Stuffed Animals At School!!!

To celebrate filling our bucket, each of us brought a stuffed animal to school!  

Our stuffed animals learned, listened, and cuddled with us throughout the day.

 

 We earned fuzz balls to fill our bucket by following the essential  agreements and making great choices as a class - as opposed to this behaving like this...

We also enjoyed homemade chocolate chip cookies made by Miss Rollins.  Yum! 

"The BEST Butter I've Ever Had!"

As part of our IB Unit Of Inquiry, "Who We Are", we have been learning about what life was like for families long ago.  Unlike our families, families in the past did not head to Heinen's or Dave's for their butter; they churned it!  After watching a short video demonstrating the butter churning process, we made our own butter.  Using heavy whipping cream, a glass mason jar, and some very strong arm muscles, we simulated the motion of churning butter by shaking the jar up and down.  The result was, as one student described it, "The BEST butter I've ever had!" spread on saltine crackers.

Field Trip To The Woodbury Science Lab

On Tuesday, our class took a field trip to the Woodbury Science Lab.  

Thank you to Colleen Lance for chaperoning!

Mrs. Hochman taught us about matter (anything that takes up space and has weight).  

We learned about two states of matter - solid and liquid.  

We inquired, explored, experimented.

We also practiced describing the properties of a variety of different materials.

We Are Not "Puzzled" About The 100s Chart!

In math, we have been learning about the 100s Chart and its many uses.  I turned the 100s chart into a puzzle for the students to put back together.  This was a fun way to practice ordering numbers 1-100!

What is the best way to practice spelling words?

What is the best way to practice spelling words?  

If you ask the first graders in our class, I think their answer would be SHAVING CREAM!

We have also practiced our spelling words using several other activities that will soon make up out spelling center:

Pyramid Spelling

Slimy Spelling

Rainbow Spelling

Stencil Spelling

Stamp Spelling

Dear Mrs. Colatruglio's Class

·                Part of being a communicator is corresponding with others.  This week, we wrote a class letter to our “pen pals” – Mrs. Colatruglio’s first grade class at Northwood Elementary School in Roswell, Georgia.  (Mrs. Colatruglio is a good friend of mine who attended the Early Childhood Education program with me at Miami University.)   

The students dictated the following letter to me (which I wrote):

This letter and a bag of fuzz balls are on their way to Mrs. Colatruglio's class in Georgia.  

We can't wait to receive their response!

Spiderman Greeting

Not just your neighborhood, greeting... It's a Spiderman Greeting!

As a part of our morning meeting, we have been greeting each other in a variety of different ways.  Although we have had fun throwing paper "snowballs", passing a squeeze around the circle, and matching shoes to first graders, the Spiderman Greeting (where we created a "web" out of a ball of yarn) was definitely a class favorite!

Happy New School Year!

 

 

I am very excited for the 2012-2013 to officially begin on Monday, August 27th!  Since the beginning of August, I have been preparing for the arrival of this year's first grade class.  I have hit many "back to school" sales and desks full of markers, crayons, supply boxes, pencils, erasers, folders and notebooks are waiting to be used! 

 

Are you wondering about the red folder with the bottle of ketchup on it? 

Did you notice that the green folder behind it has a jar of pickles on the front!

Are you curious about what we will use them for?

 

I have been in our classroom for the past two weeks organizing, decorating, planning, and anxiously waiting to be joined by my new students!  I can't wait until Monday! 

 

Links To "How We Express Ourselves" Video Clips

I compiled a variety of You Tube video clips depicting different forms of creative expression. 

These included performances by Stomp, Pilobolus, and The Blue Man Group.  I also shared video clips of splash painting, etch-a-sketch art, hand painting, mime, ballet, etc.  The students have really enjoyed seeing how creative people be!

Here are the links to the video clips we watched:

Stomp Drummers 

Stomp Basketball  

Stomp Kitchen

Splash Painting #1 

 Splash Painting #2

Hand Painting 

Etch-A-Sketch Art 

Pilobolus  

 Marcel Marceau

Blue Man Group

Totem Poles 

The Nutcracker 

Storytelling From India

As a part of our current IB Unit Of Inquiry, "How We Express Ourselves", we are inquiring into the ways stories are told/shared around the world.  On Wednesday, we had the privilege of listening to Aarzu’s parents as they provided us with an overview of India and shared the story of The Wise Mother, a tale that both of them grew up hearing India.  Here is a link to the story:  The Wise Mother

Field Trip To The CMA

On Thursday, our class took a field trip to The Cleveland Museum of Art.  In two groups, docents Lara Mullen & Vicki Bell led our class through the galleries of The CMA.  Our tour included nine different pieces of art which we inquired about, described, and discussed.  Making great connections to our current IB Unit Of Inquiry, “How We Express Ourselves”, the docents shared the stories behind each piece of art. 
Thank you to Amy McConnor, Jenny Eppich, & Todd Wilson for chaperoning our field trip!


Here are the pieces of art that we saw during our visit to the CMA:

The Monkey and the Cat by Abraham Hondius



Coffin of Nesykhonsu



Leopard Caryatid Stool



Saluting Protective Spirit

Maine Coast by Rockwell Kent

The Sleeping Faun by Harriet Hosmer

Interior with and Etruscan Vase by Henri Matisse



The Poplars at St. Remy by Vincent van Gogh

It was a fabulous trip!

St. Peter Repentant by Georges de La Tour