Sterling's Snippets: Pumpkin Fun!

Well we did it! We survived Halloween (and the days after) in 1st grade. Don't get me wrong, I love all things pumpkins, however, 1st graders seem to get a bit busy during this exact week each year! We managed to pack a lot of fun into the day beginning with our exploration of our class pumpkin. Since we have been learning about adjectives, students worked together to describe our pumpkin on the outside.

We then dug in, literally, and used adjectives to describe the inside, too!

After we collected all of the seeds, students estimated the total using their super estimating powers! The students then devised a plan as to count the seeds after reading Margaret McNamara's How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? While all groups chose to count by 10's, one group decided to count by 2's. They later decided it would be easier to count by 10's, so made the switch! Activities like this foster excellent communication and collaboration skills for our students.

Our pumpkin had 677 seeds! Dawson was only 23 away with a guess of 700! Way to go, Dawson!

Next we read, Vote for Me! by Ben Clanton. The students were inspired to vote for our Jack-O-Lantern Face. I forgot to snap a photo of our finished Jack-O-Lantern, but don't worry, he is still a guest in our class! Below Daphne votes in our own, secret voting booth!

As I said, our Pumpkin Jack is still in our classroom! After reading Pumpkin Jack, by Will Hubbell, we sealed our pumpkin in an airtight, clear tote for the students to observe. We will watch him decompose (and even mold) over the next month or two. It is quite gross to see, but the students get to see first hand how a pumpkin and its seeds can begin the life cycle again each year!

The afternoon was a ball with our pumpkin party! We made beaded pumpkins, went on a scavenger hunt, played make10 bowling, bingo, and finally decorated cookies, YUM! Thank you to Mrs. Johnson (Leah's Mom) and Mrs. Pochmara (Elizabeth's Mom) for volunteering at the party!

Meet Odi

Have you met Odi? I have had the pleasure of having both Odi and his older brother Rylee in my 1st grade class! Odi is one of the sweetest kiddos you will meet. He may be quiet, but has a great laugh to share (when he thinks his teacher isn't listening). He was excited to share that neither Mrs. Baarstad nor I have ever had an Odi in our class!

Meet August

August is such a star in our class, too! He is very kind and conscientious of doing his best. During his share week, August brought in a really cool Pokemon set that the class loved to see. His desk was definitely the hang out during snack break! Keep smiling in 1st grade, August!

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: In reading students utilized headings to determine a text focus for a particular section of a nonfiction text. They are also busy learning how to use commas in a series in grammar. We practiced writing sentences with our favorite foods to put this skill into action. In phonics students are working on l and r blends in words such as crib, blink, and truck.

Math: Yippee! We started all four rotations of Math Workshop! The students learned to navigate through each station as well as visit me for small group math. We had three really successful days of learning about subtraction by taking away and counting back. It was also fun as our new class iPads arrived just in time! If you are looking to boost subtraction fluency with your kiddo, practice counting back from any given number.

Students work at "Hands On" Math independently.

Students play "Subitize Tree" to practice subitizing rapidly.

Writing: We have finished another writing unit! Students published their first personal narrative story last week. They will participate in another writing celebration on Monday where they will share their piece with a small group. I can't wait to share their pieces with you at conferences!