Last week in first grade, we began our
Antarctica and the Polar Habitat unit!
First, we talked about what we already know and what we want to learn.
We learned some new chants with tons of new vocabulary!
We learned about the Orca Whale, a toothed whale! (This week we will be learning about the Blue Whale, a baleen whale!)
We have an awesome box of Antarctica/Polar Habitat books to choose from during reading times! Thank you families for letting us borrow your books!
Not once, but TWICE this week, I was called over and asked "Miss Kloczko, is this a rookery of penguins?" The second time, I was so excited, I took a picture!
We heard a story called Sea Life about a puffin! We use the pictures of the characters to help us retell the story. We will use this story to practice remembering smaller details later this week!
During Writer's Workshop this week, we learned about using sequence when writing a narrative. We watched this clip from Finding Nemo and then we retold the story, starting our sentences with words like "first," "next," and "finally." We also made predictions about what we thought would happen next.
One question that was asked on Monday, when we discussed what we want to learn about Antarctica and the Polar Habitat, was "How do the animals survive the cold temperatures?" On Wednesday, we did an experiment and found out the answer! Many animals in Antarctica and the Polar Habitat, such as whales, walruses, and penguins have blubber, which helps them stay warm!
The next day, for writing, we wrote about the experiment, using the same sequence words!
We also did some Orca Whale art this week!
Just for fun... say one of these signal words to your first grader and see what they can tell you!
- persuade
- hemisphere
- external
- spyhopping
- conclude
Last, but not least, IT'S FAMILY BLOGGING MONTH! Here's what some of our first graders had to share this week...
"I liked the Nemo video, because it was super funny when Dory acted like a whale and was like, 'Mwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!'" -Sophia
"I have learned that in Antarctica, they have six months with light and six months with darkness. Also, I have learned that Macaroni Penguins live in Antarctica.
My teacher always inspires us to read. Since I've been in first grade, my reading is getting better. For example, I've been reading lots of chapter books like The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. By reading, I notice that my writing is getting better. Thank you Miss Kloczko for being an awesome teacher. And that's my blog." -Mariana
"I enjoy reading books about what we are learning about. We learned about whales and their blubber keeps them warm from the cold water." -Peyton
Leave a comment on our blog!
- First graders, what was your favorite thing we did at school this week? What is the coolest thing you learned? What do you hope to learn this week?
- Family and friends, what do YOU know about Antarctica? Maybe you have a question that one of our first graders can answer!
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