Happy Holidays!

Wow, what a fun week! This year each class was assigned a Secret Snowflake class. Throughout the week, students brainstormed good deeds we could do for our Secret Snowflakes (Mrs. Balicki's class). My class cleaned their room and desks, made the students holiday cards, and prepared treat bags for an after-concert snack.

We also got to meet our Secret Snowflakes: Mrs. Browning's class! They gave our class handmade snowflakes, candy canes, and finally treated us to hot cocoa while we made marshmallow snowmen together. 

 

This week students each presented their family's holiday traditions. From sushi-making to a backyard ice-rink, the variety of traditions was amazing! The kids really enjoyed hearing about the ways their classmates celebrate the season. 

 Ian was our Can-Do Kid this week! Ian told the class all about his favorite activities (soccer and mountain climbing), and he read his favorite book Art to the class. Ian also shared a slideshow with the class on Friday. 

 

On Friday, the students performed their Winter Concert.  Mrs. Hiolski did an amazing job with the kids, and I am really proud of all the students' hard work. 

Finally, students made gingerbread houses! Special thanks to the parents who volunteered to help with gingerbread construction. 

 

At the end of the day Friday the students surprised me with a card and a class gift. Thank you so much! I am so lucky and proud to be a part of Irving School. There are many more pictures in the Photo Gallery so please check them out. Have a happy and safe winter break!

In reading this week, students became Story Gurus! Students learned how to describe the elements of a story and how illustrations can help them to understand key details. Students read The Ugly Duckling and Lucille's Snowsuit and then discussed with partners how the illustrations helped them. Students also read a play and took turns voicing the different parts.

 Students put their new knowledge into practice creating Story Element Snowmen! Students created these graphic organizers which detail characters, setting, and problem/solution after reading Too Many Tamales, a Mexican Christmas story.

In math, students practiced solving "add to" and "take from" word problems. Students continued to develop their verbal reasoning skills by justifying their solutions and sharing their findings with the class. 

In social studies, students learned about how Christmas is celebrated in Mexico, England, and Germany. Mrs. Hiolski also had the students attend their first practice for the winter concert! There will be two Kindergarten - 1st Grade winter concert performances on Friday, December 20th: the first at  8:15 a.m. and the second at 9:45 a.m. Irving staff asks that families reserve the first performance for those who need to get to work afterward. If you are able to attend the second performance, please do so!

Next week students will present their own family's holiday traditions. I can't wait to hear about all the unique ways my students celebrate the holidays!

In reading, students learned to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction texts. We discussed how certain text features can indicate whether a book contains real information. Students practiced this skill by reading Bats and Stellaluna, and later in the week we read Velociraptors and If the Dinosaurs Came Back. Students then completed a Venn Diagram after reading Click, Clack, Moo and Let's Visit a Dairy Farm. Students also studied how to use illustrations and main ideas in a text to describe its key details. We read Pointy, Long, or Round as a class, then students read A Ladybug's Life with a partner and shared with the class what information they gathered from the pictures versus the text.

 In math, students learned to create simple picture representations to solve subtraction word problems. To practice this skill, students worked in teams to create word problems which they then read to the class. The students really enjoyed solving their classmates' creative story problems!

 

In social studies, students plotted their historical events on a giant timeline! I really enjoyed listening to the students' presentations, especially because each event was so different from the next. If you are in the building, swing by the classroom lockers to see out timeline display. 

We also began our unit studying Holidays Around the World. Students learned about how Christmas is celebrated in the Netherlands, and also learned about Hanukkah. 

Kiran was our Can-Do Kid this week! We loved learning about all the things Kiran can do. Kiran is a gymnast and a drummer, and his favorite book is The Snowy Day. 

There are lots of extra pictures in the Photo Gallery this week, so make sure to check them out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In reading this week, students learned to identify similarities and differences between two non-fiction texts on the same topic. Students practiced this skill after reading Butterflies on Bookflix and Monarch Butterfly. Students then compared and contrasted Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving is... on their own.

In writer's workshop, students continued to learn about conventions. We read Alfie the Apostrophe and discussed how conventions improve one's writing. Students then chose an old piece of writing for editing and added missing conventions to this piece.

In math, students learned to make simple representations of subtraction problems. While listening to various story problems, students drew circles to represent the total and then crossed out the subtracted amount. We are continuing to practice quick identification of subtraction and addition problems, so make sure to practice this skill at home!

In Social Studies, students learned about the first Thanksgiving and why the harvest was a time for celebration. Students learned about the early life of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, and also watched a video tour of the Mayflower ship. Students then considered what they would bring on the Mayflower voyage if they made that trip today, and listed these items on a "suitcase."

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday! Gobble, gobble!

In reading this week, students learned to compare the experiences of two characters in two different texts. We practiced this skill by reading The Snowy Day and Come On, Rain! and discussing how Peter and Tessie's experiences were alike and different. We also read Froggy Goes to School and Boomer Goes to School. On Friday, students put their skills to practice and compared the experiences of Fly and Worm in Diary of a Fly and Diary of a Worm. This week students also learned how to identify who is telling a story at various points in a text. We practiced this skill by reading Duck! Rabbit! and Three Hens and a Peacock, and students were assessed on this skill after listening to a read-aloud of Stellaluna.

In math, students continued to develop their understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction. Students practiced solving subtraction problems by hopping along a number path, and analyzing whether it made more sense to count up or count back to solve. Below, students use the number path to solve and explain their reasoning to the class:

This week Anja was our Can-Do Kid! We had so much fun learning about all the things Anja can do. Anja read Nanook and Pryce to the class and showed an awesome slideshow! 

This week we were able to attend two different events as a class: an African drumming performance and the Turkey Trot! The drumming troupe is from Senegal originally, and the students had a blast learning some cool dance moves. Students also made posters to cheer on their Book Buddies during the Turkey Trot.

We capped off the week with Student Council's Jammie Jam fundraiser. Thank you to all the parents and family members who attended. It was a huge success! 

There are lots of extra photos in the Photo Gallery this week, so please check them out!

This week students learned about why an author writes a text and how to identify examples of an author's support for their chosen topic. Students read Eat Well, Feel Well in teams to identify the author's purpose and her support. Students then read a non-fiction text titled Homes Around the World for an assessment.

In math, students continued their practice with doubles by playing Race to the Top! Students completed their first math assessment this week started to learn about the relationship between addition and subtraction. Below Juji is explaining how the following two number sentences are related: 3+6 = 9  and 9-6 = 3.

In Social Studies, students learned about the past, present, and future. Students also learned how a timeline works, and we charted major events from the school year on a timeline to put our skills to practice.

This Friday was Mrs. Chinn's last session with us for Writer's Workshop. The students made her some thoughtful cards thanking her for her hard work. We will continue Writer's Workshop in class, and Mrs. Chinn will stop in to check on the student's progress.

Check out the Photo Gallery for more photos from this week!

This week students learned how to choose books that are the right fit. We discussed using the 5 Finger Rule when selecting books, and the importance of interest and purpose for reading. Students then used the 5 Finger strategy to self-select texts that were appropriate for them.

In reading, students asked and answered their own questions after reading Strega Nona. Students also learned to distinguish between information provided by pictures and information provided by words. Students practiced this skill while reading Shapes in the Clouds and their leveled readers, and then applied this skill independently after watching This is the Way We Eat Our Food on Bookflix.

Our spelling pattern this week was "r" and "s" consonant blends. Students practiced reading and saying these blends during a Blend Scavenger Hunt.

In math, we studied the addition chart below. Students were challenged to identify patterns on the chart and asked to explain why these patterns are present. The kids really enjoyed analyzing the chart, making their own deductions, and then defending their reasoning. Make sure to ask your children about the patterns they noticed!

This week we began our first science unit: Weather! We watched a Bill Nye video which explained how and why wind currents move in many directions. Students then read a Time for Kids article about the many ways wind power is harnessed and used. 

Students also learned the names for different types of clouds and how clouds are formed. Students then applied their knowledge during our first science experiment, Cloud in a Jar. Students first hypothesized the outcome, then recorded their observations during each stage of the experiment. Did the experiment work? Ask your kids what they observed. 

This week our Green Team and Student Council Representatives attended their first meetings. Angus and J'zya are our Green Team representatives, and Lucy and Ian are our Student Council representatives. These students will be our class liaisons for the first half of the school year. Angus and J'zya told the class ways in which we can be more environmentally responsible in our classroom. Lucy and Ian told the class about the Jammie Jam pajama dance that will raise money for hospitalized children.

Enjoy your long weekend!