Stretching Our Brains

We have been growing, learning, and experimenting. We learned a lot about the Earth and sun last month. This month we are learning all about plants. It is really fun because we get to do experiments. We found out that seeds won't sprout without water to soften the seed coat and warmth to signal that it is time. We talked about the parts of a plant and the functions of each part. We even did an experiment to prove that the stem acts like a straw to carry water to the leaves and flowers. When we added red food color to water in a vase the daffodil took in red all around the flower. We get to sample different parts of plants that are edible, too. Yum! What is your favorite part of a plant to eat?
We celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday by reading lots of Dr. Seuss stories. The students' favorite story is The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. The most popular explanation is because the Cat in the Hat turned the snow pink. It was just too much chaos for me. Green Eggs and Ham was another favorite. Now, that story is fun and compelling. So where would you eat green eggs and ham?

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been busy building fact power in math. Today we found out that we can be faster at figuring out sums than a calculator. Just ask us what any number is plus 1 or zero. Ask us our sums of 10 or our single-digit doubles. We know those faster than you can key them into a calculator. But that's not all we have been doing. We finished our motion unit and created rollercoasters. We discovered that all sound comes from vibrations and it doesn't take much to change the pitch or volume of a sound. In writing, we are using our imaginations to write stories about animals that we personify by having them do people things. Just imagine a jellyfish who has been sent to the principal or a bull driving a tractor. It's loads of fun letting our imaginations run wild. What would you write about just for fun? As for reading, we are learning to clarify our understanding of a story by retelling it in our own words using just the illustrator's pictures. Ask us to show you how at home. Now, that's all good stuff, but we also earned a popcorn party in art for our good behavior and an ice cream party for collecting the most box tops for education last quarter. There's nothing like a little something for the belly to make you forget that it is cold and wet outside.

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2011. It has certainly come in with enough snow flakes and cold air to keep us guessing. We miss going outside for walk-n-talk and recess, but we have been making the best of it. We have been doing lots of writing about snow, bundling up, and drinking hot cocoa. We have also been exploring other geographical areas. The students are split between the Arctic and Tropical Beaches for the most part, but ask them about Prairies, Deserts, Mountains, and Forests. They are quite knowledgable on these areas. We are working on a performance task where the students create an amusement park area based on one of the 6 areas we explored. I'm looking forward to checking out their final products. We have also been enjoying reading the wacky Wayside School stories. There are some strange characters in this book. What chapter do you think is the strangest?

Waste-free Celebration

We had fun, we ate good food, we cleaned up, we emptied the recycle bin twice, but there was very little in the trash can when we finished. By using our plastic plates and cloth napkins, we didn't have much trash at all. We did fill ourselves on pizza, fruit, pretzels, and cupcakes. We made a snowman picture frame ornament. We listened to holiday carols and played games...Christmas Bingo, Mancala in honor of Kwanzaa, and the dreidel game in honor of Hanukkah. We even exchanged books as gifts. Books are gifts that keep on giving. It was a celebration I won't soon forget. My favorite part was watching all the smiling faces. What did you like best?

Holidays Around the World

Do you know where your holiday traditions come from? We are exploring holidays around the world to find out just where some of our traditions come from and how people around the world celebrate. We may not be exactly the same, but we all have similarities around the world. Most holiday celebrations include lights, foods, symbols in our clothing and decorations, music, and thoughts of friends and family. To enjoy your holidays more, think about how we are all the same and embrace the differences. My favorite food tradition is the gingerbread cookie which originated in Germany. It is a great treat during the holidays. What is your favorite tradition? Do you know where it originated?

Persuasive Writers

We have been writing persuasive letters to practice convincing people to believe what we believe. We started by writing to Mr. Davenport. We want to convince him to help us with composting and our 1st grade garden because we believe these 2 things are important for conservation. Now, we are writing to Santa Claus to convince him to bring us what we really want because we really deserve it for all our kindness this year. Do you think it would help if we say some kind things to Santa in our letters?

Map Experts Extraordinaire

We finished the basic map study. We covered the difference between maps and globes. We explored and created various maps. We had fun with symbols found on the map legend which we found out is the "key" to understanding maps. The students thought it was histerical when I told them that they should "Never Eat Soggy Worms." But you know what, they all remembered how to label the compass rose with the cardinal directions because of that saying. I wish I had know that when I was young. I was always confused on East and West. We will continue exploring maps as we look at the outlines and locations of Virginia and the USA, as well as, Richmond and Washington, D.C. Before we go on winter holiday, we will be looking at Christmas around the world and referencing our world map. So if you need help with a map, ask a 1st Grader.