The last two weeks have been busy for first grade! All first grade classes started Project Success this week! This is a program where students learn and practice skills for success such as auditory and visual focus and memory, analytical thinking, creative/inventive thinking, analogies, and deductive reasoning. We started this week talking about PERSEVERANCE. Students were given a very challenging maze. As soon as they saw it, they said things like - "Whoa!!" "I can't do this." "I'll never get through this." and "This is hard." After a few minutes, students turned over the mazes and we talked about the language that was used. Next students were introduced to the word "perseverance." They were asked to brainstorm other words or phrases that could mean the same - never give up, don't quit, do your best, and add the word YET! Finally, students were introduced to an "effort rubric" which serves as a reminder to students to always persevere and give their best effort in order to grow their brains!
During other service times, first graders in Mrs. Dickinson's class continued to challenge their thinking to grow their brains with some Keva block building activities. Students were given a handful of blocks and asked to build the tallest tower they could in three minutes. Each time they went to build a tower, the criteria for the tower changed. Students had to build the tallest tower with the blocks only sitting on certain sides/faces, or with a certain number of blocks as the base. Students were asked reflection questions that made them think about their strategies for building and ponder what made their tower a success or not.
During other service times, first graders in Mrs. Dickinson's class continued to challenge their thinking to grow their brains with some Keva block building activities. Students were given a handful of blocks and asked to build the tallest tower they could in three minutes. Each time they went to build a tower, the criteria for the tower changed. Students had to build the tallest tower with the blocks only sitting on certain sides/faces, or with a certain number of blocks as the base. Students were asked reflection questions that made them think about their strategies for building and ponder what made their tower a success or not.
This week for language arts enrichment, we read the classic, The Cat in the Hat. Students practiced retelling the story including the beginning, middle, and end, analyzed the feelings of the characters throughout the story, and then finally reflected on why we have rules. Students expressed that we need rules for the following reasons:
1. To keep us safe.
2. To prevent chaos (or craziness).
3. To help us be respectful.
4. To help us be responsible.
Once students identified why we have rules, they were charged with the task of developing some rules for The Cat in the Hat, if the Cat came to their house. After some independent and group brainstorming, a master list of rules was made. Next week, we will review our rules for The Cat in the Hat and determine which 4 rules are the best based on the criteria of why we have rules. Students will also be reviewing character traits, and writing about which of two characters from the story they think they are most like.
1. To keep us safe.
2. To prevent chaos (or craziness).
3. To help us be respectful.
4. To help us be responsible.
Once students identified why we have rules, they were charged with the task of developing some rules for The Cat in the Hat, if the Cat came to their house. After some independent and group brainstorming, a master list of rules was made. Next week, we will review our rules for The Cat in the Hat and determine which 4 rules are the best based on the criteria of why we have rules. Students will also be reviewing character traits, and writing about which of two characters from the story they think they are most like.