Fun with Nonfiction Features

As we conclude our genre study of nonfiction informational text, the students wanted a fun and creative way to share their knowledge of nonfiction text features.  Using our classroom iPads, the students searched through some of their favorite nonfiction books to capture and label some nonfiction text features.  Using the app Popplet (a favorite of ours), each student created a map of their nonfiction features.  Take a look at some of their findings!  They have become nonfiction experts!

Ava and Nick

Kaylie and Maura

Lindsey and Cyrus

Luke and Ben

Maggie and John

Sophia and Adrianna

Ryan and Ella

-Mrs. Thomson and Miss Pavlik Common Core State Standards:  RI.1.5:Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. W.1.6:With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

Readers' Workshop

Readers' Workshop is part of our daily routine in 1-Thomson, and we love it!  Each day we are busy putting our reading strategies to use through independent reading, partner reading, and group reading activities!

The pictures above show most of the materials we use during reading time.  We keep all of our books and reader's notebooks in our numbered book boxes.  We keep track of the books we read by checking them off on our "Just Right" Book Trackers.  We focus on a new reading genre each month.  This month is nonfiction!  And we choose our independent reading books from our leveled library.

MY favorite part of Readers' Workshop is seeing my students grow into amazing readers and writers! Ask your child about our daily reading routines and maybe even try some of these routines at home! Happy reading!

A Week with Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes is one of our favorite first grade authors!  This week, we read many of his books, but we especially enjoyed reading Chrysanthemum!  With our current Animal Fantasy genre study underway, we talked all about how the mouse character, Chrysanthemum, thinks and acts like a human. Then we added our ideas to this poster:

Next, we read Wemberly Worried.  Wemberly is also a mouse and she worries about EVERYTHING! She worries about the trees, noises in her house, her doll Petal, but she ESPECIALLY worries about school.  After reading, we made text-to-self connections by writing some things that we worry about too.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his books, visit his website and explore from home! Click below:

Common Core State Standards: 

RL.1.7.: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Animal Fantasy with Pete the Cat

Last week during Readers' Workshop we started our genre study of Animal Fantasy.  What better way to kick it off than with my favorite character, Pete the Cat?  We began our study of animal fantasy by first exploring many animal fantasy books with reading partners and discussing all of the ways the animal characters were acting like people.

 Next, we took a closer look at all of our favorite Pete the Cat books to determine how Pete and his friends were acting like humans.

Ask your child all about our study of Animal Fantasy.  Stay tuned next week as we continue to explore animal fantasy with Kevin Henkes and his characters!    Common Core Standards:  RL.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. RL.1.7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Reader's Workshop: Visualizing

This past week during Reader's Workshop, we learned some more about what "good readers do".  Our focus was creating mental images, or visualizing to better understand text.  We started by reading some poetry and practicing "making a movie in our mind".  We discussed sensory imagery, or words that appeal to our senses.

Next, we read the poem "Green Giant"by Jack Prelutsky.  We closed our eyes and imagined the Green Giant based on the author's description.

  As we read, the students drew their mental images on paper.  It was so fun to see the different versions of the Green Giant-some big, some small, some happy, and some scary too!  This lead us to realize that our imaginations can take us to different places and no two people make the exact some movie in their mind!  Click below to see some of 1-Thomson's Green Giants! 

Common Core State Standard: RL.1.4: Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

Grinch Day

It was Grinch Day this past week in 1-Thomson! During Reader's Workshop, we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss and discussed how characters can change in a story. We also discussed the lesson, or moral, of the story.

R.L.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story using key details.
R.L.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

Later, during Writer's Workshop, our focus was "How to Make the Grinch Grin".  We started with a brainstorm of the things that could bring a smile to the Grinch's face.  Some ideas included taking the Grinch to the movies, teaching him how to swim, or reading a fairy tale with him by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa!    

From the first graders in 1-Thomson, Happy Holidays!

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time, Mrs. Thomson's class, Miss Klipfel's class, and Mrs. Higgins' class worked together to write and illustrate a magical fairy tale...

Our focus in reading and writing has been fairy tales and fairy tale elements. Over the past few weeks, our three classes collaborated to author and illustrate our very own fairy tale.  We randomly selected which part of the story we would be in charge of.  We were very excited when we were assigned to the ending of the story!

  After the writing was complete, each class was assigned to a part of the story for illustrations, and using Drawing Box on the iPads,we created some beautiful illustrations for our story's beginning (written by Miss. Klipfel's class)!

Please enjoy our final product of The Princess and the Pearls.  Our three classes are very proud of their hard work.  

You may download our fairy tale on any electronic device to add to your digital library or you can view our book as a PDF for reading or printing on a computer.

Option 1: Add The Princess and the Pearls to your digital library.

Click on the link: The Princess and the PearlsThen click on Download.

Option 2: Read The Princess and the Pearls in PDF form by clicking here.

*Don't forget to tell us what you think!  Please leave a comment for our class to see.*

Reader's Workshop: Making Connections

Why do readers make connections?

This week during Reader's Workshop, the first graders in 1-Thomson have been busy making connections! We learned that making a connection can help us as readers because we can understand the story better.

Watch this video to learn about the three types of connections good readers can make!

In class, we discussed the three types of connections:

Text-self, text-text, text-world

Then, we practiced making connections during independent reading and shared them with the class.

Lastly, we ended with a literature share of "The Littlest Pumpkin" by R.A. Herman.  In this story, The Littlest Pumpkin was disappointed because no one chose him at the farm for Halloween. We then made a text-to-self connection about a time we were disappointed. 

*First Graders: Share a comment! What was your favorite part of the story, "The Littlest Pumpkin"?  -OR- Can you make another connection to this story?
Post your comment below :)