Balance and Motion

The students were excited to be beginning a new science unit - balance and motion! During this unit of study, students will explore stable (balanced) and unstable systems, using counterweights to change the center of mass of the systems. This week our focus is balance. Students are experimenting with various objects and discovering how they can be balanced. Yesterday we introduced the idea of counterweights being used to balance objects.

Later on they will also explore two types of motion--spinning and rolling--first through trial and error, and later through more systematic explorations.

Through the experience-based investigations, students begin to develop a sense of variables, which they control to produce desired outcomes.

Word Work

This week's spelling pattern is -ing. Our accountable words are : you   your

Today partners worked to create sentences using words with this pattern.

Math Vocabulary

We started our data unit today. This week we are introducing some new vocabulary terms.

Data, survey, tally marks, tally chart, graph, bar graph, picture graph

During this unit, students explore concepts of data analysis involving up to three categories of data.  Students collect, organize, represent, and interpret data.  Many of the problems about data are structured to represent a variety of addition and subtraction situations like those they worked with in Unit 1.  A Big Idea that connects most of the work in this cluster is that data can be presented in graphs and charts, and a variety of questions can be answered by collecting and analyzing data.

Essential Questions

Writing: How can I share my opinions? Why do people share their opinions?

Math: What is data? How do we use data?

Reading: What makes a story? How do readers use story elements to stay engaged with the text?
How do changes in story elements influence the story?

Science: Why do things move? What are different ways to change the motion of an object?
What is balance?

Homework/Word Work

Since it is such a short week, there is no homework packet. Also there are not new chunks this week for our spelling work. We will be reviewing ones we have already done and doing some work with consonant blends.

Math

We are nearing the end of our first math unit. This week we have focused on fact families so students understand how addition and subtraction are related. It took several days of practice for some to realize exactly how these number relationships work. For instance with the numbers: 8  4  12  these four number sentences can be constructed: 4+8=12  8+4=12  12-8=4  12-4=8

We have also done some work with equality and moving the equal sign. This was sort of tricky for some of us! Students learn that 8=4+4  says the same thing as 4+4=8. Students should understand that no matter where the equal sign is, they can still find the solution.

Students worked on finding whether an equation was true or false. For instance: 4+3=6+1  would be a true statement. We learned that the equal sign can sometimes be in the middle and we can add or subtract each side to see if they are equal. If not, the statement is false. This is definitely a new concept that we will revisit later this school year.

More practice with story problems and showing their thinking and explaining their strategy was also done.

Our next unit which will  begin after Thanksgiving break is our Data unit. The essential questions are: What is data? How do we use data? These are the skills the students will be learning:

- organize and interpret data with up to three categories
- represent data with up to three categories
- ask and answer questions about the total number of data points.
- ask and answer questions about how many in a category.
- ask and answer questions about how many more or less are in one category than in another.

Reading

We are finishing up our talk unit which has put an emphasis on partner reading and comprehension skills. I have been impressed with the students' ability to talk about a text. Students have had the opportunity to work with various partners and put their conversational skills to use! Students have learned that talking about a text is much more than one partner saying something and another partner listening. Students understand the back and forth flow which can include asking questions, clarifying understandings or misunderstandings, sharing ideas and reactions to a text. Here are some prompts you can use at home to talk about books with your child:

-When you were reading what were you thinking?
-I think __________. What do you think?
-Why do you think character ____ acted that way?
-How do you think the character feels and why?
-Why do you think the character keeps doing that?
-What do you think the character wants or needs?
-What is the problem in the story?
-How do you think the character will solve the problem?

-Share with your partner when a character reminds you of someone in real life
-Share with a partner when the story reminds you of something from your life.
-Share with your partner when a character reminds you of another character of another book.
-Share with your partner when something in the book is funny, surprising, or confusing.
-Share with your partner what is resolved or unresolved at the end of the story.

Fall Party Pictures!

Here are a few pictures from our fall party. We had a great time! Thanks to Avery and Claire's moms for helping plan and organize everything!

Book Orders

I know it feels like book orders just came home - it has been a month though! WOW! Where is the time going? I don't know about you, but I have some holiday shopping to do, so I wanted to get an order in by next week. The order form is coming home today. If you have an order, please place it by next Wednesday, November 16th.

Math - Addition and Subtraction

We are still in our first unit of study. The first unit thoroughly builds a foundation for the remainder of our work in first grade. Students continue to work on addition and subtraction fluency and problem solving with various concepts.

The last big concept we are working on in this unit in the coming days is subtraction. Students are learning how subtraction problems are related to addition problems and how they can use that knowledge in problem-solving. Students are using and discussing a variety of strategies to solve problems. Some of the strategies we are using are: number line to count on or back, part-part-whole model, using facts we know to help us add or subtract more efficiently, and some still benefit from drawing pictures or models to represent a problem.

Another concept which many of the kiddos find more challenging is finding the missing addend in an addition or subtraction problem in any position.

Continue working on math facts up to 20 at home. Remember the link: http://www.aplusmath.com/flashcards/  for flashcards

Formative assessment information for this unit will be available in the progress report.

Reading - Talk Unit

We are in our Talk unit of instruction. Essential questions for this unit are: Why do readers talk about books? And... How do readers talk about books?

During this unit we work with partners each day to discuss books and deepen comprehension. The students are enjoying getting to know their partners as readers, help with decoding, and have deeper conversations about what they are reading! 

We are really focused on the back and forth conversation skills that are key to productive partner interactions. Students are learning to say something to their partner, listen, take turns, and ask questions back to get more information from a partner. Here are some of the prompts we have been working on:

I can say something to my partner. This means I...
- notice my thinking as I read.
- retell my books.
- share my thoughts that include:  questions, wonderings, predictions, visualizations, etc.
use evidence to support my thinking.


I can say something  back to my partner.  This means I...
- ask my partner questions.
- listen closely.
- use phrases that help keep conversations going.

Persuasive Writing Unit

We are working on our persuasive writing unit. The essential questions for this unit are: Why do people share their opinions? And, How do people share their opinions?

In Kindergarten, the writers told, drew, and wrote their opinion or likes and dislikes about a topic or book. This year, writers will compose by sharing opinions or likes and dislikes and provide evidence to support those opinions. They will learn that effective opinion pieces include a stated opinion with supporting reasons and contain a sense of closure. This unit is unique from other first grade units in that students will publish two times. During the first 2-3 weeks, students will publish a book on a persuasive topic of their choice. The second publication (2-3 weeks) will be a book review on a book chosen by each student. This unit provides a great opportunity for students to have their voices heard. Students are expected to publish at least one of these pieces digitally in order to share their opinions with others. Students will record each other sharing their book reviews. Students always really enjoy our "book review viewing event".

This week we have learned about what is fact vs. opinion. Students have used a graphic organizer to write down some opinions they have (I've found they have many!), and used a template to begin planning out the evidence they will use as they begin writing.

Spelling Bee Information

There is some spelling bee information coming home this afternoon. Look for a gold letter and the Scripps National list which is on white. If your child enjoys spelling this might be a fun opportunity for them!