Blog

May 18th

Wow, what a great week! The first graders have been hard at work unlocking the elements of poetry and using their own creative sense to write insightful and funny poems. This week we learned about concrete poems and senses poems. The students had a great time turning the words in their concrete poems into pictures. Many students were very creative with their interpretation of spring in their sense poem. Next week we will dive into haikus and acrostic poems. Check out the walls outside our classroom for our latest creations.

If you have been checking out the pictures above the cubbies, I’m sure you noticed how much fun we are having with our study of matter. The pictures from last weeks ice cream making are too cute to miss. We spent this week reflecting on what we have learned and by observing how quickly water evaporates in our Evaporation Station. Next week, we will go back to some very tasty matter experiments where we change the physical state of solids.

In Ms. Henricks’ reading group we are still working hard on our long vowels. The long u sound was a real treat to learn and decode. We grew our vocabulary with some some fun new u words like dew, fluke, and hue. Next week we will start r-controlled words.

In Ms. Henricks’ math group we finished our study of place value and have moved on to telling time. We are learning to read a clock to tell time to the hour and half hour. The students are very interested in the concept of analog clocks, and we got into a great discussion about the different analog technologies in our lives. Please keep studying addition and subtraction facts at home to keep the skills sharp while we are focusing on time.

Check out these great pictures from our week! Have a great weekend!

May 11th

What a wonderful week we had in 1st grade! Our matter unit challenged us to be chemists while making ice cream! The students learned that salt can lower the temperature of ice to help us make ice cream. We had so much fun shaking our bags of soy milk until they softened into ice cream. What a yummy way to learn! We will be wrapping up our unit with a continued experiment on evaporation that is happening in our classroom! More observations to come!

In writing we are finding our inner poets and seeking inspiration from published poets to influence our work. This week, we made lists poems, which are posted on the columns outside of our classroom. Next week we will make sensory poems and concrete poems!

In Ms. Henricks' reading groups, we have been discussing the sequence of events in a story and practicing our long o words and sight words. The groups is working hard and stepping up to new challenges to become even better readers!

In Ms. Henricks' math group, we are reviewing our basic subtraction skills and applying them to our understandings of place value. Our knowledge of tens and ones has made subtracting numbers in the teens much easier to compute. We will wrap up this unit early next week and then dive into time!

Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers, yummy treats, and cards that I received for teacher appreciation week. They really brighten up our classroom. I am so thankful for this wonderful class with such wonderful families!

YEA is next weekend, May 19th from 10am to 3pm at Raymond Park! The kids made some amazing plush carrots that will be on display. There are K - 4 class meet-up times, but you are free to visit at any time between 10am and 3pm. 1st grade meets up from 12:30-1:00 PM. When students come to YEA, they are welcome to take their sewn plushies home with them, but if they do not come, they will be returned to them at school.

Check out these great pictures from our week!

May 7th

What an exciting week at Roycemore! The students were truly stars in the musical on Wednesday! It was so exciting to watch them show their talents and their hard work. One special trait of this class is their true sense of team and teamwork. On Wednesday, they really showed us that they work together to make great things!

The first graders have been working hard both on and off the stage! Our thematic unit on matter has taken a tasty twist! We have been conducting experiments to turn liquids into solids by cooling them at different temperatures. We froze juice and learned that when liquids freeze, they not only make popsicles but it also proves that the atoms in solids are closer together than the atoms in liquids. We also made Jello and learned that the jiggly nature of this solid is also, not only tasty, but is an example of the atoms being further apart than in the popsicle. We are now experimenting with gases and evaporation. Stay tuned for the results! Keep checking the wall by the cubbies for picture updates!

In writing we have been learning about the use of adjectives in creative sentences. They have helped us enhance our writing and we have had some Mad Libs fun with the more unique adjectives. Next week we are starting a unit on Poetry. Get excited for your budding poets to dive into our next creative adventure.

In Ms Henricks’ reading group, we are working hard on learning long vowel digraphs. This week we learned the different spellings for long i such as igh, ie, y, and -ind. Next week we will work on long o. They are having fun reading with their friends and learning new words.

Ms. Henricks’ math group has been learning how to solve equations with 2 digit numbers using mental math. Our strong sense of place value has been key in thinking through the adding and subtracting of tens and one. Our group is always ready for a challenge and everyday ask me to find a harder problem for them to work through. The greatest part of working through the tough problems, is that the group loves to solve them together! First grade is such a team!

The school year is starting wind down. Have you signed up for summer camp? There are so many great options! I am running a camp called Citizen Science. We will learn how to identify and track animals in various habitats around the world and help real scientists collect data! It will be great fun! You can sign up here: https://www.roycemoreschool.org/citizen-science and to check out the other great programs you can go here: https://www.roycemoreschool.org/campgriffin.

Have a great weekend, enjoy the warmer weather! Here are some pictures from out week, including when we read with our 4th grade buddies on Monday.

April 27th

Another great week at Roycemore! The students are so excited to be learning about Matter, becoming better readers, tackling tough math problems, becoming better writers and brainstorming ways to fix some big issues! In our matter unit, we have started experiments to see if heating or freezing matter will change its state. We have boiled water to see it become a gas, we have frozen solids to see what sometimes the states of matter don’t change, and we have learned about the freezing point of water and observed how by becoming a solid, it takes on the shape of the bag it is in. We made popsicles out of juice to learn how a liquid can become a solid and then melt back into a liquid. Up next, we will conduct some more tasty experiments that will teach us how temperature and materials can affect the states of matter. We will be posting pictures on the wall outside of our classroom to show you our new discoveries. Check it out during drop off and pick up.

In Ms. Henricks’ reading group, we are continuing our study of long vowels and learning the various spelling of long a. We are also learning how to pluralize nouns. We are reading some silly books and writing a lot of sentences with our new words.

In Ms. Henricks’ math group we are learning different methods for adding two digit numbers. We are using hundreds charts, place value rods, pictures, and mental math to solve these tough equations.

In Writing, first grade has been reviewing our sentence writing skills and grammar to sharpen our craft. We have reviewed subject and predicate, verbs, and nouns. We have been practicing subject and verb agreement, too. It is so exciting to see the students write complex sentences to express their ideas and their humor. Once we have reviewed our grammar skills, we will dive into poetry. Stay tuned for this creative writing unit.

We have also been discussing the topic of racism. Inspired by the school wide activity to Stand Against Racism on Friday, we have been talking about how we can make a difference in our world. The students brainstormed how we can help our society stand up to racism. The first graders decided that this isn‘t a job that they can do by themselves, it is something that takes a community. They want their voices heard as a group. While making signs for the event, I overheard students talking about how working together and talking about our problems will help our communities grow.

Check out some great photos from our week!

April 17th

We are having another great week in 1st Grade! The students are learning so much and every day is a new adventure. It has been so great hearing about the adventures that the students took over spring break with their fish. Our fishy friends certainly are world travelers! They went to Berlin and Paris. Some fish traveled the country and got in some fun beach time! Other fish stayed close to home and had fun stay-cations. What a delight it has been to share our stories with the class. The students will continue to write with their fish as their main characters. We are writing narrative short stories which are truly displaying our classes creativity.

After our hard work studying the Seven Habits of Happy Kids, we have started a new thematic unit. The class will be learning about matter. We will study the differences between solids, liquids, and gases. Once we have strong knowledge on the states of matter, we will start conducting experiments to observe the changes that can happen to matter when it is frozen, heated up, or mixed with other matter. Some of these experiments will also be delicious! Stay tuned for some great discoveries.

In Ms. Henricks’ reading group, we are working hard on long vowel sounds and spellings. We have learned the VCe pattern and this week were introduced to the other spellings for long e such as ee, ea, and e. We are also learning about inflected endings and writing in different tenses. In our stories, we are focusing on sequence and retelling of the plot of the story.

In Ms. Henricks’ math group, we just started a new unit which will review and challenge our addition and subtraction skills. We will be using place value to help us add and subtract larger numbers. We are also working on having a deeper understanding of our base ten system. We are working with grouping tens and counting to larger numbers using tens and ones.

As you can see, we are having a great time working and learning in First Grade. Thanks for all the help and support you give!

Here are some pictures from when we read with our Fourth Grade buddies!

Week 8

This week we transitioned from our Wild Weather Unit to our America the Beautiful Unit. After learning about earthquakes, the Firsties and their 4th grade reading buddies worked together to design and build an earthquake-proof structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows. We tested the structures in a pan of Jell-O, slowly increasing the seismic waves. We also studied a map showing high-risk earthquake areas in the United States. At the end of the week, we learned about the thirteen original colonies, Revolutionary War, and started to learn the location of the states by finding MIM, the “Man In the Map” (formed by Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, & Louisiana).

In Mrs. Vanchieri’s reading group, we practiced sharing our opinion about the best part of The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola. Encourage your reader to share their opinion and tell you why. During our word study time, some students are practicing digraphs (two letters, one sound) sh and ch, while others are studying the long /e/ digraph (ea, ee, ie). To help with unfamiliar words, practice Eagel Eye: look at the picture; and think “what is in the picture that starts with the beginning letter.”

During our writing time, we started a spooky story. I began the story, and the Firsties had to write the dictated sentences then finish it on their own. They are working on stretching out (saying slowly) words they are unsure how to spell and then “finger spelling” them.

In math groups, Mrs. Vanchieri’s math group worked on subtraction and subtraction word problems. We practiced visualizing with circles by creating a quick math picture to help our brains understand what the question is. Students who showed mastery of subtraction stories to 10 moved on to subtraction stories to 20, two-step word problems, and word problems with extra information.

This week we practiced Habit #5: Seek First to Understand and then to be Understood. Listening to other people’s feelings and ideas is practiced throughout the day whether it’s collaborating on a project or respecting different learning styles in math groups.

Week 7

With all the rain yesterday, it was fitting that we learned about flooding this week! The Firsties worked in teams to design a flood barrier for a house affected by flooding. They received a list of possible materials, and a budget of $30. With their teammates, they had to decide which supplies to buy and how to design their flood barrier. They practiced listening to each others opinions and providing reasoning for their own. Next week the building begins!

In Mrs. Vanchieri’s reading group, we practiced connecting to the text with The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola. Encourage your reader to think about their experiences and what they know to make connections while reading. Some students are practicing digraphs (two letters, one sound) sh and ch while others are studying open vowels. Open vowels are long vowels found at the end of words. They are called open vowels because they are the last sound in a word, and there is no closing consonant. The vowel sound is in final position. To help with unfamiliar words practice Chunky Monkey: break the word into chunks you already know.

During our writing time, we continued writing letters to a mystery friend. We are working on writing in complete sentences, starting each sentence with a capital letter, using punctuation, writing in lowercase letters, and using consistent spacing. Please continue helping grow these skills at home!

The Firsties are learning new math strategies for addition like counting on from the larger number rather than counting all. They are also beginning to identify how their “math brain” learns best. Some prefer counting with their fingers, others like to use a number line, and others like to draw a picture. Everyone's “math brain” is a little different!

This week, we practiced being proactive and taking care of ourselves. We discussed things that were in our “circle of control” or things we have the power to change, and those things that are outside. What we learned is that all we can control are our own thoughts, words, and actions!

Week 6

What a valuable resource water is! We learned that local water supplies are fed by precipitation and depleted by people and natural processes (evaporation). In addition to studying droughts, we explored tsunamis and began a directed drawing art project. See if your Firstie remembers what the causes of tsunamis are.

In Mrs. Vanchieri’s reading group, we practiced retelling with Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale. We also looked for alternatives to “said”. Within the text, some characters shouted, some yelled, and some laughed. These descriptions helped convey the character's emotions and make the story more interesting. To practice our phonics focus, students sorted and built words with the digraph (two letters, one sound) they were studying. We also started decodable readers, which are books that focus on a specific phonics rule. To help with unfamiliar words while reading, students practiced the Lips the Fish strategy which reminds to get your mouth ready and say the first sound of the word.

During our writing time, we wrote letters to a mystery friend. After learning the parts of a friendly letter (heading, greeting, body, closing, signature), the Firsties wrote to a friend in our class telling them what makes them special. We are working on writing in complete sentences, starting each sentence with a capital letter, using punctuation, writing in lowercase letters, and using consistent spacing. They are looking forward to receiving their special letters!

The Firsties were busy learning new math games and practicing writing equations. Using math mountains helps to understand the relationship between fact families. We began exploring doubles and working on math challenge cards.

This week, we learned and practiced using a four part apology.

I’m sorry for…

It was wrong because…

In the future, I will…

Will you forgive me?

We also discussed carrying our own weather. Our weather, or feelings, change throughout the day and affect others. It’s normal to have clouds pass over, but we are in charge of the weather we carry. The 7th habit: Sharpen the Saw lead to a great discussion about balance. On the weekends, the Firsties should be spending time with their families and practicing being a leader at home!

Week 4

The Firsties voted to learn about tornadoes next! As we learn more, we are discussing places to gather information. It's important for the Firsties to know where to look to answer their questions. Books, videos, and experts are just the start! If your Firstie has weather related questions, work together to learn more!

We finished up Interest Based Reading Groups this week. Keep an eye out for their work coming home! Next week, students will be placed in a Skill Based reading groups which will focus on books, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and sight words specific to what their "reading brain" needs.

We started math groups! Mathematicians worked in small groups on a "Go Fish" math game. While they worked independently, I pulled small groups of students to practice decomposing numbers into "partner numbers." Partner numbers are two numbers that make up a larger number. Some students worked on partners of 10 while others worked on partners of larger numbers. Students worked with manipulatives to visually see the two partners (with red and yellow chips) and the sum. We tried switching the order of the partners to see what happened (8+2 or 2+8). We also reversed the order of the equation to check if it still held true (7+6= 13 or 13=7+6).

In Writer’s Workshop, we continued writing our Small Moment stories. Writers drew out the beginning, middle, and end of their small moment stories, adding lots of details and began writing! Throughout the week, we had mini-lessons before our writing time, practicing stretching out our words to listen for all the sounds, adding more with a caret, using transition words, and reviewing punctuation rules. Several times a week, writers can share their work with the class in our Share Chair. Here, writers practice stretching out their voice and responding to questions, compliments, and suggestions from their peers.

We practiced the 4th habit this week - Think Win-Win.

Week 3

We began exploring the water cycle and different types of clouds. Thunderstorms were probably the highlight of the week. Did you know that purple lightning is the hottest or that lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the sun?! See if your Firstie can explain why thunder happens!

We have one more week of interest-based reading groups. First and second graders had a great time exploring a variety of books like If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, Robert Munsch books, and books about a variety of leaders. Students participated in a wide range of activities, including studying character traits, setting, homophones, subjects and predicates, vocabulary, and much more!

During our math time, we began reading a book from Greg Tang's website. Math For All Seasons teaches kids to skip count and add instead of counting everything one by one. By finding smart groups of 2, 5 and 10, looking for patterns and symmetries, and making equally sized groups – the Firsties are begin to develop the skills they will need later for not just addition but multiplication too.

In Writer’s Workshop, we are learning how to write Small Moment stories. These personal narrative stories are bound to small moments in time. This gives students an opportunity to zoom in on the exact details of a moment in order to tell ordinary stories in meaningful ways. I use the example of a watermelon story, where you tell about everything you did that day, versus a seed story, which just tells about one special part.

The Firsties love being interviewed. Almost everyday, we interview one classmate to get to know a little more about them. It’s amazing how much we have learned already! Can you guess whose favorite food is squid, who wants to be a ninja when they grow up, or whose favorite place is Florida? What an interesting bunch!

We practiced the 3rd habit this week - putting our learning before free choice time!

Week 2

We began our first Thematic Unit: Wild Weather! We began by checking students' schema, or what they know, about weather. Throughout our unit, they will add to their schema and check for misconceptions. Each Firstie recorded a video on the iPads telling what they already know. This ranged from the fact that there are different kinds of lightning, to flash floods, and even the water cycle. There were some misconceptions like lightning is made from ice which we will address during this unit!

We also worked hard to increase our reading stamina during D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time. During D.E.A.R. time, students choose a book, a cozy spot in the room, and read without getting up or talking for a sustained period of time. It’s harder than it sounds - we started our week reading for a few minutes without interruption and ended the week reading for a little over five minutes. We will increase our stamina by a couple of minutes until we reach twenty minutes of quiet, sustained reading. Each day we work on our reading stamina, I open up a new book bin in our classroom. The Firsties were very excited to delve into the "weather" and "science" tubs this week. Books about Rocks and Minerals seemed to be a popular choice!

Writer’s Workshop is well underway, and the Firsties are wrapping up a story about their summer. These stories are a good beginning of the year writing sample and will help me assess what they need to work on first. They were surprised that, GASP, I had a big problem when I took their stories home to read… I could not read all of their words! We are now hard at work practicing handwriting so that everyone can read our stories.

The Firsties met with me in small groups to show me "what their math brain knows." As I exposed them to more challenging concepts, I was impressed with their perseverance. My motto is "it's ok not to know, but it's not ok not to try."

The first and fourth grade Reading Buddies met for the first time to work together on a friendship Venn diagram and learn more about what makes them unique and similar. They covered everything from eye color to their best vacation! Their Venn diagrams are hanging in the Lower School hallway.

This week, we read the second chapter of Sean Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Happy Children and discussed goals for the year!