3rd Grade Buddies

We met with our third grade buddies today. The third graders showed the first graders how to make a Halloween cat. They did an awesome job showing their younger friends how to make the craft. The buddies also read some of their just right books together. We will get together with our third grade buddies throughout the year. It was a lot of fun!

Four Winds

We had our first Four Winds lesson this week. This month's topic was "Signs of Leaf Eaters". The children learned that all leaves show signs of plant eaters. They looked at different leaves to find damage from leaf eaters and sorted them into similar groups. They looked for a leaf that showed evidence of a leaf-miner, hole-feeder, edge-feeder, leaf-roller, skeletonizer, and leaf-wrinkler. They also learned about ecosystems and food chains. They discussed how different plants and animals are connected and where they get their energy from (sun, plant or meat).  We really appreciate April and Lauren leading this month's lesson!

Our Week in 1st Grade

We started a new informational writing unit this week. First graders are learning how to write teaching books. They are learning how to plan by saying information on their fingers before sketching and writing. 

We used the Chromebooks to make designs using digital pattern blocks. The children printed their designs. Next week another friend will try to recreate the same design using the print out. 

Fire Safety

The Underhill/Jericho firefighters came to Underhill ID School today to talk about fire safety. They discussed how important it is to have working detectors and a fire safety plan for our homes. Please talk with your child about what you would do in case of a fire at your house. All children should know your outside meeting area in the event of a fire. The firefighters also talked about when we call 9-1-1. Please help your child learn your street address. All children are welcome to tour the fire station with families if you are interested. We appreciate the firefighters sharing with us today!

Math Time

We started Unit 2, Making Shapes and Designing Quilts, which is our first geometry unit. This week we described, named, and compared different 2-D shapes. The children practiced covering designs using different pattern blocks without gaps or overlaps. They learned the game "Fill the Hexagon" and discovered many ways to make that 6 sided shape using different blocks. The children also explored with digital pattern blocks. They practiced making designs and shapes using the following site:

http://mathtoybox.com/patblocks3/patblocks3.html#.Vh_lfH6rR1u

Science

Over the course of several weeks we looked at how different organisms grow and change throughout their life cycle. We also discussed what organisms need in order to survive.  We sorted pictures of the butterfly's life cycle together and discussed how the life cycle continues. We completed this unit on Thursday but will revisit it again in the spring when we study plants.

Small Moment Stories

First graders will be finishing the narrative unit this week. They have been working on telling small moment stories with a beginning, middle and end. They learned how to make stories come to life by having the characters move, think, feel and talk. They also used checklists to revise and edit their pieces.