Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Excitement was in the air today in first grade. The students are so excited for the holiday break as well as for Santa Claus. 

We did finish our Language Arts story today. We reviewed long e and two syllable words as well as our sight words. We took our test on the story too. 

Then it was time for celebrating. The students were so excited to help me open presents. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. They were also excited to open presents from me. (I can only imagine your floors on Christmas morning!) 

This afternoon we went to church to hear the Christmas Choir program. The students did such a beautiful job singing and playing. 

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2014! 

"Busy Bees"

Happy Thursday, everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week! Today was an awesome day in first grade. 

To wrap up our study of the Christmas story, the students created their own Nativity scene pictures. They arranged pictures of Mary, Jesus, Joseph, shepherds, and the Kings on paper. They did a great job with this project. 

In Language Arts class today, we reviewed long u and long e words as well as words with inflected endings. We also practiced our fluency by rereading Honey Bees. After reading, the students wrote sentences telling what they learned about bees. We then created bees to correlate with our writing. Have a look at their work! 

During Math class today we solved a problem by looking for a pattern. 

Then, it was time for some Christmas activities. We read the book The Polar Express. We completed a worksheet where we sequenced the events in the story. Finally, we created our own Christmas bells that we can ring all throughout the year. 

We ended our day with a special Art project. Today the students created a Santa Claus. They will be bringing them home tomorrow. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our last day of school before Christmas vacation! 

Ringing of the Bells!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! It is hard to believe that Christmas is just one week away. Excitement is building in first grade. 

Today in Religion class we continued to talk about the Christmas story. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed long e words spelled e and ee, two-syllable words, and our sight words. After all that hard work, we were ready to read our story Honey Bees. The story was about the jobs of the various bees in a hive. The students loved this story and I hope you do too. 

This afternoon we went to the annual Hand bell Concert. Beautiful music filled the church as the older students played Christmas songs. The students loved the music and can't wait until they are old enough to play the bells. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a jean day! 

Happy Tuesday!

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a great Tuesday. We sure did in first grade. 

Today we began our study of the Christmas story in Religion class. We read the story, talked about it, and even acted it out. 

During Language Arts class, we practiced reading two syllable words with the VCCV pattern. We also practiced our sight words and continued practicing finding nouns in sentences. 

In Math class, we practiced our adding  2 facts. 

Just a reminder that we will NOT have gym class tomorrow because of the Hand bell concert. 

Christmas Carolers!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know the students had to have a busy one; it took them awhile to wake up this morning. But once the energy started to flow, we were off and learning. 

In Religion class we wrapped up our talk about Pentecost. 

During Language Arts class, we blended and read long e words (spelled e or ee). We also practiced comparing and contrasting. In addition, we practiced finding nouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we identified the odd numbers to 100 and also learned the adding 2 facts. 

Here are some pictures of the Christmas ornaments we made last week using clay and cookie cutters. I also added a picture of our Art project on Friday. Have a great night! 

O Christmas Tree

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am sure the students are loving the snow. 

Friday was a fantastic day in first grade! 

In Religion class, we learned about the Glory Be and practiced praying the prayer. During Language Arts class we wrapped up our story by reviewing long u, long e, inflected endings, and our sight words. We also took a test on the story. 

We used pattern blocks in Math class to cover a design and filled in a chart showing how many of each shape we used. In Science class we talked about how to sort objects. We discussed we can sort them by size, color, weight, or if they float. We then took objects and sorted them by whether they floated or not. 

Finally, we ended our day with Art class. This week we made Christmas carolers. I'll post pictures of them next week once they are displayed in the hall. 

We even had time for a few Christmas activities today. The students helped me decorate our classroom Christmas tree. We then wrote the steps in how to decorate a tree. The students then made their own Christmas trees and added some white paint for snow. Here are pictures of the Christmas trees the students made and then of our classroom tree. Enjoy! 

Christmas Concert!

Happy Thursday, everyone! Christmas could definitely be heard throughout the school today. This afternoon we attended the annual Christmas band concert and play. What a fabulous job all of the students did. We heard some fantastic Christmas music and saw a beautiful play about the true meaning of Christmas. 

Before attending the concert, we had work to do in first grade. We talked about what happened at Pentecost in Religion class. During Language Arts class, we reviewed long o, contractions, and plurals; we also worked in literacy centers. 

After the concert we completed a project that correlates to the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Yesterday we heard the story. Today we wrote and/or illustrated what we would do to make a Grinch grin. Here are some examples: 

Reading, Math, and Christmas too

Today was another great and busy day in first grade. 

We started our day with Religion class where we talked about how Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his followers. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed long e, long u, inflected endings, and sight words before reading our story. This week we read a nonfiction story called Life in the Forest. The students enjoyed reading about the animals and plants that call the forest their home. 

During Math class today, we practiced adding 2 to even numbers. We also identified all of the even numbers to 100. 

In Social Studies class today, we talked about the countries that neighbor the United States. We talked about how Canada, the United States, and Mexico are alike and different. 

To end our day, we participated in various relay races during gym class. We learned that it is more important to have fun than it is to win. 

Throughout this week and next, the students will be completing various Christmas projects. Yesterday, we read the story Santa's Stuck. Today the students wrote what they would do if Santa was stuck in their chimney. They then created artwork that correlates to the story. Here are some finished products. 

Here is a picture of the gingerbread men the students created in Art class last Friday. Aren't they adorable? 

Finally, on a side note, I have to show you some decorations in the classroom. Mrs. Link bought me a Charlie Brown tree and St. Nick gave me the Peanuts characters that go with it. Isn't it adorable? 

On the 10th Day of December

Greetings, everyone! What a fantastic day of learning we had in first grade today. 

We began our day by attending Adoration. It is always nice to spend some extra time praying to Jesus. 

In Language Arts class today we learned how to read words with the inflected ending -ed. We also practiced our sight words. During the writing portion of the class we wrote letters to Santa. Needless to say, we are getting very excited for Christmas. We even had time today to work in literacy centers. 

We learned how to label a clockface and draw time on a clockface during Math class today. 

The best part of the day was making Christmas ornaments. Each student was given a packet of Model Magic clay from Crayola. They then picked a cookie cutter shape that they wanted for their ornament. The ornaments are hardening now and later in the week we will paint them. Hopefully they will add some sparkle to your Christmas trees. The students did take the extra clay home with them to use. Smiles and laughter filled the room when we did this. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym class. 

A Short Day = A Lot of Learning

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone had a nice weekend plus the extra two hours. 
Even with a short day, we still managed to learn a lot. 

In Religion class we talked about how Jesus surprised his followers after his Resurrection. 

During Language Arts class, we learned how to blend and read long u and long e words. We also talked about the author's purpose for writing a story. In addition, we discussed how to make a word plural by adding an s. 

In Math class we studied the odd numbers and practiced counting by odds to 21. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday, everyone! I hope you are enjoying your week. It is sure flying by for us in first grade. 

Today in Religion we wrapped up the chapter on Jesus' death and resurrection. Our Advent symbol today was candles. We are reminded to light for others. Today we promised to let our light shine bright this Advent season. 

During Language Arts class today, we reviewed long i and digraphs wh, ch, and tch. We also practiced our fluency by rereading our story and working in literacy centers. 

In Math class today we talked about lines of symmetry. We created Christmas trees with lines of symmetry. 

Tomorrow will be an exciting Friday as it is the feast of St. Nicholas. Have a good night! 

The Warmth of December

What a beautiful day it was today! We are really enjoying this warm weather especially since we can go outside for recess. 

Our Advent symbol today was fish. We heard the story about how Jesus called fishermen to be his followers. 

In Language Arts today, we reviewed reading long o words and contractions. We also practiced our sight words before reading our story The Big Circle. The students loved reading a story involving dinosaurs. 

In Math class, we practiced counting dimes and pennies. 

For Social Studies today, we talked about where we live. We started with the continent, narrowed that down to country, and narrowed that even further to the state. We made a flip book to help us remember. 

Our day ended with gym class. We enjoyed our exercise today. 

On the 3rd of December

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. The students really seemed to enjoy their time off. 

We began our day by wrapping up our talk about Advent. We reviewed the meaning behind the season as well the the meaning of the Advent wreath. We also began our Advent calendar today. Each day, a student will remove a picture from our Advent calendar. We will talk about the picture and how it relates to Jesus. We then will hear a story from the Bible. Finally, we will add the symbol to a bulletin board as we wait for Jesus. For instance, today we added three symbols: a quarter, grapes, and smiley face. The quarter reminds us to share this holiday season, the grapes represent Jesus' first miracle, and the smiley face reminds us to follow Jesus' rules. Here is a picture of our Advent calendar. 

In Language Arts class today, we learned how to read and spell contractions. We also practiced our sight words. Finally, we reviewed writing days of the week, months, and holidays. 

In Math class, we located numbers on a hundred number chart. 

Just a reminder that we will be visiting the Secret Santa shop tomorrow. Please send in money in a marked envelope. We also have gym class tomorrow. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was so happy that we had school today. I really enjoy sharing in the holidays with the students and today was no exception. 

At Mass today, we were reminded to give thanks for all that we had. I am truly thankful for all of the students who work so hard each day learning and for all of the parents who help foster their child's learning. 

Back in the classroom, we did some Thanksgiving activities. We created a story booklet about the first Thanksgiving. We colored harvest vegetables and then made a pattern with them. We also took a survey to see which foods are our favorites at Thanksgiving. According to our graph, most of us like mashed potatoes while the least like stuffing. In addition, we created our own thankful booklet. 

Let me take this time to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy your time with your families. I look forward to hearing about the celebrations on Tuesday. 

Snowy Tuesday

Greetings, everyone! I hope everyone made it home safe and sound today. It is hard to believe that another winter is upon us already. The students were quite excited to leave early today. I think many of them wanted to go home and play in the snow. 

Before leaving, we were able to do some learning. In Religion class, we continued our discussion on Advent. We made our own Advent wreaths using our hand prints. I sent home four flames. The students are to glue one flame on each week during Advent. 

In Math today, we explored even numbers. 

Unfortunately, that was all we had time for today. Hopefully, I will see everyone tomorrow. Just a reminder that dismissal time for tomorrow is scheduled for 12:30. 

Have a safe night!

So Much to Share!

Happy Monday, everyone! I have so much exciting things to share with you today. First grade was one busy and exciting place to be today. 

During Religion class, we began our talk about Advent. It is hard to believe that Advent begins on Sunday. We talked about the Advent wreath and the candles on the wreath. 

In Language Arts class, we blended and read long o words and practiced reading long o words in a story. We talked about sequencing events in a story. In addition, we practiced writing days of the week, months, and holidays correctly. 

In Math class, we order containers based on their capacity. We filled four different containers with water counting the number of cups as we filled each one. It was exciting playing with water. 

Last week, as part of our study about Thanksgiving, we read two stories: Samuel Eaton's Day  and Sarah Morton's Day. Each story looked into the lives of young Pilgrim boys and girls. 

We then created charts listing the different activities these young children did. Today we completed a Venn Diagram comparing/contrasting the daily lives of Pilgrim boys and girls. Here are our charts. 

Following that, we created Pilgrims and wrote about what we would do if we were Pilgrim boys and girls. Take a look: 

Finally, as promised on Friday, here are pictures of our Indian corn art project: 

Have a great night everyone! 

Lots of Doings

Today was a fantastic day to end the week! We did some reviewing and worked on a few Thanksgiving projects. 

We began our day with Religion class where we talked about how Jesus taught in the Temple in Jerusalem. 

We continued our learning in Language Arts class. Today we reviewed long i and digraphs wh, ch, and tch and how to write special titles. We also took a test on our story. During writing, the students had to write the steps in how to cook a turkey. They did a great job sequencing the steps. Here are samples of their work: 

We have been working really hard on our penmanship the last few weeks. We are taking our time writing and remembering to put spaces between words. Today we copied a Thanksgiving poem and created a turkey to go with it. Here are some pictures. 

In Math class today we solved a problem by drawing a picture. We wrapped up our study of habitats in Science class. To end the week, the students created paintings of Indian corn using either their fingerprints or stamps. I'll post pictures of those next week once the paint has dried. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay warm! 

A Thanksgiving Feast!

What a wonderful day today was! It was our annual Thanksgiving meal. It is always so nice to eat with everyone and share a delicious lunch. The students were so excited for this. They loved the fifth grade play too. Here are pictures of our table decorations. One is of our turkey centerpiece and one is of the place mat the students made. 

In the classroom today we reviewed long a and the sounds of c and g in Language Arts. We also practiced our sight words as well as worked on our fluency by reading our story again. In addition, we worked in literacy centers. In Math class we learned the subtracting 0 and subtracting a number from itself facts. 

Have a great night! 

On the Mayflower

Today was a good day in first grade. We are getting excited for the Thanksgiving holiday next week. 

Today in Religion class we talked about why Jesus is called the Good Shepherd. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed long i and digraphs wh, ch, and tch. We also practiced our sight words before we read our story Who Works Here? The students enjoyed reading about the people who work in our community. 

We did take a little break before lunch to make our centerpieces for our Thanksgiving Luncheon tomorrow. We are all excited to eat a Thanksgiving meal with our friends. 

During Math class today, we practiced reading time to the hour. 

In Social Studies class, we talked about the Mayflower. We read the book On the Mayflower and then wrote facts we learned from the book. Next, we used those facts to create our own little story booklet about the Mayflower. Here are pictures of the facts we wrote and a finished booklet. 

Reading More Words

Today was another great day of learning in first grade. We began our day by attending Eucharistic Adoration. Spending some quiet time with Jesus is a great way to start a day! 

Back in the classroom, we went to work learning new phonics skills. Today we practiced reading words with the digraphs wh, ch, and tch. We also practiced our sight words. In addition, we worked in literacy centers and finished writing the steps in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

During Math class today, we practiced counting by 2's. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym day. It is also the last day to turn in book orders. 

Long i Words

Welcome back, everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. We are off to a rockin' start this week. 

To start our week, we finished our Religion chapter on Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. Today, using strips with phrases of the Our Father on it, we clued the prayer together and added a few decorations around the paper. This proved to be an easy task for the students. 

In Language Arts class, we learned how to read long i words. The students are becoming so good and recognizing magic e at the end of words. We also talked about why an author writes a piece, whether to inform or entertain. In addition, we wrote wrote some of the steps in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

During Math class, we practiced counting dimes. 

Have a great night! 

Turkey Time!

Greetings, friends! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Friday was a fantastic day in first grade. 

We began our with Mass where we were told to always make time for Jesus in our day. 

During Language Arts class, we wrapped up our story The Farmer in the Hat. We reviewed long a and the different sounds of c and g. We took our test on our story too. During the writing portion of class, we wrote the steps in planting a seed. 

In Math class, we sorted pictures of designs and identified the identical ones. 

In Science class, we went on a trip around the world looking at different habitats. Using a PowerPoint presentation, we visited the desert, forest, and ocean. To end class, students drew various plants and animals that live in these habitats. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we made turkeys. Students had a choice in using either a pattern or tracing their foot for the body. Students then traced their hands on different colors of construction paper for the feathers. They turned out tur-iffic. Have a look! 

On the 14th Day of November

Greetings! Happy Thursday! We had quite a busy day in first grade! 

Yesterday in Religion we learned about the prayer that Jesus taught his followers. Today we looked at the meaning behind the Our Father. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed the difference between short a and long a by completing a word sort. We also worked in literacy centers. In addition, we reviewed how to write proper nouns. We finished class by writing the steps in how to brush our teeth. 

In Math class today we continued to practice the subtracting 1 facts. 

Tomorrow should be an exciting day as we  have Art class. 

Back to Normal

Happy Wednesday, everyone! It is hard to believe that the week is half way over.

Today in Religion class we learned that Jesus taught his disciples how to pray the Our Father. The students were amazed that we are pray the same pray that Jesus taught his friends.

In Language Arts class today, we worked in literacy centers where we practiced reading our sight words and long a words. We also practiced our writing skills. We also reviewed digraph sh and th and the vowel sound al.

In Math class we learned some new facts. We switched gears a bit and learned the minus 1 facts. It is exciting learning all of these new facts.

During Social Studies class we talked about the difference between a city, town, and suburb.

We ended our day with Gym class. This week we again used the parachute as we exercised. We really enjoyed our selves.

A 2 Hour Delay Day

Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend and the extra two hours the students got this morning. It just seems to be a little early for snow delays. One thing the students learned today is that when we have two hour delays the days go by fast. They could hardly believe that it was time to go home. 

We were quite busy learners today though. In Language Arts, we reviewed long a and the different sounds of c and g. We also reviewed our sight words. Then it was time to put our knowledge to the test as we read The Farmer in the Hat. The students laughed at the end when the cat became the farmer. I hope you enjoy the story tonight. 

In Math class, we practiced counting by 10's to 100 both forwards and backwards. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Wednesday and gym day. Have a good night! 

Review Day

Today was a nice day to end a short week. The students are really looking forward to their long weekend. 

In Language Arts class today we reviewed the various sounds of c and g. Students worked in groups to sort words based on the sound either the c or g said. We then all filled in a chart. We also practiced our sight words for this story. In addition, we reviewed proper nouns. We are working hard at remembering that proper nouns need capital letters. 

In Math class today we solved a problem by using logical reasoning. 

I am looking forward to meeting with everyone tomorrow. 

Learning More Words to Read

Today was a good day in first grade. We continue to learn and explore new concepts. 

Today in Language Arts we learned how to read words when the c makes an s sound and when g makes a j sound. We are loving all the new words that we can read. We also reviewed sight words by playing tic-tac-toe. Students wrote words on a grid and then played tic-tac-toe with a partner. This was a great way to practice our words while at the same time having fun. 

In Math class today, we used pattern blocks to cover designs with pattern blocks. We then traced the shapes and colored in the designs. 

During Social Studies class we discussed weather and the seasons including the various activities we do during each season. 

We ended our day with gym class. Today we exercised with the parachute. 

Please remember to bring library books to school tomorrow. 

More of Magic "e"

Today was another fabulous day in first grade. We really enjoyed our Box Tops jean day today. Thank you so very much for sending in box tops. Please keep collecting and sending them in. Hopefully, we can have another Box Tops jean day in January. 

We continued our study of long a today in Language Arts. We practiced reading words and spelling words. We are feeling much more confident today than yesterday. We know that to become good readers we need to practice every night. 

We also talked about proper nouns today. We gave many examples of proper nouns and used those examples to create "Proper Noun Pizza." Don't they look yummy. 

In Math class, we learned the adding 0 facts. 

With no school on Friday, we held Science class today. We talked about the difference between living and nonliving things. Students worked in groups to classify pictures as either living or nonliving. They then drew an example of a living thing and a nonliving thing. 

Remember that tomorrow is gym class day!

Magic e

Greetings, everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed the sunshine! 

Today was a big day in first grade. Today we learned how to read long vowel a words. We learned that when there is an e (I call it a magic e) at the end of  word, that e make the vowel say its name. It is taking us sometime to get use to this change but we are excited to learn new words. 

Before learning about long vowels, we reviewed our short vowels by playing build-a-bug. Students selected a word and if read correctly they could color a line on the bug. This was a good review before learning long vowels. 

In Math class today we learned how to count on from a number. Students worked with a partner to roll dice. Then together, they counted to see how much they rolled and filled in a chart. The students loved this activity. 

Remember that tomorrow is a Box Tops Jean Day!!

A Parade of Saints

Today was an exciting day in first grade. It was a wonderful day to begin a new month. It is so hard to believe that it is already November. 

The students did such an amazing job today during the prayer service. They looked absolutely beautiful and wore their costumes with such pride. They were so excited that everyone came to see them;I hope you enjoyed it. I want to thank everyone who came today and helped make this day extra special for them. 

We did do some learning today too. We took our Spelling test and finished our Science unit on animals. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! When I greeted the students with this this morning, one student said 'Yeah, today is the real Halloween.' That brought a smile to my face. 

We had a frightfully good time today in first grade. We wrapped up our story A Big Fish for Max in Language Arts by taking our test on the story and reviewing digraphs sh and th and vowel sound al. We also wrote about our monsters. They will be hanging in the hallway for you to see during Parent-Teacher Conferences next week. 

In Math class today, we used a balance to weigh a pencil, crayon, eraser, and marker. We added pennies to one side until the balance was even. 

Our recess today was a celebration of the end of Red Ribbon Week. We exercised our right to be drug free by participating in various fitness stations in the gym. 

This afternoon we practiced with our 8th grade friends for tomorrow's prayer service. We are so excited for this. We hope you will come and see us. The service begins at 1:00 in the church. 

A CRAZY Day

Today was a crazy day - that is a crazy hair day. The students totally loved styling their hair all wild. I loved some of the creative ways they did too. Thanks for making today extra special for them. 

With our crazy hairdos, we learned many things today. In Religion, we talked about Ordinary Time in the Church year. We also prayed the last decade of the Glorious Mysteries. The students brought their rosary home so that they can continue praying with it throughout the year. 

In Language Arts, we worked in our literacy centers, identified nouns in sentences, and pre-planned our writing project. Tomorrow we are going to write about monsters. 

In Math class, we used pattern blocks to make a graph. We then answered questions about our graph. 

To continue our talk about pumpkins, today we discussed the life cycle of a pumpkin. We made a chain showing how a pumpkin grows. 

Tomorrow looks to be just exciting as we conclude Red Ribbon Week and as we practice with our 8th grade friends for the All Saints' Prayer Service. 

Pumpkin Fun!

Today was a great day in first grade! We had so much fun throughout the day. 

We began our day by attending Eucharistic Adoration which is such a nice way to begin a day. It is always nice to spend some quiet time in the presence of Jesus. 

We returned to the classroom, went to Music class, and then started on our day. We reviewed short u and final blends. We also read A Big Fish for Max with a partner. I hope you enjoy the story tonight. We ended our morning with a Math lesson where we practiced our adding 1 facts. 

After lunch, we joined with the other first grade friends to practice for All Saints' Day. The students are doing a good job at listening and following directions. 

Then, it was time for a special project. In the spirit of Halloween, both first grade students helped to carve the pumpkin. The students helped scoop the seeds from inside the pumpkin and worked together to decide on what type of face it should have. Next, while I carved out the face, the students listened to and talked about how a pumpkin grows. Finally, it was time for the big reveal . . . 

We wrapped up the project by writing the steps in carving the pumpkin. 

Tomorrow is gym day. Also, the All Saints' Day costumes are due tomorrow. 

Happy Monday!

Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Many of the students told me about the wonderful time they had trick-or-treating over the weekend! 

Our day started with Religion class where we continued our discussion on the different Church seasons. 

We then switched our focus to Language Arts. We reviewed the sounds of sh, th, and al. We also reviewed our sight words before reading our story A Big Fish for Max. 

In Math class today, we learned our adding 1 facts. We created our own fact cards that we will use to practice with in class. 

We also took time today to begin practicing for the All Saints' Day prayer service on Friday. We are getting excited for it. 

Party Time!

What a fantastic day we had in first grade! We sure do love a party! 

But, before we celebrated Halloween, it was time for work. We talked about the church seasons in Religion class. During Language Arts, we made spiders and then wrote either and sh or th word on a leg. A picture of a spider is below. We also sorted Halloween nouns by whether they named a person, place, or thing. Lastly, we read A Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything and then made our own scarecrows. In Math, we finished Halloween patterns by gluing the picture that would come next. 

And then it was time to party. We had so much fun rotating between games. We bowled using gourds, participated in a relay race, pinned the nose on the pumpkin, and played Jenga. I want to thank all of the parents who came today to help with the party. Because of your help, we had a great time. 

Just a reminder that we do not have school tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend! 

Excitement in the Air!

Excitement was in the air today especially when the students saw snowflakes. We are also quite excited about Halloween tomorrow. 

We could not let the snow interrupt our day of learning though. We concluded our study on the Great Commandment by creating a mobile. The students drew ways to love God, love others, and love ourselves. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed digraphs and vowel sound al. We also listened to our story A Big Fish for Max. In addition, we finished our haunted house writing by decorating a haunted house and then using our thumbprints to add ghosts around the house. Here is a picture of a final masterpiece: 

In Math class, we talked about measurement. We then used linking cubes to measure the length and width of our desks. 

Our special treat for the day was a visit from St. Francis University. Students in the occupational therapy program came to talk to us about backpack safety. They talked about how to load books into our bookbag and even helped us to make sure our backpacks were fitted properly. We enjoyed their visit. 

Reminder that tomorrow is a jean day for the students! 

A Chill in the Air

It is definitely feeling more like fall today. When the students went outside for recess, most of them commented that it was cold. But once they started playing and running, they warmed up! 

Today was yet another busy day in first grade. We tied our drug education lesson and Religion lesson together. We talked about loving ourselves and things we do when we love ourselves like eating healthy foods, exercising, brushing our teeth, and so much more. 

In Language Arts class today, we learned how to read words with al. We noticed that the words are getting harder so we all agreed to read every night. We also went over our sight words. During writing, we wrote about our trip to a haunted house. 

In Math class, we talked about things we do in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night. We used the pictures the students brought in to make a collage of all the different activities. Here is how it turned out: 

As promised, here is a picture of the ghosts the students made on Friday. Aren't they spooktacular? 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym class. 

Happy Monday!

Today was a busy start to this short week! Our day began with Music class which quickly woke us up and made us excited for the day ahead. 

Back in the classroom, we reviewed the Great Commandment and explored what it means to love God, love ourselves, and love others. 

During Language Arts class, we learned how to blend and read words with digraphs sh and th. We also talked about how to find the main idea in the story. In addition, we learned about nouns. Finally, in the celebration of Halloween, our writing project will focus on a trip to a haunted house. Today we completed a graphic organizer about things we see, hear, smell, and touch there. 

In Math class, we used pennies to help us add 1 to a number. By the end of class, we could easily find answers to adding 1 problems without using our pennies. 

In preparation for Red Ribbon Week, we began our drug education lessons today. We began by talking about what the brain does. By the end of our discussion, we had a long list of activities and came to the conclusion that it is important to protect our brain. 

A Different Kind of Day

Today was quite a fun day to end the week. The other first grade class joined us today for some learning. 

We began our day by attending Mass. Fr. Matt celebrated the Mass and reminded us to always be open to what God is calling us to do when we are older. He did meet with us this afternoon where the students were able to ask him questions about his job as a priest. 

Once we got everyone into the room, it was time to learn. In Language Arts, we wrapped up our story by reviewing short u and final blends and took our test on the story. We also reviewed question sentences. We even had time to visit the library. 

In Math class, we reviewed our double facts and learned how to solve a problem by looking for a pattern. 

We ended the day with Art class where we made ghosts using cotton balls. I will post pictures on Monday once they have dried. 

All in all, it was a fun and productive learning day in first grade. 

I hope everyone had a great week and hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a good week! Today went so fast in first grade. Before we knew it, it was time to go home. 

Today in Religion class we learned the Great Commandment. We know it means to love God, love ourselves, and love others. 

In Language Arts today, we reviewed short e and initial blends as well as practiced building our fluency by reading poems and partner reading our story. We are just loving this story with all of the animals. We also spent time working in our literacy centers. 

During Math class today, we learned how to write number sentences for some, some went away stories. 

The excitement is building for what we will do in Art class tomorrow. Check back for pictures!! 

A Trip Around the World

Today was a busy day of learning in first grade. 

It all began in Religion class where we talked about how thousands of people followed Jesus. We also continued to pray our rosary. This week we are praying the Sorrowful Mysteries. 

The learning continued in Language Arts class. We reviewed the sounds of short u as well as final blends. We both our knowledge to the test when we read Animal Park. Our story took us half way around the world to the Serengeti in Africa. We enjoyed our safari trip in this story; I hope you enjoy it too. 

The fun did not stop in Math class. We practiced adding 1 to a number using linking cubes. 

In Social Studies we talked about the various landforms on earth by making a shape book. We wrote the name of the landform on the front and drew pictures of what we would find there. On the back of each page we wrote the definition of each landform. Here are some pictures! The first picture shows the whole book. The following pictures show each individual page. 

We finished our day with Gym class. Today we payed "Good Ship Spark". On given commands, the students had to do various locomotor skills. Smiles were abound! 

As promised here is a picture of the Religion project we did yesterday! 

SMILE!

Today was a busy day in first grade. We were all excited for picture day. We all loved smiling for the camera and can't wait to see our pictures! 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our discussion of Jesus helping others. We created a poster with Jesus in the middle and added names of people we can pray for. I'll have pictures of these tomorrow. 

During Language Arts class, we practiced reading words with final blends. We also worked on reading our sight words. This afternoon we worked in literacy centers where we practiced our phonics and writing skills. 

In Math class today we used pattern blocks to cover designs. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym Day. It is also the last day to place book orders.