Continuing our travels...

Gingerbread boys and girls of Room 18

We continued our trip around the world learning about holiday traditions in Greece and Mexico. The students learned that stockings at Christmastime originated in Greece! Everyone made their own stocking and we hung them in the classroom!

Lia and Cynthia's patterns on stockings!

We also visited Mexico and worked on a "stamping" craft to make poinsettias! 

Lowell's poinsettia

The students also practiced writing some of their sight words in letters to Santa or Mom and Dad.  First they brainstormed to think of things they wanted and then wrote them in a letter!  They will take these back home to you for you to read and then you can send them off!

Making a list...

After learning about the letter Ii and its short and long sounds, the students sorted pictures as one of their Daily 4 centers.  After practicing identifying these sounds, they spelled them.  These pictures all had a magic "e" at the end to make the /i/ long.

One of our Daily 4 centers is always reading! Each group practices reading books that are at their level several times a week.

Reading groups!

For math we've been working on combinations to 5 using beans, beads, stockings, etc.

The students practiced making 5 in different ways with their bracelets!

Shake the Beans! The students shook the beans to
find combinations to 5 and write additions sentences!

Holidays Around the World

We began our month long journey to learn about holiday traditions around the world!  This week we visited Germany and learned that Christmas trees and gingerbread originated there.

Each student will color a map and flag of each country we visit.
They will keep their projects inside of these "suitcases"!

We integrated math with art in this Christmas tree project. The students made the tree beginning with the longest strip. They used words like "longer, shorter, longest, shortest."

Nicky's Christmas tree

We also read The Gingerbread Man! They had fun comparing and contrasting the different versions.  In their Friday Folders, you will see they practiced sequencing and retelling the story in order, measuring a gingerbread man with cubes, and recreating the book.  We also wrote in our journals using our new sight word "and".

We had fun retelling the story with our friends!

In math, we are continuing to learn about "teen" numbers. We are practicing writing, recognizing, and building them.  

Building "tens" and "ones"-Place value!