1st Grade MP3 Campus
Monthly Progress
Math
Activities: This month we introduced subitization which is looking at a group of dots and finding the total without having to count them one by one. This skill helps build number sense and students begin to gain flexibility with seeing different ways that a number can be composed. For example, 8 could be 4 and 4, 4 sets of 2, 3 and 5, etc. Students worked with a variety of counting collections and practiced using groups of 2s, 5s, or 10s to help them keep track of the items and easily check their counting. The class also worked hard on each campus day to gain independence and experience with a variety of ways of showing understanding of our number of the day including tally marks, word form, picture, 1 more and 1 less, 5 more and 10 more, and showing the number on a tens frame.
Teacher Tip: Counting collections are an easy activity to replicate at home. Take a big handful of small items like dried beans, beads, paper clips, or pebbles and then count them. Encourage your student to choose a way to group them and help organize their thinking. Have them count aloud and help emphasize the patterns in the count sequence.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Kurashige, skurashige@meridian.wednet.edu
Writing
Topics: writing process, using a To Do list, characters, setting, titles, editing for capitals and end punctuation, correct letter form (size, shape, hang hanging letters, only use capital letters when needed), goal setting with 5 Star Rubric, compliments
Activities:This month was all about our story writing unit (personal narratives). Students planned their stories using a beginning-middle-end chart. They used pictures, words, and dialogue bubbles in each section to support having lots of details. Students then took their stories through our writing process (plan, draft, conference (revise and edit), publish). We have been emphasizing rereading our writing, adding more details, and writing strong titles (short, eye catching). We enjoyed the very fun book The Night of the Veggie Monster by George McClements as an example of a story with a strong beginning, middle, and end. Students are enjoying sharing their stories during our Author Chair and displaying their books in our classroom.
Teacher Tips: Did you see the 5 Star Rubrics I sent home? I hope you celebrated the skills that your child is consistently using. A great next step is to set a goal to master another area on the rubric. My hope is that all students are working towards 5/5 by the end of the school year. Please let me know if you need additional 5 Star Rubrics for home use.
Also, when your student is reading, encourage them to use their finger. Pointing and "pushing through" each word helps then to keep their place and sound out the letters in the words.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Giesen, jgiesen@meridian.wednet.edu
Technology
Topics: Classroom Chromebook Routines, Accessing Google Classroom, Keyboard Identification
Activities: October has been a month of practicing and adding to technology classroom procedures as they will be the routines we will follow for the next few years. The first grade students are working very hard and memorizing their passwords, logging into their Chromebooks and accessing Google Classroom with limited teacher assistance. At the end of the class period, students practice closing tabs and shutting down their Chromebooks correctly. The majority of our class time is spent on keyboard identification using a beginning typing program and learning to move (and resize) objects in Google Slides.
We were also visited by our district technology TOSA, Mrs. Richardson, who talked to the class about being good digital citizens and the importance of never sharing personal information online. These lessons and other supporting materials can be found in the Google Classroom.
Reflection Question: Who was Fluffy Kitty Face and why should Faux Paw never share information while playing a game online?
Teacher Info: Mrs. Montgomery, rmontgomery@meridian.wednet.edu
Robotics, Engineering, and Design
Topics: Coding and Programming Basics, EdBlocks App, Drive, Angles, Turn Angles, Turning Lights On & Off, How to make Sounds and Music Notes, Scientist Bios
Activities: My 1st Graders continue to amaze! This month has been all about coding. We’ve discovered EdBlocks! We learned how to get to the program, what codes are and how they work. We learned how to pull the different blocks down, arrange them in sequence and how to download that program from the laptop onto the robot and then make it perform the program. We’ve also used our engineering skills iterating different stands atop Edison to hold different characters while they drive specific routes for a parade or show off with lights and sounds at the end of the runway at a robot character. They also learned about angles and especially turn angles so they could make Eddie turn the way they wanted him to go. I’ve also added a very short biography of a famous scientist to every class. Some we have covered so far include: Nikola Tesla, Katherine Johnson, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Marie Curie. Science is for everyone so knowing who some famous scientists are and where they came from and what they did helps inspire the kids.
Teacher Tip: Please, please, please make sure laptops are charged. We need them in order to code Edison and I have a limited number of chargers and charging spots available in my classroom. And again, anything that practices turn taking and following multistep directions will build skills we can use to grow in Robotics.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Clayton - aclayton@meridian.wednet.edu
Social Studies
Topics: community helpers, fire-safety, map skills - using cardinal directions and grids, introduction to voting/election
Activities: Our studies continued with a focus on community helpers and October’s Fire Safety Month. We began by watching a video on fire safety rules, which highlighted the importance of having a family escape plan and reinforced the key rule: “Get Out, Stay Out.” Students learned not to play with matches, to alert an adult if they see a fire, and how to “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” They then created thoughtful questions to ask the firefighters from North Country Fire and Rescue. When the firefighters visited, they stopped by our classroom first to answer the students’ questions and demonstrate how they put on their protective gear. This helped students feel more comfortable with the sounds and appearance of the oxygen tanks. The firefighters explained how their clothing protects them from heat and then took us outside to explore their fire truck and ambulance. To show appreciation, the class created a thank-you poster filled with student quotes about what they had learned. A big thank-you to North County Fire and Rescue for taking the time to visit and share with our first graders at MP3! We wrapped up our fire safety unit with three hands-on experiments that demonstrated what happens when oxygen is removed and how carbon dioxide can extinguish a flame. Our learning then shifted to maps and communities. Students worked cooperatively to design their own town and used it to practice cardinal (N, S, E, W) and intermediate (NE, NW, SE, SW) directions. They especially enjoyed using the map projected on the TV to quiz their classmates and later revisited it to explore coordinates. Finally, we introduced the concept of elections by reading Vote! by Eileen Christelow. This lively story walks readers through a mayoral election. It covers the steps from campaigning to casting a ballot. This book helped students understand how elections work in their own community.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Elgersma- gelgersma@meridian.wednet.edu
