A Colourful Time in Grade One

When students are learning about patterns, it is much, much

 moreimportant than just knowing the colours that they see.

Patterns are everywhere in our world.

This is the beginning of the opportunity to explore, but 

not the end of the learning.

That learning will continue to be part of our lessons

until the end of June.  By starting with 'hands-on' visual

lessons and activities, the students are preparing for

the more difficult 'think in your head' activities that are to come.

What patterns can be found in the way letters are made?

What patterns can be found in the way numbers are sequenced?

Can you count in a way other than 'one, two, three?'

How do you know what comes next if you count 'four, eight, twelve'?

Usually I have many, many pumpkins in the classroom to 

share and explore.  With our situation, I still wanted the

students to explore how pumpkins grow, what they look like,

how they feel and all the other cool activities that help us understand

plant life cycles.

With a very clean pumpkin and sanitized hands, the students

were able to try out a few opportunities to explore.

Many were so surprised to find out that heavy pumpkins float!

Do you know why?

In our 'Exploring Colour' science unit, it has been very challenging

to do the various paint activities with 19 students and only one

teacher in the classroom.  Slowly, and with one step at a time,

the students still got the hands-on experience of seeing how the 

'tints' and 'shades' or colours are created.

Why don't you ask your little scientists what they learned?

Halloween will be celebrated at school on Friday.

Students can come to school all dressed in their costumes for the day.

Remember that weapons are not allowed, that the students will still

be working, so hands should be out and able to hold school items,

and that we will be going outside for our play breaks, so dress to the weather.

We are discussing how to become a Saint, because Halloween (All Hallow's EVE) is

the night before our wonderful Catholic celebration, All Saints Day.

Everyday we're learning something new!

Remember last week when  it seemed like we were painting every day?

Here are the results of the work we were doing related to the story by Kevin

Henkes called ' Wemberly Worried.'  The main character in the story

is worried about everything and it offered our class to discuss what we

might be worried about.  It also helped these littles know that everyone

has a worry about something.

Before the class took off to run around the large play field behind the 

school, they gathered (socially distanced for the photo) to give

a big cheer for Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.

There they go....

Pete the Cat is still part of of learning lives.

This week the story of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons,

gave us a chance to look at the way that numbers can be counted in two ways,

getting bigger and getting smaller, as well as explore how words rhyme.

Although the students can't move around the classroom in the same manner

that they would have been able to do last school year, I firmly believe

that using materials to assist with learning is necessary.  I have created

10 smaller work boxes that two students can share and complete the

activity together.  Usually larger work boxes would be shared with up to 

6 students.  By having only two students working together, I can attempt

to lessen the contact and possible spread of anything.

The activities are related to both literacy and numeracy task appropriate

for the beginning of the school year.

The students know 15 letters for the Phonics Dance (its a

sight/sound/movement program to assist littles in making connections

between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds that the letters make)

If all goes well, I will try to share them doing the letters A to L on

Class Dojo early next week.

Thanks for your assistance in sending items back.  It is difficult for me to ensure

that nothing is transmitted between home and school without your help.

On MONDAYS, please send in the empty Take Home folder.

On Mondays, please send in the 5 books that your child read that week.

On Fridays, please send in the yellow spelling duotang.

Thank you for assisting your child in practising the 5 sight/spelling words.  

We work on them at school but your one on one practise at home makes all the difference.

Have them write out the words (making the letters correctly) each night because

they will need to do that on Friday.

These are NOT words to sound out.  The students should hear the word and write it.

English is not a language where sounding out works with all words.

What are these words:  uv.    enuff

Are they spelled correctly?

It's hard work being an early English learner!