This week I attended the Virginia Association for the Gifted Conference on Monday and Tuesday. Because of my participation in this conference, I was unable to see my first graders this week! I will look forward to seeing them on Monday for some math enrichment!
0 Comments
Understanding Word ProblemsThis week in math we broke down word problems using the Part-Part-Whole model and determined what mathematical expression we would need to solve in order to find the answer to the word problem. We used a program on the iPads (but it is also online) called Thinking Blocks. In this program, students have to start by labeling the parts and the whole. Next they use the clues in the word problem to assign value to each. Finally, students can determine the mathematical expression to solve for the answer, solve, and plug in the final answer to be checked.
Last week we looked at antonyms and this week our focus was on synonyms. After reading a funny story, students then brainstormed synonyms for words they had been given by the teacher. Once they came up with their synonym pair, they illustrated them on a set of socks (since you match socks based on if they are the same). Finally, we applied our knowledge of synonyms to analogies. Next week we will mix synonyms and antonyms and work some more with analogies!
This week we looked at function boxes. We began by exploring function boxes using a special function machine online. This machine took a number in, changed the number in some way, and spit the number back out as a new number. As we dumped numbers into the machine, we charted what they were going in and coming out as in order to find out what rule the function machine was following to change the numbers. Students did a great job figuring this out. Next, we decided the rule the machine would follow and then predicted what a given number would come out as after we put it into the machine. We also challenged ourselves to see if we could figure out what number went into the function machine if we knew what it came out as and what the rule was the machine was following!
To wrap up our activity, students came up with their own rule for the machine (they kept this a secret) and then came up with a list of numbers before they went into the machine and after they came out of the machine. Finally, they created their own function machine. See if you can figure out the rule their function machine is following! This week we did activities with two Dr. Seuss books - The Foot Book and I Wish I Had Duck Feet.
The Foot Book We read the book together, paying close attention to see if we could identify the relationship between many of the words (there were lots of ANTONYMS). After some discussion, we realized that many of the words in the story were opposites. We read the story again and this time identified all of the opposites we could find in the text. Next, students were given their own set of feet. In one foot they wrote a word they had been given, and in the other, they wrote an antonym of that word. They then illustrated their antonym pair. We concluded our lesson by looking at some antonym analogies! I Wish I Had Duck Feet This was such a fun story to read! It is all about a boy who wishes he had different body parts to make his life more fun and exciting (like duck feet, an elephant nose, horns on his head). After ready the story, students were asked to think about something they wished they had as part of them. They drew a picture and wrote sentences to tell what they wished they had and why. Some of their ideas included: laser beam vision - to cook my own food 4 arms - so I could clean up faster mermaid tail - so I could swim as fast as fish There was a lot of creativity in this activity and it also flexed their writing skills! This week in reading, we enjoyed the whimsical story One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss. Not only was it a fun story to read, but also provided us with many wonderful rhyming words, clever characters, and even some tongue twisters. After reading the book together, students then pulled an activity from a "fish tank" to complete with a partner. Activities varied but some examples are: - Create a list of rhyming words from the story. - Create a list of characters from the story. - Select a character from the story and write a completely new story about that character. - Select a character from the story and write five questions you would ask the character if you could meet him. Activities were designed to challenge students creativity and comprehension. This week in math, we worked on creating numbers using a variety of addends. Students were introduced to the "Addend Carnival" where they were given tickets to spend on carnival items. They could purchase a certain number of items, but the trick was, whatever items they purchased had to equal the sum of the tickets they were given. So, for example, if students were given 12 tickets, they had to then purchase 2 items whose sum would equal 12, then three items whose sum would equal 12, etc. As students created their addition sentences, we looked at all of the different ways to make the various sums.
|
Contact MePlease feel free to contact me with questions or comments via the home page. Archives
November 2017
|