In Math, we discussed the idea that the same person or thing can have different names that refer to the same person or thing, or equivalent names. We displayed the word equivalent on the board and explained that numbers also have different names. True number sentences show two names that are equivalent. For example, when solving 4 + 2 = _______ to make a true number sentence, you are looking for another name for 4 + 2, such as 6. We say that 4 + 2 and 6 are equivalent names because 4 + 2 is equal to, or equivalent to, 6. The students were then asked to list the addition facts that have sums of 7. Each fact contains an equivalent name for 7: 4 + 3, 2 + 5, 1 + 6, 0 + 7 = 7, and so on. After this, name collection boxes were introduced. We drew a name-collection box, with 7 on the tag, and put two addition names for 7 inside the box. Students learned that name-collection boxes are used to record equivalent names for numbers. We started by using addition and subtraction facts, but also leaned that we can show 7 in many ways (using tallies, money, pictures, ten frames, etc). Our little learners then travelled around the room in groups to think of different ways to record a variety of numbers. Photos above. This week we started our unit of inquiry on storytelling. We have been focusing on fairytales, and their unique features. This week we took a close look at cinderella stories. After reading three different Cinderella stories, we talked about the role of the fairy godmother. Students wrote an opinion piece where they sequenced the things that they would do and ask for if they had a fairy godmother. This was a great hook for the unit that Miss Wendy will be teaching on opinion writing while I am on paternity leave. On Friday, we looked a little closer at two of our lines of inquiry 1) There are many ways to tell stories 2) Storytellers need skills We learned that one way people can tell stories is through puppet shows. We discussed the skills that are required of storytellers when giving a puppet show. These included: loud voice, expression, fluency, movement, and making sure the puppet faces the audience. After practising in small groups at our tables, each group put on their own Cinderella puppet play. They did a fantastic job! When the children returned from Music yesterday, they arrived to find 30 balloons on the sofa in our learning area. Inside each balloon was a verb. Students took turn popping the balloons, removing the word from inside, and sorting the verbs based on their tense (simple past, present, future).
We have a lot of fun learning!
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This morning in Math, we took some time to review all concepts that we have learned so far this year, doing a couple review pages in our Everyday Math Journals. I love the Everyday Math takes a spiral approach to learning, so that taught content is repeated and not forgotten. In a spiral curriculum, learning is spread out over time rather than being concentrated in shorter periods. In a spiral curriculum, material is revisited repeatedly over months and across grades. Spiraling is effective with all learners, including struggling learners. Learning difficulties can be identified when skills and concepts are encountered in the early phases of the spiral and interventions can be implemented when those skills and concepts are encountered again later in the spiral. After the Daily 5, we took a look at our new unit of inquiry (UOI) board, reading the central idea, and discussing the provocations/lines of inquiry on storytelling. This is our fourth unit of inquiry this year and it falls under the transdisciplinary theme of: How We Express Ourselves. Our central idea is: We communicate ideas, feelings, and what is important to us through stories Our lines of inquiry are: -There are many ways to tell stories -Storytellers need skills -There are different reasons for storytelling -There are many types of stories Our provocation is: Stories have been shared in every culture as a form of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and instilling moral values. The key concepts related to this unit of inquiry are: perspective, function, and form. After discussing this new unit and what our lines of inquiry meant, we 'tuned in' by discussing and writing about what we already know about storytelling. After this, we looked at a variety of different stories (mostly folk and fairy tales) and talked about what we want to learn during this unit by creating wonders for our wonder wall. As a first-grade teacher at an inquiry-based learning school (IB PYP), I've come to understand the importance of planning. Planning is critical and also best practice. I still plan at the beginning of each week and each day. A teacher without a plan has no purpose or learning objectives for her students. With student-directed learning though, there's a major difference between planning and flexibility. I plan according to what my students need and how I'm going to assess their skills or knowledge, just like every other teacher. The difference lies in the delivery of instruction. I will continue to plan weekly, but now my planning rests on answering each of your child's inquiries along with meeting the needs of the curriculum. There is a lot of power in asking the right questions. You might wonder how lesson planning works if you're always reconstructing on the fly. I've found that if the students take the lesson in a different direction than what I've planned for, it's my job to light their way to where my intention and their intention meet. Most often, if their curiosity takes us in a completely different direction, I let them run with it. However, I also let them find the connection between what I need them to learn and what they want to learn.
This week we are focusing on fairy tales, with many different versions of Cinderella. We have a Vietnamese, Jewish, Korean, Cambodian, Ojibwa, and Mexican, version of the story. This helps us learn that many stories have been passed down from different cultures. We will also be learning about different ways to tell these stories, and the necessary storytelling skills. This week we will be exploring verb tenses. I always like to start this inquiry by looking at verbs with -ed endings. Many regular verbs end with -ed, but the trick is in how we pronounce the -ed ending. It can be pronounced as id, d, or t.
When we pronounce voiced sounds, our vocal chords vibrate when we say those sounds. [v] [z]. for example. When we pronounce voiceless sounds, our vocal chords do not vibrate. [f] [s]. No vibration. This vibration or lack of vibration then carries forward to the following sound in the word. Therefore, this vibration or lack of vibration explains why we pronounce the past tense of verbs in three voiced or voiceless ways: [t], [d] or [Id]. 1) [t] final soundVerbs ending in voiceless sounds [p, k, θ, f, s, ʃ, tʃ] cause the “-ed” ending to be pronounced as the voiceless [t] (with no vocal chord vibration). 2) [d] final soundVerbs ending in the voiced sounds [b, g, ð, v, z, ʒ, dʒ, m, n, ŋ, r, l] cause the “-ed” ending to be pronounced as a voiced [d] 3) [əd] or [ɪd] final soundVerbs ending in the sounds [t] or [d] will cause the “-ed” ending of a verb to be pronounced as the syllable [əd] or [ɪd]. We will continue working on this skill throughout the week. Over the break, a fourth grade teacher reached out to me on Twitter about wanting another International Baccalaureate (IB) school to Skype with her class, as they begin a Unit of Inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme 'Where We Are in Place and Time.' I obliged, and we came up with a great game of 20 questions to play with each other to try and locate where the other school is in the world. We began by looking at maps and globes; talking about places we know in the world, and what we know about their languages, religions, and foods. We then generated a list of questions to ask them that might give us clues as to where they are. We had a lot of fun asking questions back and forth until we found out they were in Kuwait at the American International School there. We also spent some time asking them about weather and temperature, relating it to our current UOI on weather. It was really interesting to compare and contrast types of weather with them. This also answered some questions about one of our student's inquires on 'why weather is different in different places.' With weather in mind, we carried on by rehearsing and filming our wild weather reports against our classroom green screen. We talked about how this technology is used in real news rooms, but for different purposes. I am so impressed by the level of creativity each student came up with to make their news cast unique to them. You can find each of your child's wild weather reports in their digital portfolio. Please follow the reflection prompts in the feedback and use the comment feature to scribe your child's reflection, or have them type it themselves. They have been uploaded to youtube as 'unlisted videos,' however if you have a problem with them being there at all, please let me know and I will take them down immediately. I have posted two of them below for your viewing pleasure.
In Math, we have continued working on doubles facts as helper facts. Work on solving problems at home using this strategy. We have also starting focusing on subtraction with missing addends. Use the Everyday Math Online games to help build this skill. You can access them from the 'Resources' section of this website by clicking on Everyday Math
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March 2017
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