Understanding Place Value and Using Observation Skills

I always like to start the year with strengthening our understanding of numbers and patterns in math.  I have a large collection of games, dice and other manipulatives to help students demonstrate this concept at a variety of different levels.  This is a crucial concept that builds into all aspects of math later on, especially when doing computation with larger numbers.  Many of my activities are in game form, so you won't see much "paperwork" done in class on it.  I connect your child's homework to whatever skill we practiced that day at the level that they are performing at.

This week we also went on our first field experience to the Tacoma Nature Center.  We hiked around Snake Lake, observing nature and making connections between what we see, and who may be living in this natural habitat.  If gave the students an opportunity to use observation skills to describe what they see/hear/smell, etc. and draw conclusions based on that information.  We have been working on that in our science lessons as we have been describing liquids and solids.

AE is using the place value dice to roll an expanded number (100+30+5) to "shrink" it into standard form (135).  I have dice that go all the way to 100,000.  It's always a class favorite

Using a variety of strategies, the students had to put the 100 chart together.  Some used counting to find missing numbers, while others noticed patterns in the 100 chart to put their puzzle together.

Our hike at Snake Lake.  Our guide did an outstanding job getting the students to use their senses to observe this natural habitat.

These boys were looking at the fungus on the tree when they noticed a centipede walking around it.

Playing the "Role" for Understanding

In the primary years, most of a student's learning and understanding comes from their experiences.  It is vital that children get the opportunities to act out parts, and use a variety of tools and manipulatives to form a strong concrete understanding of the world around them.  As they mature, they will be able to move more towards abstract thinking and rely on what they have experienced to assimilate new learning into their lives. At Seabury, even at the first grade level, I am beginning to build abstract thought by looking for ways events and objects are similar or different, or how they relate to each other or other events, in addition to the acting and "playing" that it sometimes appears as.  Below are some examples on how your Shark is learning through structured play by "being" a scientist or city planner or whatever they wish to be!

Working with different age groups brings in different perspectives.  Here an airport is being drawn, complete with a parking lot, terminal, tower, jetway, airplanes, and ground traffic controllers.  Who knew they were that observant??

KA is making a sign for our Wacky Wheels day.  Notice it is in the correct shape, something that wasn't discussed as a class!

SP is writing out what he is seeing under the microscope in his science journal.

We looked at different ways to sort our current food donations.

We then decided to count and record our results to see which class brings the most.

So far, we are at 104 food items!!

The class LOVED the microscopes, and they got to play the part of a scientist using real tools!

Welcome to a New Year at Seabury!

Everyday is a new adventure here in first grade.  I structure the classroom to create an evironment that fosters cooperation and creativity.  Oftentimes, the students are spread out all over the room, working on a variety of projects.  The work I do with your child allows them to guide their own learning, while have access to a variety of materials and manipulatives for understanding.  I observe each child during these times through the work they do, or the conversations they have to assess several learning skills, such as compare/contrast, cause/effect, asking questions, testing hypothesis, and sharing what they have discovered.  During conferences I will share in detail about what your child is doing both with thinking skills, as well as share their path to mastery with skills in reading, writing and math.

This year we are continuing our studies using the lense of "Interactions."  That means as we discuss a variety of topics, we are looking for ways people, events, and places connect with each other and within our own lives.  This trimester, we are looking at the idea of "community,"  and how states of matter interact in the world around us.  I plan my instruction based on the class' prior knowledge and interests. Please check back weekly to catch a glimpse of what we do!

We use the smartboad A LOT as a learning tool

The answer today is 4.  What is the problem?  An open  ended activity that meets all levels in math.

We are organzing a community service project already.  Stay tuned for more info next week!

This group is helping to put together a parent letter for our community project.

Building with manipulatives is a HUGE part of learning and understanding several math concepts.



AH is designing his perfect community.  So far, it has an apartment complex, a park and a grocery store.

This is our current understanding of what makes up a community.  I will do this at the end of our study to compare/contrast new understandings.

Learning Math Concepts with Art

With the Inspiration of Mondrain's line prints (google Mondrain images for more details) we created our own works of art while incorporating many geometrical and spatial reasoning concepts.  For this lesson, I provided the students with black line strips.  The Sharks explored with these lines to form shapes and designs, and examined parallel and intersecting lines.  We discussed angles, and how to define what a "shape" was.  Ideas such as closed and open shapes was brought up for discussion, and did a shape have to only mean a triangle, square, etc. Throw in a splash of color, and each child came up with their own unique design that will be referred back to as they begin studying geometry in the coming weeks.

Who Dunnit?

Thank you Shark parents who contributed to the CSI experience at the auction.  The Sharks LOVED it! Mrs. Olson and her assistant Amanda were very impressed with their reasoning skills, as they studied the crime scene to determine what happened.  After an initial investigation, the Sharks had to examine the hair, finger and footprints left behind at the crime. We practiced these skills earlier in the week so they would be prepared. One student described fingerprints like a tire tread, and that's why it leaves marks. Others observed that one piece of hair has several layers, like a pencil.

The Crime: One student was painting a picture of flowers. They left for recess and when they returned, the paint and vase of flowers were spilt, and the picture destroyed on the ground. Three students were the suspects.  Now, on to collect evidence...

You have to have the proper attire to begin

The Crime Scene...

collecting footprint evidence

finding objects with fingerprints

drawing and comparing footprint tread

looking for hair samples

examining fingerprints

using fingerprint powder for the first time

"I think I see a fingerprint here!"

A discussion about what happened

Learning by Doing with Integrated Projects

What have we not done this week???  Our Native American projects are on a roll! I modeled how to use non-fiction books to gather information about different Native American homes.  We have used math, art, and cooperative learning to build these models. We have talked about insects, and how many have similar attributes. We used pattern blocks to explore the idea of symmetry with the Superstars and Ladybugs. In Math, we read a book called Measuring Penny.  In this story, Lisa, had to do a measuring project. She chose to measure her pet Penny. She used standard and non-standard units to show length, weight, temperature, time and money to describe her dog.  So, of course, we came up with our own ways to measure ourselves too!!

Next week, CSI.  Our class won the CSI experience at the auction. Mrs. Olson has some amazing ideas that will engage your child to use cause/effect, guess and check, and overall observation and problem solving skills.  I know the class is excited for this!

Using a gram scale to measure how much food I eat

A measuring tape to find my height

How many hexagons does it take to cover my stomach?

The ruler was too short, so I had to "mark" my spot and keep going!

Last night, I measured my ear, so I am using a cm ruler to draw it.

I can measure how long it takes to do jumping jacks!

I can use markers instead of a measuring tape to find the length of my leg.

The plains tribe working together to design their teepee.

Using the book as a resource to build our plank house.

Studying the designs of the plains tribe for the teepee.

Hands-on Learning and Fun!

This trimester we are learning how people interact with their environment for survival. We cultivated our backyard garden, and prepared the seedlings to be transplanted in a few weeks. In addition, we have joined four different tribal regions, as we "become" a Native American, by examining food, clothing and shelters. We are using the skills of measuring, geometry, compare/contrast, observation, and questioning during our project time.

garden prep work...lots of fun "treasures" to be found

planting our seedlings for the garden

NW Coast tribes wore animal masks

Southwest tribes made pottery

Plains tribe used geometric shapes for their designs

CW is designing his vest