There was tons of hands-on learning this week, which we all know I LOVE! In Math we reviewed time, and fractions. Students used fraction strips to compare and order fractions by size. We also spent some time reviewing telling time. I am so impressed by how many of our little learners can tell time to the 5 minutes! This is above and beyond the skills required for first grade. Mrs. Jennifer will be very happy next year. We have also started exploring elapsed time, and will continue working on this next week. In Language Arts, we worked on the last two necessary skills to master from our American Common Core curriculum; verb tenses and root words. Students found identifying root words so easy, that we extended our learning to explore different prefixes and suffixes. I know I have said it a million times, but I am so impressed by this group's ability to understand new concepts so quickly. During our unit of inquiry (UOI) time, we have been exploring the line of inquiry that the earth changes over time. This is linked to a number of Next Generation Science Standards that the school will be fully implementing next year. We got a head start on learning about plate tectonics and erosion. We learned how over time wind breaks down landforms and did an experiment where we blew on sand sculptures to show just how much wind is needed to break them down. This takes a long time! After learning about erosion, Kayla asked why the earth isn't flat. This was a great way for us to transition into discussions about plate tectonics and how mountains are formed. We watched a video (see below) and did an experiment with mars bars to show how mountains are formed. The smiles on their little faces while doing this could move mountains.
1 Comment
Laira
6/6/2016 05:35:10 am
We all learnt a lot with Billy Blue Hair during this weekend at home. Thanks to him we even went to the space :-)
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ASA First GradersWe are caring, balanced , reflective, openminded, risk-taking, knowledgeable, principled, thinkers, communicators, inquirers, explorers and learners. Mr. Mason McCormickI am: a husband, teacher, friend, researcher, grad student, mulitliteracies specialist, designer, social media fanatic, lover of all things tech, creative, and progressive. I am an energetic, life-loving, no-nonsense person; passionate about respectful, rigorous, and relevant teaching and learning in the 21st century.
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