November 9th

Math seems to be the time that I remember to get my camera out the most. I will try to take more pictures of our literacy and writing time, I promise!

We talked about probability this week. We practiced using the terms certain, possible, and impossible. I read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to the students and we discussed things that happened that were possible and impossible. The students then recorded in their journals some possible and impossible things.

The next day we took a deck of cards with just the 2’s through 10’s and the students took turns pulling cards and discussing if the it was certain that the next card would be higher, possible that it would be higher, or impossible for it to be higher. This is a higher order of thinking so I was very impressed with how the students did!

They also took some colored “beans” and shook and dumped them and recorded if they landed all the same color or different colors. This is where we talked about how it was a higher probability that they would be different, however it was possible to all be red or white.

Recording that the beans landed as different colors

 

We did some work with addition and subtraction concepts this week. For majority students this is an introductory skill; however some were ready to start recording number sentences on whiteboards.

The students started with the growing train game. Starting with no cubes they rolled a dice (with just 1, 2, or 3 on it) and they added that many to their train. This helped them understand that when we add we get more.

The next day we played disappearing train game. The students started with 10 cubes and then rolled the dice and subtracted that many from their rain. This showed that when we subtract we take away.

Great addition sentences!

Adding 3 to the train

Starting a subtraction problem

 

 

 

I did manage to snag 2 pictures from our literacy time and writing.

We have been talking about different types of houses so this week students looked through books to find 6 types of homes. They then drew those homes and labeled them. We have also discussed doing our best work so that anyone that looks at our picture can tell what we drew.

 

 

Stick house, Apartment, Igloo, Farm, Houseboat, Clay house

Apartment, igloo, barn, ?, clay house, houseboat

 

In writing we have been talking about Veteran’s Day. We labeled a big picture of a soldier with characteristics of Veterans. The students came up with: fought for our country, brave, care for people, keep us safe, save people.

The next day the students wrote thank you letters to the Veterans for all that they have done. We finished up by making our own soldiers. They turned out wonderful so check them out when you come to conferences next week!

Thank you for your fighting. Thank you fro the fighter planes.
Thank you for (the) Air Force. Soldiers are nice.