Today we practiced another great habit of first grade readers: re-reading to make our voices smoother. We looked a text we had never read before and we tried to figure it out. The first few times we had to read slowly and use many strategies to figure out the words- we skipped words, we got our mouths ready, we made our best guesses, and eventually we figured it out! By the time we got to the end, we had almost forgotten what we were reading about, so... we re-read to make our voices smoother and it was SO much more fun! Ask your first grader what we read to practice that today. The best part was, I saw many first graders using that strategy in their own books during reader's workshop! Trying new things is such an important thing to do while we're learning.
We learned "Roll for 50" in math today. This game helps us use the number grid to count up and back and it's a little tricky because different numbers meant different things. For example, if we rolled a 6 you got to move "up 10". If you rolled a 4 you had to move "back 6". The first graders were VERY excited that they beat me as a class. I have not won ONE math game this year and they know it is driving me CRAZY!
In writing we tackled tricky drawings and words by not giving up, going slowly, and doing our best to sound each part out!
The first graders worked so hard today to be safe, respectful and ready to learn. We had many behavior and mind-set celebrations!
We are reviewing the vowel "i" this week and have been on the lookout for words that have short (and long!) "i" in it. One first grader noticed today, "Hey! Mrs. Hershman! It's almost like you put all of our word list words in our Spelling City list this week!" It IS almost like that... :) Our WOW word this week is "glisten". Many of us have seen lights glistening at night or off of the lake.
You will see two math homework sheets in your child's folder. Please complete them at your earliest convenience and send them back. If they could all be back by Friday, that would be great!
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Rock, Paper, Scissor Tallies and Rhyming
Today we had a special guest, Mr. Whittaker, come in to fix our interactive white board! Ask your first grader what he did that was *so* funny while he was here.
In math we practiced tallying by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, (Pencil?)! We played in partnerships and recorded our data on a data-tracking sheet. We also answered questions about our data when we were finished. Tallying is a great way to keep track of information.
We learned about "Tryin' Lion" during Reader's Workshop today. Tryin' Lion helps us remember to try a word that makes sense. I covered up words in one of our Sammy books and the first graders guessed the correct word EVERY time! We also wrote rhyming words today. Thinking of words that rhyme was *very* tricky for the first graders. We will continue to practice this skill each week. We used an alphabet trick that helped us come up with more words.
We continued to practice our "Snap" words during writing and added more to our stories by adding more to our pictures. We have very talented writers in our classroom!
Twitter will be the place we share pictures this year. Please make sure to check us out there:
Mrs. Hershman's Twitter Feed
In math we practiced tallying by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, (Pencil?)! We played in partnerships and recorded our data on a data-tracking sheet. We also answered questions about our data when we were finished. Tallying is a great way to keep track of information.
We learned about "Tryin' Lion" during Reader's Workshop today. Tryin' Lion helps us remember to try a word that makes sense. I covered up words in one of our Sammy books and the first graders guessed the correct word EVERY time! We also wrote rhyming words today. Thinking of words that rhyme was *very* tricky for the first graders. We will continue to practice this skill each week. We used an alphabet trick that helped us come up with more words.
We continued to practice our "Snap" words during writing and added more to our stories by adding more to our pictures. We have very talented writers in our classroom!
Twitter will be the place we share pictures this year. Please make sure to check us out there:
Mrs. Hershman's Twitter Feed
Monday, September 19, 2016
Are you on Twitter? Do you follow our classroom yet? We tweeted a photo today and it was retweeted by our new superintendent Mrs. Minor!
You can find us on twitter at:
@ppshershman
Mrs. Minor is:
@CSDAmyMinor
Porters Point is:
@PPSPanda
If you'd like to see our picture and tweet click here:
https://twitter.com/PPSHershman/status/777901463355985920
You can find us on twitter at:
@ppshershman
Mrs. Minor is:
@CSDAmyMinor
Porters Point is:
@PPSPanda
If you'd like to see our picture and tweet click here:
https://twitter.com/PPSHershman/status/777901463355985920
A says "aaaaaaah!"
We are learning all about short "a" this week and the many words we can make when we begin to put letters and sounds together. Today, we focused on ___at and ____an. We generated a HUGE list of words that have those letters in them, and we started to look for words in our books that have those sounds. We also spent time practicing our snap word, "look". Last week we practiced stretching words out that we don't know. Today, we learned about Skippy Frog! Ask your first grader to tell you what Skippy Frog reminds us to do as we read. (If you need a hint... Skippy Frog says, "Skipit! Skipit!" instead of ribbit.)
Our WOW word this week is persistent. Persistent means not giving up no matter what! We had fun thinking of times that we had been persistent in the past.
We are learning about tally marks in math. We use tallies to help us keep track and organize information. Today, we flipped cards and tallied the number. Our favorite numbers were less than 5, or more than 15. Apparently we like REALLY easy, or REALLY challenging work in first grade!
In writing we touched and told our stories across the pages, and then made sure that our words and pictures matched. We are always making sure that our word wall words are spelling correctly and our letters are formed correctly as well.
Reminder: Tuesday, September 20th is an early release day. Dismissal is at 12:45!
Our WOW word this week is persistent. Persistent means not giving up no matter what! We had fun thinking of times that we had been persistent in the past.
We are learning about tally marks in math. We use tallies to help us keep track and organize information. Today, we flipped cards and tallied the number. Our favorite numbers were less than 5, or more than 15. Apparently we like REALLY easy, or REALLY challenging work in first grade!
Reminder: Tuesday, September 20th is an early release day. Dismissal is at 12:45!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Wordless Wednesday
(almost!)
Ask your first grader to tell you about the new game we learned in math, and the strategy this student is demonstrating so nicely!
Ask your first grader to tell you about the new game we learned in math, and the strategy this student is demonstrating so nicely!
Monday, September 12, 2016
Word Sorts
Today we dove into the wonderful world of word sorts in Literacy! We completed a "blind" sort as a class which means that we didn't know how the words were supposed to be sorted, but we had to try to figure it out based on what we saw! It only took us 5 words to establish a pattern- they all started with M, B, R, or S. We sorted all of our words and glued them into our Word Work notebooks. We also accessed Spelling City for the first time from the classroom. Spelling City will be done in the classroom, but can always be done at home as well.
Our snap word is "see" this week. We will practice writing it, reading it and spelling it all week!
We had to count objects in math and record our counting. We will do this again tomorrow and begin to discuss ways to organize items so that if we lose count- it's easy to count again!
We learned to "Think, Plan and Sketch" in Writer's Workshop. When we follow these steps, it's easy to get our ideas on paper. We are excited to see what the next step might be!
We learned about another important community member today- Firefighters! Firefighters help our community by responding to emergency situations and putting out fires safely.
We had such a great day behaviorally! We earned Granny's Wacky Prizes for beating the timer, winning Pax games, and having successful prizes! We are awesome!
Our snap word is "see" this week. We will practice writing it, reading it and spelling it all week!
We had to count objects in math and record our counting. We will do this again tomorrow and begin to discuss ways to organize items so that if we lose count- it's easy to count again!
We learned to "Think, Plan and Sketch" in Writer's Workshop. When we follow these steps, it's easy to get our ideas on paper. We are excited to see what the next step might be!
We learned about another important community member today- Firefighters! Firefighters help our community by responding to emergency situations and putting out fires safely.
We had such a great day behaviorally! We earned Granny's Wacky Prizes for beating the timer, winning Pax games, and having successful prizes! We are awesome!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Writing-Filled Thursday
Today we had our first Writer's Workshop share! The first graders were so excited to share what they have written with their classmates. We heard stories about recess, the first day of school, and earning Dojo points.
We learned a new game in math- Penny Dice! If you have some pennies and a dice at home, you can have your first grader teach you. It's easy... and really fun! The best part is, you can win with the least amount of coins, or the MOST about of coins, it's all about the final coin toss!
We chose books for our book bins during literacy and continued to practice careful and neat letter formation. We've also been practicing our "snap" words- the, of, can. Ask your first grader to tell you what "Snap Words" are!
We learned about one type of Community helper- Police Officers- through two books (one fiction, one non-fiction), a song, and a video. We used a graphic organizer to help us organize everything we learned about Police Officers. You will see your child's work in their folder today.
We have been working hard to earn warm-fuzzies and Dojo points. Today, we walked with such amazing Pax feet to music, Ms. Mutz didn't even hear us coming!
We learned a new game in math- Penny Dice! If you have some pennies and a dice at home, you can have your first grader teach you. It's easy... and really fun! The best part is, you can win with the least amount of coins, or the MOST about of coins, it's all about the final coin toss!
We chose books for our book bins during literacy and continued to practice careful and neat letter formation. We've also been practicing our "snap" words- the, of, can. Ask your first grader to tell you what "Snap Words" are!
We learned about one type of Community helper- Police Officers- through two books (one fiction, one non-fiction), a song, and a video. We used a graphic organizer to help us organize everything we learned about Police Officers. You will see your child's work in their folder today.
We have been working hard to earn warm-fuzzies and Dojo points. Today, we walked with such amazing Pax feet to music, Ms. Mutz didn't even hear us coming!
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Lots of Learning!
We have learned so much today in first grade! We did "Quick Looks" for the first time in math and we realized that we don't have to count some things because our brains "just know" the number if the items (dots) are organized in a way that is familiar! For example, when the dots were in a row of three, we didn't COUNT the dots, we just knew there were three! When there were two rows of three, we didn't COUNT six dots, we just knew there were two groups of three and that three and three is six! Our brains are amazing!
We also discussed the difference between estimates and counts during math. Check with your first grader so they can tell you the difference! We logged onto Dreambox for the first time as well, be looking for an informational sheet about Dreambox in your child's folder soon.
We are learning about characters in literacy. Today we read a book with many characters, many problems, and only ONE solution! The book also had a surprise ending with the family dog. I'm sure your first grader will be anxious to tell you the solution for all of the characters except the family dog... his solution was different! While we read, we filled out a graphic organizer to help us remember who the characters were, what their problem was, and what the solution was. We put them in our literacy notebooks when were were done.
This afternoon we have Library AND P.E. We are really excited for double unified arts! If you haven't connected with our class on Classroom Dojo, please do that as soon as possible! Let me know if you need another informational flier.
Many of you have inquired about signing up for After School Bowling. This is a program through Colchester Parks and Rec and you'll need to contact them directly to sign up. If you need their phone number it is: 264-5640
Hanna says this is the best school ever! Boy Scout leaders visited our school today. Everyone got a badge. (Marek) We learned a lot today. (Emily) I loved math and estimates. (Nevaeh)
We also discussed the difference between estimates and counts during math. Check with your first grader so they can tell you the difference! We logged onto Dreambox for the first time as well, be looking for an informational sheet about Dreambox in your child's folder soon.
We are learning about characters in literacy. Today we read a book with many characters, many problems, and only ONE solution! The book also had a surprise ending with the family dog. I'm sure your first grader will be anxious to tell you the solution for all of the characters except the family dog... his solution was different! While we read, we filled out a graphic organizer to help us remember who the characters were, what their problem was, and what the solution was. We put them in our literacy notebooks when were were done.
This afternoon we have Library AND P.E. We are really excited for double unified arts! If you haven't connected with our class on Classroom Dojo, please do that as soon as possible! Let me know if you need another informational flier.
Many of you have inquired about signing up for After School Bowling. This is a program through Colchester Parks and Rec and you'll need to contact them directly to sign up. If you need their phone number it is: 264-5640
Hanna says this is the best school ever! Boy Scout leaders visited our school today. Everyone got a badge. (Marek) We learned a lot today. (Emily) I loved math and estimates. (Nevaeh)
Friday, September 2, 2016
Last Day of the Week
Welcome to our Friday blog! (Dominic) We earned many Dojo points today. (Mari) We are doing great at school, we like it here! (Noah) I liked writing. (Ava) We have earned 160 Dojo points so far today. (Emily) I am glad that we have a lot of Dojo points. ( Marek) Today I liked Tumble Time. (Destiny) I liked my day today. (Hanna) I love sounding words out. (Nevaeh) Today I loved snack. (Campbell) Thanks for reading our blog. (Luci)
(we still have not figured out how to share our photos! ACK! We're working on it~)
(we still have not figured out how to share our photos! ACK! We're working on it~)
Thursday, September 1, 2016
First Graders on the Second Day
Today, I liked doing Xtra math. (Hanna) I liked doing writing. (Destiny) I love the classroom. (Nevaeh) We read No, David! And there was a picture of David's naked behind. (Kasey) I like my first grade teacher. (Anders) I love my seat at the table. (Dominic) I loved pattern blocks. (Campbell) I like that the sound is working today on our screen. (Julian) I'm very glad that I saw No, David! I liked when he was in the bath with the funky water. (Marek) I loved when David was playing inside with the ball and he broke the glass vase. (Mari) I liked when David was acting like a superhero on his bed. (Emily) I liked when David was trying to reach the cookies. (Lucy)
We can't wait for tomorrow!
Love,
The First Graders
We can't wait for tomorrow!
Love,
The First Graders
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