Snowflake Bentley

http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/

Here's hoping that if we start reading about Snowflake Bentley, snow will come!  Visit this website and you can start exploring how to make your own 6 point snowflake.  This week will be cutting our own snowflakes, writing snow stories, snow poems and so much more.  Maybe if we can make it snow!
   
        

Adios

It's been a great year! I really enjoyed working with your students! I look forward to keep in contact with you and your students as they grow to become successful here at Silver Mesa. I'll be right where I was this year if you ever want to stop by and say hello! I will miss Mrs. Day as well. She has been a great help and great partner to me! Also, thank you for all lovely gifts and warm wishes with my little angel Elizha. She has grown so much already! Have a fun, happy summer! We'll see you again next year!

Goodbye

This year has been amazing! Each of your students' have made so much progress! As many of you know I will not be returning next year. I am going to take some time off to spend with my daughter and help with my dad. I am very excited and nervous all at once. It is a very bittersweet decision-- I love my job, I love your children and I love the wonderful teachers I work with, but it seems like the right time to leave. Each year on the last day of school, I give each student a postcard with my address on it. I tell them that if they write me during the summer I will always write them back. I have students who are in 4th grade still sending me letters, announcements, award ceremony announcements, family news, Christmas cards and I love it! So if your child wants a Pen Pal they will have one. I won't have access to my school email anymore, but if you need to contact me for anything just email me at natpiliday@gmail.com. We will keep the blog up during the summer just in case your child uses the links on the blog. I can't wait to read what fun things your child is doing during the summer!

Summer Math Practice

Our district EBL department has made math workbooks available for purchase. These math books will help students keep up on their math skills throughout the summer. They are a pretty reasonable price and will ship to your house. They also are the exact program that we use in school.

Canyons School District
Elementary Summer Math Practice: A Resource for Parents and Students
Grade 1 Review: isbn10: 0328341746 price: $7.47 plus shipping

EnVision Math Interactive Student Workbooks Review of Grades 1-6
ORDER ONLINE by following the hyperlinks above, or go to: pearsonschool.com, and search for Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley enVisionMATH ©2011


***We apologize for the inconvenience. You will need to call the Pearson Customer Support number at 1-800-552-2259 to place the order online***

Field Day

I am so sorry about the mix-up of field day. On our first grade notes some of the dates had June 2 and some had June 3rd. Our sweet room mom's are planning on June 2nd and have reserved the park for that day. We will be leaving the school around 9:15. Then we will walk to the park (Flat Iron Park) play some fun activities and then return to the school around 11:45. If you volunteered to come on the field trip and can't because of my mix up of dates, don't worry, we have many parent volunteers who want to come and can fill in last minute. Sorry about the mix-up!

Important

**Important**

Here is a schedule of the last few days of school

Thursday June 2 – Field Day (we had a mix up of dates, but our park is reserved for the 2nd of June. We will be leaving the school around 9:15. If you can’t volunteer because of the date change, email me and we can make arrangements, we have had many requests to go on the trip)

Friday June 3 – After lunch for our mystery motivator (good behavior) if your student has earned it they will be having Toy Day. Bring any toy from home to play with. Portfolios will also be coming home this day.

Monday June 6 – Game Day in Mrs. Day’s room. Bring board games to play and share with your friends. We will have a special Show & Tell and visit and play with our friends.

Wednesday June 8 – Last Day of School

Bonanza Gold Mine Books

All Bonanza Gold Mine books are due tomorrow (Friday). You can continue to send reading slips each day and read books you have at home. Don't forget to send slips, there are many students still trying to get to the Bonanza Gold Mine. I will accept slips through next Friday, June 3.

Last Book Order

Each year at the end of the year parents ask me what they can do to help their children over the summer, the best thing is READ! Read fiction, non-fiction, chapter books, pictures, ANYTHING! Ask your children about what they read and have discussions about the topics in the books. So I have made available the last book order. There are Spanish books, picture books, activity books and chapter books. I also put the 2/3 grade catalog on there because they had a few more selections on chapter books.

Orders are due May 20! Thanks!

Jog-a-Thon

Jog-a-thon pledge envelopes are due Monday. Please help raise money for new technology in our classrooms. 100% of the money raised goes directly into raising money for SMART board technology in our classrooms. The Jog-a-thon will be next Friday. If you have any questions about the field trip email me. Thanks for your continued support of our school!

Thank You! Thank You!

Thank you to our room moms, Mrs. Osborn, Mrs. Arbon, Mrs. Newell, Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Andrews for helping decorate our doors. We love the yummy treats and the sweet notes the children left. We really appreciate all the work that these ladies do for our class parties, projects and field trips.

May Math Box Homework

In May we will be practicing addition and subtraction facts to 18, adding 3 numbers, and reviewing addition and subtraction of 2 digit numbers. We will also review a lot of concepts we learned this year. You may review any math activities that you liked a lot from any previous month. Remember, you can make these activities easier or harder for your child’s needs.
1. Skip count by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s, 6’s, 7’s, 8’s, and 10’s. Look at the HUNDREDS BOARD if you forget.
2. Most CALCULATORS have a repeat function for skip counting. Practice using a calculator.
3. Drop a BEAN on the HUNDREDS BOARD. Say if the number is odd or even. Do it 20 times. Say all the odd numbers to 100 on the board.
4. Use 2 sets of NUMBER CARDS 0-5. Spread them upside down and choose 2 cards to make a 2 digit number. Next choose two more cards and place them under the other one. Add the ones column first and then the tens column. Practice several times.
5. Doubles are easy to remember: (2+2, 4+4, etc.) Practice several “doubles plus one” facts on the CHALKBOARD: 2+3, 4+5, etc.
6. Play concentration with ADDITION FACTS CARDS TO 18.
7. Use the ADDITION FACTS CARDS TO 18 and the PATTERN BLOCK SHAPES. Draw a fact card (Ex: 6+8). Then choose two colors of pattern blocks like 6 reds and 8 greens for example. Make a design on the table with those blocks. Count them all. Try several different designs and facts.
8. Count out 13 BUTTONS and divide them into three piles. On the CHALKBOARD, write the equation (3+6+4=13 for example).
9. Using the CLAY, cut it into two equal pieces. Roll it into two balls. Do they look the same size? Put it together and cut into 3 pieces or 4 pieces and repeat.
10. Listen to a show on TV. Every time someone says the word “the” put a toothpick on the table for a tally mark. When you get to the fifth toothpick, lay it across the first four toothpicks to make a slash. Count by 5’s to get the total.
11. Take a survey of your family’s favorite ice cream flavors. Call up three more friends and ask them. Make a graph to show your findings.
12. Take an inventory of things in your house: doors, windows, sinks, pets, people, lights, and chairs. Make a graph.
13. Take a walk down your street with your mom or dad. Starting at your house, count the first, then second, third, until you get to the twentieth house. Could you say all the ordinal numbers correctly?
14. Write about your favorite math activity this year. Describe it well, sthat we would know which one it was. Read it for show and tell.
15. Find three family photos that have 1-6 people in each of them. Count the people in the first photo and write that number on your CHALKBOARD. Write the next number and the next number and then add them together.
16. Draw a picture of a tree with 18 leaves on it, a sky with eighteen snowflakes and a cheetah with 18 spots. Draw a DIGIT CARD for each of these scenes. Take away that many objects by putting a BUTTON to cover the objects.
17. Play digit place. Choose a number and write it on the CHALKBOARD so your mom or dad can’t see. They guess a 2 digit number (no doubles) and you write in the columns how many digits are correct and if they are in the write place (tens or ones). Continue play until they guess your number. Play it three times.
18. Practice adding 3 numbers! Like 2+4+3=9! Try to figure out the fastest and easiest way to solve an addition sentence with more than two numbers!
19. Decide on something you might want to graph (different types of flowers in your garden, colors of your clothes, how many bath room doors/bed room doors/or other doors you have). You can make a Pictograph (pictografía) bar graph (grafíca de barras) or tally marks (marcas de conteo).
20. Fun Addition. Add a two digit number (11-99) with a one digit number (0-9) and see if you can solve it. Make sure you check with your parents or siblings to see if it’s correct!

Discvoery Gateway

This Thursday we will be going to Discovery Gateway. If you signed up to bring a lunch from home please bring it in a disposable sack because food is not allowed back on the bus. We will be leaving the school at 9:20. Volunteers need to be here at 9:00. We will going to Discovery Gateway and then having lunch at Liberty Park after. Then we will return to the school. We are looking forward to a fun day!

Picture Day Wednesday

Tomorrow is the day for spring pictures. The money must be brought to school the day of pictures. You can't pay for them after. Not everyone will be taking their pictures, only those students who bring their money.

Mother's Day Celebration

Dear Moms,

You are invited to a night to celebrate you! (dad's may come too). We are having an open house to showcase some the projects that we have made for you. Please join us on May 5th at 4:30pm. Please bring your student with you so they can give you a special gift. See you all there!

April Math Box Homework

Geometry is the part of mathematics that deals with shapes, space and symmetry. The children need to recognize, name and describe various simple shapes, and have lots of hands-on experience with them. Symmetry is when a two-dimensional shape is folded or marked so there are two equal parts, or divided in half. For Fractions in first grade, we will study, halves and fourths.
1. Help make sandwiches for lunch. Keep one sandwich whole. Say the shape. Cut one in half. Say the shapes. Cut one in fourths.
2. Roll out the CLAY with a rolling pin and cut out some shapes.
3. Using the CLAY make a sphere, a cube, a cone, and a cylinder.
4. Put examples of some 3-dimensional items in a large paper bag. Reach in and feel the shape without looking. See if you can identify it using the words: sphere, cone, cylinder, cube or box.
5. Using the ATTRIBUTE SHAPES, make a simple picture using the shapes. Trace the shapes on a pper and color it.
6. Get the PATTERN BLOCK SHAPES, TANGRAM, AND PENTOMINOES out and keep them in three separate places on the table. See if you can make three squares (one from each set) using at least three or more pieces. Make three rectangles. Can you make triangles from each set?
7. If you have some paint, make a splotch on one side of a folded paper. Quickly, fold the paper over the paint and rub it. Open to see the symmetrical design that you made. What does it look like? Write a story about it.
8. Fold a paper and cut out a design from the folded side. Open it up to see the symmetry.
9. Go for a symmetry walk outside with a paper and a pencil. Draw pictures of leaves, flowers, windows, etc. that show symmetry. Imagine a line through half of the object. Is it the same on both sides?
10. Ask permission to buy a Hershey bar, a bag of M&Ms and a long rope of licorice or something that could be divided easily. Have several coins to pay for it. Try to count out the money to the clerk, using the larger coins first. Have a little sharing party at home. How could you share the Hershey Bar with 2, 3, 4, or 6 friends? Share the M&Ms by dividing equally, and cut the licorice rope into equal parts for 2 or 4 people.
11. Make a shape concentration game. On 12 index cards or papers draw 2 circles, 2 squares, 2 rectangles, 2 hexagons, and 2 parallelograms. Label with the name underneath. Lay all the cards face down in a random order. Take turns picking two cards. If they are a match, keep the cards and you get another turn. The one with the most cards at the end is the winner.
12. Draw a picture using only geometric shapes. When it’s finished, identify each shape.
13. Make a cone that can be worn as a party hat. Cut a large half circle and overlap the corners and tape the seam.
14. Fold a paper in half and cut a butterfly wing so that when you open it, it will be a symmetrical shape. Use the ATTRIBUTE SHAPES to decorate the wings. Remember to make a symmetrical design. (Don’t glue the shapes, just arrange them).
15. Roll the CLAY into a long snake. Cut in half. Now cut each half in half. How many equal pieces do you have? Cut each of the fourths into halves. How many equal pieces now?
16. Using the yellow hexagon in the PATTERN BLOCKS bag, what two pieces would show the halves of the hexagon? What 3 pieces would show thirds? What six pieces would show sixths? Write the fractions on the CHALKBOARD as you build the pattern blocks on top of the hexagon.

Yogurt Cups

We are starting our plant unit this week. We are in need of empty, washed out yogurt cups for our grass buddies we will be growing. If you have any at home please send them to school. Thanks!

Math Games

Here is a list of great Math Games for students.

http://aaamath.com/
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/mapper/default.htm
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/math1.htm
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/lets_compare/
http://fun4thebrain.com/addition/coneCrazyAdd.html
http://www.funbrain.com/fractop/index.html
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/Tunnel/add.htm
http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-number-twins/index.html
http://www.vickiblackwell.com/math.html
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/bargraphs/bargraphs.html
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/apples/savetheApples.htm
http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/algebra/algebra.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/math2.htm

Hope these could serve as extra practice!!!

Enjoy!

Shawn O'Casey

We have had a special guest come to Silver Mesa! He is tiny, green and leaves little treats for good girls and boys. Shawn O'Casey is doing sneaky things around our school! We are writing stories about him also! Don't forget to wear green on Thursday.

March Math Box Homework

We are studying Measurement and Time. When adults think of measurement, we think of rulers, measuring cups, etc. Young children first deal in comparisons. They measure with nonstandard measurements like hands and pencils, and move onto standard units of measurement of length, area, volume, weight, time and temperature. They need lots of hands-on experiences with measurement to understand. In first grade, we learn o’clock.

1. Next time your parents take you to the grocery store, go to the produce section and find a scale. Estimate how much a head of lettuce (or something else) might weigh to the nearest pound. Then weigh it to check your estimate. Now try a few other items in the scale. (Be sure to be polite if someone else needs to use the scale).

2. Pick out 10 cans, bottles or boxes of food at home. Have your parents help you read how much each one weighs. Talk about pounds, ounces, liters, etc. (I usually compare things to a lb. of butter).

3. Use several different sized cups or bottles. Line them up according to how much water you think they will hold. (least to most) Fill up the smallest bottle. Pour it into the next smallest, and then add some more to make it full. Keep up the smallest bottle. Pour it into the next smallest, and then add some more to make it full. Keep up the process to see if you estimated in the right order. (If one overflows, it is in the wrong order). Do this activity over a sink or outside, if it’s warm enough.

4. Estimate the circumference of a tree trunk in your yard or neighborhood. First, use a string or yarn for your estimate and cut it how long you think it should be. With someone’s help, measure the tree trunk with your cut string. Was it too long, too short, or just right?

5. Use yourself as a balance scale. Look at two items in the house like a can of soup and a box of cereal. Estimate which is heavier before you pick them up. Put your arms straight out to the side with palms up. Someone put the items on your hands. (Make sure they are not too heavy). Which feels heaviest? Try some other items. Your parents can check by looking at the printed weight.

6. Roll the CLAY into several snakes of different lengths. Order them from shortest to longest.

7. Use a pencil to measure things in your house. Estimate each time before you measure. Make a graph of how many pencils lengths the various items were.

8. Make a 6-block pattern train with shapes made out of CLAY on the table. How many TOOTHPICKS long is it? Measure with toothpicks.

9. Estimate how many giant steps it will take to go from your driveway to the driveway 4 houses away. Then do it. Did you estimate fewer of more steps?

10. Have someone help you write the names of your favorite TV shows. Draw a clock by each name and put the hands to show what time it starts. Also write on which day of the week it comes.

11. Illustrate a clock book. Draw a picture of you getting up on one page and draw a clock to show what time you usually get up (To the closest half hour). Make several pages of you during the day with clocks showing the time. Bring it to show and tell. (This could take several sessions).

12. When you notice the big minute hand straight up or straight down, mention to your family what time it is. Also, read a digital clock at the same time to check yourself.
13.Draw four clocks on four pieces of paper. Make the long minute hand on each clock touch the edge of the clock by the 12. Your mom or dad will draw the short hour hand on all four clocks. You tell him or her what time the clock says.

14. Your mom or dad will use an unplugged clock to move the clock hands to say the time to the half hour. You tell him or her what the clock says. Remember that the hour hand will be between two numbers.

15. Your parents will set a clock to the nearest hour to dinner. (5:00 or 6:00) They will ask you questions like: What time will dinner be over if we eat for one hour? What time is bedtime if you go to bed in three hours? How many hours from dinner to breakfast?

16. Make a Week Diary by using 7 sheets of paper and staple them together. Write they day of the week on the top of each page. Each day, write the best thing that happened to you that day.

17. Record plant growth. Plant 3 dry beans in a pot of soil. Put it in a sunny spot and give it some water. Write down the day the beans were planted. Then keep record of it’s growth by writing the date every day until the first plant pops through the soil. How many days did it take? You could measure it’s growth with the RULER every day from then on.

18. Collect 10 things that vary in length and put them in a bag. Teach into the bag and take out two objects. Say which one is longer and which is shorter. When they are all out, line them up from shortest to longest.

19. Trace your hand on a paper and trace your mom or dad’s hand too. Cut them both out. Measure the length of your kitchen table using first your mom or dad’s paper hand and then your paper hand. Explain why they might not be the same. (It’s easier for people to get the same measurement if the length of each measuring unit is the same).

20. Find a liter container, such as a bottle, jar, or pitcher and fill it with water. Find two containers in the cupboard that hold less than a liter, and two that hold more than a liter. Fill them with water from the liter container to compare the amounts.

21. Using an object (ex. pencil, paper clip, spoon, fork, etc), measure different things around your house. Put together the different measurements from shortest to longest.

22. Using the RULER and an INCH RULER, measure ten things in your house.

23. If you have a scale at home, weigh yourself. Read the scale to the nearest pound. Then find three different large objects and estimate their weight. Weigh them separately. Read the weights and compare to your estimates.

24. Practice the ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION CARDS. Cut them on the lines. You may use the GAMEBOARD to play the game that you got in December. Review the other addition and subtraction cards.

25. On a blank piece of paper, draw your family. After drawing, measure each person drawn with your RULER. Write down the different lengths next to the person. Bring it to school to show your classmates!

26. Line up a couple of BEANS. Measure the beans. You can do the same thing lining up your BUTTONS or other things.

27. Have students explore measurement using the Spanish language! Find items that have different lengths. Longer is "es mas largo"...and shorter is "es mas corto"

Store Donations

Our students have been responsible, respectful and doing exactly what they need to do! We are so pleased! The only bad (good) thing is that we are always giving eagle coins to our wonderful students and students make it to store so often we are running out of prizes. Raid your closets and toy boxes and any old toys you would like to get rid of we would love to have them for store. Our students look forward to store each week! Thanks for all of the donations so far, the students really love them.