Nonfiction Text Features

 Students in 1S are learning to read non-fiction.  We are learning about many of the special features in nonfiction text. 

Students are learning about text features like Table of Contents, Headings, Captions, Photographs, Labels, Index, Glossary, and Close-Ups.   

Students learned a great deal when completing a scavenger hunt of non-fiction text features. 

All of this learning in Reader's Workshop will help us as we begin to write non-fiction text.  We have started writing Non-Fiction How To Stories, and we will soon move on to All About Books during Writer's Workshop.  These are both fun and informative reading and writing units in first grade! 

Personal Narrative Author's Celebration

 Earlier this month, we culminated our Personal Narrative writing unit. We had a great time gathering and sharing our favorite narrative.

At the beginning of this writing unit, students created an Author's Inspiration collage to spur ideas for personal narratives.

Students included these collages in their Writer's Workshop folder. 

Students shared their writing in small groups for our Author's Celebration, but they were able to share in the class Author Chair throughout the writing unit.  Author's Chair is a highlight of our day.  It is so great to be able to be both a writer and a listener of stories.

Math Story Problems on the Playground

Students created math word problems to act out on the O.B. playground. 

Two kids were playing on the monkey bars. 

Seven kids joined them.  

How many kids were playing on the monkey bars in all?

Four kids were playing on the up-slide.  

Two kids came down. 

How many kids were playing on the slide?

Three people were on the monkey bars.  

Then, four more kids got on the monkey bars.  

How many kids are on the monkey bars now? 

Two kids were playing on the monkey bars.  

Five kids were waiting to get on the monkey bars. 

How many kids will play on the monkey bars?

One kid was playing on the Infinity Circle.  

Three kids joined him.  

How many kids are playing on the Infinity Circle in all?

In the classroom, students had to create a number bond to match the word problem as well as an equation.  We had a great time developing and acting out our story problems. 

Tech Lessons

Students learned how to use two apps on the I-pad while learning Internet Safety with Mrs. Brown. 

The first app is called Yakit Kids.  Students created Internet Safety commercials for our class.  Students took a picture of online safety tip that they wrote, chose a moving mouth, and then recorded themselves giving the safety tip.  The students had so much fun creating these videos and using this app!  

The second app is called Pic Collage.  Students made a digital footprint by literally taking off their shoe and photographing the bottom of it.  This footprint became the outline.  They filled the rest of the footprint with good things that they want people to know about them--making the connection that students should leave a positive digital footprint on the Internet.

 

Pic Collage and Yakit Kids are available on iTunes.

The students had a great time learning to use these apps!