Multiplication

Recently the third graders have learned about multiplication.  We have learned that it is a process of repeated addition, and that it requires equal groups.  As we were learning about modeling addition, we explored arrays.  Vocabulary that was important for this skill was "rows" and "columns."  We practiced this skill by using M&Ms to model a variety of arrays.  Of course, we had to eat them when we finished the lesson!  Yum!

 

Reader's Theater

First grade recently did some work with Reader's Theater.  Reader's Theater is a great way for beginning readers to build fluency and expression with their oral reading.  The students practiced all week, and then they got to perform their Reader's Theater for the third-grade students.  Enjoy!

 

Sequencing and Raider Pride!

The third-grade students recently read the story, "William's House."  They have been working hard on the skill of sequencing.  When they finished reading the story, they worked with a partner to retell a stage of the story, and then they created illustrations to show what William's House looked like in all four stages.

During the week, Mrs. Worden made a "good luck" banner for the Raider Football Team.  This staff and students all took the opportunity to sign the banner and send well wishes to the team.  What a great way to support our players!

 

A Mixed Bag of Fun!

Whew!  These past few weeks have been such a whirlwind!  It seems as though the days have flown by, and the blog has been forgotten.  Hopefully, we can get you caught up on some of our recent activities.

Before conferences, we spent a day in literacy stations during first-grade reading class. Students worked on hearing vowel sounds in words, rolling CVC words and deciding if they were real or nonsense words, spinning to make word family words, sorting words, and many other fun activities!

Shortly after that, we had parent-teacher conferences.  Before conferences started, that PTO treated the teachers to an amazingly delicious dinner.  Mrs. Klinker out did herself making such cute decorations for the evening.  It was nice to relax and enjoy a meal with one another before heading into conferences.  Thank you to the PTO and all of the talented chefs who contributed to our meal!  It was wonderful!

Most recently, the first graders have been working to learn strategies to make addition and subtraction easier.  We learned about the commutative property of addition, which tells us that we can add numbers in any order and we will still get the same answer.  We call these our "flip-flop" facts.  We went on a scavenger hunt for "flip-flop" facts one day last week.  The boys and girls enjoyed moving about the room to find these facts!

Here's to hoping that I do a better job of getting these blog posts up from now on!  Keep checking in to see all of the great learning that is happening in our classroom!

Mrs. Berry :)

We Are Getting Smarter Every Day!

We have had another week full of learning and full of fun!  I am convinced that Wayne Trace Raiders are the BEST students of all!  Our students work so hard each day and their hard work is paying off!

First graders learned how to use whisper phones this week.  These allow everyone to practice their independent reading without creating a great deal of extra noise in the room.  Additionally, when our brain is able to hear what we are reading, we can better process the information.  The students loved these and they were very responsible in using these new reading tools!

We also worked to use our hundreds chart to review before, between, and after with numbers.

The students absolutely love to work in math stations!  Here, Olivia is practicing subtracting 1,2,3,4 and 5 from a variety of numbers.

Another exciting event was when first grade finally got to log on to Xtra Math for the first time!  They loved it and they ask to practice their math facts every day!  This program can also be accessed from home.  Please ask Mrs. Berry if you want more information about how to do that!

Second grade has been working with money.  We have worked on sorting coins, identifying coins and values, and counting coins using touchpoints.  On this day, we were playing a game called, "Piggy Race."  The students had to correctly count the amount of money they landed on or they had to move back.  I think they had so much fun that they totally forgot they were learning a new skill!

And last, but not least, our third graders tried out my super sonic flashing thinking spectacles!  We had to look at word problems with a critical eye to make sure we found and understood all of the important information.  I think these glasses really helped! ;)

 

OAA's, Money, and More!

Wow!  We have had a very busy and productive week!  The third grade reading students worked with Mrs. Head on completing practice OAA tests.  Test taking skills are a large part of instruction so that when the test comes, students are at ease with the procedures for successful test taking.  In math, the second and third grade students have been doing money explorations and first grade has been busy learning what subtraction is and how to write and solve subtraction sentences (equations was the fancy math word we learned this week!).  Make sure you read all the way to the end of the post, because Mrs. Head's reading class has just finished reading a play and they have made a video of their reading practice with this play!  So fun!  Thanks to all parents and students for another fun and successful week!

Third grade OAA practice with Mrs. Head.

Using hundred charts to count back change.

We also discovered that there were lots of ways and combinations to make the same amount of change!  Look at all  of the different ways we discovered to show $0.81!

Second grade went on a money hunt and had fun counting money in an activity called, "Count the Room."

First grade enjoyed working with a partner to create subtractions sentences (or equations)!