First Grade Students Engaged And Excited About Math! It Was A Happy Math Week!!

Mrs. B's class is counting the jewels to make sure we have the correct amount.

Ms. Abel holding the jewels with Ms. Kris!!

This week the first graders were engaged in mathematics through storytelling.  Everyone loves a story so this was a great way to motivate the students to play around MATH!! We created math stories where the students had to act out word problems.  The first graders were investigating, using logic, problem solving, and working cooperatively.  They practiced math operations and applied math to real-world situations.  Some students struggle with word problems because they have to wade through the text to find data before solving.  Storytelling is a fun and most useful way to reinforce concepts previously or currently being learned in math.  We believe the students came away with a better understanding of how to solve word problems!!! It was magical to see!!

The Queen and her clowns!!

Mrs. Steinmeyer's cute clowns!

How To...

The first graders have continued to practice "How To" writing. With Miss Kris, we practice putting steps in sequential order using props and pantomime to visualize each step. The first graders are writing their very own "How To" books during Writer's Workshop. Transition words and sequencing that we have practiced with Miss Kris are being used in their own writing, how exciting!

Students in Mrs. Steinmeyer's room
practice "Answering the Phone."

Students in Mrs. B's room practice
"Setting the Table."

Students from Mrs. B.'s room practice "Setting the Table."

Students from Ms. Abel's room "Walking the Dog."

Students from Mrs. B's room "Walking the Dog."

How To Roast a Hot Dog and so Much More!

The first graders have been working very hard on learning to write "How To" stories. A big part of telling 'How To" stories is working in sequential order and telling the steps. Ms. Kris was able to help our first graders visualize steps using: numbers, props, and pantomime. Students were able to tell a variety of "How To" stories, but one of the all time favorites was How to Roast a Hot Dog. Earlier in the week the first graders began to discover the steps in roasting a hot dog. As the week continued the students worked on shared writing and their own individual writing for roasting a hot dog. Our week ended with all three first grade teachers surprising the students on Friday afternoon with a hot dog "roasting" party and snake story from Ms. Kris! Check out some pictures from our fun Friday afternoon!

First Graders Are Tackling "TRICKY" Words!

First Graders had a wonderful week with Miss Kris tackling tricky words using characters from the story "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  We have been working on strategies we can use to help our reading to be more accurate and fluent.  This was a fun interactive way for students to act out how to tackle tricky words.  Miss Kris had asked some students to portray Goldilocks, Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear from the story, and then asked the characters, "What do you do when you come to a tricky word?"  Miss Kris covered up some words and our friends from the story had to look at the picture to help figure out the word.  Not always does the picture give us a clue.

Goldilocks is working with Miss Kris on tackling a tricky word in Mrs. B's. class!!  All three classes had a BLAST acting out Goldilocks and The Three Bears!  They are Rock Stars!!

Here are some of the strategies we learned this week:

• I can look at the pictures and use clues to figure out 
• words. 
• I can sound it out. 
• I can look for word parts I know. 
• I can look close at the letters and sounds in a word and stretch and sound it out. 
• I can try it two ways. 
• I can skip the word and read the whole sentence then I go back and think about a word that fits. Does it make sense?
• NEVER LET THE WORD WIN!
  
  Mrs. Steinmeyers's class is pointing out the tricky words.                                                                              Ms. Abel's class is looking at all the      
                                                                                         parts.

Story Theater in First Grade!

One goal in first grade is to retell a story. This week, first grade students had the opportunity to retell the story, Little Red Riding Hood, through story theater!

In story theater, a narrator tells the story and characters repeat the narrator for speaking parts . Miss Kris and all three classroom teachers took turns being the narrator. The first graders took turns being characters from Little Red Riding Hood. Some students got to wear costumes and others used puppets.

By the end of the week, the first graders were EXPERTS at retelling Little Red Riding Hood through story theater!!

C.A.R.E.S.

Did you know that C.A.R.E.S. stands for character traits that our first grade students are working on to become kind and caring individuals?

C.A.R.E.S. stands for:
C: Cooperation
A: Assertion
R: Responsibility
E: Empathy
S: Self-Control

Ms. Kris has been coming in and sharing stories each week that coincide with one of our C.A.R.E.S. letters! Students have been engaging in stories that are teaching them to be brave, speak up, listen, and try their best. Students are getting their first taste of storytelling and are looking forward to all this year will bring!

 
Ms. Kris and Ms. Abel storytelling together!


Ms. Kris engaging Mrs. B's students during her story!


 Mrs. Steinmeyer's friends are leaning in closely to Ms. Kris and her storytelling wonders!

AIM Summer Academy 2016

We are so excited to be starting our first year with Arts Integration Menomonie! This summer, first grade teachers spent 3 days at the Mabel Tainter learning all about co-teaching and integrating various art forms into our classrooms. 

Our first teaching artist is Kris Winter. Kris has been a teacher, writer, and professional storyteller for more than twenty-five years. We are all very excited to welcome Miss Kris into our classrooms and share her love of storytelling with all of our first grade friends. 

 Here is a picture of the AIM board members, teacher artist, and classroom teachers!

Mrs. Steinmeyer, Mrs. B., and Ms. Abel along with teaching artist Kris Winter