Starfish Gazette- January 25, 2018

Upcoming Starfish of Week:

Week of January 29: Charlie
Week of February 5th: Will
Week of February 12th: Ava


Important Upcoming Dates:

• Quarter 2 Report Cards are coming home Friday, February 2nd
• Virtual Field Trip to the Moon - Friday, February 2nd. Permission slips are due Monday :)
• Early Release on Wednesday, February 7th at 12:50 pm. 
• WE TENTATIVELY WILL BE CELEBRATING DAY 100 on February 7th! 
• Valentine Card Shop- Monday, February 12 

Please email me know if you would like to volunteer to help run the Valentine Card Shop 10:00-11:40 on 2/12

• Valentine's Ice Cream Social on Wednesday, February 14th. More details coming...

Here's a glimpse of our week in the Starfish Classroom:

• Played Roll a Real Word with bossy r words
• Played Roll to 100 with partners during math centers
• Put together a Phases of the Moon book for our book boxes
• Wrote sentences on our white boards with our spelling words
• Learned how to add a 'flap down' to write more detail in our non-fiction books
• Learned how to show a number two ways with tens and ones
• Practiced finding the ones place and tens place in two digit numbers
• Used our white boards to add and subtract two digit numbers
• Found 'snap words' in our books and old morning messages
• Brainstormed a list of items we could create for our First Grade Fundraiser 
• Turned and talked with partners about how character feelings change in fiction stories
• got new circle spots on the rug
• Listened to Hugh read a favorite Fly Guy story on Thursday
• Read a few nonfiction writing pieces from the Lobster class to get new writing ideas

Questions to Promote School Talk...

1. What are you most excited about making for the market?  Have you started making anything at school?

2. What is a snap word? Can you show me some snap words in your books?

3. Can you show me how to make the number 84 with tens and ones?  What number is in the ones place?  What number is in the tens place?

4. Can you show me how to add 24+32 with tens and ones.  Can you draw is out for me?

5. Can you tell me about the Starfish of the Week? What did you learn about Hugh?

6. When it is your turn to be the Starfish of the Week-- who will you invite to have lunch with you and Mrs. Murphy?

7. What's your favorite game that you play in P.E.? 

8. What's your favorite snack to eat at school?

9. Can you write some ar words for me?  Why are these words called bossy r words?

Here's some pictures from our days at school:

The Starfish of the Week reading to our class

Finding snap words in old morning messages.  The kids are always excited to bring home one of the morning messages! 

Working on their lessons on IREADY at a math center! 

Matching pictures of tens and ones- understanding there is more than one way to represent a number with tens and ones

Mrs. Jolly working with the Starfish on adding numbers with tens and ones

Our First Grade writers are growing everyday! 

Mary Preble Author Visit

Mary Preble's books and artwork were wonderful to see.  We learned how she uses Gelli Mats to make her artwork.  Her first book was a gift for her grandson instead of a publishing company.  Mary's first grade teacher was the author of the Dick and Jane series, if you remember reading those in first grade.  Mary showed us her artwork and writing from when she was in second grade and inspired the children to become authors and illustrators.  If you would still like to order her book and have it signed by her, you may submit the order form by Friday.  

Starfish Gazette- January 19, 2018

Thank you so much for helping them observe the moon. Please remember the journals are due at the end of the month. 

*We are needing a few classroom supplies and materials for upcoming projects.  I will have a sign up genius coming out on Sunday.  Please sign up if you would like to donate.  We greatly appreciate your support!

Valentine's Day

 

Valentine lists will go home next week to help support your child with making Valentines.  Please have the Valentines ready by February 14th and have your child include everyone in the class.  Please no candy! :)

Please Mark Your Calendars:

• Quarter 2 Report Cards are coming home Friday, February 2nd
• Virtual Field Trip to the Moon - Friday, February 2nd. Permission slips will be coming home next week ;-)
• Early Release on Wednesday, February 7th at 12:50 pm.
• Valentine's Ice Cream Social on Wednesday, February 14th. More details coming...

Upcoming Starfish of the Week:

• Hugh- Week of January 22nd
• Charlie- Week of January 29th
• Will- Week of February 5th

Here's a glimpse of what we are learning in the starfish classroom....

• Went on TOP SECRET missions sent to us by the Super Secret Detective Agency (SSDA) to become stronger readers
• Played the game show, "How to be a Reading Partner" (We had so much fun with this!)
• Continued practice of math fact fluency and independent math practice (Both are important components in second grade. They will have many opportunities to practice these skills in the months ahead.) 
• Made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Posters
• Read Space poems during shared reading
• Learned a new place value game called Rolling to 100
• Learned about the Big Dipper and the North Star
• Learning about Bossy R during whole group spelling
• Got new spelling sorts this week!

What's Happening in Science...

This week, we investigated the intriguing question of why stars only appear at night, but not during the day. Students modeled the stars using their own constellation projectors and tested what happened to the stars as the Sun rose and set. Through this activity, students also learned how simple models can be used to test scientific ideas.

You can support your child’s curiosity at home by watching a read-aloud of the classic children's book Zoo in the Sky by Jacqueline Mitton:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leg_vT0yMq8



There are also high quality children’s books about constellations available at your local library or through Amazon: http://www.giftofcuriosity.com/11-childrens-books-about-stars-and-constellations/


We also...

• made models of the moon, earth, and sun
• read books about Space Systems during read aloud time
• added space poem and songs to our journals that we enjoy singing together.  Our favorite class poem is Moon by Meish Goldish 

Moon Are you lonely, Moon? 

You giant, white balloon. 

You have no water, wind or air. 

No wonder nothing lives up there. 

You can’t grow trees, or flowers, or grass. 

Your soil is only rocks and glass.

 Even your light is not your own.

 Instead it’s from the sun that’s shone. 

Your gravity is weak, I hear. 

You really have no atmosphere. 

But don’t be sad, Moon, please don’t cry. 

For I still love you in the sky. 

By Meish Goldish

Learning about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our class read many books and learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We talked about different adjectives that describe him as a person and a leader.  The kids were so proud of the posters we made.  You can check them out in our hallway!

Place Value and Comparisons

For the past few weeks, the Starfish have begun to use larger numbers and explore place value.  They are learning that the digits in a 2 digit number represent the number of tens and ones.  For example, in the number 72, 7 is in the tens place and has the value of 7 tens, or 70; 2 is in the ones place and has a value of 2 ones, or 2.  We have been using base-10 blocks to represent numbers and to demonstrate their understanding of place value by exchanging 10 ones for 1 ten, and vice versa.  This week the kids are comparing numbers using the symbols <,>,=.  

Do anytime activities: To work with your child on the concepts taught in this unit

1. Look at 2 digit number in and around your home.  Ask your child to tell you how much each digit is worth.  Ask your child to compare 2 digit numbers using <,>, and =.

2. Tell addition and subtraction number stories using 1 and 2 digit numbers of household objects. Then work together to solve by drawing tens and ones.

3. Give your child 4 or 5 2 digit numbers. Ask your child to order the set of numbers from least to greatest.

Questions to Promote Home-School Connection:

1. Can you tell me a reading strategy you have been using in the classroom?
2. What did you use post-it notes for during reader's workshop this week?
3. What did you learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
4. Can you tell me about Ruby Bridges?
5. What game did you play at the end of music class on Friday?
6. Who was the first Starfish of the Week? Can you tell me about it?
7. What's your favorite center?  Art center, literacy center, math center?
8. What's your job this week?
9. Can you tell me what you did with place value blocks this week? How do you play Rolling to 100?

Starfish Gazette- January 8, 2018

Hello Families,

We are excited to begin Starfish of the Week next week.  An information sheet and schedule went home in your child's blue folder last week. If you child's week happens to be a 4 day week, we will consolidate the activities to make them all fit! Please email if you have any questions regarding your child's special week. 

Upcoming Starfish of the Week:

Week of January 15- Elizabeth

Week of January 22: Hugh 

Week of January 29: Charlie

Here is a glimpse of what we are working on:

• Made New Years resolutions
• Learned about the Power of 'YET' - Brainstormed things we can't do YET but hope to get better at in 2018
• Learned about why baby animals are so cute!
• Played "Door 24" an iReady game app
• Began a new unit on Place value- we are working on understanding that two digit of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones. 
• Started working on our number scrolls- this is a fun and helpful way for first graders to understand patterns within numbers and practice numeral numbers (all the way into the three digit and four digit numbers)
• Received our first mission from the Super Secret Detective Agency: We are on a mission to become super strong word detectives (more info coming soon)
• Began learning about the Sun, Moon, and Earth
• Learning about the letter y as a vowel
• Started a sentence dictation weekly practice book

Here are some questions you can ask your child...

1. What do baby animals have in common?
2. Who's birthday did we celebrate last week?  What other Starfish have birthdays in January?
3. Can you tell me how you played Telephone during morning meeting?
4. What are some of the science words your class added to your 'Space Word Wall'?
5. What's your favorite thing to do during Free Choice?
6. Why is the first month of the year called January?
7. What was your first mission during reader's workshop today?
8. What non-fiction book are you working on during writer's workshop?
9. What poem and songs did you add to your poem and song journal this week? What song is your favorite?
10. Who do you sit next to in our new circle spot?

Important Dates/Notes:

• NO SCHOOL Monday January 15th
• January 18- Mary Preble will be visiting our school.  She is a local artist and author.  She will read us us her story, talk about her artwork, and give us an art demonstration.  There is an order form in your child's folder if your family is interested in purchasing her book.  
• Moon journals are coming home in your child's blue folder today (please help your child observe and record 2-3 times a week for the month of January.  Please feel free to record your observations even on cloudy evenings.  We know it is easy to look up the phases of the moon online and it may be a fun component to checking the name of the phase, but we encourage your family to enjoy the experience of becoming observers of the night sky.  Please remember to leave the moon journals on the 'Return to School side of the blue folder' each day.  We will be pulling the journals out during the week of share our observations and recordings.

*helpful hint: It may be easier for your family to observe in the morning before school- please find what works for your family.  

We are looking for....

Extra Marbles for our marble maze! If you have any marbles at home, we would love to have them for Free Choice Time