Banana Split Challenge!!!

We recently began a "banana split challenge" as a class. :) I'm sure you are wondering what this is all about!! Here are the rules...

Everyday, my students have one minute to complete as many addition or subtraction as they can. Every child starts with addition and then moves to subtraction. They begin with 0's, 1's, 2's, etc. until they have mastered addition to 10. They are allowed to work on their addition/subtraction sheet as many days in a row as needed until they are able to finish the sheet. One the page is complete, I grade it and they must score a 45/50 to move to the next number. They have a picture of a banana split in their folder and they are allowed to color the numbers that they have passed. Once every child has passed addition AND subtraction to 10, we will have a banana split party!!!!! :)

The great thing about this challenge is that it is ongoing. Even though they have a time limit each day, they can work on the same number as long as they need to until they are able to finish it. Also, they problems they get incorrect are allowed to be fixed so they can move on. My students are working at their own pace and do not feel the time crunch because they are allowed to keep trying until they pass that number. :)  I also keep track of their progress on individual banana split cards on the back of our door.

Please continue to encourage them at home with addition and subtraction. We are all looking forward to the banana split party!! :)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

We have been learning about the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. this week because of the holiday. My students learned the important work he did and also why we celebrate his birthday. To help them fully understand his belief that all people should be treated the same, we did a little experiment!

We began the experiment with 2 eggs. One egg was brown and the other egg was white. The kids looked at the eggs and told me how they were the same and how they were different.

Then I asked them to think about what they might find on the inside of the egg.  I was very surprised to find that the majority of my class thought that the two eggs would look different on the inside. To test their predictions, we cracked them!! They were very surprised to learn that both eggs look the same on the inside!

We discussed that the eggs that we saw were very similar to people. The shell of the egg is similar to our skin. We discussed how we all look different from each other because we have different skin colors. Then we talked about the inside of the egg. The kids were very sweet and made the connection that all people are the same on the inside, just like the two different eggs. :)

Just a Friendly Reminder!!

I just wanted to remind everyone that we cannot have any peanuts or peanut products in our classroom. If you are sending in a treat from home, please make sure it does not contain any peanuts. Thanks so much for your help with this matter!