A Sparkling Art Class!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end the first week of December! 

At Mass today, Fr. Brian reminded us that Jesus is the Divine Physician and that we can always turn to him when we are not feeling well. 

We ended another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, practiced reading long i words and plurals, and wrote sentences using our sight words. To help us build our fluency, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet. We also read a short nonfiction piece about how plants grow. Finally, we took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we solved comparison problems by subtracting. Next week, we will put all of the different types of problems together and solve them. 

In Science class today, we learned the words transparent, translucent, and opaque. We then sorted items based on whether light easily passes through them, whether light kind of passes through them, or whether light does not pass through them. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we designed our very own Christmas ornament using paper tissue circles. We even added glitter to the top for some extra sparkle. I'll post pictures next week once the glitter has dried. 

Jingles, in honor of St. Nicholas Day tomorrow, brought the children candy canes. It was heart warming hearing the children thank Jingles as they took one. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

6 7

 Greetings! Today was an exciting day in first grade: it was the 67th day of the school year. The kids loved saying 6 7 all day. Even Jingles got into the spirit. 

In Religion class today, we learned about St. Nicholas. We watched a video to learn about him and then talked about how we can be like him by trusting in God, praying, and being kind to others. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words by answering questions using the words. We then practiced reading long i words, plural words, and our sight words. After that, we read the play The Big Yuca Plant. The students really enjoyed having a part in the play. After reading the play, we answered some comprehension questions about why the characters did what they did. Finally, we practiced using present tense verbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we learned how to solve comparison problems by adding. We focused on understanding what the problem told us which helped us decide if we need to add or subtract. 

In Social Studies class today, we finished our Junior Achievement lessons. Today, we focused on how entrepreneurs advertise their business. We colored an advertisement for a new business. 

Have a great night! 

Welcome December!

 Greetings! Happy December! Where did November go? 

It was nice to be back with the students today. They did seem to enjoy the snow yesterday. I love their excitement with it. I wish I felt the same way they do when I see snow. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would be the mother of Jesus and how Mary said yes to God. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned last week and by learning three new words (assist, grasped, spied). Then we worked on predicting as we read a folktale. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read long i words. Following that, we learned how to make magic e words plurals; we practiced spelling and reading the words. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focused on comprehension. We reread the play Time to Plant. We then wrote about how the characters felt in the story and sequenced the events in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced writing sentences using present tense verbs. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving subtraction word problems. We identified the whole and one part. We then wrote subtraction sentences to find the other part. 

We had a special visitor join our classroom today. Our elf, Jingles, has made his way back to Room 101. Today, we has hanging on the whiteboard. I think he missed us yesterday. 

We ended our day with some Christmas fun. The students decorated the classroom Christmas tree and helped put out the manger. They did a great job of spreading the ornaments around the tree. Our room is looking quite festive. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Greetings! Today was a great last day of school before Thanksgiving break. 

In Religion class today, we made an Advent wreath. The children brought home paper flames to add to their wreath during each week of Advent. May you all have a blessed Advent as we prepare to welcome Jesus at Christmas. 

We spent the rest of the morning celebrating Thanksgiving. Today, we talked about an American tradition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We read Balloons Over Broadway which tells the story about the man who made the first balloons for the parade. Then, we got to design our own balloon. We did a small version and wrote about. Then, we did a big version and paraded around the classroom. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! See you on Tuesday! 

A Peanuts Thanksgiving!

 Greetings! Today was an exciting day in first grade. We are really getting excited about Thanksgiving! 

In Religion class today, we continued our study on Advent. Today, we completed a story book learning how Advent is a time of waiting. We are waiting and preparing our hearts for Jesus. 

We began Language Arts class by learning our new sight words: green, grow, pretty, should, together, water. Next, we read Time to Plant. We really enjoyed this story because it is a play. We enjoyed playing the different characters in it. Finally, we talked about present tense verbs and practiced using them in sentences. 

In Math class, we practiced solving addition word problems where we were given the two parts and we had to add to find the whole. We did quite well solving these problems. 

This afternoon we had a Thanksgiving feast: Peanut style. We began by watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Then we had our feast which consisted of toast, pretzels, jelly beans, and popcorn. Needless to say, we really enjoyed it. 

Have a great night! 

Thanksgiving Week!

 Greetings! Happy Thanksgiving Week in first grade. We are getting excited for our turkey on Thursday! 

In Religion class today, we started learning about Advent. We learned that Advent is a time to get ready for Jesus. We also talked about the Advent wreath. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about plants. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (bloom and sprout). Then we worked on making predictions as we read Mystery Vine. After that, we learned how to blend and read long i words. 

Then, it was time to do some Thanksgiving learning. Today we focused on the first Thanksgiving. We learned that the first Thanksgiving lasted 3 days and that the Pilgrims and Indians ate food, sang, and danced. 

We also wrote about what we love to eat on Thanksgiving. We added our writing to a craft. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on solving word problems. The key is to pay attention to what we learn in the word problem. 

Here is a picture of the Indian corn we painted on Friday. 

Have a great night! 

Painting Corn!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice day to end their week. 

At Mass this morning, we celebrated the feast of the presentation of Mary. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long a words and contractions, and wrote sentences using our sight words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a short nonfiction piece about different ways to tell time. Finally, we took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we learned a strategy that we can use to solve problems. Today, we made lists to help us solve the problems. 

In Social Studies today, we continued to learn about Thanksgiving. Today, we focused on the Native Americans and what daily life was like for them. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we painted flint, or Indian, corn using Q-tips. We will put them together on Monday once our paint has dried. 

Have a wonderful weekend!