A rattlesnake will warn animals to stay away! We made our own rattlesnakes today choosing from rice or three types of beans for the sound. Can you hear our warning? Animals use hearing to communicate! Tomorrow we will take a test on our story How Animals Communicate. Can your child tell you examples from our story of hearing, sight, touch, and smell?
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Two firefighters from the Maryville City Fire Department came to see us today! We learned about smoke detectors! Does your house have detectors? Your local fire department will provide and install them for FREE if your house does not have them. If your have detectors, have you replaced your batteries lately? We talked about having a fire safety plan at home just like we do at school. Does your child know how to get out of the house? Do they know where to meet once they exit the house? Talk to your child about what to do at your house if there was a fire. We spent a few minutes on a NEW app called Sparky the Fire Dog's Brain Busters. Your child may want this app downloaded on their personal device too. It has games, academics, and fire safety tips!
This week, we are talking about how animals communicate. They use touch, smell, sight, and hearing. Can your child tell you something from our story about each sense connected to animals? Today, we watch Science Bob show us how to make a chicken sound with only a paperclip, yarn, and a cup! Listen to our chickens! Can we change the sound to be angry or happy? How does an animal's sound change when their mood changes? The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office is conducting its first ever student essay contest! Our goal is to encourage students to be actively engaged citizens by recognizing their important roles as citizens of the great state of Tennessee. The theme of the essay contest will be voting as we are in the middle of one of the most important election cycles. Student winners will receive a TNStars 529 College Savings Program scholarship of $100, $250 or $500 in addition to a trip to the State Capitol. If you would like your child to participate, check out this site http://sos.tn.gov/products/essay-contest for more details. Complete the attached form and submit your child's essay, or send it to school, and I will submit it for you! Grades K-2 Word Count Limit: 50 words accompanied by a drawing. Drawings may not exceed 11” x 17” in size. Words can be incorporated into drawing or attached separately. In 50 words or less, state why it is important to vote. Draw a picture to illustrate.
Join us next Friday, September 30, 2016 for a fun night of games and auction items. The event is FREE admission, but you must buy tickets to play the games. Tickets will be available at the gym and cafe entrances. This is a fun night of face painting, treats, and prizes! My boys always seemed to come home with a collection of 2 liters and sweets! Please check the volunteer sign up sheet outside our classroom to help with this event. Our 1st grade team is offering an auction item for bidding. Each teacher is placing 2 pajama party tickets up for auction. This event will be held December 20, 2016. Parents can have the night out or use it for last minute Christmas shopping. Our students and 1st grade teachers will enjoy pizza, games, books, and more! I am excited to share this event with 2 of my students! Go to the 1st grade hallway to bid on this auction item during the carnival. Maybe your child would like to share this night with a friend? The Princess and the Pea woke up afraid to climb down from her stack of mattresses. Can you design a parachute to rescue her from her royal bed? This team worked together to protect the princess and got her safely down with coffee filters and pipe cleaners. We had 4 successful designs. Coffee filters worked, but so did cupcake liners! We had teams design seat belts and comfy chairs, but the important element was the ability to float and slow down her decent. Sometimes, our goal is to just TRY and not get frustrated!
I love this group of engineers! The three billy goat brothers are tired of arguing with the grouchy troll. Can you design a new bridge to take them to the green, green grass on the other side? Using only straws and paperclips, teams of 4 designed a bridge for the goats to cross the river safely. We tested our bridges and had several goats made it to the green green grass! These 2 teams got ALL three billy goats across their bridge!
This week, we are studying fantasy stories. Gus is a cat who takes a train ride to the zoo. Could this really happen? Fantasy stories could NOT happen in real life. Most fantasies happen in magical places and have animals as characters. Fairy tales are one type of fantasy story. We are solving some fairy tale challenges this week! Goldilocks broke Baby Bear’s chair. She feels really bad about it and wants to apologize by making him a new chair. Can you help her design a chair that is just right? It is hard to build a chair with only aluminum foil and wooden sticks, but we tried to do it with a smile! We had some successful designs!
Thank you to Nicole Wicker, one of our 1st grade moms. She works with New Hope Blount County Children's Advocacy Center. She came to talk with us about feelings and how to express our emotions. She helped us understand that we all experience different emotions and we should talk about our feelings. In her job, she helps children express their feelings and gives them a safe place to talk with an adult. She shared a special book with us by Dr. Seuss called My Many Colored Days. Some days we might feel red and angry. Some days are cool, green and quiet. Other days are happy pink! She helped us make this cool color splash as a reminder of our Many Colored Days.
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Dee Dulin1st grade teacher infusing STEM, PBL, and 1:1 mini-ipads CategoriesArchives
December 2017
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