Fall Leaves and Number Sense


Fall leaves

We began this unit by brainstorming all we knew about fall. We made a list of questions that the class was wondering about fall and leaves. Some of the things that they were wondering were; why the leaves fall, what happened when the leaves are on the ground and if the leaves are living after they fall. We have spent the last few weeks exploring these ideas.

As you have seen on FreshGrade, we went outside and looked at the trees. We brought leaves into the class to classify and sort. We read several books about leaves and the different kinds of leaves. 

This week to summarize the unit, I asked the children to draw all the things that they know about leaves and have learned about leaves. They shared their drawings with a partner. This learning routine is called "Give 1 Get 1" where the children make a list of knowledge and then shared it with others.
We then watched a video about why the leaves change colours. The children went back to their drawings and added the new information about why the leaves change colours. 

Math

We have started our unit on number sense. This week we are working with the numbers 7-10. The grade 1's are focusing on all the different ways to decompose each number. Decomposing numbers means showing numbers in parts such as 7 is 1 & 6, 2 & 5, 3 & 4. The grade 2's are taking the opportunity to memorize (or review) addition facts for each number. Over the next few weeks we will be exploring the numbers 11-20 which will include an introduction to place value. 

We are using a variety of materials to explore numbers from 7-20. Some of these materials are pictured below including: dice, cuisinaire rods and 10 Frames. 



FreshGrade

FreshGrade is the digital portfolio that I am using to share your child's learning with you as the learning  is in progress during class time. This allows you to see what is happening throughout the year and leading up to the report cards in January and June. There is a website post about how to log on in the column on the right of this webpage.

I use FreshGrade to share pictures and videos of activities we are doing at school. I also post  assessments that have detailed written comments and sometimes a snapshot of where the child is on the "proficiency scale" (Proficient, developing etc.). The purpose of these assessments are so you can quickly see what your child is doing at school and what the next steps for your child are. 

The children give consent for me to take their picture. This means that they are sharing work that they feel is complete and meets the criteria (the expectations of the activity). I encourage you to ask your children about the things you see on FreshGrade.

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