Alligator Greater

Using the comparison symbols > and < have always seemed to stump my first graders. They can never remember which way the sides should go or which way to read it once they get it down on paper. I have seen several great ways to help them remember, but the one I like best is the alligator. The children can remember that the alligator likes to chomp the greater number, helping them remember which way the sign should go by using a little imagination and thinking about that big side chomping down. 

I found this great printable on pinterest and thought it looked like a lot of fun. The children can actually color it and then practice inequalities at home as well, which is a fun bonus! 

In class each child was given some goldfish to put in the pond as well as an alligator. The children took turns picking numbers for us to put on either side of the workmat and then we set up our alligators to chomp the greater number and then practiced reading it. The children really got into it and had fun practicing using these symbols!

The First Thanksgiving

During the week leading up to Thanksgiving we spent a lot of time learning about the first Thanksgiving. We read lots of great non-fiction text that described what it was like for the Pilgrims when they set off on their journey to America. We also watched the Charlie Brown video "The Mayflower Voyagers", which is a great little cartoon that depicts the real events of the pilgrims journey.

Each day after we read our story about the pilgrims, the children worked on making their own story. I gave them strips with mixed up sentences about the first Thanksgiving and they  had to put them together to make sense. After they figured out the sentences, we brainstormed what the illustrations for the sentences might look like and then the children illustrated. I was really impressed with their very detailed illustrations that very accurately depicted the story.

Here is the story of the first Thanksgiving as told by our class.

Munchie Measurement

In first grade, we practice measuring in many different ways. We use both standard and non-standard measurement. Standard measurement includes using a ruler to measure in inches or centimeters. Non-standard can include measuring using anything! We've used connecting cubes, our feet, teddy bears, you name it! This particular day, we were using standard measurement to measure twizzlers. 

For whatever reason, first graders love to use knives! I imagine this is because they don't often get to use them, but that always makes this lesson a huge hit! We started by going over the safety of using a (plastic) knife. The children knew that they should only cut their twizzlers and nothing else, otherwise their knife privileges would be revoked!

It had been a while since we pulled out rulers, so we started this lesson by looking at our rulers and deciding which side we should use if we were going to be measuring using inches. (The Big Numbers). Then, we discussed where you should start measuring. It is important that children realize that some rulers start at the end, while others may have a zero or other marker to show them where to start. We looked at how things might come out differently if you started to measure in the wrong place. 

Once we had reviewed all of this, we got down to measuring. I would call out a length and the children were supposed to measure their twizzler to that length and cut it. 

 When we were all finished measuring, we took our different lengths that we had measured and I had the children put them in order from the shortest to the longest to help review those comparison words.

Tune in next week to see a little non-standard measurement marshmallow fun!