Getting Back into the Routine!
The first graders have been learning our schedule, expectations, and rules for each area in the school. We are working on the short vowel sounds (i, o, u) and how to write many letters correctly. The students are counting the sounds in words, counting the words in sentences, segmenting words, and reading decodable readers and passages. They are learning about what it means to be a good friend and a great student.
In math they are learning how to solve problems that ask "How many more" or "How many fewer?" They know that they have to use the Match Up Game in order to solve it. The students can show you how to do this!! We also say the words "How many more means minus." We focus heavily on the mmmm sound of each word to help them remember the saying. By using this strategy the children are becoming far more independent at solving problems. They are also learning how to add and subtract by counting on, instead of using all of their fingers.
In grammar the focus has been exclusively on nouns. We watched several videos to help us remember what a noun is. We just started learning about suffix -ed and its purpose in writing and reading.
The children chose to try and earn letters to spell Popcorn so that they could have a popcorn party. They have to work as a group to focus and work hard in order to receive a letter. Letters can be taken away as well. I'm sorry that I didn't get pictures of this, but I was showing them a standards protocol video explaining how to stay safe in different situations and I forgot about my phone! The students voted on their next incentive and they decided on trying to earn gum in my room.