Fractions

Can you recognize a fraction? Can you model a fraction? Can you match a fraction picture with number? Can you create a fraction? These were our questions for that week. We did various activities to be able to recognize common fractions, model, match and create fractions ourselves.When you use fractions while cooking show it to your child as well. When you cut a cake or a pizza ask him/her which is bigger one half or one fourth and how big piece he/she would like to get.

Digging up the trash

Our first unit was about Recycling. During that unit we estimated how long it might take for different materials to decompose. After that we asked Mr. Guido to help us and we buried trash into the soil. That trash stayed there till this Wednesday about 7 months. We wanted to see how much of that trash is still there and how much has decomposed. Not for our surprise we found trash from glass, metal, plastic was still there. What we did not find was bread and tissue paper. They were gone. When we looked back to our notes we saw that it takes couple weeks for bread and tissue paper to decompose. For the other trash it takes years and years and years. It is better if you do not bury plastic, metal or glass under the ground. As you see from the photos we also put back the worms that we collected in autumn for our compost. We hope the worms were happy to be free again and visit their old friends. We used that soil from our compost to plant some flowers. As you walk by our classroom you will see them blooming. Now we need to remember to give water to the flowers and hopefully there will be enough sun so they can bloom for a long time.

Journl Writing

Every Monday morning Grade 1 students have free writing time. They write what has happened over the weekend, create their own story, game they have played etc. This Monday I showed students how they can use dictionaries to check if they spelled the word correctly. They already know that they can use a word wall to check spelling in our classroom wall. As you can see from the photos they were very keen to use the dictionaries. If you want to know what your child is writing about you can come into our class and your child can show you her/his writing journal.

Airplanes

I remember my first flight with an airplane when I was 7 years old. Grade 1 students who are also 7 years old use an airplane more often then they use a bus or tram. We all have our stories to tell about being on an airplane. I read students a story " the Glorious Flight" by Alice and Martin Provensen. This is a story of Louis Bleriot's flight across the English Channel demonstrating to the world that barriers of land and sea no longer exist for the airplane. Boys loved that story! What is happening with airplane wings when it flies up? We were trying to model airplane wings and try how the wings move when you blow air across the top of the paper or when you blow underneath the paper.The paper acts like the wing of an airplane. Making the air move faster across the top of the wing makes the plane go up. Making the air move faster across the bottom of the wing makes the plane go down. Happy flying!

Literature Circle

Every Thursday we spend time reading in small groups. Students choose the books on their own and students who have the same book form a group. They read one at a time aloud, others follow and help to sound out the words, explain the meaning of new words. After they finish the story they discuss it. I move from one group to another so I have a chance to listen everyone read and hear them discuss the story. As they discuss the book they make connections with their personal life, they talk about which characters they like or dislike, what happened in the story or what could of happened if.... I see that each time the discussions are getting longer and more meaningful.

Fractions

Since we learned how to divide objects it was easy for students to identify equal and unequal parts of a whole.
We looked into how many pieces the whole is divided into. Is it divided into 2 equal groups or 3 or maybe 8? We looked at cakes, circles, squares, groups,sandwiches, fruits etc. It made us all very hungry at the end so we had to stop. 
When I asked students what a word fraction means Evan raised his hand and said,``Fraction is a part of something. `` Then we discussed where people use fractions and why? Here students find out into how many pieces the whole is divided into and show some parts of a whole.

Here students think how to make a whole using different blocks and into how many equal parts to divide the whole?

We continue to explore fractions after the holiday.

Good bye !

April 16th was the last day for Aarnav at ISE! We spent our last period playing and enjoying the time together. We gave Aarnav a book of drawings. Thank you Mikaela for putting it together! We are sad to see a friend leaving. We wish Aarnav and his family all the best in Singapore.

Easter

Thank you Mikaela and Donna who volunteered to come and decorate the eggs for Easter.
We did it in Estonian way where you use onion skins, rice, leaves, yarn etc. We had so much fun.
Here are some photos.

Student-led Conference

Thank you parents for coming to the Student-led Conference!
I do not think it is easy to show your parents what you have learned at school. I am proud of Grade 1 students for being risk-takers and showing enthusiasm. Good job!