Where has Miss Lankey been?

I am so excited to be back in the classroom this week.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a regional NCTM Conference (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) in Atlantic City, NJ Wednesday-Saturday!

I met  Stuart J. Murphy, one of our favorite authors that writes books that teach math concepts.

I also had the opportunity to hear the author of many popular math books, Greg Tang, speak.

My absolute favorite part of the conference was getting to take two classes from Kim Sutton.  She is so enthusiastic and energizing! 

I am glad to be back and able to put to use all of the awesome ideas I got at the conference!

Sun and Earth Relationships- Being a Scientist!

Today we practiced using the Scientific Method to see "What Gets Hotter?"

1. We asked the question:  Which gets hotter in the sun?  Sand, soil, or water?
2. We made hypothesis by using our schema (what we already know).
3. In groups we gathered our materials and put one thermometer into each cup, careful to cover the bulb.
4. We took an initial temperature and recorded it.
5. Next, we took our cups outside and sat them in direct sunlight.  We left the cups for 20 minutes.
6. We went back outside and took another reading of the temperatures and recorded them.  (They had really risen!)
7. We came to the conclusion that the sun heats the earth.  The sun made the soil the hottest.  The water was the coolest.

We had fun being scientists today!

Each group got a cup of sand, water, and soil and three thermometers.

Sun and Earth Relationships

SOL 1.6 – Sun and Earth Relationships


For extra practice you can complete this webquest and other activities with your family and see if you are able to answer the following questions!

http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/AsTheEarthTurns/default.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/9_10/earth_sun_moon.shtml

http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/SunriseSunset/default.htm


1. What might be some things that the sun warms up on Earth?

2. Would you feel cooler on a very hot and sunny day if you stood in the sun or in the shade? Why do you think this way?

3. Do you think the sun warms things faster than others?

4. How could you discover whether or not the sun warms the land faster than water?


5. What do you notice about the location of the sun in the morning and in the late afternoon? Is the sun in the same place? Where does it rise? Where does it set?


Bring in the questions and answers for extra credit and a special treat!  :-)

AWESOME Online Resource for Math Review!

As you get our weekly updates look on the site IXL to practice math concepts we are learning!  If you are finding your child is having difficulty with first grade concepts check out the kindergarten skills.  If you find that first grade skills are too easy for your child- let them try the second grade skills!  You do not need to be a member to enjoy the skill practice!  Being a member only saves your data online!  What a great find!

Internet Games for Language Arts Review

Check out these sites to review:

Capitalization and punctuation skills

Syllables

Vowels

Comprehension

Word Wall Words

Word Families


Hope you enjoy!

We Read for the Record!

Today we wore our pajamas and read the book Llama Llama Red Pajama to support Jumpstart's Read for the Record!

Check out the website Llama Llama (<---Click!) to learn about the author and her other books and play games with the Llama!

Pattern Practice!

We've been working hard learning about repeating and growing patterns! 

Here are some games you can play to practice!

Number Cracker- See if you can crack the number pattern!

Musical Patterns

Pattern Making- What comes next?