Please Support Our Toy Drive

Giving Back: This holiday season we have been asked if we would help support Pathways for Children's Holiday Store. Doing so will help spread some holiday cheer to other less fortunate families in our community that are in need this Christmas. And while we know there are a lot of options at the holidays, this organization helps local families in Hamilton and Wenham and 11 surrounding communities and provides parents the ability to actually go in and “shop” for gifts for their own children free of charge.  Your donation helps supply the "store" with all sorts of great items a child may be hoping for this season.

If you would like to join in the joy, please deliver unwrapped gifts to the box placed outside the office by 12/14.  OR you can do it all online.  Details including wish lists and online shopping links are here:   AMAZON WISH LIST AND ONLINE ORDERING: http://a.co/cIw3XgB

Thank you so much for your consideration and helping us spread the JOY! 

Current Science Focus

The children are enjoying our current science focus. We have been thinking about seasonal patterns and how animals and plants adapt to each season. Also, we are discussing the patterns of the moon. Many of our discussions are based around children's literature selections. It is a wonderful way to access some complex material.


Describing Patterns In grade 1, students have more fluency with language, number sense, and inquiry skills. This allows them to describe patterns of motion between the Sun, Moon, and stars in relation to the Earth. From this understanding they can identify seasonal patterns from sunrise and sunset data that will allow them to predict future patterns. Building from their experiences in pre-K and kindergarten observing and describing daily weather, they can now examine seasonal data on temperature and rainfall to describe patterns over time. Grade 1 students investigate sound and light through various materials. They describe patterns in how light passes through and sounds differ from different types of materials and use this to design and build a device to send a signal. Students compare the ways different animals and plants use their body parts and senses to do the things they need to do to grow and survive, including typical ways parents keep their young safe so they will survive to adulthood. They notice that though there are differences between plants or animals of the same type, the similarities of behavior and appearance are what allow us to identify them as belonging to a group. Grade 1 students begin to understand the power of patterns to predict future events in the natural and designed world.

Grade 1: Earth and Space Sciences
ESS1. Earth’s Place in the Universe 1-ESS1-1. Use observations of the Sun, Moon, and stars to describe that each appears to rise in one part of the sky, appears to move across the sky, and appears to set.

1-ESS1-2. Analyze provided data to identify relationships among seasonal patterns of change, including relative sunrise and sunset time changes, seasonal temperature and rainfall or snowfall patterns, and seasonal changes to the environment. Clarification Statement: • Examples of seasonal changes to the environment can include foliage changes, bird migration, and differences in amount of insect activity.

We love Mercy Watson

The children and I continue to enjoy the a variety of chapter books by Kate Dicamillo. Currently we are reading the last book from the Deckawoo Drive series.  We end  of day together enjoying a chapter from one of the books. It is a great way to discuss plot development, characters' actions and author's message. More importantly it continues to foster a love of reading.

Here are two sites to find out more about the author and her books.

https://www.mercywatson.com/

https://www.katedicamillo.com/

Language Arts In First Grade

The students are busy engaging in a variety of language arts activities. Last week, we thought about how to choose just right books. We worked together to choose a set of books to be used during independent reading. A highlight of the week was reading in front of the fire. In Fundations, we are learning about bonus letters, f, l, s ( fuss, puff, bell) and vocabulary. We have fun sharing our definitions of words with multiple meanings. Often, we draw quick pictures to help us remember the meaning of the word. As a whole class, we have been discussing the book, Fletcher And The Falling Leaves.  The students are writing and illustrating a summary poster about the book. We focused our discussion on beginning, middle and end and how the main character's feelings changed throughout the book. Also, we learned to play a new spelling game, Moose, and are using a variety of centers to reinforce our word work.

Math In First Grade

This week, we completed our study of 2- dimensional shapes. In the spring, we will focus on 

3-D shapes. The children worked on a shape poster with a partner. Each pair were given a set of shapes that they sorted into groups and labeled. Then, each group transferred the data to a t-chart and presented their projects to other groups. On Monday, we will begin a unit that focuses on different type of word problem with unknown addends, the strategy of counting on and counting back, multiple addends, equivalent expressions and working with numbers to 120. 

In the upcoming unit, we will focus on the following standards of mathematical practice:

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Mathematically proficient students make sense of quantities and their relationships in problem situations. They bring two complementary abilities to bear on problems involving quantitative relationships: the ability to decontextualize—to abstract a given situation and represent it symbolically and manipulate the representing symbols as if they have a life of their own, without necessarily attending to their referents—and the ability to contextualize, to pause as needed during the manipulation process in order to probe into the referents for the symbols involved. Quantitative reasoning entails habits of creating a coherent representation of the problem at hand; considering the units involved; attending to the meaning of quantities, not just how to compute them; and knowing and flexibly using different properties of operations and objects.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6 Attend to precision.

Mathematically proficient students try to communicate precisely to others. They try to use clear definitions in discussion with others and in their own reasoning. They state the meaning of the symbols they choose, including using the equal sign consistently and appropriately. They are careful about specifying units of measure, and labeling axes to clarify the correspondence with quantities in a problem. They calculate accurately and efficiently, express numerical answers with a degree of precision appropriate for the problem context. In the elementary grades, students give carefully formulated explanations to each other. By the time they reach high school they have learned to examine claims and make explicit use of definitions.

these are the 1st grade geometry standards.

Reason with shapes and their attributes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1
Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.2
Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.1

We are thankful for......

I am thankful for........

my family because they love me
my dog because she loves me and is cute
my house because it keeps me cozy and warm
my family because I love them
pokemon cards because they are so colorful
bay blades because they are fun
Boomer because he plays with me
paper because I can make things
when my family is together with me because I love my family
my family because they love me
food because it keeps me healthy
friends because they are nice
making scary face drawing because I like them
foxes because they are my favorite animal
marble raceway because it is my favorite game
my family because they are nice
my mom and dad because I love them
Thanksgiving because I am with my family
books because I love reading
foxes because they are read and it is my favorite color
my dog because my dog loves me
eagles because I like birds
America because I live here
my dog because she plays with me
my dog because she is nice
Christmas because my family comes together
for my cat because he plays with me