October 2005 Highlights

From

Davis Thayer - Room 26

As you might have noticed, our September “apples” gave way to our October “pumpkins” here in grade one!! What fun we had getting our room ready for Halloween!!! (The children will tell you that the room sure did look “spooky”!) Thank you to all parents who helped out this month by doing things at home, coming in to read, and donating things for the Halloween party and other October activities. Your continued support is very much appreciated!!!!

Language Arts

We have been reviewing the phonics sounds of the Won Way Phonics Program daily. We’ve been making letters into words and using the words in sentences. We have been reinforcing the importance of making good sentences; continuing to emphasize good handwriting, using capitals at the beginning of the sentences and periods at the end. We have learned when to use question marks, commas, and have learned about the simple plural “s”. We have begun our small group reading this month! Our materials include The Harcourt Reading Series, leveled theme based trade books, and a variety of poetry selections. These leveled reading groups are designed to meet the current needs of all the children…..those who need more of a reading challenge, the average first grade reader, and those who need extra reading support. Two other teachers join me at this time to give your child concentrated reading and writing experiences three times a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The papers have been going home on these days. If there are unfinished portions of the activity, you may have your child finish it up for extra homework. As always, an important part of learning to read is to practice reading! Have your child read his/her writing back to you and ask questions about the books that are read! You are such an important part of this wonderful process! The children have produced their 2nd reader response selection in language arts. These pieces will be combined into a book that will go home in June so that they may see their own progress in writing. Friday is poetry day! They have been able to find the rhymes and can tell the difference between the way a sentence is written and the way a poem is written. The children know that poets use special rules when writing. Be sure to ask your child to share these poems with you at home!

Math

We are just wrapping up Unit 3 of the Everyday Mathematics Program! The ‘spiraling’ technique in this math program provides an effective on-going method of reviewing the math concepts. We have been working diligently in our math journals each day. This month we have been learning to tell time to the hour and half hour, learning to add coins and record the value amount with the cent sign and the dollar/cent notation, measuring using inches and comparing those measurements with historical measurements, writing addition number sentences, practicing counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s, practicing making tally marks and using the number line as another strategy to do our addition work! We have been using manipulatives to understand the commutative property of addition and we have practiced adding number combinations to 10. We know that addition number sentences can be written both vertically and horizontally. We have also been working on reading and making word problems of our own! It is encouraged that the children share their solution strategies for good critical thinking skills! We made a floor graph of the fruit we brought in for our fruit salad to be eaten on our party day and then transferred that graph to a paper version to take home!!!! We have also been reviewing writing numbers 1-100, making patterns, and making some interesting pictures using the shapes on our templates!

Social Studies

We finished all the Felicity Books and learned that strength of character and determination is a good quality to have! We are presently reading the Kirsten Books. The children are enjoying meeting her, learning how she and her family made their way from Sweden to the U.S. in the 1800’s and traveled to Minnesota with her family by horse and wagon. The children are learning about the hardships and the strength it took to take such a long journey as they made their way westward. We have learned about Christopher Columbus and the brave voyage that he took. We learned the names of the three ships and learned that poor Columbus never lived to know that he had indeed discovered a new world! We have been discussing our ‘likenesses and differences’ and safety at home and at school. We have read and enjoyed our weekly Scholastic Newspapers. These have generated some great class discussions!

Science

We were good ‘observers’ and we recorded the changes our ‘apple heads’ made as they sat on the window sill. We learned that the reason they were shrinking before our eyes, was because the water inside was evaporating!!!!! We have learned that bats are mammals even though they can fly!!! We were amazed to learn that bats have very long fingers and a thumb. We learned that bats use echolocation to find their food at night! We know many ‘bat facts’. We have also been good weather watchers! We have tracked the paths of the major hurricanes on our U.S. map. We know that Storm Trackers are planes that go right into the middle of the storms to let the weathermen know how strong the storms will be! We have learned hurricane safety rules.

Classroom Art

We have decorated our pumpkins, made construction paper pumpkins, created ‘little witches’ out of our shrinking apple heads, stamped pumpkin stencils, made leaf rubbings, and made ‘Horrible Hand’ treats!

Eating Treats!

We’ve had a yummy Halloween fruit salad and Horrible Hands! (Not to mention all the treats we sampled on Thursday on our Halloween Party day!) Yum!!! …………Thank you, families, for those special goodies. Special thanks to those of you who helped get everything ready for us to enjoy!

Special Notices!

As always, please check with your child to be sure that he/she has enough supplies. The basics are provided here at school, but the children are always excited to receive special pencils, erasers, folders, crayons and scissors to add to their pencil boxes! Please be sure that all things that come to school are labeled with your child’s name.

Sincerely,
Deborah Taylor