classroom News Grades k-3

News From Kindergarten

The Kindergartners have spent the past few weeks learning about maps. We began by taking a walk around the neighborhood, and then drawing maps of our St. Anne’s neighborhood. Next we walked through the school and drew maps of the inside of our school building. The children brought home maps of the United States and, with the help of their parents, colored in and labeled the states they have visited with their families. Then each child shared his/her map with their classmates. For our study of the map of the world, the children did water-color paintings of the seven continents, which we displayed in the classroom.

We culminated our map unit by walking to La Dolce Vita Coffee Shop in Olde Towne, Arvada
for hot chocolate. Everyone was so well-behaved and enjoyed their visit so much!! After we walked back to school, we drew maps of how to get to the coffee shop.

First graders are learning a great deal of Math through daily routines using jour school-wide “Everyday Mathematics” program. Daily activities include tracking the calendar and the daily weather and the temperature and choral counting. Children are becoming aware of how math pervades our everyday lives. Other routines allow ongoing development in number skills and concepts (number grids, time, money, number stories, adding, subtracting, patterning, number lines, measurement, and place value).

Every Math unit includes ‘explorations’. Small group activities are set up and the children rotate between the various activities. Some of the activities have included pattern blocks, geo-boards, base ten blocks, math fact wrap-ups, and snowflake designs.

Math in the 1st Grade is truly a great experience with a strong emphasis on the skills and concepts.