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.

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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:

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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! =)