1st Grade MP3 Campus
Monthly Progress
Math
Topics: number of the day, subitization, missing addend, number line as a math tool, story problems, addition strategies, addition fluency
Activities: This month we spent time focusing on subitization and really cementing what numbers look like and how they can be broken apart or chunked together. We also started thinking about what is happening in a math story and how we could draw a picture and create an equation to match the story. The class used number lines to model both missing addend and subtraction problems and thought about when this tool would be most helpful. We continued to practice using manipulatives to model an equation. We also read several math picture books and discussed the big ideas or lessons each book contained. Students played several addition games including a turkey themed one where they had to roll a sum equal to each feather.
Teacher Tip: One way to practice story problems is to take out the numbers and ask what is happening. Sometimes students get focused on the numbers and want to skip to the adding or subtracting so taking out the numbers can help bring focus back to what we know and what we are trying to find out.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Kurashige, skurashige@meridian.wednet.edu
Writing
Topics: 5 Star Writing Goals (sentences start with a capital letter, sentences end with an end mark, words have spaces between them, neat printing and letter formation is used, sentences make sense), personal dictionaries, narrative writing elements (ex., setting details, character details, wrap-up ending).
Activities: In this review period, students wrapped up our narrative writing unit. We did whole class lessons on adding setting details, adding character details, and writing strong endings to make our stories more interesting to our readers.
We also focused on our 5 Star Writing Goals. Students used their dictation writing to set individual goals. We are committed to mastering one element of the 5 Star rubric at a time with our end goal being everyone is consistently earning 5/5 on the rubric! Please let me know if you would like fresh copies of the rubric. I’d be happy to send more home!
Students are working hard to use the spelling patterns they know and they are doing a great job of writing the sounds they hear in each word. They are also using personal dictionaries as word banks to support their spelling.
We are continuing to celebrate our writing through our Author’s Chair time. Students read their narratives to the class and the audience is focused on giving specific compliments to the author.
Teacher Tips: Journal writing can be a great way to increase writing fluency. A journal can look a lot of different ways including 1.) student writes to a prompt or a topic of their choice OR 2.) parent and student write back and forth to each other in the journal. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you want to talk through how you could add journaling to your Language Arts class.
As your student reads, encourage them to use their finger. Putting their finger below the word and "pushing through" each word helps them to keep their place up and sound out the letters in the words.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Giesen, jgiesen@meridian.wednet.edu
Technology
Topics: Keyboard Identification, Using a Mouse, Moving and Resizing Images in Google Slides
Activities: Now that routines have been fully learned, everyone is able to log in and go to the Google classroom by him/herself! Many students are working on memorizing passwords and almost everyone is able to find and open the correct assignment. The first 15 minutes of every class period is spent on keyboard identification using a primary program we call 'The Goat.' Next we move into activities that reinforce moving and resizing objects. Our activities this month were to move digital puzzles pieces to create keyboards, build words with digital Legos that included resizing pieces, and finally, create funny turkeys. Students were also able to practice using mice and able to compare the use of a mouse to a touchpad. It has been fun to see the progression of skills and self confidence in each student since September.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Montgomery, rmontgomery@meridian.wednet.edu
Robotics, Engineering, and Design
Topics: Continued Mastery on Coding Basics, Learned how to send messages from Bot to Bot, Food Chains, Living vs Non Living Things, Structural Engineering Practice, Barcode Coding to EdRemotes,, Scientist Bios
Activities: First Grade has had a great time continuing to learn more about Robotics and practice our robotics skills so we can all work towards mastery. It’s no fun to just “do the same thing” so I’ve been getting creative about how we practice these hard skills. For example we practiced coding with EdBlocks by teaching Eddie to drive out on a stage, do a little dance or song, then drive back off. They even engineered some really cool set pieces out of legos for the performance. One “stand” held like 8 Eddies at once in their positions while they waited their turn to perform. We learned about living things (is Eddie alive??) and Food Chains and every group got to pick a producer and a few consumers and then code Eddie to spin in a circle, send a message to the next bot in the chain, which would then spin and send a different message to the next bot down the line. They did fantastic. It didn’t work perfectly but we got to practice and have fun! We got to practice coding and using the new EdRemotes which work so much better than our old remotes which was way exciting and today they drove their Thanksgiving turkey’s through an obstacle course for a Thanksgiving parade! We’ve continued our short biographies of famous scientists series. Some we have covered so far include: Ada Lovelace, Otis Boykin, Alan Turing, Emmy Noether, & Charles Kuen Kao.
Teacher Tip: Baking with your kids this holiday season is a fantastic way to help them practice precision, following multistep directions, and building that endurance to stick with hard tasks that grant awesome rewards!
Teacher Info: Mrs. Clayton - aclayton@meridian.wednet.edu
Social Studies
Topics: Election Day (voting), Veteran's Day, Needs/Wants, Goods/Services, Thanksgiving
Activities: After listening to Vote! by Eileen Christelow, students explored the topics of voting rights, the campaign process, and elections. They practiced voting by using ballots to select their favorite color, type of weather, zoo animal, pet, and food. In small groups, they created graphs to display the results, demonstrating excellent teamwork at their tables. Students also solved math story problems related to the data, using prompts such as “How many more…?” and “How many altogether?” to determine whether to add or subtract. To honor Veterans Day, students viewed an informative PowerPoint presentation introducing key vocabulary and concepts related to the holiday. They learned how Veterans Day got its name, why it is observed on November 11, and the differences among the five branches of the U.S. military. First graders were also introduced to basic economic concepts, including wants, needs, goods, and services. They sorted pictures into these categories and, while listening to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, identified the goods and services the mouse requested. To further practice distinguishing between wants and needs, students completed a mystery-picture activity. In connection with these lessons, they rehearsed and performed a reader’s theater adaptation of The Little Red Hen, reflecting on the services the hen provided. This discussion was especially timely, as it coincided with Meridian’s Food Drive. What a meaningful opportunity to support individuals and families with their needs. To set the stage for learning about the first Thanksgiving, we used a Since Time Immemorial lesson titled “Giving Thanks — A Native American Cultural Tradition.” This allowed students to learn about where food comes from and Native traditions of hunting and gathering wild foods in various regions. Our November studies concluded with a reflection on Thanksgiving in which we learned about the Pilgrims’ voyage, the Wampanoag and their knowledge of adapting to their environment over generations (such as the foods they ate and how they constructed their homes), and how they were brought together in 1621.
Reflection: Use the Thanksgiving holiday to reflect on some of your own traditions and to talk about needs/wants and our thankfulness for ways needs are being met.
Teacher Info: Mrs. Elgersma- gelgersma@meridian.wednet.edu