Pumpkin Mania

In Friday we used a pumpkin to combine our Math and Writers Workshops. Students first had to make a good estimate of how many seeds they thought would be in the pumpkin based on the color and number of lines (the darker the pumpkin and the more lines, the more seeds it will have). We then began to carve the pumpkin. Mrs. Roberts carved the pumpkin while the rest of us recorded the steps in our seed journals.

Step 1: Cut out a circle at the top with a knife.

Step 2: Remove all the seeds from the pumpkin with a scooper or spoon.

Step 3: Draw and Carve out a face or design with your knife.
Step 4: Place a candle in the pumpkin and put the top back on your pumpkin.

After we had completed the pumpkin carving process, students decided that the most efficient way to count the seeds would be to place them in groups of 10s. Students were very surprised when they discovered that our small pumpkin held 481 seeds!!

Warning: Great Writing!

We're cooking up some great procedural writing in Writer's Workshop this week! Students have chosen topics that they know alot about in order to teach someone else. They have not only written the steps in order to accomplish the task but have included tips readers may need to know! Stay tuned for some published work from our cooks!

Open House Video

If you were unable to attend Open House, you can still view the movie the students created of their day...

Published!

We concluded our Narrative writing unit by publishing our pieces we have been working on. Students will publish their work at the end of each writing unit to learn how real authors go through the publishing process (proofreading, editing, and publishing). Above and below are some examples of student work.

Sight Word Sundaes

Sight Word Lists

Click on the sight word lists above to access the 10 second grade sight word lists! Your child will be tested in order starting on the first list. Once they read all 1000 words, they will earn an ice cream party! We have been practicing these during our Skills Block in the morning and they are able to look at these lists during any down time in the classroom.

The Dish on Soil...

As part of our science unit on rocks and soil, we did a science lab to see if there are different types of soil. We started with the essential question: Are there different types of soil? Students then recorded their hypothesis. After materials were gathered, students observed soil types 1, 2, and 3. They recorded their data on the worksheet below.

Based on the data collected, students concluded that there were different types of soil. Some reasons students gave were that "each soil grows different plants," "the soils look different," and "the different soils are found in different places."

We will be concluding our unit on soil and rocks and beginning a new unit on the life cycle of beans this week.