Penguins Penguins Everywhere!

We started off 2015 by writing down some goals we had for ourselves. These really turned out great! 

We are also learning about Penguins and last week we worked in small groups to research a particular penguin. The students had to create a fact poster and a "life-sized" penguin. These also turned out great! 

Field Trip Fun

In December we had a fabulous field trip to MOCA and the Main Library! 

October Adventures in 1st Grade

We have been continuing to learn about the 7 Habits each week. Here is what we have done so far...

Today we talked about Sharpening the Saw and what it means and how we take care of our mind, our heart, our body, and our soul. 

We are still learning a lot about bats, we are finishing up our Batty Reports. Today we worked on these bat poems to go with the artwork from last week.

We also had a lot of fun learning how small the smallest mammal the bumblebee bat is(1 inch) compared to how large the largest mammal the blue whale is(100 feet.) We measured our classroom(41 feet) and we measured out 100 ft on the playground and we surprised at just how enormous that must be! 

Spooky Science was fun too!! We learned about how we can ask questions and do experiments with things from our own kitchen. Ask your child what happened to the candy corn.

First Grade Puts First Things First

Today we talked about Habit 3 from The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. 

Ask your child how they are going to put the habit to work. 

We were busy Putting First Things First today researching bats.

Be sure to check out your child's work and ask them what they know about bats. They are becoming experts. 

We did manage to save time for some fun. Guesstures is a great game we use for non-verbal expression and getting the students to be comfortable in front of their peers. Our poor game has seen its share of use and the timer is not working correctly, if anyone would like to donate a new one we would love it!!

It was another Oz-some day!!

1st Graders are Following the Yellow Brick Road

We had another fabulous 1st grade day today! Today we talked about Habit #2 from The 7 Habits of a Happy Kids which is Begin With the End in Mind. When you do this you have a plan, you set goals, you are prepared, you think about how your choices will affect you and you think about the positive or negative consequences of your actions before you act. 

Here is one student's goal sheet:

We talk about goals every week. Talk about this with your child and look at the goals they set for themselves on their road map each week. 

1st graders are starting a unit on Bats. Today we shared what we already knew and questions that we had. We also read Stellaluna 

And we compared bats and birds. 

It was a rainy day so we had some Think Fun time as well. 

First Grade 2014

We had a great 1st day of First Grade gifted on Tuesday! We started out with a few rituals and routines. We will begin each Tuesday with our Yellow Brick Road Map:

 Please look this over each week and talk about what your child did in gifted. Please sign the top of the sheet so that I will know that you have seen it. 

Every week we also begin with a "Think" sheet to get us thinking in different ways. 

We will also be putting The 7 Habits of Happy Kids into action this year.

Talk to your child about Habit #1 and ask them what they are going to do to make "Be Proactive" a habit. 

We got to know each other and created unique covers for our binders.

We even had time for a little bit of science. Ask your child how to "Catch a Rainbow." 

"Think Fun" is one of our most favorite times of the day. If you can donate a Think Fun type of game, we would love it! 

It was a great day in Room 226!

 

Anansi and the Magic Stick

We have enjoyed reading about Anansi the spider. We turned one of our favorites, Anansi and the Magic Stick, into a readers theatre. 

Amazing Animal Books

We were working on our own Amazing Animal books but if you happen to have any of these books from Chick Fil A kids meals around please send them to us!! We would love to add them to our collection. 

All About...

Today we learned how to create a cover for our informational books about African Animals. We used Microsoft Office Word and practicing choosing a fonts and inserting clip art. It was frustrating but fun! We will continue to learn computing skills and apply them in different ways to create projects and products. I can't wait to read the completed books! 

Habit 2- Begin With the End in Mind

Ask your child about Habit 2-Begin With the End in Mind. Ask them to show you their goal sheet.

We are unique!

I love our unique and colorful binder covers this year! Each student decided on words that described their unique personalities and then turned it into an awesome work of art we can enjoy all year! 

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

This year we put The 7 Habits of Happy Kids in action in our classroom. This book was written for kids to introduce them to the principles in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey. Through the 7 Habits, students will begin to realize that they have control over much of what happens in their lives and they can be true leaders. Their choices affect their day, their relationships, and their future. The 7 Habits empowers even the youngest students to stop and think about their choices and the different outcomes that may come with those choices. Habit 1: Be Proactive~ To Be Proactive means to take responsibilty for your choices and behaviors. Habit 1 is the key to all of the other habits. Be Proactive says," I am a responsible person. I take initiative. I choose my actions, attitudes, and moods. I do not blame others for my wrong actions. I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is watching." Here is an example of how one of our 1st graders chooses their attitude:

Going Batty!

1st graders have been busy learning about bats.  Check out some of our Animoto slide shows...

Our Animoto Slide Show

Gifted 1st-3rd

Chess for Kids

Today we introduced the chess board and learned about Pawns.  Why teach kids to play chess? 

Chess makes kids smarter. It does so by teaching the following skills:
 

Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of

observing carefully and concentrating. If they don't

watch what is happening, they can't respond to

it, no matter how smart they are.

Visualising - Children are prompted to imagine a

sequence of actions before it happens. We actually

strengthen the ability to visualise by training them to

shift the pieces in their mind, first one, then several

moves ahead.

Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first,

then act. We teach them to ask themselves "If I do

this, what might happen then, and how can I

respond?" Over time, chess helps develop patience

and thoughtfulness.

Weighing Options - Children are taught that they

don't have to do the first thing that pops into their

mind. They learn to identify alternatives and

consider the pros and cons of various actions.

Analysing Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the

results of specific actions and sequences. Does this

sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better

when guided by logic, rather than impulse.

Thinking Abstractly - Children are taught to step

back periodically from details and consider the bigger

picture. They also learn to take patterns used in one

context and apply them to different, but related

situations.
Planning - Children are taught to develop longer

range goals and take steps toward bringing them

about. They are also taught of the need to reevaluate

their plans as new developments change the situation

We are learning to play on "Quick Chess" boards.

Check this awesome website out:http://www.chesskid.com/

Who am I?

This week one of our activities focused on "Social Processes" which is one of the gifted domains.  "Social Processes" guides students towards a responsible philosophy of life through experiencing self and others.  We try to provide opportunities throughout the year which facilitate goal development, productive interpersonal techniques, a strong sense of self-worth and an appreciation for the ideas of others.
The "Who am I?" activity pictured here works on the following objectives from our curriculum:
~Identifying strengths and weaknesses
~Identifying personality traits of self and others
~Recognizing diversity of group members

Have you Filled a Bucket Today?

Today we read a book called "Have you Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud.  This author has the idea that everyone walks around carrying an "invisible bucket."  You "fill" a bucket when you show love to someone, when you say or do something kind, or even just by smiling at someone.  A bucket "filler" is kind and treats others with respect.  You can also "dip" into a bucket and take out these good things and feelings.  You are a bucket "dipper" when you make fun of someone, say mean things, or even ignore someone.  A bully is a bucket "dipper."  The author says,"All day long, we are either filling up or dipping into each other's buckets by what we say and do." 

This year in our class we are working on becoming bucket "fillers."  So, have you filled a bucket today?