Daily and Seasonal Change

  In science we have been learning about Daily and Seasonal Changes.

First we looked at how our world changes between day and night. How do day and night affect what we do?

 

 

 

We explored thermometers and the temperature.

 

Then we looked at the weather:

We observed and recorded the weather:

We learned how different kinds of weather affect our everyday lives:

We learned how people prepare for different kinds of weather:

Finally, we are learning about the different seasons and how the seasons affect us.

 

(We will learn more about each season as it happens)
(We will be learning more about Energy in December when we begin the Energy in Our Lives Science strand)








p.s. I continue to have difficulties accessing our blog. I cannot access it on the computers at school, and I cannot load proper pictures to it with my phone or my ipad.

Math Monday -- Estimating

 We are currently exploring estimation.

Estimating is difficult to get your head around in Grade 1! We all want to count to get the "right" answer. It is hard for children to understand why they just can't count the objects. If I ask them to make a guess, they often seem to think that I am trying to "trick" them, and then they guess a wild number :)


Why do we need to learn estimating?

Estimation is a higher-level skill (than simply counting) that requires students to be able to coceptualize and mentally manipulate numbers (Van de Walle).

1) Without estimation skills, students aren’t able to determine if their answer is within a reasonable range. 
2) Estimating helps children to learn the concept of how quantities relate to each other.



 

We will continue estimating throughout the year, throughout different math strands. For now we are focusing on estimating as it relates to quantity.
 

Jack-o-Lanterns

  We drew the pumpkins with light coloured crayons on yellow construction paper -- then mixed red and yellow paint right on our pumpkins. The crayon resisted the paint to create the illusion of the grooves in the pumpkins. Then we played around a lot with our paper facial features before we glued them down. These pumpkins have A LOT of personality!

 (if you click on the photos you can see the detail!)

What should Ms. Brown be for Halloween?

  

 (Queen)

 (A Princess because princesses are pretty :)

 (A ghost because they are scary)

 (Rapunzel)

 (A princess fairy)

 (A devil because she looks scary)

 (Princess Ariel)

 (A Princess)

 (A fairy princess because she is pretty)

 (A dead living girl because she is scary)

(don't you just love those stitch marks on my arms and legs?)

 (A zombie Pigman because it is creepy)

 (A werewolf because she would look cool in it)

 (An alien)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for so much :)

We talked about being thankful and what that means. We tried to get to a "deeper" meaning -- not just what makes us happy for a short while (candy, toys), but what makes us happy every single day....

Everyone in Room 15 is doing a great job of sounding out words and using the Word Wall to spell some words. "Because" was on the word wall (I asked the students to try to write why they were thankful). Thankful was also on the board, but some students tried to sound it out themselves. I have given translations for most of the writing.

 (I am thankful for feet)

 (I am thankful for food)

(I am thankful for bones)

 (I am thankful for vacations)

 

 (I am thankful for babies)

  (I am thankful for Thanksgiving because my family gets together)

  (I am thankful for my house)

(I am thankful for living in Canada because it is a good country)

 (I am thankful for houses because it keeps you warm)

 

  (I am thankful because of Halloween)

  (I am thankful for video games)

  (I am thankful for my mom and dad because they give me stuff)

 (I am thankful for babies..... )

  (I am thankful for my house because it can keep me warm)

  (I am thankful for school because it helps me learn)

  (I am thankful because.....)

 (I am thankful for my sister, S...)

Have a wonderful long weekend!

(and remember that, due to the holiday, our "days" of our 5 day cycle will move. Pool and Library will now be on Thursdays, until after the next day off, November 14)