Math: Tally Marks

For Math, we learned about tally marks today. We learned a little poem to help us remember how to make them:

1, 2, 3, 4,

Number 5 shuts the door.

6, 7, 8, 9,

Number 10 draws a line.

I had the class broken into two groups for practice. One group sat at the carpet and practiced writing tally marks on the white boards. The second group used popsicle sticks to build them at the tables. After a while, I switched the groups. 

They had a lot of fun practicing! 

Reading: Literacy

This week I took a few pictures of my kids while working on literacy station activities. Usually I am busy working with guided reading groups, but I took a quick break between groups to capture the learning that is going on in my classroom.

Technology integration: Students used iPads to click on QR codes to view Dr. Seuss books. I've trained a handful of kids to click on the WiFi network and scan the QR codes.

Word building: Students used magnetic letters to build words that they found in the classroom and those that they tried to sound out.

Game: BOOM! I wrote the sight words (that we have taught so far) on popsicle sticks. Students took turns choosing a stick to read. If they read it correctly, they got to keep the stick. However, there were some BOOM sticks. If they drew the BOOM, they would have to put all of their words back into the cup. Lots of fun while practicing those important sight words.

Computers: Istation practice. Students log on to the computers at least once a week to practice the Istation reading program. They are practicing letter recognition, letter sounds, introduced to new vocabulary, and follow along with stories.

Pass the Popcorn: Sentence Reading. This game has several sentences on strips of paper inside a popcorn container. Students take turns reading the sentences. Their goal is to get the most sentence strips. I chose sentences that had a combination of the sight words we have taught and CVC words that they need to use their decoding skills to read. It is great practice and lots of fun!

Math: Mini Teachers

For math this week I gave up a little bit of control. I handed my classroom over to the kids and gave them a taste of teaching. I separated the kids into 4 "classrooms" throughout the room and each child had the opportunity to be "the teacher".

They held up a number and had their "students" build it using the rekenrek.  It was a lot of fun to walk around to each group and hear the conversations that were happening. I loved the praise they were giving when their peers  answered correctly and they did a good job giving helpful tips when they answered incorrectly. I love my class!

Here are a few pics of the "teachers" and their "students".

Social Studies: Texas Babies

We spent the week learning about Texas. We had a fun homework activity for kids to cut out a picture of themselves from when they were a baby. The class had to try and guess the baby pictures. It was a lot of fun!

Reading/Writing: Fairy Tale Activities

We spent a few weeks on Fairy tales and the kids are still interested in them. I had greeted some menu choices for activities students could choose to do. The options were:

1. Create some fairy tale stick puppets and act out a scene.

2. Use play dough to create fairy tale characters.

3. Use a Venn diagram to compare two fairy tale characters.

4. Write a new fairy tale. Include at least 3 characters.

5. Create a tic-tac-toe game with fairy tale characters.

6. Record your voice on the iPad as you retell a fairy tale story.

7. Put a list of fairy tale characters in alphabetical order.

8. Make a poster of good and evil fairy tale characters.

9. Create an ABC flip book of characters.

Here are a few that we worked on this week:

Writing our own fairy tale.

Trying to alphabetize fairy tale characters.

This was a different activity that a few students worked on. Walking around the classroom and writing down words they could find.

Math: Comparing and Building numbers

We spent our week comparing and building numbers. The vocabulary that I was stressing was GREATER THAN. So, if they had a tower of 6 cubes and a tower of 9 cubes, we would focus i=on saying, "Nine is GREATER THAN six." 

Social Studies: Honor the Texas Flag

Honor the Texas flag;

I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas,

one state, under God

one and indivisible.

This week we are focusing our learning on the great state of Texas! Today we made tear-art Lone Star Flags. This was a great fine motor activity that gave the class time to talk about the information they are learning about Texas.

Texas State Bird: Mockingbird

Texas State Tree: Pecan Tree

Texas State Motto: Friendship