Night and Day

z

Kids In Space!

We've been learning about space (mostly how the sun impacts earth).  We have spent some time watching videos taken on the International Space Station.  Astronaut Chris Hadfield provides a great inspiration.  Check out more of his videos on YouTube.

Reading with Friends

math Night

Interested in learning what goes on in the Butterfly Classroom for math instruction?

Want to know how you can help your child at home in math?

All parents and caregivers are invited:

Math Night

January 23 (Jan . 30, make up date)

5:30-6:00 

Room 13, BWES

Child care is not available.  

Other First Grades will host a Math Night at the same time.  Other grades will host Math Nights on other dates.  

Cold Weather Learning

We made mini-popsicles, using our outdoor stoop as a freezer.

Children made predictions and explored the meanings of the words "freeze, liquid and solid".

Parker:  The word "freeze" means that something doesn't move.

Sophia: A solid stays the same shape.

We also blew bubbles outside.  We wondered if the bubbles would freeze into a solid or stay a liquid.  

Now we are wondering, "Why did the small bubbles in the bowl freeze, but the bubbles we blew stay  as a liquid?"

Math Homework

This is the first week of math homework for the Butterfly Class. 

As with all other homework, math homework will be sent home on the fist day of the week and is due on Friday of each week.

One of our goals in math for first grade is for students to be able to quickly and accurately solve addition and subtraction equations to 18.

Winter Party

Sign up through this link if you want to contribute to our cookie decorating party.  Family and friends are welcome to join us.  The school-wide Sing Along will take place directly after our cookie party.


www.SignUpGenius.com/go/508044DAFAB2BA57-winter

4th Grade Audience

We shared our projects about Long Ago with our 4th Grade Math Buddies.  Phillip made a model of an old bicycle and a toy similar to a yo-yo.

Dreidel

Bryce's mom read to us about the history of the celebration of Hannukah and taught us how to play Dreidel.  We had a blast and learned the difference between none, all and half.

100

We collaborated to make a gigantic 100s board.

Butter!

Hand-churned butter for our bread!

Celebrating Life Long Ago

We harvested from our garden.

We made bread.

School

School long ago (above) and school today (below).

Popcorn and a Movie

PTO treated our class to popcorn and a movie to thank us for bringing in the most Box Tops for Education.  Sometimes it's great to just sit back and relax with friends.

Past and Present

Discoveries about objects from long ago.

Wahoo Wizards

We explored solids, liquids and gas with visiting scientists from UVA.  

Sharing Personal Timelines

Reading Buddies

We love our Reading Buddies from Mr. Capecci's 5th grade class!

Russian Dance and Music

Thanks to our PTO for treating us to a colorful performance of Russian Dance and music.

Fall Festivities

Fall Party Sign Up

Families are welcome to join us at two separate times on Friday.

We will have a simple celebration of fall in our classroom 11:15-11:45 on Friday, October 25.

At 1:30, we will join the entire school on the track for a costume parade.  If you would like to help your child get dressed in their costume, we will begin that process around 1:00 in the classroom.

Children should come to school dressed in regular school clothes.  They will have the opportunity to change into their costumes during our classroom celebration.  Students should bring no weapons, masks or scary items to wear during the parade, even if those items are part of the costume.

All children leaving the school on that day with parents will need to meet in the cafeteria and sign children out before leaving school.

Columbus Day Challenge

Make a sailboat that floats.

A Silent Conversation

We carried on a silent conversation today, sharing what we know about triangles.  We used only our hands to show what we know.

 

Collaborating with 4th Grade

 We collected samples from trees and made leaf and bark rubbings today.  We will use our findings to classify plants as being evergreen or deciduous.  Fourth graders will use the information to identify individual trees.

Roots, stems, leaves and seeds

Birthday Fruit

Roar!  Happy birthday Phillip!

Signs of Fall

We discovered eaten corn cobs on our nature walk.  Butterfly children think that crows or raccoons stole the corn cobs from a neighboring corn field.

Plants Brighten Our Room

Kyndall reads to the flowers.

Symbols

We created symbols that represent us.

Maddie

Andrea

Sarina

Word Problems

We work together to solve word problems during math.

US Symbols

We LOVE the website BrainPop Jr.  

Here is a free video about US Symbols.

BrainPop Jr. Us Symbols

See You Tonight!

Back to School Night is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10. We will begin at 5:30pm in the cafeteria with The State of The School Address. We will concluded at 5:55pm to allow parents time to attend an informational session with their child's teacher. Teachers will host two identical sessions to allow parents with multiple children to visit at least two grade levels. Session 1: 6-6:40 and Session 2: 6:50-7:30. Child care will be provide in the gym.  If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Patriotic Symbols

We are starting to study patriotic symbols.  It is great fun to check out bald eagles by streaming the bald eagle webcam into our classroom.

http://mnbound.com/live-eagle-cam/

We Planted a Garden

Thanks to Brody's mom and Lauren's mom, we planted a small vegetable garden this week.  All children had the chance to get their hands dirty, but we don't have any pictures to prove it!

Working Together

Measuring the circumference of a maple tree's trunk.

Practicing counting backwards.

First Nature Walk

Learning at its best on our first, weekly Nature Walk.

We found, inchworms, cicadas, mushrooms, bark, poison ivy, milk weed, leaves, flowers, moss, lichen, wet grass, a huge spider and the tiny lizard in the video below.

We plan to go an a Nature Walk every Friday.  We will start sometime shortly after 11 and follow the same route every week.

Parents are welcome to join us!

Creating Class Rules

We worked together to create rules for our class:

Be Nice

Be Safe

Use Things the Right Way

Everybody Works and Plays

Squishy! Slimy! Science!

Today we started to learn what it means to be a scientist. 

We asked a question: "What's in the box?"

We made hypotheses: "a mouse, cheese, stink bugs, legos, a cookie"

Then we used our skills of observation to discover what actually was in the box.  Worms!

Then we recorded our observations with video, writing and drawing.

We engaged an audience outside of our classroom by tweeting our original question.

Young Readers

Finding a good spot to work is one of the first steps.

Welcome Butterflies!

Today we practiced reading this classic book.  We used the pictures to tell a story, then read the words.  Later, each child had a chance to act out the story.  They pretended to pop out of an egg, eat too much food and eventually turn in to a colorful butterfly.

Field Day Fun...

and the last days together as the Butterfly Class of 2012-2013. Hearts full of bittersweet emotions.  

Learning With KIndergarteners

Counting by 2s

Learning to skip count is laying a foundation for multiplication.

Field Day!

Friday, June 7

8:30-10:30

Students should bring a towel, change of clothes, athletic shoes, suntan lotion, and a water bottle. 

See the list below for team colors.

Farewell little friends!

We released our newly-hatched butterflies into our school courtyard.