Patterns are the big concept in 1st grade and we've been working hard to discover patterns across the curriculum. We've found them in books like Aunt Flossie's Hat and The Z was Zapped, in science as we investigated cicadas, and in math with Exemplars (word problems). After reading Aunt Flossie's Hats students were asked to create a hat covered with pictures and symbols of a favorite memory. This activity helped us observe creative thinking skills and abstract thinking. The Z was Zapped gave students an opportunity to strengthen their creative, critical, and logical thinking.
This week we are reading about Spookly a square pumpkin who saves the day, followed up by a math exemplar requiring students to solve an open ended math problem with pictures (or symbols), numbers and words. It is always gratifying to hear the children discuss how what is on the inside of people is what is important, not what makes us seem different on the outside. The math exemplar asked students to figure out how many eyes, noses, and teeth pumpkins they "carve" have. Students decided how many pumpkins they wanted to draw and decorate before answering the question. Students more comfortable with numbers drew more pumpkins than other students. |