Homework: Finding a 10 to Add

I cannot thank you enough for all the feedback lately about math! It's so helpful in guiding students' learning and hopefully, by taking a little extra time now and building a strong foundation students will be able to really excel as they get into more complicated math in upper grades. I will admit that upon first seeing an addition problem done this way I thought it was so unnecessary to take so many extra steps to solve such a simple math problem. However, after observing Singapore Math in an upper grade it all made sense!! By having a good understanding of 10s and 1s and how to manipulate numbers, these students were able to do extremely complex math equations mentally!! Meaning, without a pencil and paper! I was so impressed! So if it is any comfort, there actually is a great reason for all these extra steps and it will, believe it or not, serve to simplify math when your student is in higher grades. 

I can also tell you that this is one of the most difficult math concepts that my first graders will be expected to master all year long... so hang in there and thank you so much for all the support you have already been giving!

Now down to business. The purpose of this post is to hopefully shed some light on the steps we are taking and why. Let me start with this example:

Of these 4 math problems, which seems the easiest/simplest to solve?

Most people (and ALL of my first graders) said the last one, 10 + 3, would be easiest.

Now, because you are not in first grade, you know that all four problems actually have the same answer, but this is a big discovery for a lot of first graders! Many students are still trying to grasp that 9 + 4, 8 + 5, and 7 + 3, are all "secret codes" for the number 13. Even as we are solving a problem I will ask students several times is the answer to the code is still the same? And of course, is should be a yes. 

Here is an example of a problem that I'll walk you through:

5 + 7... are there any groups of 10s in this problem? No. Can we make a 10 by moving some of the 1s around? YES!

Now, the way we decide which number is going to become a 10 is by deciding which number is already closer to 10, which in this case is 7. I would then ask students "how many more does 7 need to make it a 10?" Because we cannot add a 3 to the problem without changing the number, we have to pull 3 out of the 5. 

And if we pull 3 out of the 5, there will be an extra 2 left over.

So our math problem has now changed from 5 + 7  to  2 + 3 + 7.

Next we are ready to make a 10! I circle the 3 and 7 because they make 10, so now I have 2 + 10. 

And there you have it! 

Here is another example:

 

Again, the goal is to make a 10 and I'll use 9 because it is already closer to 10 than 4. To make 10 I have to add 1 to 9. Again, I can't just add a 1 without changing the number so I'll need to pull that 1 out of the 4. When I do that there will be an extra 3 left over from the 4. 

Now my problem has changed from 9 + 4  to  9 + 1 + 3.

 

Because 9 and 1 make 10 I circle those and add them together. That make a 10 and 3 extra ones. 

10 + 3!

. . . . . .

AND HERE IS YOUR HOMEWORK!!!

I told students today, that by completing these problems the way we've been practicing they can earn 

2 BONUS POINTS on their next math test! I just need to see all the steps!

8 + 7

9 + 2

6 + 5

7 + 6

9 + 8

8 + 5

Good luck and I can't wait to see your work!!! Let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can clarify!

Spelling Strategies

I spoke with several of you in conferences about sharing some strategies you can you use at home to help your child learn their spelling words. Here is a video that will hopefully help to explain the first two. Try one, see if you like it, and let me know! And as always, please feel free to contact me with any questions at all!

***Also, I forgot to mention this in the video, but it will also help tremendously if your child says each letter out loud as he/she is writing it... especially for those of us who are very auditory learners!

Operation Christmas Child

I know it's still October, but believe it or not, Christmas is closer than you think and this year the students at New Hope are getting a jump start on the giving! We're participating in a project called Operation Christmas Child and need your help to do it. There were two notes that went home today about how you can help (one from the school in your child's purple folder and one from me in your child's blue folder). Check out these short videos to learn more and see first hand the impact that something as simple as a shoebox can have to spread the love of Christ.

Happy End-of-the-First-Quarter!

My! Is is October already!? This first quarter has flown by and will all the business of report cards and awards and special events I, sadly, haven't been updating her as much as I'd like. Not to worry... I have several posts that will be going up over the next week so things should be back to normal very soon!

Here is the first group of many way-cute pictures that I've been holding hostage for too long now! These are from our Fall Fest/Field Day that celebrated the end of the first quarter. Boy was I worn out after this one, but it was a blast!

Check back soon for updates on:

:: project pumpkin ::

:: field trip photos ::

Rocket Math and Highlights

Some exciting things have happened this week in 1D! In reading, I introduced students to a little little homemade reading tool. I created the "reading window" towards the end of last year for a few students who found reading (especially longer passages) particularly challenging. I noticed that these students would often skip lines or mix up words with other words nearby. I created these using colored tab dividers for notebooks from the dollar store and a box cutter. Students last year who used these showed GREAT improvement - even late in the year. So this year, I decided to give every student the opportunity to use one. Each student got to choose their color (they range from teal to yellow) and now keeps their reading window handy in their book pouch.

For several students, the reading window was a great help and they reported that it helped them "just focus on the words" they were reading.

. . . . . . .

Another exciting change this week had been the activity of the humming birds in the courtyard! My class is fortunate enough to have an incredible view of the garden. In addition, the humming feeder hangs right outside of our classroom window.

I now present to you an illustrated version of what happened today during our usual "recess" time:

It rained...

... so we sat under the awning overlooking the garden, journals and drawing supplies in tow...

... and kept an eye on the humming bird feeder. This is what we saw:

. . . . . . .

And now a I leave you with perhaps one of the most exciting bits of news this week (drumroll please!)... We are launching Rocket Math!!! Rocket math is just a tool I use to motivate students to learn their math facts and compete with themselves for improvement in # of facts and speed each week. 

My class will take their first test this week and practice rounds begin on Tuesday. I went ahead and sent home flashcards with the students today in a colored pouch so they can get a head start. If you are curious about which facts will be on the test, just check the page labeled "Math Facts" in one of the page protectors in your child's blue folder - it tells each fact that students will be tested on per set. We will begin with Set A next week and students can progress to the next letter set and gain more flashcards when they are able to answer 40 facts correctly in just 2 minutes. 

Several students today were asking how to study their math facts, so with the help of a first-grader, I made this video to hopefully demonstrate a method that will work for your first-grader as well. Hope you enjoy!

Noun Song

We've been having a little extra fun in English lately and I wanted to share one of our new favorite songs. It's such a fun way to remember what a noun is and is just too good not to share! Hopefully as you listen and enjoy we can spread some of our current love for nouns... but I warn you, it's catchy! =)

Yummy Snack

Today in vocabulary we discussed the word "dip" as a noun and a verb, then shared our favorite foods to dip. Mine got quite a lot of a attention and students requested that I put it on the blog so they could try it... So here it is!

When I was a little one, I enjoyed my green grapes dipped in powdered jello. It may sound crazy, but the sour/sweet was awesome and I would have taken it over candy any day! I assured students that they didn't need a recipe for such a simple concoction, but they asked for one "just in case" so here are the details.

-Slice your grapes in half.
-Pour any flavor of powdered jello into a bowl (berry blue was always my fave).
-Dip the flat side of your grape in the powdered jello, watch the color show up on the grape, then eat it up!

And there you have it... my favorite thing to dip and a little happy-long-weekend "recipe" that I hope you get a chance to try. Enjoy the holiday with your family and I'll be seeing your sweet little ones back on Tuesday!

Read to a Friend

We've been practicing a new part of our reading workshops over the past week or so called "Read to a Friend" and it's been a huge hit! Here is how it works...

First, students choose their partner (we spent a whole day just talking about how to choose a partner wisely)! Next, they choose a place to read sitting elbow to elbow, knee to knee, book in the middle. After that, they agree on a book to read. Whoever's book is being read is the person who reads one page aloud first. The second partner then reads the same page aloud. Before moving to the next page, partners take turns asking "What just happened on this page?". I've been so impressed with how smoothly these steps have gone. Many students may be tempted to waste time trying to make decisions and agree, but these students have been so diligent about getting started right away and using their time wisely - something I emphasize every day before reading workshop.

Here are some of the reasons 1st graders shared that they love Read to a Friend (in their own words):

- "If I get stuck on a word my friend can help me."

- "I can choose who I read with."

- "I get to talk about the funny parts of the story if I'm reading with someone."

- "I like listening to someone read to me so I can think about what's happening."

And here are some of the reasons that I love read to a friend:

-Students get to choose their own partners which means that they are often on very different reading levels. This means that one student gets to act as the "coach" which reinforces the reading strategies they already know, while the other student gets to hear fluent reading and gets reading advice from a friend (which many students are far more likely to take to heart when it is coming from a friend).

-Reading the same page twice is great for enhancing fluency as well as comprehension and helps students focus on what is happening in the story rather than rushing to get to the end.

-Even my most reluctant readers get motivated for Read to a Friend... having that extra support from a friend seems to give reluctant readers extra confidence.

-It helps students read with expression! Sometimes the desire to entertain a friend who is listening gives students that extra push to read clearly and use inflection and different voices to make the story more interesting (while making the student a better reader!).

Ask your first grader what they think about read to a friend and I'm sure they'll be happy to share their opinion!

Number Party

In case you missed the blue letter I sent home in purple folders yesterday, here are the details:

To participate in our number party THIS FRIDAY (the 25th) please send your child to school dressed as their favorite number between 1 and 10. 

For example, your child could decorate a t-shirt and pants with their favorite number all over, or wear a decorated cardboard cut-out of their favorite number. You could even take a more mysterious approach and (if “3” was your number of choice) wear 3 hats , 3 shirts, 3 shoes, etc. Be creative and I look forward to seeing lots of good-looking numbers on Friday!!! 

Becoming Authors

Today was such a special day because we launched writing workshop! To introduce the students to writing, we talked about what it means to be an author and illustrator. I explained to students how this year, we will all become authors and illustrators. In fact, for many writers it was around this first-grade-age that they discovered their love for books, writing, and story-telling.

Because I am a very "learn-by-doing" kind of learner (and I think most little ones are as well) I believe in giving students many many opportunities to go through the creative process of constructing their very own stories in books - from beginning to end. I explained to students how every author is still learning and growing and one person who helps them to do that is their editor. We decided that as long as they are in first grade, I am happy to be each student's personal book "editor." To make this happen I structure our writing time into the following:
- A mini-lesson (to get students motivated and point out a particular strength/skill of great authors)
- A time for authors to work on their books while I hold "meetings" with students one-on-one to make notes about their progress and for us to edit their book together before publishing (more on that later).

To launch our very first writing workshop, I could think of no better way than to introduce my class to one of the most beloved authors of all time - a man behind some of the most recognizable books in our classroom library: Eric Carl. Here is a peak into his story... the children enjoyed it so much and I hope you do too. =)

First Days in First Grade

It's been such a joy getting to know this group of first graders and their families! 

I'm always amazed by how quickly these young minds work and how well they remember. In just two days we've learned over a dozen procedures (and had a bit of fun too). This first photo is from yesterday when we were learning our bathroom procedures. We learned that germs spread easily and it takes more that just water to get them off!

To demonstrate this, I sprinkled a little glitter and olive oil into one student's hand and had him shake hands with a friend. Then that friend shook hands with another friend... before you knew it we were all COVERED in "glitter germs." Students then went into the restroom and did their own experimenting with hand washing to see what it took to get their hands clean again. We learned that only hot water and soap could get it all off!

. . . . . 

Today we began learning our procedures for reading workshop. More and more research has emerged about reading and literacy and all of it says that there is a direct correlation between the time a child spends engaged in reading each day and their proficiency in the subject. Because of this, my class uses very few work pages. Instead, our entire reading time is structured into the following:

FIRST: I teach students a concrete reading strategy (or tool) they can use to help them become a better reader

NEXT: the whole class spends time reading and practicing their new strategy while I conference with students individually.

We will go through this process several times in a day so students will be learning lots of new reading strategies and will spend a lot of time actually reading as well as lots of one-on-one time with me! Here we are practicing what we call "read to self" - when students choose a spot around the room and read silently. 

Can't wait to share more... We launch math stations tomorrow!! =)

Welcome

Hello, first grade families! Thanks for visiting the blog... feel free to look around. I LOVE teaching first graders and like to share all the exciting things that go on in the classroom. A few years into teaching I realized that simply sending home work products and tests can in no way do justice to all the learning that takes place in my classroom, so I began blogging to share a more accurate portrayal of all that we do. 

To give you a bit of background, I was the kind of first-grader who needed to experience something to learn it. Reading or hearing about it alone just wasn’t enough. As it turns out, research confirms what I experienced as a 6 year old... the more our senses are engaged (think: movements, songs, experiments, pictures and video clips) the more we remember. So, as you may already have guessed, we will be doing ALL of these things and many more in my class this year! You can expect a lot of in-class projects, experiments and hands-on learning (and the picture proof will be found right here). However, before we get into first grade content, we have some other very important things to learn: Procedures. Procedures are the way we do routine tasks such as morning routines, moving around the classroom, lining up and walking in the hall. The better we learn our procedures, the more time we will have to learn content.

Thank you all for entrusting your most precious gift to us, allowing us to come alongside you to guide and show them the love of Christ. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of your children and their unique talents and gifts. Much prayer and planning has gone into this year, and I can’t wait for all the exciting things it will bring!

Last Days

The Lord has been so faithful this school year. It’s been one full of change and adaptation, and a lot of growth! I’m so proud of my students and all that we have accomplished this year!!! I wanted to share just a few of the sweet moments our class enjoyed in the last days of school.

The weather was so beautiful, so we spent some time in the garden (that we are so blessed to have, thanks to Mrs. Ramsey and the garden club) just drawing and writing about the amazing plant life there.

So many of the flowers were in full bloom and perfect for sketching detail!

 Super focused!

He was careful to find just the right color to represent his plant of choice.

I had planned for us to spend some time outside in the park/playground area to draw and talk about our favorite memories from the school year using sidewalk chalk. Unfortunately, rainy weather called for some improvisation so I used black craft paper and we created our own “sidewalk” indoors. The students loved this and I enjoyed hearing about their favorite memories. So many of them I never would have guessed...

Like this fella here on the left... yep, that’s a multiplication sign you see. His favorite memory was learning how to multiply =)

After the “sidewalk” was finished we hung it up and students shared their pictures and stories.  

This is one group of lively and imaginative students and I can’t wait to see my first-graders now second-graders all grown up come August!