What We Like About Patterning

Today we are finishing up our patterning unit in math.  Here are some of the things that we have learned about patterning...

We know that patterns can be repeating.

We know that you can label patterns - like ab, or abb, or abc, or abcd, or abbcd etc...

We know that you can continue patterns.

We know that you can copy patterns.

We know that patterns aren't just in math.

We know that you can find patterns in clothing.

We know you can find patterns in the environment.

During the unit we worked through six different pattern stations.  They included:

Pattern Block Walls - we had to copy and continue a pattern using pattern block pieces.  We then tried to create our own pattern block walls.

Pattern Books - we had to create, and label our own patterns.  We then stapled our pages together to make pattern booklets.

Pattern Pictures - using magnetic pattern blocks we had to create a pattern picture, then copy the pattern picture onto black paper.

Patterning with Technology - we used the computer in our classroom to create patterns.  When we had the ipods in the room we used them to pattern on too.

Pattern Strips - we chose a pattern card and created a pattern strip. The pattern strips are now up in our classroom as classroom boarders around our Word Wall.

Pattern Drill and Practice - we had pattern papers that we had to complete. This is the type of patterning that most grown ups grew up with.  It's the type of math in most traditional workbooks.

Here are our favourite pattern stations.

Paul - Pattern Pictures
Huda -  Pattern Strips
Jennica - Pattern Strips
Julie - Pattern Pictures
Koden - Patterning with Technology
Trista - Pattern Strips
Lawrence - Pattern Strips
Brooklyn - Pattern Strips
Soeun - Pattern Booklets
Urim - Pattern Booklets
Jesse Pattern Block Walls
Alicia - Pattern Pictures
Nicolas - Pattern Block Walls
Eric  - Patterning with Technology
Claudine - Patterning with Technology
Marcus - Pattern Block Walls
Christine - Pattern Strips

Run Across Canada and Math Games with Pattern Blocks

Every Thursday and Friday after lunch we join Ms. Atkinson, Ms. Benjamin, and Ms. Baldry's grade 1 and k/1 classes for Run Across Canada.  We participate in this run in any type of weather all year round.  Right now things are pretty nice for us because it has been sunny and not too cold most of the time.  We've been lucky enough to have the rain stop for the afternoon so we haven't gotten wet yet.

Meeting up with the other three classes.

For Run Across Canada we meet outside our classroom and walk to our the first field in the little park. The first field is a community field but we're allowed to use it too.  We then RUN around the field making sure we don't cut corners.

Here we all go running around around our first field.

From the first field we walk together to our second field (that school's field) before we run around it too.  Again no cheating by cutting corners.  Thankfully we bring our water bottles outside with us so  we are never too far from water.

Starting to run on the second field. 

You can see a little bit of the first field in the background behind the trees.

Can you see us running on the other side of the field?

From there we walk, as a really large group, the rest of the outside of the school.  In total the route is about 1.2 km.  At the end of the run/walk we let Ms. Atkinson know how many of us did the entire run/walk.  For every person that does it all we earn 1.2 km for our run across Canada.  So far we have already run from Vancouver Island, over to Vancouver, and we are now just about in Calgary, Alberta.  Most years we make it to just outside of Toronto, Ontario.  This year we are hoping that we can make it all the way through Ontario and into Quebec or even Atlantic Canada.  Wish us luck!

This week, because we've been learning about patterning and patterning up a storm, Ms. Lirenman has taught us a game using pattern blocks. The object of the game is to fill a pumpkin shape with pattern blocks but be the person to put the last block on the shape. If you do that, you win.   It's trickier than it looks.

Here are some photos of us playing the game.

Claudine and Nicolas playing together.

Koden and Soeun playing together.

Christine, Jennica, and Julie playing together. (Julie is in the picture below)

Brooklyn and Jesse playing together.

Paul and Alicia playing together.

Marcus and Eric playing together.

Lawrence playing with Huda.

Trista and Urim playing together.  

Urim is looking for just the right piece.

 Do you do any running in your classroom, and if so do you have a running goal like we do?  Also, do you play games in math too? If so what is your favourite math game to play.

Learning to Paint Pumpkins with Mrs. Schaefer

Mrs. Schaefer is fantastic art teacher.  She used to teach at our school but retired a few years ago.  But she still loves teaching art so she spends a lot of time in our school teaching art to many different classes.  This past week she worked with us, teaching us how to paint pumpkins like an artist.  We learned how to mix colours and how to to make our brush strokes so that our pumpkins would look 3D.  Here are a few pictures of us working hard on our pumpkins.

Mrs. Schaefer showing us how to make brush strokes.

Then we practiced our strokes and created our own pumpkins.  Ms. Schaefer only gave us yellow and a little bit of red paint but she also taught us how to make orange, plus have lines on our pumpkins like real pumpkins have.

Next she showed us how to make the little hairs so that our pumpkins looked round a the top like real pumpkins.  It helped with the 3D effect.

She also taught us how to mix yellow and a tiny bit of blue to make green for our pumpkin's stem. Then we put our pumpkins out to dry in the hallway.

Finally, the next day they were up on our wall.

We know we are very lucky to have been able to spend some time with Mrs. Schaefer.  She's an excellent art teacher and you can tell by how great our pumpkins look.

Fun Friends - Talking About Emotions

On Friday, Oct 14 during our Community Square time after recess we took part in a Fun Friends lesson. This lesson focussed on feelings and emotions.  While we talked about each emotion we all made faces and took pictures with our iPods.  Here is a short video of some of our faces.  You will notice that many of the children's wonderful faces are missing from the video.  It certainly wasn't because they didn't take wonderful pictures, it was because some how Ms. Lirenman lost many of the photos when she transferred them from one computer to the other.  She's still not sure how it happened.  So, she apologizes.  Next time she will be a lot more careful, and not so quick to delete the photos from the original computer. 

Thanksgiving Sharing Feast

The Friday before Thanksgiving (Oct 7) all the primary children in our school got together for our Annual Thanksgiving Sharing Feast.  Each class shared a special Thanksgiving poem or song, then well all participated in the Turkey Pokey, and finally we ate lunch with one another on a our special place mats.  Unfortunately Ms. L forgot to take pictures while we were presenting our poem "I Heard a Turkey Say", and she also forgot to take pictures while we were dancing the Turkey Pokey (mind you she was dancing up  a storm herself) but here are some pictures of us enjoying our food.  There are even a couple of videos.  Enjoy.

Blogging At School

On Thursday, during our time in the computer lab, we all worked really hard on our individual blogs.  Ms. Lirenman was so proud of us as we thought of things to say, sounded out our words, and did our best typing.  Some of us even published our blogs to the world.  So if you haven't had a chance to check them out please follow the link under the individual blogs tab and check us out.  We'd love it if you could comment on our blogs.  Have we mentioned we LOVE comments. Here are some pictures of us working hard on our blogs.

Community Read

Every Wednesday and Thursday morning we invite our parents, grandparents, and little brothers and sisters into our room to read with us.  While this is only are second week doing it we've had a really great turn out.  Here are pictures of some of us reading with our families or with one another.

 On Thursday XXXX read with her mom, dad, and little brother.

 On Thursday XXXX read with his mom, grandma, and his TWO DAY OLD baby brother.

XXXXX read with his dad.

XXX read with her mom.

XXXXX read with her mom.

XXXX read with her dad and Ms. XXXX.

XXXX read with her whole family.

On Wednesday XXXX read with her dad.

XXXX read with her mom and dad.

XXX read with her mom.

On Wednesday XXX read with Ms. X.

XXX read with his mom.

XXXX read with his mom and with Eric.

XXXX read with her dad and her two little brothers.

XXX, XXX, and XXX read together.

We love community read.  Do you do have it in your school?  If not, maybe you should.