Room 7
March 23, 2007
Friday’s Message:
Revisiting Ireland
Mack’s mom, Karen, made Irish Soda Bread from Ireland with the class. The students worked in teams of 5 to make a loaf of bread. They measured the dry ingredients; then added the wet ones. One of the dry ingredients is baking soda. When the baking soda is mixed with the buttermilk, which is acidic, it produces bubbles of gas. (We did this experiment the next day.) The combination of these two ingredients makes the bread/ dough rise. It’s a quick reaction, so this bread is a quick bread. You just mix the ingredients and bake it. Each group shaped their dough into a round loaf, then brushed the top with butter. Karen cut a cross on the top. She explained that some people believe the cross is for religious reasons, but it also gives room so the bread can rise, puff up. We went to an assembly, and when we came back the bread was ready.
Mack told us there are lots of farms on Ireland. One of his ancestors lives there, his great uncle Henry Fee. He owns a chicken ranch. Mack told us he went there, but of coarse he doesn’t remember, because he was still in his mom’s tummy at the time. He also told us he is 7/16th Irish.
Mack found Ireland on the map and pointed out that it is surrounded by water; it is an island. He told us it’s really green there because it rains a lot. That’s how it got named the Emerald Isle. Karen explained that there is saying that you can have every season in one day on Ireland. She said often you might wake up and it’s sunny, a few hours later it might be raining, then it could get really cold, and then it could be sunny again.
Before tasting the bread, our routine is students tell something they learned. Now they are also making comparisons between other breads we’ve had. Many of the comparisons they made were with Devin’s bread, because it was also from Ireland. They also noted similarities/differences with other breads.
First Class Orator
Congratulations to Barbara Griffith! The Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Finals for Oakland Schools was held this week. Barbara placed second in the city for her division!
Fantastic job, Barbara!
Scientist at Work
Our school science fair was this week. Blythe participated. She did her project at home and then presented it to the class. She did a great job explaining it and answering questions. Her project is: Root Vue and Plantarium Gel Experiment
Star Students
***Vera Wong*** was the star student this week. Next week
***Amir Hardeman*** is the star .
Walkathon Math
They made their predictions of how many kilometers they would walk before the event. This week they told how many more or less kilometers they walked than their prediction.
We also used base ten blocks, sticks of tens and individual cubes/units of one,
to represent how many kilometers walked. As we went around the circle, students added their sticks of ten and cubes of one to a combined set. The grand total was kilometers! WOW! This is just what the kids walked! We’ll get the “official” numbers later for our students and any additional kilometers from family/friends that walked or volunteered for our class. Thanks everyone! It was a great fun fund-raising event!
Sock Puppets
Remember to bring in a clean sock to make a puppet.
READING
Read and record in your Reading Log.
MATH
When we’re doing our breads around the world, the kids tell me how I need to cut the bread so there is enough for everyone. We also talk about making the pieces equal so everyone gets the same amount. Sometimes the loaves are square, rectangular, round, or individual rolls/buns. I’m always asking math questions. If I cut one loaf or part of a loaf into so many pieces, I’ll ask how many pieces will I have when I cut the other part/loaf. Students have to “prove”/ tell how they got their answer. Sometimes I’ll ask how many will I have left?
This week’s homework is to cut circles, squares, and rectangles into equal pieces (just like the breads). Help your child measure the squares so the sides are the same length. For circles, trace a pot lid, pie pan, or smaller size circle if you want. Then have your child cut out the circle carefully on the drawn line. (We do a lot of templates in class. Students work with partners, holding the template for each other.) Rectangles are the easiest, because most paper is this shape. Whatever size shape your child decides, make it the same size( same size squares, same size cirles, same size rectangles). Cut each shape into
halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, eighths, sixteenths. Clip each whole shape together. Put all the shapes that have been cut in half together, all the ones that have been cut in fourths together, etc.
Your child should have 18 shapes that have been cut into equal fractional parts after this lesson. If your child would like to do more, whether it’s another way to do halves/thirds/fourths, etc. or would like to cut up the shapes into even higher fractional pieces, please encourage him/her.
When your child has completed these fractions, put their shapes in an envelope or gallon size zip lock bag to keep their work together. Please make sure they write their name on the envelope/bag. We will be doing more with these shapes in class.
WRITING
Spring is here. Go for a walk and make observations It’s time to be outside. Look for signs of spring. Use your senses. Write at least five things that tells what happens in the springtime. Try to use all your senses.
Then write something your family does/or might do in the springtime.
ROOT WORDS
As your child is reading, have him/her find twenty words that have a word ending and/or a word where endings can be added. Have your child identify the root word, then write the word that is in the book. Below it, write at least two words where the ending/suffix is changed. and or added. Have your child put a “box” around the root/main word. We did this with a couple of the blending lessons this week.
(As students read in class, I often have them cover suffixes to help students decode the root word. You might remind your child to do this if needed.)
Room 7
March 16, 2007
Friday’s Message:
Brazilian Adventure
Sophia’s parents, John and Rhona, brought Brazil to our classroom. Rhona started by showing us that Brazil is the biggest country in South America. She told us about the world’s largest rain forest, the Amazon rain forest. We learned about the tribes that live there; everything they need, make, and wear comes from things in the rain forest. She also showed some of the animals; a third of the world’s animals live in the Amazon. Then she explained how lots of people want to cut down the forest to raise cattle. First they cut it, burn it, then grass grows. Every second the amount of land being destroyed is equal to size of Joaquin Miller’s upper grade/ big yard! She reminded us that trees clean the air and that the 20% of the world’s oxygen comes from the Amazon. The Amazon is sometimes called the lungs of the world.
John introduced us to the music of the country. He showed us the berimboa (pronounced “baring bow”) an instrument that is made from a piece of bamboo, a gourd, and wire. He played it, then played some cds so we could hear samples of samba, big rhythm music with lots of drum beat. Then they heard choro (pronounced “shoru”), which means “cry” , more of a classical music mixed with the Brazilian beat. The third kind of music is bossa nova; a brazilian pop music with jazz. John played some bossa nova on his guitar.
He told us Brazil is famous for the Amazon, but another thing they are famous for is
Carnival, and the biggest one is in Rio De Janeiro. They showed us a clip from a dvd so we could see what it’s like. Samba groups are formed by their neighborhood. It takes a year to prepare for carnival. Each group has their own costume, dance, and song. The floats are bigger than our room. The parade is twelve hours a night and it goes on for three days. It’s a big party!
Then Rhona showed us some Brazilian food dishes. She said on Saturday and Sunday people get together with friends and family. They feast on black beans with pork, kale stir-fried with garlic, tropical fruits, and more. Then she passed out a snack made from a guava paste mixed with sugar. A sweet ending to a taste of Brazil.
Harvest Time
We finally harvested our vegetable garden! We had broccoli, sugar peas, lettuce, swiss chard, carrots, and radishes. They washed the vegetables, then cut them up.
I bought rice noodles that they peeled apart. Then we cooked everything up in a wok.
We made “chow fun.” In Chinese, “chow” means “stir fry” and “fun” means noodles.
We had vegetarian chow fun. Of coarse we all ate it with chopsticks!
Get Out Your Walking Shoes
Tomorrow is the school’s Walkathon. We’re hoping for 100% class participation Come walk a few kilometers with us if you don’t have time to stay all day. If you don’t want to walk, there are plenty of kids your child can walk with.
In class, students wrote predictions of how many kilometers they will walk. Then they read their prediction to the class. Afterwards I passed out a class list to check who was listening and/or their auditory memory. Students wrote what their classmates predicted and why. Next week we will do more walkathon math.
Thank you Lisa, Emily’s mom, for being our room coordinator for this event.
Star Student
***Marissa Petty*** was the star student this week. ***Vera Wong*** is the star next week.
A Clean Sock
Please have your child bring one clean sock. We will be making sock puppets.
READING
Read and record in your Reading Log.
WRITING
The students have listened to the story Clever Tom and the Leprechaun. The leprechaun outwitted Tom. For the writing assignment, the leprechaun is going to let your child find the gold because he knows your child will use the gold to help people that are less fortunate than themselves.
Have your child write who s/he would give the gold to and why. Then because your child is so kind and generous, s/he gets a gold piece. Have your child tell what s/he would do with the gold and why.
MATH
After spending all that gold, they get to come back to reality and learn the value of a dollar. Let your child use $3.00 in assorted coins. If possible, take them “shopping” at a grocery store or use the ads in the newspaper. The purpose of this math lesson is to have your child practice counting / adding coins to pay for the items up to one dollar.
The following are suggestions when you take your child shopping to help him/her focus on spending money in dollar increments.
What kind and how many fruits can be bought for one dollar?
What kind of vegetable and how many vegetables can be bought with a dollar?
Are there any novelty toys you can buy for a dollar?
Are there any dairy products that can be bought for a dollar?
After your child counts out the coins needed to pay for the items, put all the coins in a pile and have your child group the coins into dollars. Then have your child write the total amount spent. (If your child would like to spend a couple more dollars, please encourage him/her.)
Students should use the coins at home, but when they turn in the homework, their list will suffice. Their list should include the number of the items bought for each dollar. Students will see how much/little one dollar buys. The objective of this lesson is to review money and the value of 100 cents. (Also when they make sock puppets, they will be given a certain amount of money to buy items and sometimes will need to make change.)
LADYBUGS AND MORE
We’ve been learning about ladybugs. Go on an insect hunt. How many can you find? Name them. Find and / or name at least a dozen.
Room 7
March 9, 2007
Friday’s Message:
Asian Pacific Islander Day
The first grade celebration of Asian Pacific Islander countries/cultures was a huge success! Many countries were represented. They played games from Korea, Japan, and China. They did arts and crafts from Indonesia, China, and Japan. Students saw displays of artifacts from these countries and also things from the Philippines,Vietnam, India, Tonga, Hawaii, and the Marshall Islands. Students were invited into a Japanese home where they learned about the life in Japan. They also “traveled” through India. Then they were served a delicious feast. I saw most of the students in our class eating their meal with chopsticks. The kids had a great time learning!
Thank you to all the parents that helped out with this event.
More Than Just Bread
Mikayla’s mom, Kristin, made shortbread from Scotland with the class. We learned that shortbread gets its name because it is made from shortening, butter being the shortening. It’s called shortbread because it’s like a bread in that it is not very sweet. Students measured and mixed the ingredients. They learned how sugar becomes powdered sugar. They saw how hands are a tool for mixing and that butter is a wet ingredient for making dough. Then the students greased and floured the molds and pressed the dough into it. If the consistency of the dough was “right,” it would come out
of the mold easily and would be ready to be baked.
Kristin came dressed in traditional Scottish clothing. She told us both Mikayla’s parents are Scottish. She explained that each family has it’s own tartan, plaid. She was wearing the McPherson plaid. She also told the difference between the female and male kilt. Kilts are usually made of wool because wool is prominent in Scotland. Students asked about the kilt pin; they learned what it is used for and that hers had the family crest on it. She also showed them a sporin, a pouch, that both men and women wear.
Sophia’s mom, Rhona, made pao de queijo (pronounced “pow gee kayzhoo”) from Brazil with the kids. This bread is made from the tubars of the manioch plant, which is ground into flour. The students added eggs and water to a packaged mix. Rhona told us using this mix is a little bit of an experiment, because when they’re in Brazil they use fresh ingredients. Also the directions on the package would say “half of a teacup” (rather than a standard measure) and bake at medium heat (rather than a specific temperature). As they stirred the batter, they guessed at the consistency. Sophia told us the more you stir it, the puffier the bread gets; so they stirred it well. Each student was given a piece of dough that they rolled into a ball. As the bread baked, Sophia told us more about Brazil.
She told us her grandparents live there and that they go there every two years. She said “Brazil has the ‘hugest’ rain forest in the world and it’s called the Amazon Rain Forest. It also has the hugest river, called the Amazon River.” She told us she thought they make very good shoes there, especially sandals. She said everyone wears sandals cause it’s very hot there because it is close to the equator. The language they speak is Portuguese and their favorite sport is soccer. Using the globe, Rhona showed the equator runs through Brazil and they saw it is the biggest country in South America. She explained that because South America is on the other side of the world from us (United States), our seasons are opposites. Technically, it is winter here, and it’s summer in Brazil.
Purim
Micah’s mom, Karen came in last Friday to teach us about Purim. Jewish people were celebrating Purim last weekend. Micah told us the story about the King of Persia and Hamen. Karen explained this is a time to be happy and really silly. She said it’s very similar to our Halloween. People get dressed up in costumes and pass out treats. It’s a fun holiday. She passed out Hamentaschen, a cookie that was shaped like the three-cornered hat that Hamen wore. Thanks for the treat! Happy Purim!
Walkathon
The Walkathon is next Saturday! Sponsor sheets are due by next Wednesday, March 14! Emily’s mom, Lisa, sent a flyer home earlier this weeK. Contact Lisa if you have questions. Details are also in the Walkie-Talkie.
Star Students
***Charles Sudduth*** was the star this week. ***Marissa Petty*** is the star next week.
Tissue Needed
We are completely out of tissue. Between colds and hayfever, we go through a couple of boxes a week. If your childcan bring in a box of tissue, I would be appreciated. Thanks!
READING
Read and record in your Reading Log. Please turn in Reading Log with the homework.
MATH
We are working on number facts to 20. Have your child write two addition and two subtraction sentences for 11-20. Use manipulatives if needed. Please check numeral formation.
Students will be using their number facts to make a game in the class. Practice math facts. Check your child by asking problems orally and/or with flash cards.
WRITING
Write about two countries you “visited” during the 1st grade’s “living history” event, Asian Pacific Islander Day. What did you learn and/or do? If there was a special artifact / object , poster, or something that caught your interest, write about it. Was there something you especially enjoyed? Tell why and extend your writing. Write complete sentences. Try to include the name of the country/countries if you can.
SWEET HEARTY LESSONS
Your child is bringing home their heart candy and the lessons that went with it. Several weeks ago they used chopsticks and sorted their candies by color. Then they made a graph to show how many of each color they had. Then they put away their candies and did the math worksheet using the graph.
This week they read the words on the hearts and then categorized the words by the vowel sound to the Open Court sound spelling cards.
As students read words, they noted the vowel sound did not always match the spelling. I had them classify by sound. This week’s homework is find two other words for each sound.
Students need to find words in something they read. In class, after they filled in the hearts as much as they could using the words on the candy hearts, then they used a book
to find more words. Remember, they are finding words that have the corresponding vowel sound.
Room 7
March 2, 2007
Friday’s Message:
A Visit to Ireland
Devin’s mom, Mindy showed us how to make Irish Potato Bread from Ireland.
She took the original recipe and broke it down so students could work in groups of four. Each group measured the ingredients, took turns mixing it up, then divided the dough into equal pieces so the each could pat down their own potato (pancake) bread. Then the students watched Mindy cook the bread. It was our first fried bread.
Before Mindy started the cooking project, Devin told us about Ireland. He told us that St.Patrick’s Day is March 17th and that Saint Patrick is the patron saint that protects Ireland. We learned green is the color of Ireland and the island is also referred to as the Emerald Isle (Then we talked about what an emerald is.) We found out the language of the country is Gaelic and that Devin’s name means “poet “ in Gaelic. He told us the favorite sport is soccer and that lots of Irish people have red hair. Then he told us there was a potato famine; that was when most of the potatoes rotted and people had no food.
Many people came to America, like my great, great great grandfather. That led right into our making potato bread from leftover mashed potatoes.
Asian Pacific Islander Day
Next Wednesday, March 7th, is Asian Pacific Islander Day. A flyer went home a couple weeks ago. Students are encouraged to wear something from one of the Asian countries or islands in the Pacific Ocean. All the first grades classes will be participating in this event together. Lunch is provided. Parents are welcome to join us.
Many parents turned in forms and have offered to help. Please contact the co-chairs if you have questions or would like to help with the event. They are:
Patty Scanlon 482-3278
Katie Barron 530-7537
Kristin and Karen (Mikayla’s and Micah’s mom) are coordinating costumes if your child needs to borrow something to wear for the day.
Science Fair
Your child brought home a packet for our school’s science fair. If your child would like to participate, the guidelines were attached. Projects are due on March 19th. At that time your child will have the opportunity to share his/her project with the class and then it will be displayed in the multipurpose room with all the other science fair projects.
If you have questions or would like another packet, please send a note with your child and/or see me after school.
Star Students
***Matthew*** and ***Mikayla*** shared being stars with ***Charles*** this week. Charles will finish off next week.
READING
Read and record in your Reading Log.
WRITING
Working with their 5th grade buddies, the students came up with words to describe themselves using the spelling of the zodiac animal they were born in (year of dragon or hare/rabbit).
This week your child will work with you to come up with words that describe/tells about themselves using the letters in their first name. When they worked with the fifth graders, their instructions were to come up with one word for each letter. As the older students worked with our kids, they were coming up with more “sophisticated” vocabulary words. I reminded everyone I would be asking my students to use these words in sentences, so the first graders needed to understand the meaning of the word(s).
I wanted to make sure our kids could use the words in a sentence and give an example.
The older buddies helped the 1st graders with examples of how/why they are like each of the given words or came up with simpler words the younger students could explain.
There was lots of dialogue between the buddies. (Exactly what we hoped for! It was great!)
The next day my students wrote sentences about themselves using each descriptive word and giving an example of it.
For each letter of their first name, write a word (or two) that begins with that letter. Then have your child write a sentence with that word. Extend the sentence and/or write another to give an example of how your child is the adjective.
If you have more to tell about yourself, do your last name,too. Or do your middle name.
MATH
This week your child is a weather reporter. Keep track of the high and low temperatures for Oakland and another city (your choice) for at least five days. Record the temperature for both cities. Which city is warmer/cooler? How much more/less? Write one observation statement for each day.
Give the source where s/he gets the temperature readings (newspaper, computer, radio,television, etc.)
WHERE WAS IT MADE
Have your child go on a hunt around the house and find out where things are made. We did a quick activity in class where students looked at the labels on clothing and found out where it was made. We took a survey of the different countries. We also looked at toys, craft supplies, and other objects. We found the “made in__________” label/printing.
This week have your child list 40 items by the country it was made in. Write the name of the item under each country name. Try to use a variety of items, (i.e. not all clothing)
When your child has completed their list, make a chart with tally marks under each country to show how many items s/he found for each country.
Your child can do more than 40 items if s/he would like.
Room 7
February 23, 2007
Friday’s Message:
Bringing in the Lunar New Year and Bread, Too
Aidan’s mom, Luci, came in to help us celebrate the Year of the Pig. She explained that the lunar new year celebrates the coming of Spring and the 1st new moon.
The celebration lasts 15 days and during that time many foods are prepared and eaten because of the symbolic meaning. It’s a time for sweetness, plentifulness, goodness, good health and wealth, togetherness, and more. She had pencils, li see, and stickers for everyone. When she passed out the li see, they did a little bow to show respect.
Aidan then shared his Taiwanese butter bread from Taiwan. He said the kids like this bread and eat it for breakfast before going on the train in the morning. He said he eats this bread as a dessert here, because it’s sweet. We learned that Taiwan is a small island and because there is not a lot of space, they build up (rather than houses). People live in tall buildings, in apartments. Most people don’t have cars, because of the limited space. To get around they rely on public transportation, trains and taxis. There are lots of scooters and one time they saw 4 people on one scooter! And they don’t wear helmets! We learned that there are different laws in different countries. The taxis have seatbelts but people are not required to wear them. Aidan told us he goes to Taiwan every summer with his family to visit his grandparents.
Good Luck and a Good Field Trip
We lucked out! The students wore red, the good luck color, and the rain stayed away so we could play ( and explore and learn). We went to a fortune cookie factory, an herb store, and a fish market. Walking down the streets the students noticed many new year decorations, writing, food, and objects that they were introduced to in the class. As we passed produce stands, they identified the plant parts of the different kinds of vegetables. They saw whole cooked ducks and chickens hanging in deli windows. They saw a whole cooked pig being carried to a festivity, which may have been the BART lunar new year celebration, because there were two there!
The entertainment started off with a lion dance to bring in the new year. It was pretty exciting, especially when they came up really close to our kids (and me)! There was a wide variety of entertainment. Older and young boys and girls amazed us with various marshall art forms. They could jump high into the air; their movements were quick, smooth, and graceful. Sometimes they would use sticks, swords, or ropes with “flags” on the ends. We also listened to senior group sing in Korean, some Chinese instruments, and other Asian music. A first grade class from Fruitvale School recited a poem about firecrackers.
There was also dances with fans and drums.
Hopefully your child told you about some of these things and/or more. They tasted two kinds of cookies on the day of the trip. I had also planned for them to taste some breads, steamed bread (chicken buns/ gai boa) and baked pork buns (char sui boa).
As usual, we ran out of time. ( I didn’t just want them to gobble it up.) So we tasted the breads on Thursday. They had seen the big steaming dim sum pots in the shop window, but I showed them how steaming works. They wrote about the field trip as the buns were reheated.
Thank you to Camila’s, Charles’, Diana’s, Emily’s, Matthew’s, and Marissa’s parents for driving and chaperoning. Dave, Charles, Wendy, Lisa, Bill, and Rebecca we hope you enjoyed the day, too! Thank you again!
Apple Tarts
Last Friday, Mack’s mom and grandma, Karen and Mrs. Mack, came and made apple tarts with the class. They used a tool that cored, peeled, and sliced the apples.
All the students were able to prepare an apple for their individual tart.
Then they rolled out the dough, put the apple in the middle, brought up the edges over the top, and sprinkled it with cinnamon. YUM! What a delicious treat! Thank you for the special project.
Oratorical News
Our Barbara Griffith is a star. She won 1st place in her division at the district level oratorical. Congratulations Barbara!
Star Students
It has been a busy short week. ***Mikayla*** and ***Matthew*** will continue to be the star students a few more days so we can finish up their activities. ***Charles***
will be the star next week.
District Survey
Your child is bringing home a district survey. Please fill out and return.
READING
Read and record in your Reading Log. Please remember to turn in your Reading Log with your homework.
WRITING
Have your child write at least three sentences about a food s/he considers healthy for the body. Tell why it is healthy and how it helps the body.
Then name an unhealthy food and write three sentences about it.
MATH / COMPARING NUMBERS
Your child is bringing home their greater than > and less than < signs.
Working with partners, they first used these signs with the words (white cards) when they were building numbers with base 10 blocks (sticks of ten, cubes of one). The next activity they switched the direction of the symbol (blue card) when they reviewed money. For this activity they showed the amounts with coins, then recorded it on paper. (Your child is bringing home their work.)
This week dictate 40 two digit or three digit numerals. (We’ve been building three digit numbers by taking the number of days we’ve been in school ( i.e. 108 days) and changing/mixing the order of the numerals (i.e. 810). Students build these numbers with base 10 blocks and tell how many ones, tens, hundreds there are.
When you dictate the numerals, make sure you is writing the numeral correctly. Then
cut the numerals apart, mix them up, put them in a pile face down. Take the first two numerals off the top, lay them side by side, with a space between them. Glue them down. Write the greater than or less than symbol that fits the sentence/ (equation).
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Last week they went looking for time, a clock hunt. This week have him/her make a schedule of one of his/her weekend days. (If you don’t get to this assignment this weekend, do it next weekend and turn their schedule in the following Monday.)
Have him/her list what they do and what time of the day they do it. We have been telling time as we do activities in the class. Choose a day for your child to record the many routines and activities they do on Saturday or Sunday. (If you have weekend routines, you can be flexible about the time; the schedule can be more what you do when things/activities go according to plan (If that’ s possible).
Start when they get up to when they go to bed / lights out. Try to include when they eat, help you and/or do chores around the house, places they go, activities they do, go back home, things you do together, getting read for bed, etc.
Your child should write the time and activity. If they want to show the length of time it takes or the time it ends, please encourage her/him.