Inquiry
Systems: We continue to learn about systems around the school. We will create a scavenger hunt for the first grade, collecting images from around the school and writing clues. We will also look at garbage, recycling and compost. We will examine the waste produced by Alta Vista, digging through recycling bins in order to better understand the system of waste management. Our efforts will culminate in an awareness-building project for the school.
Math
Place Value: We continue to read and write numbers in various forms as we build on our understanding of place value. We will look at Roman Numerals and abacuses to see how other cultures have represented numbers, comparing them to our Hindu-Arabic system. We will also use blocks and cards to show our understanding of larger and larger numbers.
Reading
I am a Reader: We will continue to discuss how we choose books. This week’s guiding question is, “Do you have a favorite genre?” We will suggest books to each other, and develop a wish list based on each other’s recommendations. The Magical Minds will receive notebooks where they can keep track of the books they have read and want to read. Finally, we will create genre posters to keep track of our preferred genres.
Writing
Autobiographies: For the first two weeks of school, we’ve been writing about our lives – from camping trips, to dancing in Greece, to calm weekends playing games with our families, we’ve found wonderful things to write about! In the week ahead, we’ll continue to explore this theme, creating multimedia autobiographies
Homework
Monday
As part of Writer’s Workshop, we have “inspiration pouches” where we collect objects and ideas that inspire us. This can range from vacation postcards, to photos of people we love, to tiny relics that motivate us to think of stories (sticks from a beautiful park, teeny statues of animals we love, etc.)
· Tonight, find something for your inspiration pouch. Write a story that is inspired by that object. Bring both the object and the written/drawn story in for sharing!
Tuesday
Playing Cards: Set aside time to play for at least 15 minutes.
· Play Three-Card Match Up.
o Use the homework sheet to record one of your hands. Explain why you think one number is larger than another.
o If you are ready for a challenge, combine two decks of cards and play Four-Card Match Up, and compare numbers into the thousands.
Wednesday
Reading Party: Carve out a moment when everyone can grab a book and settle down for at least 20 minutes of reading. Brew some tea, play some soft music, turn off the phone, and just read. Read together, read on your own, talk about your books and laugh together.
· Question of the Week: “Would you recommend this book? To whom and why?”
Thursday
Preparing for the Zoo: On Friday Alta Vista’s students will go to the zoo for a day. To help the Magical Minds prepare for a day of learning, they will “think like a scientist” and write questions and predictions related to the zoo.
· Write three questions you have about the zoo, its animals and/or its systems (try to pick questions that could be answered during our field trip to the zoo.
· Write three predictions about what you expect to learn/see at the zoo.
Current Events Schedule
Monday - Enzio
Tuesday - Kaya
Wednesday – William
Learn more about what makes an excellent Current Events presentation on the classroom website.
Announcements Next week marks the first Alta Vista Adventures of the year! We are excited to take our learning out into the local community, to expand our skills of perception and increase our knowledge of the world around us.
On Thursday we will walk to the Mission Science Workshop, where the emphasis is on learning from observation and direct experience. Students will be introduced (reintroduced or review for 1st and 2nd) to what it means to be a scientist and be guided through an experiment using the scientific method. After this facilitated activity, students will have the chance to explore the workshop on their own. The workshop, which is known as a kind of "neighborhood Exploratorium" includes all sorts of wonderful hands-on elements from microscopes and thermometers to animal bones, plants and multi-media building projects. Other investigations include pendulums, electric and mechanical toys, musical instruments, balances, and apparatuses which explore light, sound and color.
The Mission Science Workshop is also open every second Saturday from 10-3. This is a free, open workshop time where families can explore the wonderful exhibits together.
Friday we will head out the SF Zoo, as we don our scientist caps and practice some of the elements of the scientific method we learned at the workshop. Students will have a chance to participate in science, math, literacy and community building activities related to classroom content while exploring the Zoo. Please send your child to school with a packed lunch and, if possible, we ask that it be a lightweight, disposable lunch (meaning paper bag, disposable utensils, and plastic baggies as opposed to bulky lunch boxes and thermos containers), which helps teachers tremendously in the transportation of lunches during field trips. Thank you!
Systems: We continue to learn about systems around the school. We will create a scavenger hunt for the first grade, collecting images from around the school and writing clues. We will also look at garbage, recycling and compost. We will examine the waste produced by Alta Vista, digging through recycling bins in order to better understand the system of waste management. Our efforts will culminate in an awareness-building project for the school.
Math
Place Value: We continue to read and write numbers in various forms as we build on our understanding of place value. We will look at Roman Numerals and abacuses to see how other cultures have represented numbers, comparing them to our Hindu-Arabic system. We will also use blocks and cards to show our understanding of larger and larger numbers.
Reading
I am a Reader: We will continue to discuss how we choose books. This week’s guiding question is, “Do you have a favorite genre?” We will suggest books to each other, and develop a wish list based on each other’s recommendations. The Magical Minds will receive notebooks where they can keep track of the books they have read and want to read. Finally, we will create genre posters to keep track of our preferred genres.
Writing
Autobiographies: For the first two weeks of school, we’ve been writing about our lives – from camping trips, to dancing in Greece, to calm weekends playing games with our families, we’ve found wonderful things to write about! In the week ahead, we’ll continue to explore this theme, creating multimedia autobiographies
Homework
Monday
As part of Writer’s Workshop, we have “inspiration pouches” where we collect objects and ideas that inspire us. This can range from vacation postcards, to photos of people we love, to tiny relics that motivate us to think of stories (sticks from a beautiful park, teeny statues of animals we love, etc.)
· Tonight, find something for your inspiration pouch. Write a story that is inspired by that object. Bring both the object and the written/drawn story in for sharing!
Tuesday
Playing Cards: Set aside time to play for at least 15 minutes.
· Play Three-Card Match Up.
o Use the homework sheet to record one of your hands. Explain why you think one number is larger than another.
o If you are ready for a challenge, combine two decks of cards and play Four-Card Match Up, and compare numbers into the thousands.
Wednesday
Reading Party: Carve out a moment when everyone can grab a book and settle down for at least 20 minutes of reading. Brew some tea, play some soft music, turn off the phone, and just read. Read together, read on your own, talk about your books and laugh together.
· Question of the Week: “Would you recommend this book? To whom and why?”
Thursday
Preparing for the Zoo: On Friday Alta Vista’s students will go to the zoo for a day. To help the Magical Minds prepare for a day of learning, they will “think like a scientist” and write questions and predictions related to the zoo.
· Write three questions you have about the zoo, its animals and/or its systems (try to pick questions that could be answered during our field trip to the zoo.
· Write three predictions about what you expect to learn/see at the zoo.
Current Events Schedule
Monday - Enzio
Tuesday - Kaya
Wednesday – William
Learn more about what makes an excellent Current Events presentation on the classroom website.
Announcements Next week marks the first Alta Vista Adventures of the year! We are excited to take our learning out into the local community, to expand our skills of perception and increase our knowledge of the world around us.
On Thursday we will walk to the Mission Science Workshop, where the emphasis is on learning from observation and direct experience. Students will be introduced (reintroduced or review for 1st and 2nd) to what it means to be a scientist and be guided through an experiment using the scientific method. After this facilitated activity, students will have the chance to explore the workshop on their own. The workshop, which is known as a kind of "neighborhood Exploratorium" includes all sorts of wonderful hands-on elements from microscopes and thermometers to animal bones, plants and multi-media building projects. Other investigations include pendulums, electric and mechanical toys, musical instruments, balances, and apparatuses which explore light, sound and color.
The Mission Science Workshop is also open every second Saturday from 10-3. This is a free, open workshop time where families can explore the wonderful exhibits together.
Friday we will head out the SF Zoo, as we don our scientist caps and practice some of the elements of the scientific method we learned at the workshop. Students will have a chance to participate in science, math, literacy and community building activities related to classroom content while exploring the Zoo. Please send your child to school with a packed lunch and, if possible, we ask that it be a lightweight, disposable lunch (meaning paper bag, disposable utensils, and plastic baggies as opposed to bulky lunch boxes and thermos containers), which helps teachers tremendously in the transportation of lunches during field trips. Thank you!