Reading groups, Labeling, Five Senses, and Fall Fun!

This was a big week for our class!  We started practicing our reading group and center time.  Each day when we meet for reading groups students will move through three different rotations.

For one rotation they will work at independent learning centers which include a: reading center, writing center, phonics center, listening center, iPad center, math center, science/social studies center, and an art center.

For another rotation students will work on seat work at their tables.  Usually this seat work will have to do with our letter of the week.  When finished students will be able to read a book from their table's book bin.

The other rotation students will work in will be up in the front of the classroom where they will either receive reading instruction from me or work on some sort of literacy activity as a small group.

In writing this week we learned all about labeling.  Students learned that labeling is adding a picture to a word to add/get information.  

On Thursday students had a chance to label me using post-it notes.

They also each labeled their own picture using typed out words.

Today we worked together as a class to draw a picture and then labeled the picture together as a group.

All week long we've been learning about the five senses.  We began on Tuesday by learning about our sense of hearing.  We went on hearing walk outside and through the school and then played a hearing guessing game.

On Wednesday we used our sense of touch to feel things that felt hard, soft, rough, and smooth.  Students also had a chance to use only their sense of touch to figure out the objects in many different mystery bags.

Yesterday we learned all about our sense of taste.  We started by labeling the different taste zones on the tongue.

Then we did a taste test.  Students tasted salty pretzels, bitter unsweetened chocolate, sweet M&Ms, and sour candy.

After the taste test students shared with each other about what they like best and least.

Here's our new fall bulletin board.

And lastly a few pictures of the whole class enjoying yesterday's beautiful fall weather.

Fall, Syllables, and Picture Day!

This week we learned all about fall.  We started the week off by going outside to observe the big tree in our playground area.  We then discussed the parts of a tree and how trees are excellent indicators of the four seasons.



 

On Wednesday students worked with a partner to sort pictures based on whether they happened in the fall or not.

 

 

Later in the week we learned about why leaves change color.  Students each got their own leaf and analyzed its characteristics.

 

 

We ended the week with a special fall poem:

 

The leaves are falling down,

the leaves are falling down,

all over Mrs. Mohamed's class,

and all over town!

 

Students had fun tossing the fabric leaves up in the air as we said the poem together.

 

 

This week we also learned about syllables.  Students used special clappers to count the syllables in fall words.

 

 

They used their clappers again later in the week to sort pictures by the number of syllables they had.

 

 

Thursday was picture day at Brimhall. 

 

 

Check out all the picture day smiles!

 

Write the Room, School Helpers, & Fire Safety

In literacy this week began Letter of the Week.  Each week for the rest of the year we will focus on a different letter each week.  This week our letter of the week was the letter M.  Students did many activities to practice recognizing, writing, and learning the sound of the letter M. 

One of the activities we did was Write the Room.  During this activity students searched the room for words that had a letter M in them.  They then recorded the words in their special Write the Room book.

Our literacy theme for this week was school and school helpers.  We spent the week learning about and visiting the people who help us when we're at school.  Throughout the course of the week students visited Mrs. Bidne our principal, Mrs. Matthews the school nurse, and Mr. Weber the school custodian.  Each school helper shared with the class about how they help students at school and the tools they use to do their jobs.  Students brought their special school helper books home with them on Friday.

On Friday morning we read our unit big book, Is This My Classroom?  After we read the book together as a class students had a chance to reread it with a partner.

After reading we went on a tour of the school.  We started by walking outside to see the front of our school and then headed inside to see all the different offices and classrooms.

A whole class photo out in front of the school!

We ended the week by learning all about fire safety.  We spent time learning about firefighters and the tools they use.  On Thursday students followed step-by-step directions to draw their own fire trucks.  On Friday we discussing fire prevention and having a fire safety plan at home.  A special handout came home in this past week's Wednesday folder all about fire safety.  The website below is a great resource for learning more about fire safety at home.

Sparky Fire Safety Website

Betsy Lewin Visit & School Safety

On Monday morning the Caldecott winning illustrator of CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type, Betsy Lewin, came to visit our school.

Betsy Lewin began by us reading her brand new book, Click, Clack Surprise.  It was a very funny book!  Then she talked to us about how she worked on the illustrations for CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type.

Here are students listening and enjoying the presentation.

Besty Lewin ended her time with us by doing some drawing.  Students were impressed with how fast she could draw!

Here is one of the drawings that she did using student suggestions.

I ordered an autographed copy of CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type for our class.

Yesterday afternoon we started learning about safety.  We spent time talking about the difference between safe and unsafe.  

Then we read the book Office Buckle and Gloria.

After reading the book students worked in small groups to create school safety tip posters.  They did a great job!  Once their posters were finished each group presented their project to the class.

Here are the posters that each group made:

Color Unit, Greater Than/Less Than, & Pete the Cat

We continued learning about colors throughout the end of the week this week.  On Wednesday we read the book My Many Colored Days.  Then students used black crayons and watercolor paints to create paintings that showed a certain color day to them.

Check out students' paintings below...

On Friday students had the chance to read color books with a partner.  Then we created a class book about our favorite colors.

In math this week we learned about the words: equal, greater than, and less than.  Students played a greater than, less than card game during math on Friday to practice the concepts.

This week we also had a chance to read several Pete the Cat books and make a special Pete the Cat project.  Check out the link below to hear and see some of Pete's stories online.

Pete the Cat Website