Another week at Math Institute...

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

I heard from a former student today, Haley! She received an early birthday present to use on her upcoming trip to the beach. It's an iPod. She's planning to listen to New Moon by Stephenie Meyer on audio! It's a great book. I hope you enjoy it Haley! Have fun at the beach! See you soon!

Math Institute continues for me this week! Today, we covered order of operations, fractions, and more geometry. I used a new (or at least new to me) kind of compass. It's called a GeoTool, very different from what I used many moons ago. I also learned there's a polygon with seven sides called a heptagon. As a first grade teacher, I only dealt with octagons, pentagons, and hexagons. Pretty cool stuff!

Math Institute Update

The Math Institute continues to be very enlightening. I'm picking up tons of ideas for helping students who struggle with math concepts and computation skills. I have also made quite a few games to practice both addition and multiplication facts. I can't wait to try them out with my new students. A friend of mine sent a poem about math via email this week. It's very cool. I wish everyone felt this way about Math.

Your heart beats fast...

You start to sweat...
You have this fear
That you’ll forget...
You start to pant...
Your headache pounds...
And then you jump
At every sound...
Your stomach is queasy and your skin gets a rash!
You might as well face it: you’re allergic to math!
I’ll tell the cure
Without delay.
First, come to class,
Don’t miss a day.
Go to the lab,
And questions ask,
Take good classnotes,
Then learn the facts.
You must believe in this logical path,
And you might just find that you’re addicted to math!

~Vicki Young

Clipart by Thistle Girl Designs

Math Institute Day 2

Math Institute Day 2

Today, both professors from Dalton State College presented multiple ways to teach addition and subtraction. It was interesting to see the different methods now used to teach these skills. The basic process is the same, but how you combine terms, rearrange, break numbers apart (decomposition), and even the thought processes differ from the way I was taught. I learned two really cool games to play to practice these skills. I can't wait to try them with my new students.

On a side note... I got to eat lunch at Cracker Barrel. It was yummy. I love their chicken and dumplings. I had lunch with Mrs. Pope (4th Grade Gilbert), Miss Eidem (5th Grade Gilbert), and Mr. Keith (4th Grade Rock Springs). Great food, great company!

Math Institute Day 1

Today was the first day of Math Institute. This math training is part of a project called Learning Mathematics for Teaching from the University of Michigan. The project investigates the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching, and how such knowledge develops as a result of experience and professional learning. The project does so through the writing, piloting, and analysis of problems that reflect real mathematics tasks teachers face in classrooms - for instance, assessing student work, representing numbers and operations, and explaining common mathematical rules or procedures.

The first task for us, taking a math test! Yikes, can you believe it? It's been a long time since I've taken an actual math test. I'm glad the tests were not graded. Some of the questions helped me realize that Math has changed a lot over the past few years.

Additionally, several of the speakers spoke about student success in all areas. Dr. Jones shared with us a few facts from a recent study conducted in California. Resilience research identified three principles that protect students from risk and help them succeed: caring adult (parent or teacher) relationship, high expectations, and opportunities for participation/contribution (students need to feel the work they are doing is worthwhile and meaningful). I am familiar with the first two and am in total agreement. Math workshop fits in nicely with the third principal. In Math Workshop, students are given real-world problems to solve using their mathematical knowledge. Students are asked to share how they arrived at their answers which gives them greater ownership for their learning.

Enough for now! I have to run, homework to do.

Until next time!

Mrs. R

Fountain Fun

Kyli checking out the fountains!

Hey everyone! I hope your summer is going well. I took my niece, Kyli to Joe Stock park today to play in the fountains. She had a blast. I enjoyed watching her play. If you haven't been, you should go! It's a great way to cool off! :)

Last week, I went to the pool with my friends, Mrs. Eager and Mrs. Epperson. We all met for lunch in Fort Oglethorpe and then hit the pool! Chaz, Delaney, Ryeland, and Madelyn all had a great time! I hope you are getting to spend time with your friends, too!

Big shout out to Jarrod! I saw him today at Family Dollar. He says he's ready for school to start!

Until next time,
Mrs. R

Summer Vacation!

Greetings Everyone!

I hope you all are having a great summer so far! I am finally able to begin my summer vacation. As many of you may have heard, I am moving to third grade next year. I am very sad to leave first grade, but am excited to try something new. I finally got everything moved into my new classroom. I've worked very hard the past couple of days to put everything in its place and organize for a new adventure.

Are you guys reading this summer? I hope you manage to snag a few minutes each day. I certainly have. We have a "quiet" hour at my house each day. During that time everyone in the family reads, completes puzzles, or does some other quiet activity. It's my favorite part of the day! I just finished an awesome mystery thriller called Lost Lake. It was very good. Spooky and scary in parts but very interesting! What are you guys reading?

Until next time,

Love,
Mrs. Richardson :o)

Rainforest Shuffle

On Monday, Mr. Bill Haley from the Tennessee Aquarium visited our school. He presented the Rain Forest Shuffle. With help from students, Mr. Haley taught us about the layers and animals of the rain forest. It was a great show! Check out our photos!

Got Energy?

On Friday, 8th grade students from Mrs. Parrish's class at LaFayette Middle School visited our classroom. We were delighted to welcome Tori Hunter and Emily Purcell. These two students taught us about kinetic and potential energy. We were active participants! We bounced small rubber balls to experience kinetic energy. Students visited three stations for more hands-on learning. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. So any object in motion is showing kinetic energy! Potential energy is energy that is stored, such as stopping a bouncing ball or a car at a stoplight. Students definitely enjoyed the presentation! Thank you ladies for a job well done!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all our Moms!

We love you all!

To My Mother

For all the times you gently picked me up,
When I fell down,
For all the times you tied my shoes
And tucked me into bed,
Or needed something
But put me first instead.
For everything we shared,
The dreams, the laughter,
And the tears,
I love you with a "Special Love"
That deepens every year.

Author Unknown

My Mommy & My son, Alex

Graphics BY

Mime Man!

Hey everyone, just one more picture to share. I'll let you in on a little secret; I am sort of freaked out by clowns and mimes. I'm not sure why. I've just never liked them. Anyway, in an effort to face something that scares me, the other first grade teachers and I had our picture made with Jerry Bowman. So, I guess I'm not afraid anymore! What a relief! Now if I could just not be afraid of spiders and snakes!