The Chicks Are Coming!

Grade One Chick Show

 Here is Angelina, demonstrating how a hen must sit on its nest of eggs for 21 days to keep them warm.

Ms. Pavlicek came to Francis Wyman on Thursday to teach the children about the chicken and the egg.  The show is to prepare students for the eggs which are coming to our classroom incubators this Monday!  The eggs will have been incubating at the Science Center for 20 days prior to coming to our classroom incubators.  It will take only a day before the children begin seeing the miracle of life right before their eyes as the tiny creatures peck their way out of their shells and into the classroom.  We will have the chicks for one week so the children will be able to witness their birth, see them grow feathers and begin to fly a little.  The children will be documenting what they observe with their iPads -- taking pictures and writing about what they see.  So keep your eyes open in future blogs to see the chicks grow in front of your eyes!

Here are some more pictures from the Chick Show:

Field Trip To the Museum of Science on February 11th!

The first grade is blasting off into a unit on the sun, the Earth, the moon and stars.  As a follow up to this exciting unit, we will be going to the Museum of Science to see a show at the Planetarium entitled "The Solar System."  There will also be time for a  brief visit to the Discovery Museum and/or the Exhibits after the show and lunch.  Permission slips will be going home on Monday, January 27th.  Chaperones will be chosen the following week.  This promises to be a fun trip for all.  Look for permission slips in your child's folder.

Non-Fiction Persuasive Writing

The boys and girls in Room 111 have also been working hard on researching, planning, writing  and sharing their "Persuasive Texts" on the seasons.  It was a compilation of many steps beginning with:

1.  Research:  First they read many books, watched educational videos and listened to read-alouds about all of the seasons.

2.  List Poems and Opinion Charts:  Next they wrote a List Poem with a partner, listing all of the attributes of their favorite season.  They also drafted an opinion chart on why they think that their season is the best.

 3.  Rough Draft (Planning Sheet): The next step was writing a rough draft or a "sloppy copy" on their favorite season using their most convincing reasons -- both fact and opinion.

4. Published Copy:  They made their final draft which included revisions, their best handwriting and standard spelling.

6.  Class Book:  We are in the process of making a class book on the                     iPad, using Book Creator.  The final product will feature                           everyone's writing and a recording of each child reading their                 piece.  Look for it in the next blog! 

Access to Envison Math At Home 

You should have received instructions on how to access the math that is being taught at school in your child's homework folder.  The letter contains your child's username and password.  This is a component of the math program which allows you as the parent to see how your child is being taught various math skills throughout this school year.  If you didn't receive one, please contact me and I'll send you another letter.

FUNDATIONS

We are currently learning about the glued sounds ing, ang, ong, ung, ink, ank, onk and unk.  Please continue to quiz your child on the trick words sent home every week.  As they increase in number it is important that they practice them often at home and in school.