Ms. Soulas' Classroom 2019-2020

Here are some highlights from the week... The first grade readers have been becoming experts on non-fiction topics, and they have been strengthening their reading fluency and comprehension! This week we practiced, "Read, Cover, Remember, Retell," as a strategy to check our understanding as we read. After each page, they cover it and remember what they read from that page. Then they retell it in their own words. If they are able to do all of those things, they are ready to move on to the next page, if they get stuck, they reread! I really encourage you to practice this at home to support your first grader's comprehension. We have integrated our study of rocks with our nonfiction writing. The first graders have been working hard on creating their own rock books. We have completed our Igneous and Sedimentary chapters and we have one left, Metamorphic. We have been developing the structure of our  nonfiction writing: introduction, 3 key details and conclusion. In math, ...

Here are some highlights from the week... The first grade readers have been working hard on their non-fiction reading strategies. They have been practicing: Taking a sneak peek Stopping and studying each page Guessing what might come next Chatting about a page We also spent time discussing the difference between fiction and non-fiction retell. Here is the model that we are using to support our non-fiction comprehension. I encourage you to use this at home when reading nonfiction with your first grader! You can also ask your reader to share what they have learned from their books in class. This is a great way to help students lock information in their brain and become super smart about nonfiction topics :) In math this week we have been    extending students’ kindergarten experiences with direct length comparison to indirect comparison. The length of one object is used to compare the lengths of two other objects.  Longer than and shorter than are taken ...

Here are some highlights from the week... In science, the geologists were introduced to Sedimentary Rocks. We spent time experimenting and testing our sedimentary rocks by putting them in water and using sandpaper to help us understand how they are formed. They also were given a cup of river rocks and different sized screens to sort the rocks by size. They identified pebbles, gravel and sand and after sorting them glued them into their rock journal! Nurse Mitchell from the office came into Room 112 to do a hand washing lesson and demonstration. The kiddos reviewed "when" and "why" we wash our hands and then they got to practice "how" with some glow in the dark goo! Finally, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, w e read a poem that will hopefully continue to spread the message of Martin Luther King Jr. I have also included a picture of it so you can read it together on here! We shared the poem with our 3rd grade buddies and decorated our own crayons to...