Week of January 17, 2011

I think this was the shortest school week ever. We have a lot to make up this coming school week.

We learned:

• Math: We worked with two-digit numbers. We counted popsicle sticks using tens and ones to determine what digits we would need to write the two-digit number. Also, we compared two digit numbers to see which was larger and smaller.
• Reading: We practiced using our schema as it relates to the five senses to help us better understand a non-fiction story, "A Walk By The Seashore." We created a chart with a section for each of the five senses. We took turns completing the chart listing things that we see, smell, hear, taste, and touch at the beach. As we learned new information we added that to the chart.
• Writing: We answered the prompt, "My favorite toy is..." in our journals.
• Handwriting: We practiced the letter G.

With such a short week, we had little time for pictures. I will be sure to post pictures next week.

Week of January 10, 2011

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend and staying warm. The students did a great job this week bouncing back from their first snow day. Each day I tell the students we have a lot to do and not a lot of time, and this was even more true with a snow day added into the mix.

We learned:

• Math: We practiced sorting attribute blocks (squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, and hexagons) by color, shape, and size. We also sorted the blocks by number of sides. We played, "What's My Rule" fishing game. I called students to the front of the room without revealing the rule or attribute that I used. The students that weren't called had to guess my rule. We also had some more practice with addition and subtraction number stories. I told the students a number story and wrote it on the easel. The students had to determine the answer and if it was an addition or subtraction problem. Then I showed the students how to write the number story by using a simple math equation. For example, this is what I wrote on the easel:

I saw three birds in a tree and two flew away. How many birds are left?

3 - 2 = 1

• Reader's Workshop: We started working on comprehension strategies. The first strategy we are focusing on is making connections to the text by using our schema (background knowledge) to better understand what is being read. I modeled this with the story, "The First Day of School." The students practiced with me while I read, "Geraldine's Big Snow."
• Writer's Workshop: We continued to work on responsive writing by completing the prompt, "A friend is..."
• Phonics and Word Study: We practiced sorting pictures by listening to the initial sound. The principles are:

“You can hear the sound at the beginning of a word.”

“You can match letters and sounds at the beginning of a word.”

• Handwriting: We practiced Q, and learned G, 7, and 8.
• We also played Sight Word Bingo to help increase our sight word recognition.

Pocket Chart Workstation - the students built words that related to the story, "The Mitten" by Jan Brett.

Math Workstation - the students played, "The Train Game," which is a counting game taught in the Everyday Math program. The students take turns rolling a cube labeled with a 1, 2, or 3. Then they add that number of cubes together. The first person to get 15 cubes wins.

Poetry Workstation - the students illustrated a poem about a polar bear.

Handwriting Workstation - the students practiced the letter Q and the number 4.

These are pictures of the students completing an obstacle course during our whole class speech/OT group with Mrs. Hoxie (occupational therapist) and Mrs. Kamen (speech therapist).

First, the students had to catch three puzzle pieces and put them in a basket.

Then, they had to hop through the rings.

Last, they had to go through the hug machine.

Week of January 3, 2011

Happy New Year! I hope the start to the new year has been a happy and joyous one. The students and I got right back into the swing of things this week. We learned:

• Math: We compared shapes (triangles, squares, rectangles, and circles) by noticing how many sides and corners they have. We also talked about angles as they relate to the shapes because the students noticed that a rhombus looks similar to a square. We also worked with the subtraction symbol and practiced subtracting using counters. We also created a graph by rolling two dice, adding the sum, and colored the corresponding number on our graph.
• Reader's Workshop: We learned that we need to set a purpose when we read non-fiction books. This helps us to better understand what we are reading. We worked together to set the purpose for reading a book on librarians and teachers (as we worked to finish our community members unit).
• Writer's Workshop: We started a unit on responsive writing. The students got new journals to respond to a given prompt. This week we completed the following prompts: "I like winter because..." and "My favorite workstation is..."
• Handwriting: We practiced the letter O and learned how to form the letter Q.
• Phonics and Word Study: We continued to work with color words by locating them in text.
• We also started Guided Reading this week. The students are learning to read simple, predictable books by working with me in a small group setting. I meet with each group three times per week.

Listening Workstation - The students listened to "White Snow Bright Snow"

Math Workstation - The students played a game that allowed them to practice counting spaces using one-to-one correspondence

Poetry Workstation - The students illustrated a poem about January

Pocket Chart Workstation - The students sequenced pictures of putting a snowman together

Writing Workstation - The students wrote winter clothing words on mittens and drew pictures to match the words

Week of December 13, 2010

We had another busy week, and we learned so much!

• Math: We learned a new math game called, "Top-It." This is played like the card game, "War." Two cards are flipped, and the person with the largest card keeps both cards. The person with the most cards at the end of the game wins. We also worked with Pattern-Block Templates, which are stencils with the shapes: trapezoid, hexagon, circle, triangle, and square. We made patterns on sentence strips with the templates. We also learned about the addition symbol and practiced some basic addition problems with teddy bear counters.
• Handwriting: We learned the letter Z and reviewed the "Frog Jump Capitals."

• Phonics and Word Study: We practiced tracing, building, and writing several high frequency words.
• Reader's and Writer's Workshop: Unfortunately this week these two areas were not covered because we had Officer Norcross come to visit on Thursday. Instead we did extra work with our high frequency words and enjoyed reading several Christmas stories.
• Social Studies: We had Officer Norcross visit our room to talk about 911, "stranger danger," and what to do if you get lost. We also learned about needs and wants. We read a story that described needs and wants and gave examples. Then we sorted pictures on a T-Chart.

(Our visit with Officer Norcross)

ABC/Word Study Workstation - the students matched letters to pictures that start with the same letter

Writing Workstation - the students wrote letters to Santa Claus

Week of December 6, 2010

The holiday cheer is growing and growing! We have Twinkles, the library elf on a shelf, visiting our classroom for the next two weeks. The children are very excited to see where he is each day as they arrive to school.

This week we learned:

• Math: We learned how to count by 10s. This is very easy for the children because we have been counting by 10s since the 10th day of school as we count each day that we have been in school. The students can count to 100 by 10s! We played the "Teen Frame" game. We This game helps us to practice counting to 20 using one-to-one correspondence. We also learned how to use a number line to add and subtract.

• Reader's Workshop: We compared "The Mitten" by Jon Ayelsworth and "The Hat" by Jan Brett. We looked at the similarities in the characters and the plot.
• Writer's Workshop: We continue to practice using our Alphabet Linking Chart to write the sounds that we hear in words.

• Phonics and Word Study: We learned that you can connect the sound you hear at the beginning of a word to look for that word. To do this we matched pictures and words by listening to the sounds in the words.

• Handwriting: We learned how to write X and Y.
• Social Studies: We learned about mail carriers and practiced memorizing our address.

Library Workstation - the students get to read books quietly

Writing Workstation - the students completed gingerbread man books

ABC/Word Study Workstation - the students had to find rhyming word pairs

Pocket Chart Workstation - the students were building words from "The Gingerbread Man"

Week of November 29, 2010

The holiday buzz is in the air! The students have started their countdowns to Christmas, and most have an elf visiting their homes that returned from the North Pole! Despite the excitement, we are still hard at work. We learned:

• Math: We completed a follow-up lesson on probability by using red cubes and blue cubes. The students had to determine if they would pick a red cube, could pick a red cube, or it would be impossible to pick a red cube when ten red cubes were placed in a box. The activity was repeated with all blue cubes. Then the red cubes and blue cubes were placed in the box together. The students then needed to identify that you could pick a red cube or a blue cube. The students also completed a follow-up lesson using the pan balance. The students had to compare the weight of teddy bear counters and playdough. We also completed a graph of our favorite colors.
• Phonics and Word Study: We are continuing to work on beginning consonants and sounds. The principles for this week's lesson are: 1) "You can hear the sound at the beginning of a word." 2) "You can match letters and sounds at the beginning of a word." To practice these principles, we matched pictures and letters by listening to the sound at the beginning of a word.
• Reader's Workshop: We read two versions of "The Gingerbread Man." After we read each story, we created a list of the characters. We compared the differences and similarities between the two stories.
• Writer's Workshop: We learned how to use our Alphabet Linking Chart to help spell words that we are trying to write. The students listened to the sound at the beginning of the word that they tried to write, then said the pictures on the Alphabet Linking Chart until they said the name of a picture that had the same sound as the word they tried to write.
• Handwriting: The students learned how to write W and X.
• Social Studies: We learned about a doctor and the tools that a doctor needs. We made books that show a variety of these tools.

Week of November 22, 2010

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

This week the students learned:

• Math: We played number games on Monday to practice sequencing numbers, one-to-one correspondence, and number identification (for the tricky teens, which are 10-20). On Wednesday we learned about probability by reading "Wacky Wednesday" by Dr. Seuss. We reviewed several pictures in the story to determine if the events were likely to happen, possible, or impossible.


• Reader's Workshop: We learned how to sequence a story, which helps with learning to summarize the important events. To practice this skill, we read "Rosie's Walk" by Pat Hutchins. The students then put pictures from the story in order and numbered them.


• Writer's Workshop: We are beginning to learn about journaling. We practiced by writing about the things we do during the school day in a whole group setting. With a little more practice the students will soon get their own journals to write in.


• Handwriting: We learned how to write 6 and continued to practice V.


• Phonics/Word Study: We practiced writing the initial and final sounds for pictures (bat, dog, cat, car, and bug, just to name a few). The principles of the lesson are:

1. "You can say a word slowly to hear the sounds."
2. "You can hear the sounds at the beginning, middle, or end of the word."
3. "You can write the letters for the sounds you can hear."

Handwriting Workstation - the students practiced H, R, and 4

Writing Workstation - the students had to build Thanksgiving words with magnetic letters

Art Creation Workstation - the students practiced their lacing skills by lacing a turkey

ABC/Word Study Workstation - the students had to find the capital letter and lowercase letter pairs that matched