Measure Up!

Our last unit in math explores concepts of measurement.  We are concentrating on length.  In first grade, our objective is to develop accurate measurement techniques.  For example, we must line up our starting points and we must be careful not to leave gaps or have overlaps between units.  We will also use a variety of nonstandard measurements to discover that different units of measure will result in different measurements.

     We started exploring measurement by just comparing length.  We lined up objects in our desk and recorded the longer and shorter.  Then, we used the foot cut outs from last week's homework assignment to compare feet measurements.  We ordered our family's feet on our desk then we used cubes to find out which feet were the same length.  Also, we measured different lines around the classroom with our hands and feet.
      Our class measurement discussions were fantastic.  The students made great connections.  They all got really good at accurate and precise measuring.  Here are some great online games to use at home for practice measuring:

Measurement Games

1. Estimate and Measure

2. Fish Tales

3. How Big are You?

4. Length Strength

5. Can you Fill It?

Mr. Wardell

We had our last visit as a class with Mr. Wardell. It was bittersweet. The children love seeing him and telling him about all they are learning. Mr. Wardell brought them a cute little panda from his most recent visit to China. The children made him this video about all the things they feel are important about Mr. Wardell. He absolutely loved their creation.

Although it was our last visit as a class, it will not be the last we see of Mr. Wardell. He told the children he would be visiting them next year in their second grade classes. He has also generously committed to continuing the project that our class has started. Mr. Wardell is going to help Eagle Cliffs expand our access to 21 century learning.

Between our school's PTA, tech levy funds, the Billings Education Foundation, a Century Link grant, our read-a-thon fundraiser, and Mr. Wardell's incredible generosity we have some amazing opportunities coming our way next year. First, all three second grade classes will have 12 devices in each classroom. The entire first grade will be working in a one to one environment. This means each first grade student will have their own ipad at school! Incredible! Further, Eagle Cliff's kindergarten will have their own ipad lab. We absolutely saw the power in starting with digital tools early so I love that all students starting kindergarten at Eagle Cliffs will get to learn with ipads.

Thank you to Mr. Wardell for being the catalyst for this amazing learning project. Also, thank you to all who have contributed to our students' learning. What an adventure next year will be!

Field Day Fun

It was a perfect day for field day.  We had wonderful weather, great sportsmanship, and super fun games!  The children had a blast.  Here are some pictures from our field day!


Field Day on PhotoPeach

Celebrating Mom

 Happy Mother's Day amazing moms!  The children took such care in making your portrait and writing you a poem.  I hope you enjoyed your gift.  I can tell you it definitely came from the heart!

Show Me the Evidence

This year we have become researchers. The students ask amazing questions and are getting very good at finding answers in text. We have been on working on showing evidence when presenting new information. In one activity we did some research on frogs. We made a class chart about the facts we thought we knew about frogs. The children had to find text evidence to move their fact to the "We were right" column of the chart.

We also used text evidence when commenting on each others' blogs.  The students had each written a few sentences about a habitat.  Next, the students had to go to each others' blog, read the post, and comment about the habitat.  Their comments had to add a fact to the paragraph and they had to have text evidence to back up their information.  The students did great.  Their comments were one topic, positive, and based on text evidence.  Our next step will be citing where information comes from.  Here is one child's post and the string of comments.  If you are interested in seeing more, check out your child's blog page under "Student Pages."

As we look ahead to summer, we want to keep these researchers going.  Like I said, these children are so inquisitive and interested in knowing more.  There is a great site that answers different wonders! The site posts a new question everyday and then has a paragraph and video to explain the wonder.  We have been doing a couple every week and the children LOVE it!  This would be a great site to visit over summer vacation.  Check it out!  Click here: Wonderopolis.

Poetry Pics

Better late than never!  Poetry Cafe was so wonderful.  I wish you could have been sitting where I was....the children were so thrilled to hear their parents share poetry.  I thought the children did a fantastic job sharing and I can't get over the open mic response.  Fabulous!  Thanks for your wonderful participation and support!  So fun to celebrate writing!  I hope you treasure their books, we worked hard on them.  Here are some pictures from the event!

Poetry Cafe on PhotoPeach

Food Chain

 We have been learning about the food chain this week in science.  We have discussed predator and prey.  We learned about producers, consumers, and decomposers.  Here is a great interactive site to practice ordering different food chains from a variety of habitats.

The Food Chain Game

It's About Time

Here are some great interactive computer games to help students tell time on analog clocks.
1. Clock Splat
2. Hickory
3. Stop the Clock
4. Stop the Clock Level 2
5. Time Traveling

Money, Money, Money

We are continuing to practice, practice, practice counting coins.  This week we used the Chromebook lab and this list on the blog to practice with online interactive games.   The students worked very hard.  You can access any of these learning games from home by clicking on the links.  The children already know their favorites!

1. Money Bingo

2. Enough Money

3. Tell the Amount

4. Feed the Dolphin

Not only do we use computers and ipads to practice counting coins, we also use manipulatives.  One example of a game the students love is called race to a quarter.  This is a game students can play at home.  To play, you will need a di and many pennies, nickels, and dimes.  Players take turns rolling the di and taking that many pennies.  When students have enough pennies to trade for a nickel, they can make the exchange.  Further, when a player has two nickels,  he/she exchanges for a dime.  Play continues until a player gets a quarter.  The game can be extended to race to a dollar.  

Another activity we did to was making words with a coin code.  We used this coin code to show coins that represent each letter.  Then we would spell words, match the coins, and count the amount.

Students even found the worth of their first and last names and posted their thinking to their blog page.  Check out your child's student page to see his/her hard work.  Try out this activity at home.  Who's name is worth the most in your family?