Animal Stories: September 13, 2007

Thunderbird Excitement
The elementary campus was buzzing with excitement this morning as the Thunderbirds flew overhead.  While the students were in Writer's Workshop, we heard the jets pass by.  We seized the thrilling moment and joined the other elementary school classes on the courtyard to watch the Thunderbirds practice their formations for the air show this weekend.  With arms waving and loud cheers of excitement, the children jumped up and down as the jets zoomed by.  From the conversations I overheard, many of the children are eagerly awaiting the Thunderbird show in Waikiki on Saturday.

Animal Stories
After Mrs. Adams (SA's mom) read Diary of a Worm, a few students began writing animal stories in their journals.  One student shared the beginning of the piece she wrote about a cheetah, and the students came to a consensus that we should all write a story about an animal.   Using the books Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider as models, the students will create a story that is an adaptation of the books by Doreen Cronin.  The students will be working with a partner throughout the writing process.  The teams decided to research and write about the following animals:

• SA and LW - Raccoon
• TC and SY - Koala
• ZC and CH - Pig
• KL and MH - Dolphin
• MM and KM - Tiger
• ER and JC - Shark
• AW and JH- Jaguar
• SY and EM - Butterfly
• AK and KJ - Dog

Yesterday the students brainstormed the who, what, where, when, and how elements of their stories.  The creative energy is really flowing in Room 11.  We can't wait to share the final published drafts with you!

First Grade Math
We finished our first unit in Investigations, which focused on addition, subtraction, and the number system.   The students completed a few addition word problems for assessment and then reflected on the mathematical strategies they used to solve the problems.  Next week the first graders will began Unit 2: Making Shapes and Designing Quilts, which focuses on 2-D geometry.

Good Sportsmanship
On Monday our class joined together with Ms. Revard's class to discuss sportsmanship, with a special emphasis on the kickball games that students love to play at recess.  We focused on creating a list of rules for playing kickball and agreed on how teams should be selected.  Both classes did a great job talking about what to do when there is a problem or disagreement (call a time-out, talk about the issue) and how to include everyone who wants to play.  After our discussion, the two classes went to the ballfield for a fun game of kickball.  It was great to see all the students playing together!  We will continue to focus on playing to have fun and including everyone in the game.

Reminders:

• Field Trip: On Wednesday, September 18, our class will be going to see the Honolulu Theatre for Youth production of The Little Mermaid.
• Box Tops: Please continue to save and send in those Box Tops for Education tops!  We would love to fill up the blue shoebox in our classroom.
• MPI BBQ: Saturday, September 15, 2:00 - 5:00 pm.  Hope to see your family there!
  

Posted on September 13, 2007 10:09 AM | Permalink