You can also visit other areas on this site for your enjoyment, but please just use The Thanksgiving Feast for the 3-2-1 assignment. 

COMMENT BOX:  In the comment box, use the 3-2-1 Strategy to review what you learned.  You can (but are not required to) use the online 3-2-1 strategy chart while you are reading (if you open another window) and note your ideas as you read/listen.  On my computer it would NOT save the information I typed in.  If you would like to print out the sheet and bring it in (instead of posting your work in the comment box) that will be fine.  If you CAN save the online strategy, you can email your work to your teacher [graykr@daretolearn.org OR keeli@daretolearn.org]. You may want to write facts down on a scrap paper as you view the slideshow.  Remember to put your name so we know you've done your work.   

Weekly Challenge 11-14-11

On Monday we were finishing Corn by Gail Gibbons (an excellent author of many non-fiction books for children).  We learned many facts about corn in this non-fiction, expository text.  One of the pictures showed how tall corn was after 4 weeks and then showed another picture of what corn looked like after 8 weeks.  I asked the students how many days 4 weeks would be.  It didn't take them long to figure out that 4 weeks was 28 days.  However, it was harder to figure out how many days were in 8 weeks.  Thus, THE WEEKLY CHALLENGE was created for this week!

WEEKLY CHALLENGE:  You may either post it in the comment box or do it on paper and bring it to class.  It is due Friday.  How many days are in 8 weeks?  Be sure to circle your answer and explain (with pictures, words, or numbers) HOW you got your answer.  You will be rewarded for successfully completing the task.  Comments showing answers can be viewed by me as you post, but will not be released until Friday.  Have fun!

Class Lesson

This post may seem odd, but it is merely for a class activity.  I need the character to "talk" on several computers and this is the easiest solution I can come up with for now. I plan to keep it up until the lesson is done and then pull it down...just wanted to explain in case someone stumbled upon it.  :) 

HOMEWORK 11-8-11

We have read the book One is a Snail Ten is a Crab.  In this book we saw that different combinations of people feet and animal feet could represent the same number.  If you would like to share the book with your child, check out the video.  Lily and Casia did a super job sharing the story.

Your job is to tell 3 ways you can make 30 using the characters in the book. Remember how we did it in class with the different numbers?

Remember:  1 is a snail, 2 is a person, 4 is a dog, 6 is an insect, 8 is a spider, 10 is a crab. 

You may want to use scrap paper at home to draw out your answer.  Drawing and counting the legs will be very helpful.

Here is an example of one possible answer (no, you cannot use this one as your answer):  I drew 15 people and found out that 30 is 15 people.

COMMENT BOX ASSIGNMENT:  Figure out THREE other ways to make 30 and write about each one in the box.  Remember to put your name.  

Character Costume Party 2011

On October 31, 2011 the first grade had a Character Costume Party!  Each student was to read a book and come to school dressed as a main character from the story.  Then, each student retold the story that was read to an audience consisting of peers, family members, and other school staff that popped in.  I hope all of you noticed Mrs. Brown in her opera gown!  Here's a quick peek to see which characters arrived in Miss Kristin's class.  Can you tell who they are and what story they represent? 

Character Costume Day 2011 on Prezi

Word Family Activity

Yes, I'm surfing the web on this crazy weather day.  I was checking out some school ideas when I came across this one.  All you need to practice word families is a marker and some paint samples.
 Word Family Fun is a great way to practice reading the word families we've studied:  -at, -an, -ap, -ot, -ell, and -et. 

Sight Word Bingo

Considering the weather is a bit nasty, I thought I would post today so the students would have something fun and educational to do.

Sight Word Bingo is a fun way to practice sight words. As stated on the site, "Sight Words are words that are recognized immediately (on sight) without phonetically decoding or sounding out parts."  Knowing these words helps students read fluently and allows them to comprehend what they are reading.  When these words are recognized automatically, it give the brain "more room" to process the meaning of the text.

The words in this game do not exactly match the list of Trick Words we use in class.  The list of Trick Words is inspired by our phonics program and the students themselves.  When the first grade teachers notice a word that the students need for successful reading and writing, we add it to our list.  Sight Word Bingo uses the Dolch Word List.  According to the game site, "The Dolch Word List is a list of English sight words by Edward William Dolch, PhD. The list is comprised of 220 words grouped by level, and includes pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, verbs and nouns."

Begin with the pre-primer level.  If your child is successful with that level, move to the next.  Daily practice with this game should improve your child's reading skills.  Have fun playing Sight Word Bingo!

Another fun rainy...or should I say windy...day site is Storyline Online.  The Screen Actor's Guild Foundation maintains this site.  Popular children's stories are read aloud by members of the Screen Actor's Guild.  The books change periodically.  At the moment, two of our recent class reads are on there:  Rainbow Fish and Stellaluna.  Listen and read along with the actors.  For a class bonus, complete one of the Related Activities that goes along with the story you read.  You can either do it on paper or submit it to the COMMENT BOX. 

Check back periodically, I may add some more activities.  

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

THIS IS NOT THE HOMEWORK.  Scroll down to the next entry entitled HOMEWORK 11-3-11 for tonight's homework.  This is a challenge we talked about during calendar time in Miss Kristin's class.  Students fulfilling this challenge will be rewarded.  Students must have the answer and have an explanation for HOW they determined the answer.  The answer to the challenge can be posted in the comment box OR brought to school.  The challenge is also posted in Miss Kristin's room and can be solved in class.  The explanations should be clear and align with first grade thinking and problem solving. THE CHALLENGE SOLUTION IS DUE FRIDAY.

CHALLENGE:
Wednesday was the 40th day of school.  How many more days until the 100th day?

HOMEWORK 11-3-11

This week I am attempting to implement some of the new technology that I learned about at the math conference in Greensboro.  Again, I am trying something new, so please let me know how it goes.  This is a learning process for all of us.  By watching the video, you will see how to do a word sort.  Kai was a great sport and agreed to let me tape him.  And yes, we did this the day of our Character Costume Party. This sort was done with the -at and -an word families.  Before doing the assignment, please watch the video.

ASSIGNMENT:  Your assignment for tonight is to sort the pictures from the presentation below into two categories:  words with the digraph 'sh' and words with the digraph 'ch'.  To do this, students should look at each picture, say the name of the picture, tap the word for the picture and write the word in the correct category.  After you complete this for the first picture, click on the arrow and go to the next.  If you need to go back, click the arrow pointing to the left.

Your COMMENT BOX assignment requires your child to list the words into the correct categories in the comment box. [For adults:  Do not let the child see these spellings or supply them with the spellings of the words until they have made many attempts to tap and write.  The goal is for them to distinguish between the two digraph sounds, tap the word correctly, and write the word correctly.  Here are the words for each picture:  ship, chin, chop, shot, chip, shop.]  For simple posting, write sh: (followed by the 'sh' words).  Start a new line and do the same for the 'ch' words.