We survived a few VERY hot and humid days of our first week back. We have been spending a lot of time getting to know one another and learn each other's names. Oscar was the very first person to correctly be able to name and identify all 22 children in our class! Very impressive! Here's a look at our first week of school.
Patriot Day
We gathered outside in the front of the school on Wednesday morning. Ms. Carr spoke briefly about September 11 and Patriot Day. We observed a moment of silence as a school, said the Pledge of Allegance, and listened to the song Proud to Be an American.
We came back to the room and read the story September 12: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right. We talked about why we are proud to be Americans and colored American flags. We also traced our hands this week that will be placed on our school flag.
Star Bus Assembly and Drill
This morning the first graders gathered in the gym to review bus safety rules. Everyone learned about the different ways to demonstrate star bus behavior. Buses that get positive reports will earn a star each day. At the end of the month, the bus(es) with the most stars will be the star bus(es). We had two children from our class be chosen to model the correct way to get on and off the bus. Then we went outside for the bus drill.
We learned about the first aid kit, the radio on the bus, and the emergency exits. At the end, everyone practiced getting off the bus safely using the rear door.
Math Explorations
We spent time this week exploring a variety of math manipulatives: linker cubes, geoblocks, teddy bears, and pattern blocks. The children were free to use them however they chose while adhering to a few simple rules: share, use a quiet voice, and make sure all materials get put away when you are done. At the end of the week, we reviewed what went well, what we should work on for next time, and thought about some things we learned.
(Photos coming soon)
Name Bingo
After reading the book Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, we talked about our names and our wish to be kind and caring friends to one another. We took some time going around and introducing ourselves and having our classmates sign our name bingo boards. When the spots were all filled, we were ready to play!
Reader's Workshop
We started Reader's Workshop by reviewing the things that we learned from kindergarten. The children recalled the things that they remembered about what Reader's Workshop should look and sound like. Then we practiced reading independently at our seats after choosing 3 books from the baskets at our tables.
Trying to get a quick and anonymous gauge of their feelings about reading, we created 3 consensograms using red and blue stickers. Red dots represent the girls' responses and blue dots show the boys'.
We learned that most children in the class feel positive about reading (all but 3 said readingmakes them feel happy or okay. Most prefer to read picture books. About half the class likes to read alone and half prefers to read with someone.
Writer's Workshop Quick Write (coming soon)
Goals
Expert List
Bucket Filling
Boys and girls, what was your favorite part of the first week of school?