Coding

We have spent some time this week talking about computer programming and coding and I am introducing the class to three different iPad apps that give young children different coding puzzles to try. These give primary students a way to try programming technology in a fun way! The one we learned to use earlier this week is called Kodable, today we will learn to use Daisy the Dinosaur, and after break I plan to show the kids an app called Lightbot (these increase in difficulty in the order I am teaching them to the class). There is another coding app that I know of (but don't have) called Beebot, as well as an hour of code website with different coding games for kids on it. Much of this was part of an national initiative by Hour of Code (last year) to teach children about programming. Check out some of these apps. They are great!

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Snowmen

We decided it was time to get a new art project up on our hall bulletin board so yesterday we made a snowman trio! The direction was to create three different snowmen. They came out wonderfully and are very creative!

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Our AWESOME New Gadget

I love learning new ways to use technology with the first graders (check out the Google Presentations/ISSUU digital books we made on our Chromebooks during our nonfiction research writing unit a couple of posts ago -- that was a fantastic project!) and our class just had the wonderful good fortune of getting to be one of the classes piloting a new interactive projector in our room (and this projector is amazing!). Rather than having a smartboard (which we did have) the interactive projector projects onto a regular dry erase marker board so when the projector is off we have a regular marker board and when the projector is on we have an incredibly versatile and easy to use interactive board through the use of digital pens that interact with the projector. The projector (in conjunction with a mirroring app) also allows us to mirror our iPads, Chromebooks, laptops, desktops, you name it to show what we are doing on the small screens up on the big screen.

We have had the projector for two days so far and we have used it to have two kids at a time model writing spelling words we were practicing (the smartboard only allowed one person to write at time), to highlight facts in a nonfiction text we projected on the board and read, to do an interactive math lesson manipulating the hands on a clock, and to mirror our class Twitter account from an iPad (so that we could tweet on the iPad but have everyone able to see it up on the big screen). Below are a few photos of kids working with the board as described. I can't wait to see what we are able to use it for next! What an amazing tool! Can you tell I am impressed? :)

Valentine's Day!

This afternoon our class had a class friendship celebration for Valentine's Day where we read Valentine's Day Is... by Gail Gibbons, exchanged Valentines, and had a special holiday treat brought into school by Michael! Earlier today students made a Valentine's Day mouse project and wrote a "how-to" explaining the steps they used to make it since we just wrapped up our nonfiction research writing unit and are doing a mini-unit on procedural writing before February break. Below are some photos from today.

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Remember, Voting Day is March 3!

We are coming up on February break in a week and then right afterward (Tuesday, March 3) is voting day! All votes are important so please remember to vote that day. 

One change this year is that all voting will be held at Colchester High School (no longer at the meeting house).

Going out of town for vacation?  Staying in town but want to get your voting done?  Have a son or daughter away at college who could vote?

Vote starting now at the Town Clerk's office between 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday until March 2.

To request an absentee ballot call (802) 264-5520 or email: townclerk@colchestervt.gov. or Fill out this form

Weather and the Water Cycle

Our class has been studying weather as our current science theme unit and we have most recently been learning about clouds and the water cycle. Yesterday, to practice the water cycle, we made water cycle bracelets where students could move colored beads around the bracelet as they sang our water cycle song. We put on a yellow bead to represent the sun, a dark blue bead to represent water being heated by the sun, a clear bead to show evaporation, a white bead to show water condensing into a cloud, and finally a light blue bead to show precipitation from the clouds back into the water below. These bracelets, an explanation of the bracelet, and a copy of our water cycle song went home yesterday and are also pictured below.

Introducing... Our Class' Digital Nonfiction "All About Books"

Our class spent the month of January working on nonfiction research, learning to look up facts, write them in our own words, and turn them into "all about books." Students got together in groups of 2 or 3 to research an animal of interest to them and create Google Presentations which we turned into digital books using the publishing website ISSUU! Below are links to all of the books. Please take a look! We are very proud of all of our hard work and the books came out wonderfully!

Chicks by Nora and Kelsey

Ducks by Colton and Ryan

Mountain Lions by Michael F, Keagan, and Trevor

Opossums by Sawyer, Indie, and Xavier

Scorpions by Mason and Michael D

Sharks by Nathan and Gambit

Tigers by Piper and Payton

Zebras by Amelia, Arena, and Eric

100th Day of School

Thursday was the 100th day of school at UMS! First graders did a rotation between each of the first grade classrooms, doing a different project related to the number 100 in each room! We did lots of fun activities with the number 100 throughout the day such as counting to 100 in all different ways, trying to write 100 words we know, and reading books and a poem about the 100th day in addition to our stations. Below are some photos taken during the different stations!

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