Fact Power

Can you believe we are halfway through the year?  Our children have been hard at work mastering their math facts in preparation for 2nd grade.    At this time 1st graders should have their +/-0, +/-1, and sums of 10 facts (6+4, 3+7, etc.) secure.  This week we begin working on doubles facts.  

*If you'd like a head start in mastering doubles these two videos are great resources for learning through music: Doubles 1-5 and Doubles 6-10*

Here are two ways you can continue to support your child in learning their math facts at home:

A few weeks ago a FACT POWER informational packet was sent home including flashcards with simple addition facts.  This may be used at home to encourage automaticity.  

In addition, at conferences in the fall I spoke about a new program called Reflex Math that we were beginning to use to support good math fact habits.  The children have grown to love this program because of it's games and animation.  You most likely have seen your child bring home an award certificate indicating their fluency from this program as well.  This resource can be used at home by downloading the Reflex Math application for any iPad or tablet, or going to www.reflexmath.com.  The username is kburrows, and students login by clicking on their name and putting in their password, which is their lunch ID/student number.  If you need an additional paper listing your child's password feel free to email me!

Literacy Night

Come join me and many other teachers on February 23rd for a fun-filled night at QE!

We will be holding an event to promote family conversation, build vocabulary, and improve comprehension.  Literacy Night will take place on Monday, February 23rd from 6PM-7:30PM (snowdate - Tuesday).  You and your child will make crafts, enjoy food and conversation, and rotate through stations throughout the evening.  

Highlights of the evening include:

• Dinner and dessert provided for free!
• A Barnes and Noble Nook will be raffled off to one participant.
• Free childcare for preschool age children.

Another form reiterating this information will be sent home with your child this evening so that RSVP's can be collected by the end of this week!

We hope to see you there!

100th Day Ideas

Need some costume ideas for the 100th Day on Wednesday?  

Girls: Glasses, canes, pearls, skirts, dresses, heels, wigs or gray hairspray
Boys:  glasses, canes, suits, suspenders, wigs or gray hairspray

Here's a quick glimpse into our 100th Day last year for some additional inspiration!  

We can't wait to see those 100-year old 1st graders on Wednesday!

Fire Safety

This month we celebrated fire safety!  Our Quakertown volunteer firefighters came to QE to speak with us and give us a tour of their two fire engines.  We were able to see all of the equipment that is utilized when responding to a call and ask the firefighters questions about their uses.  

As we conclude our Social Studies unit on Communities we will be exploring a variety of community helpers and completing our final project depicting what we want to be when we grow up.  Talk with your child about their future aspirations!

Sums of 10

Last week in math we focused on finding pairs of numbers who's sum is 10.  We used a variety of  math tools to practice making 10 including ten frames with pennies, number lines, and making-10 bracelets.  We put a quantity of pennies on our ten frame and counted the blank spaces we would need to fill in order to make a total of ten.  When using our number grids we put our finger on the number and counted how many hops it would take to get to ten.  The making-10 bracelet allowed us to manipulate one quantity of beads on one side of the bracelet and see the remaining beads left that we would add together to get a total of 10.  We discovered that 1+9=10, 2+8=10, 3+7=10, and so on.  Understanding and being able to recognize these addition facts with ease will set the foundation for our work with addition throughout the year.  

 You can reinforce this skill by playing a game entitled Penny Plate at home!  Grab 10 pennies, or ten small household objects, and a paper plate.  Have your 1st grader close their eyes while you hide a number of the pennies under the plate.  Put the remaining pennies on top of the plate.  Have your child solve the mystery of determining how many pennies are hidden under the plate using one of the strategies listed above.  With practice these facts will become second nature to your 1st grader.  

We've also been loving this YouTube video that reinforces our sums of 10 facts! 

September Recap

Take a look at what we've been up to in 1st grade during the month of September!

To begin our first math unit we became number detectives and observed how numbers are all around us everyday!

We reviewed basic shapes from Kindergarten by using our pattern-block template to create straight-edge shape designs. 

One of the first games we learned to play was Penny-Dice.  This game focused on counting to twenty, and one-to-one correspondence.  The children illustrated how they were able to count coins one at a time and compare more and less. 

We explored math tools that we will be using throughout the year, specifically geoboards.  Our 1st graders loved creating shapes and designs using the rubber bands on their boards. 

In reading we have been focusing on short vowel sounds.  When learning about short vowel A we did a hunt around the room to find the short A gumballs that were hidden throughout the classroom. 

Each day we continue to build our reading stamina!  As the year progresses we continue to work on reading independently by using our reading and comprehension strategies.

Welcome

Welcome to the 2014-2015 School Year!

I will use this blog as a form of communication between home and school to share ideas, updates, and everyday fun activities that we are engaging in during the day.  Please take a moment to put your email in the box on the right-hand side of this webpage.  This will allow you to receive an email each time the blog is updated so you won't miss out on any information.

We look forward to a fantastic school year!