Can you believe exactly two months ago, we were starting our journey together in C110?! I sure can't! So much has happened since our last update! Our first field trip taken, our first writing and math units finished, many conferences held... It sure has been a memorable month! Let's take a look at some pictures, shall we?
If I had to pick our class's favorite things, two of the most favorite would definitely be games and music! Thankfully, I'm able to incorporate these two things throughout our days. Math games are awesome because they give students the opportunity to hone their math and social skills, which are both crucial, not only for first grade, but for life!
Here was a favorite math memory game from last month:
Chloe is all smiles playing with Bryson and Jack!
Jessie looks on to see if Lauren will make a match.
Kenneth proudly shows Mrs. Whitten a match!
Another game the class loves? Word Wall Detective! The premise? Each table gets a flashlight, and the students take turn playing "detective." Mrs. Whitten gives students clues about words, and the kids shine their flashlights on the word they think I'm talking about. For example: "I'm thinking of a pink word... It is four letters.... It starts with a w... It rhymes with there..." By this point, the kids are falling out of their seats with excitement, whispering, "Where! Where! Where!!!" It gets the kids thinking about certain things I want them to be looking for in the words (like vowels and syllables), and the kids love it!
Detectives hard at work.
The word wall takes the spotlight during this fun game.
It's imperative that our classroom is a community, where we all work together and encourage one another. In order to build that supportive environment, I give students plenty of opportunities to cheer for each other. One way we've done that is through sharing our writing. While the speaker is practicing his or her oral presentation skills, the audience is practicing respectful listening!
Jessie shares her narrative with the class.
Bryson reads his favorite story.
Matthew shares with his friends.
Brody reads aloud.
Amber displays her work.
Will turns the page of his favorite piece.
Moriah reads her small moment story.
Lauren displays the cover of her book.
Jack captivates his audience.
One thing that never fails to get the kids engaged is a hands-on science exploration. We got down and dirty with earth science a couple weeks ago, and the students loved studying their rock collections they brought in!
Bryson and Amber curiously look on as Dawson puts his fool's gold under his magnifying glass.
Patrick and Ava the geologists.
Ray and his rocks shine!
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Creigh takes a closer look at one of his rocks.
Saylor and Dawson work together to measure Saylor's rock.
Oliver inspects one of Ray's rocks.
Next on the list of catch-up? Our Mo Willems author study and field trip! Stay tuned!
