Community Helpers, Measuring and our New Favourite Song!

We are learning about people in our neighbourhood that help us.  These people are called community helpers.  Here is a list of the community helpers we know:

• fire fighter
• police officer
• nurse
• dentist
• veterinarian
• mechanic
• librarian
• doctor
• youth worker
• construction worker
• teacher
• carpenter
• chef
• waiter or waitress
• movers
• labourers
• taxi driver
• coach
• zookeeper
• farmer
• dairy farmer
• truck driver

In Math, we are learning to measure things using non-standard units.  We measured ourselves using string, hands and blocks.  We are also learning about measuring area.

Our new favourite song is "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen!  Here it is:

Sharks

We have learned so much about sharks over the past few weeks.  I learned not all sharks are dangerous.  My favourite shark is the dwarf lantern shark which only grows as long as 21cm!  Here are some pictures of our learning.  We wondered if we were longer than a bull shark, so we made one and measured ourselves!

Lots of Learning In April

We are busy this month in Grade One!  Mr. Lajoie, a student teacher from Lakehead University, is working in our class for the month of April.

Students are busy learning about two-dimensional shapes, mass and capacity in Math.  Students have compared and classified 2D shapes according to different attributes (e.g., size, number of vertices, number of sides).  Students will spend the remainder of the month exploring mass and capacity using non-standard units (e.g., "The container holds 3 scoops of rice."; "The eraser is as heavy as 15 jelly beans.").  I will be posting pictures of our explorations as we go!

In Reading, students are learning about inferring.  Inferring is an important skill that teaches readers to "read between the lines".  When reading with your child at home, ask them questions about what you think is happening (e.g., Why do you think..., How does...).

In Writing, we are focusing on word choice.  Students are encouraged to "bump up" their word choice as authors (e.g., mad to angry, pretty to gorgeous, big to gigantic).

You may have heard your child talk about "math games".  Each morning we "play" a variety of games I have chosen to reinforce math skills such as adding, subtracting and problem solving.  The children are having a blast and don't realize they are learning.  Here's a peek at one of our games called "Quack Attack".

Sharks - Are They Dangerous?

We are learning about sharks.  We are learning to ask questions and read together to find the answers.  Some of the questions we had about sharks are:

• Do they eat people?
• Are there different types of sharks?
• Why do sharks attack people?
• How long do sharks get?
• Is there a lemon shark?
• What do sharks eat?
• Where do sharks live?
• Why do they live in salt water?
• Is it safe to swim in the ocean?

Here is what we learned so far:

• Some sharks are dangerous and can eat people.  Dangerous sharks are the sand tiger shark, the great white shark, the hammerhead shark and the bull shark.  Some sharks are gentle.  Gentle sharks are the wobbegong shark, the whale shark, the cookie cutter shark, the dwarf lantern shark and the swell shark.
• Ususally sharks attack people when they feel afraid and think humans are going to hurt them.  A few sharks will eat humans for food.
• Different sharks eat different types of food.  They can eat fish, squid, shrimp, shellfish, seals, dolphins and other small mammals.  Sometimes they will even eat other types of sharks.
• It is safe to swim in the ocean.  Just be careful to get out of the water right away if you see a fin! 

Helping Your Child Read at home

Great tips to help your child when reading at home. If your child isn't ready or willing to read, read books to them every day. They will develop a level of comfort and begin reading when they are reading. The main thing to remember is to always stay positive! 

http://teachmama.com/learning-during-read-alouds-5-things-never-to-say-to-emerging-readers/

February Fun

Hopefully the arrival of February will mean the arrival of warmer weather soon (although Wiarton Willy doesn't agree!).

On Tuesday February 11th our class will be celebrating the 100th Day of School.  Students are asked to bring in a collection of 100 items such as buttons, pennies, cheerios, pasta, stickers or any other item students can carry to school.  We will be using our collections for different counting activities throughout the day.

Friday February 14th is Valentine's Day.  We will be having a small celebration in our class.  Students may bring in treats to share with the class if you choose.  If possible, please consider a healthy option such as veggies and dip, fruit, yogurt or cheese and crackers.  Children are welcome to bring valentine cards for each child in the class.  Below is a list of student names and staff members students have asked for.

Katie Jo          
Alayah
Bela
Kenyon
Hannah
Emma
Waabikinew
Xander
Dayna-Rose
Nicholas
Damien
Sammy
Stanley
Keira
Jasmine
Zeppelin
Michael
Aleena
Danica
Angeline
Mrs. Murphy
Ms. McCallum
Mrs. Radbourne
Mrs. Bobrowski
Mme. Makela

Get Moving!

Come on by Ogden School gym Tuesday evenings from 6-7:30 for school activity nights.  Lots of fun activities for children and their parents. Parents may stay with their children or drop them off, signing them in at the beginning and signing your child out at 7:30.  Join us for lots of fun!

Check out this great site for ideas to get your kids and family moving.  Many ideas for keeping active year round.  The website says only 5% of Canadian children are getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day.  Check out the article on Winter Play!

ParticipACTION website

Bring Back Winter Play

Also, head over to Minnesota Park on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:30-8:00 for the Sports N More program hosted by Evergreen.  There is no charge and all equipment is provided.  Warming shack is open!

Interesting Links

Here are some songs and dances we are enjoying this month!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe holiday with family and friends.  I enjoyed spending time with my family and my dog (who spent the cold weather snuggling in blankets and sleeping on top of blankets!).

We have a busy month of learning ahead of us.  Report cards go home on Friday February 7th and parent interviews are Thursday February 13th.

In Math, we are going to be learning about 3 dimensional figures through visual arts with an artist that will be visiting our class.  Students will learn the name of 3D figures, describe their characteristics (e.g., number of edges and vertices) and sort them in different ways.  Students will create 3D artwork using clay with our artist.  We will continue to practice telling time to the half hour using pretend clocks and games.  Also, students will continue solving number problems to sums up to 20 using pictures, blocks and numbers.  We will practice using mental strategies such as counting on, counting back, one more, one less and doubles.  These are strategies we will continue to practice throughout the year.

In Reading, students will continue to work on the skill of visualizing.  When students pick up on specific words that help them create a mental image (visualization) in their head, this helps them understand the story.  I will also be checking students reading levels and sight words this month.  When reading with your child nightly at home, please encourage them to pay attention to the middle and end sounds in a word, not just the beginning sound. Children may use the picture to help (this strategy is called Eagle Eye).  They can also read on to the end of the sentence and go back to think what would make sense.

In Writing, we are working on organizing our thoughts, re-reading our work to check if it makes sense and adding more details to our work.  Students should be leaving finger spaces between their words, beginning sentences with a capital letter, consistently using lowercase letters, ending sentences with a period or question mark and spelling common 3 and 4 letter sight words correctly (e.g., and, see, can, what).

In Social Studies we will explore responsibilities at school, at home and in our community.  We will also discuss relationships that are important in our lives with people at school (e.g., teacher, principal, friend), at home (e.g., parent, aunt) and in the community (e.g., elder, doctor).