Welcome to Ms Edwards Grade one blog

First Grade teachers invite you to an interactive workshop on how to foster problem solving skills in Mathematics. The workshop will focus on Mathematics for meaning and strategies for solutions. We will share learning experiences practiced in first grade classrooms that can also be used at home. We hope to see you there.

During the holidays, there are many activities you can do to help your child with Math. Many of these websites will be new to your child so they may need help the first few times they try the games.

Number

We have been working with numbers to 100:

- skip counting by 2, 5 and 10

- building numbers with blocks

- using the 100 chart to play games

- using calculators to count back and forwards by numbers

Some ideas of things you can do are:

Use the 100 chart to make your own version of Snakes and Ladders.

Print the 100 chart out and cut it up into pieces like a puzzle.

Use the calculator to make patterns on the chart (count up by 3; subtract 4 etc.)

Find even and odd numbers

Here are some ideas from another website (They get progressively more difficult and our students would only be able to do the first 7 or

http://letsplaymath.net/2008/09/22/things-to-do-hundred-chart/

Some fun games online:

http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/DogBone/gamebone.html

http://www.abcya.com/interactive_100_number_chart.htm

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/interactive/numbers.htm

Operations (Adding and subtracting)

We have introduced adding and subtracting through telling stories and acting out the story. It is important the students can explain what ‘7-3’ means, not just find the answer.

http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=198

http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=75

Challenge:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=173

Measurement

A big focus has been counting and exchanging coins. Use any coins to coin by 1s, 5s and 10s.

We have also been using the calendar to tell the date. Talk about what day of the week it is as well as the date.

Telling time to the half hour has been another focus. Ask your child to tell the time using both analogue and digital clocks.

Lastly, we have started measuring length.

Clock:

http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/503/clock.swf

Graphing

We have been using data to make simple bar graphs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/data/index.shtml
–

There are many opportunities during holidays to have use math in real-life situations and ways. Having fun with math is our hope for you and your family!

What is a number pattern?
We have been inquiring into number patterns through the use of number lines, grids, coins and clocks.

Here is a summary of what we have been focusing on, new vocabulary we have been learning and some games to try at home:

A few parents have asked me about handwriting. We teach the D’Nealian Font at ISM. It looks like this:

The students have been practicing the letters, but many are only just beginning to apply them to their independent writing. This is normal; the brain can only really focus on one thing at a time. If the students are thinking about spelling or their ideas, they may have trouble forming their letters as shown above. But what is the best way to learn to write? By writing, writing, writing!

D’Nealian printing (manuscript) has been designed to allow for an easy transition to cursive handwriting.

Here are some resources you can access on the web:

- Printable worksheets by letter

- Jan Brett Tracers (beautiful illustrations)

-Entire Alphabet in One Book

- App for iPhone and iPad (We’ve been using it in class)

- Videos on how to write each letter (here is letter ‘k’)

Handwriting is just one small component of the Grade 1 Program. If you have any concerns, please come see me!

Seeds are funny, funny things,

Some have stickers,

Some have wings,

Some are big,

Some are small,

Some are round and flat

Some like a ball.

Some are hidden inside of fruit

Some in pods or underground roots.

Some seeds are foods

And good to eat

Like corn or beans

Or nuts for a treat!

Allstars! What are your favourite seeds we have looked at so far? Why do you like them?

What do seeds need to grow into plants? Answers below please…:)

The All Stars Class, Smurfs Class, and Rainbow Fish Class went up to the Little Theater to learn about Tally Marks. It was a fun and exciting morning to meet some friends from other Grade One classess.

First, we watched a video about skip counting by 5s. “Blasting Off! It’s a rocket ship race… Counting by 5s as we fly into space!”

Second, we looked at Brain Pop Jr. and we watched Moby and his friend talk about how to do tally marks and make a bar chart.

Third, we talked about making our own tally chart and bar graph. We thought we would make one on our favorite color. Which color do you like? red, yellow, green, or blue?

After that we went back to our classroom and sat on the carpet. The All Stars decided to make our own Tally Mark Chart and Bar Graph on our favorite colors. Half of the class worked with Ms. Edwards and half of the class worked with Ms. Claire. Do you want to see what we made? It took a lot of work but we did it! Take a look…

We hope you enjoyed our blog post this week. There’s a really nice game we’re learning about place value and base ten blocks in class. When we’re experts at it, we might talk to you about it in another blog post!

Plants, like animals and humans, have certain requirements in order to grow and be healthy.

Students are inquiring into:

-          How do we know when something is growing?

-          What affects plant growth?

-          Why should we care for plants?

Students will:

-        Make observations of plants in the school gardens and make observations of plant parts

-        Plant and take care of seeds

-        Explain the basic parts of the plants (seeds, stems, leaves, flowers, roots) and their purpose

-        Know and explain the simple life cycle of a plant (seed, sprout, flower)

-        Measure the growth of plants

-        Follow simple experiments to determine what a plant needs to grow

-        Understanding why plants are important to our world and what we can do to help take care of our world

-        Focus on the disposition responsible

-        Use research skills to seek, use and synthesize information

Standards and indicators taught and assessed as part of this unit:

Science

Standard One – Science as Inquiry – The students will understand that scientists use the inquiry process to develop skills, concepts, and dispositions to investigate and make sense of the natural world.

-          E.S1.2 plan and conduct a simple investigation

-          E.S1.3 employ simple equipment and tools to accurately gather data

Standard Three – Life Sciences – The students will understand that life science explores the concept of living organisms and their organization, life processes, and relationships to each other and their environment.

-          E.S3.1 describe characteristics of organisms

-          E.S3.3 identify organisms and interactions with their environments

Integrated English Language Arts

Standard 2 Students will understand how to comprehend, respond to, analyze and evaluate a wide variety of texts.

-          E.E2.11 identify structural patterns found in informational texts (e.g., compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential-chronological order) to strengthen comprehension

Standard 4 Students will understand how write with clarity, logic, validity and effectiveness on a wide range of topics and for a variety of purposes and audiences.

-          E.E4.10 identify how own texts differ according to their purpose, audience and subject matter

Standard 5 Students will understand how listen to and respond critically to oral communication.

-          E.E5.4 ask thoughtful questions and respond to relevant questions with appropriate elaboration

Standard 6 Students will understand how to communicate coherently and appropriately in a range of oral settings.

-          E.E6.12 maintain a clear focus, use logical sequence, and use details when recounting experiences or presenting information

Integrated Mathematics

Standard 2 Students will find appropriate measurements using a variety of tools.

-          E.M2.8 Estimate length with and without tools; measure length to the nearest inch and centimeter; use standard and nonstandard tools to measure and estimate weight

There has been some inquiries regarding the possibility of students leaving their bags either in or near the classrooms during After School Activities. Unfortunately due to security reasons, all students must take their bags to their activities. While this does seem difficult at first for some Grade 1 students, our role as teachers is to support them in taking responsibility and being organized. Through discussions and showing them how to pack their bags, students are learning how to make this task more manageable. Parents can help at home by ensuring students do not have unnecessary items in their bags, bags are easy to carry and practicing organizing the bags at home.  Thank you for your support in this area as we continue to develop your children’s responsibility.

Thank you very much,

Jennifer Juteau

Grade 1 Program Leader

A HUGE thank you to Thaniel’s mum who read us a fantastic story in Tagalog this week! We learnt many new Filipino words and had a lot of fun.