Wonderland in 1st Grade

Monday, October 28, 2013

Caddy Shack Fun!


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Our field trip to the Caddy Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary was “Wild!” The Caddy Shack is a non-profit organization that provides a safe environment to many of the great species that are endangered or threatened due to the loss of natural habitat.
There are currently over 45 animals, including lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, and arctic foxes. The students had a great time! Thank you so much to all our chaperones, we appreciate all your help!

Enjoy the slideshow!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Shared Research, Earthworms, and "Wild" Learning in Room 204!

Shared Research in Room 204! on PhotoPeach
Earthworms Part 2! on PhotoPeach
The End! on PhotoPeach
Do you know the difference between a narrative and shared research?
Ask your child if they could tell you the difference.
This week the students did shared research on our Author Patricia Polacco.
Wow! We learned so much about her. We learned that a meteor landed in her backyard. She is 69 years old…thank goodness she’s older than Mrs. Lankford. Her family, friends, and her pets inspire her to write. The students finished the week creating a poster from all their shared research.
The students also shared their published Narrative writing. Some of the topics were, A Disney Cruise, Lost at Adventure Landing and When my dad jumped on the bed.
Incredible! We have an awesome group of writers.
During Science we explored earthworms. It was hilarious! Earthworms can do all kinds of surprising things. Did you know that they breathe through their skin? They dig burrows by eating soil. If they lose part of their tail they can grow a new one. Earthworms can survive in a habitat of soil. They chose the wet paper towel.
We had another special visitor. Mrs. Shannon’s 5th grade class stopped by with their baby chick to discuss the life cycle of a chicken. We ended our day on Friday discussing the Life Cycle of a Plant. So much learning going on in Room 204!

Enjoy the slideshow!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

39 Days and Counting....

39 Days and Counting.... on PhotoPeach
Day 39 and counting! We are almost done with our first nine weeks of school. Wow! Time flies when you are learning and having fun! Last week during our Skills block we wrote about being stranded on an island and the 10 things we would take with us…
A fishing pole, swim gear, drinking water and mom were some of the thoughtful responses.
Did you know that on October 9, 1876 the first two-way telephone conversation took place? The students were asked to write about whom would they call and why. Very interesting responses; Pizza Hut, grandma, grandpa, Tim Tebow and a veterinarian for a future job to name a few.
The students were also asked to finish the sentence When I grow up, I will be a….
 Cruise Ship Owner, Pet Store Owner, Firefighter, Math Teacher, Artist were some of the responses. Please ask you student about our daily morning Skills Block.

In Science we are continuing our study of soil, we planted Lima beans to see which type of soil would be the best for the Lima bean to grow and we tested each soil with water to see what happens when we pour water on the soil.
The different soils apart of our study are Clay, Loam and Sandy Soil. The students are excited to see how the Lima beans are growing.
We took another visit to our school garden to take down our broccoli and cabbage. Patiently waiting on the harvest!!

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Math Night. We appreciate all your support and we hope you walked away feeling great about our Math workshop and strategies. Enjoy some snapshots of our week!

Friday, October 4, 2013

The Tops and Bottoms of Rocks and Soil

The Tops and Bottoms of Rocks and Soil Part 1! on PhotoPeach The Tops and Bottoms of Rocks and Soil Part 2! on PhotoPeach This week in Science we continued learning about rocks and soil. We measured our rocks using rulers and balance beams. We are learning about the different types of soil. Clay soil, loam, and sandy soil. Our study on soil will continue next week. We also had two special visitors this week. Our first was Dr. Zenk. Dr. Zenk gave us great information about gardening. She helped us get started planting spinach outside in our school garden. We also planted broccoli and cabbage in our classroom. When the broccoli and cabbage begin to sprout, with the help of Dr. Zenk we will replant them outside in our school garden. Our vegetables should be ready for harvest right around Thanksgiving. Yummy! Our other special visitor was Mrs. Alvarado, the mother of S. Alvarado, one of the students in our class. Mrs. Alvarado read two great books. How Full Is Your Bucket For Kids is a charming book that explains to children how being kind not only helps others, it helps them, too, and Chicken Cheeks. The students really enjoyed both books. We appreciate Dr. Zenk and Mrs. Alvarado for sharing their time with us! Enjoy the slideshow!