Monday, March 31, 2014

The Last Day of March

Well, we have made it through another month. It is hard to believe there are only two months left. Today also was Opening Day in baseball. I am so excited for the upcoming season. Go Bucs! 

Today in Religion class we read the story of the Prodigal Son. We then used stick puppets to act out the story. 

In Language Arts class, we learned how to blend and read compound words. The students are doing a great job of recognizing these words in stories. We also talked about character, setting, and plot. We began something new in Writing today. We are switching our focus from persuasive writing to informative writing. Our first informative paragraph will be on koalas. 

In Math class today, we learned about measuring in feet. We began by measuring the length of our classroom using our feet. We soon discovered that everyone had a different number. This led to the discussion of using the standard foot unit. Using rulers, we found the length of our classroom to be 21 feet. 

Have a great night! 

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Birds in a Nest

Happy Friday! It is so hard to believe that another week has come and gone. 

Our day began with Mass. Today Msgr. talked to us about following the two great commandments of loving God and loving others. 

Back in the classroom, we wrapped up The Lady in the Moon during Language Arts. We reviewed long i: ie, igh and kn- and wr- words as well as our sight words. We also finished our discussion on adjectives for what kind. Finally, we finished our writing projects for the week. First, we wrote about spring by writing about what we see, feel, smell, taste, and hear in spring. Second, we finished our persuasive paragraph about our favorite place. 

In Math class today, we talked about dozen and half dozen. 

During Science class today, we talked about light and shadows. We learned that a shadow is made when something blocks light. Using flashlights and objects in the classroom, students drew the shadow of their object. Needless to say, their was a lot of excitement in the room during this activity. 

Our day ended in Art class. Today we made birds in a nest. They are so adorable. I can't wait to hang them in the hallway for everyone to see. 



Have a fantastic weekend! 

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Learning and Laughter

Happy Thursday! It is hard to believe that tomorrow is Friday already. 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter. We reviewed what it means to be the Light of Christ and how to peacemakers in the world. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed long o: oa, ow and three letter blends as well as our sight words. We also partner read our story to build our fluency. We then talked about things that happen in the story that are real and things that happened that are make believe. Finally, we continued our talk on adjectives for what kind by completing sentences. 

In Math class today, we learned how to order events by time. 

Our day ended with Stations of the Cross. It was a busy day, full of learning and laughter. 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Still Snowing

Happy Wednesday! I could hardly believe that it was snowing today. I am so hoping that today was the last snow for the season. I am ready for spring. Plus baseball begins in 5 days! 

We had another great day in first grade. Today in Religion class we talked about making good choices. We also learned that it is not always easy to do that, so we need to ask God for guidance. 

During Language Arts class, we read our story The Lady in the Moon about the Chinese Moon Festival. The students enjoyed learning about a holiday celebrated in China. Before doing that though, we reviewed long i: ie, igh and kn- and wr- words and our sight words. 

In Math class today, we again practiced practiced subtracting a number from 10. The students really picked up these facts and are solving problems with ease. 

Our discussion today in social studies was why people work. We focused on workers in a factory. So students could better understand the idea on working on an assembly line, students participated in an assembly line activity. Working together, students assembled sandwiches; each one had something to add to the sandwich before it was completed. 

Our day ended in gym class. Today we did Rockin' Aerobics. They absolutely loved it and we so tired by the end of it. We sure gave our hearts a workout! 

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Happy Learners

Greetings! I hope everyone had a fantastic day just like we did in first grade. 

Our day began with Religion class. We talked about what it means to be peacemakers today. We decided that it is the little things we do like being kind and sharing that make us peacemakers. 

After a short break for Music class, it was time to learn some new decoding skills today in Language Arts. Today we focused on words with kn and wr. We practiced blending and reading these words. We also practiced our sight words and even had time to work in literacy centers. 

During Math class today, we learned some new subtraction facts. We used pennies to help us solve the subtracting a number from 10 facts. 

I do have to give a shout out to my Forensics buddies who did an awesome job at their competition tonight. We had 2 first place winners, 2 third place winners, and 1 fourth place winner. I am so proud of everyone who competed today! 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a Box Tops Jean Day. Thank you for sending in your box tops! 

Monday, March 24, 2014

A Fabulous Day

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Today was a fabulous day in first grade. 

In Religion class, we talked about what it means to receive the Light of Christ. We gave many examples of what to do to live in the Light of Jesus. 

During Language Arts class, we learned how to blend, read, and spell long i words spelled either ie or igh. We also talked about the difference between realism and fantasy. Finally, we discussed and identified adjectives for what kind. 

In Math class today, we learned how to count nickels and pennies. The students did a fabulous job with this! 

Here are the pictures I promised from Art class on Friday. Sorry for the delay. 



Have a great night! 

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Spring is in the Air!

Greetings, everyone! I hope you are having a great weekend! Hopefully this is the last chilly weekend for awhile. 

Friday was a fantastic day is first grade. We began our day with Mass. The students are doing an excellent job at finding the song in the songbook and singing along. I love hearing them sing. 

Back in the classroom, we wrapped up our story Mister Bones: Dinosaur Hunter. We reviewed our phonics skills and our sight words before taking a test on the story. We also reviewed adjectives for size. Finally, students wrote the steps in a dinosaur dig. They did a fabulous job of using transitional words in their writing. They are truly becoming better writers. 

To go along with our story, students made fossils today. Using clay, they pressed seashells into it. I took the clay models home and baked them. Students will receive their fossils tomorrow. This will be a treasure they can keep for many years! 

During Math class, we solved a problem by making an organized list. 

In Science class today we talked about sound. We talked about things that make loud and soft sounds and how sound is made when something vibrates. We then did an experiment to see what sound travels better through: a solid, liquid, or gas. After the experiment we concluded that sound travels best through a solid. 

Spring was in the air for Art class today. We made flower gardens using cupcake holders for the flowers. Unfortunately, when I went to take pictures of the creations, my camera battery died, so I will be posting those pictures on Monday! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Spring is Here!

Happy Spring! It is so good to say that winter is officially over even though it keeps snowing outside. At least we know that warm, sunny weather is on the way. 

Today was an action-packed day in first grade. During Religion class, we talked about how Jesus is the Light of the World and what that means. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed long e: ea and inflected endings when a y is changed to an i. We had loads of fun during our sight words practice today. Sticking with the dinosaur theme, I hid bones with sight words written on them throughout the classroom. Students had to be dinosaur hunters and find them. In addition, we worked on our fluency by partner reading the story. Finally, we worked in our literacy centers. 

During Math class today, we learned how to count nickels. This was a review from kindergarten. Next week we will be counting nickels and pennies together. 

Please remember to return library books tomorrow. Have a great night! 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Dinosaurs Hunting

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying their week. It is so hard to believe that it is already half over. 

We wrapped up our study on the sacrament of Baptism today. We reviewed what happens during the sacrament and what we receive when we are baptized. 

In Language Arts class today, we reviewed our phonics skills for the week (long o: oa, ow and three letter blends) as well as our sight words before reading our story. The students loved Mister Bones: Dinosaur Hunter. They enjoyed reading about how Barnum Brown found a T-Rex in Montana. 

During Math class today we learned how to measure and draw line segments to the nearest inch. It took us awhile to get used to measuring with a ruler, but by the end of class, we were pros. 

Our focus is still on economics in Social Studies class. Today we learned the meaning and importance of buying, trading, and saving. 

Our day ended with Stations of the Cross. Have a great night! 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Dinosaur Dig!

Today was an exciting day in first grade! 

Our day began by attending Adoration. It was the perfect way to begin a day! 

In Language Arts class today, we learned how to blend and read three letter blends. We also practiced our sight words. We then put our phonics and sight words skills to the test. Working with a partner, students practiced skills learned by playing a review game on the iPads. The app is called Reading Island. I was amazed at how well the students worked together and shared the iPad. They are looking forward to using them again. 

During Math class today, we learned how to draw congruent shapes on dot paper. 

Our dinosaur activity today centered around a dinosaur dig. Working in groups, students were given tweezers and a pail of sand. They had to excavate pieces from the sand. Once all pieces were found, students had to put the puzzle together. They had fun experiencing what real-life paleontologists do. 

Just a reminder that we will not have gym class tomorrow because of Stations of the Cross. 

Monday, March 17, 2014

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope everyone had a great day. We sure did in first grade. 

In Religion class, we continued our talk about Baptism. Today we learned we received a white garment as a reminder that we our a follower of Christ and a candle which serves as a reminder that we are always to walk in the light of the Lord. In addition, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, we watched a movie about the life of St. Patrick. 

During Language Arts class today, we learned how to blend and read long o words spelled either oa or ow. We also talked about adjectives for size and about the different reasons an author writes a story. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice the facts with a sum of 10. First we played a guessing game with a partner. One student split 10  pennies between each hand. Then they showed their partner one hand and the partner had to guess how many were in the other hand. We then practiced the facts using a wrap up. 

This week in Language Arts our story is about Mister Bones, a dinosaur hunter. To better help students understand his work, we will be exploring different aspects of dinosaur hunting this week. Today we talked about how fossils are formed. 

Have a great night! 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

A Sunny Friday

Happy Friday! It was so nice to see the sun shining today. That bright sunshine made us all happy in first grade. 

We began our day by attending Mass. Today we were reminded of the importance of forgiveness. 

During Language Arts class today, we wrapped up our story The Dot. We reviewed our sight words, long e words spelled ea and inflected endings when a y is changed to an i. We took our test on the story as well. Since our story this week was about a girl who made pictures out of dots, the students were given the challenge to make their own picture out of a dot. Each was given a colored dot and had to use their imagination to make something with it. Ideas ran from flowers to people to robots. Here are some of the creative examples the students made: 



In Math class today we talked about measurement. Using both large and small paper clips, students measured line segments. We are working toward using rulers to measure. 

During Science class today we talked about the 5 senses. We talked about our different taste buds and where they are located on our tongue. Then, we did an experiment for the other 4 senses. Students were placed in groups and rotated between centers where they experimented with each sense. In each center, they had to use either their eyes, nose, fingers, or ears to guess what was placed in bags. The students did a great job with this and had a lot of fun. 

Art class today was inspired by St. Patrick's day. Today we made leprechauns. 



Have a great weekend! 

Thursday, March 13, 2014

A Cold Day

I hope everyone had a nice day and were able to stay warm. I could not get over the temperature difference this morning. Thankfully, spring officially begins in one week. 

We had a great and busy day in first grade. During Language Arts class, we reviewed long a spelled ai and ay. We also reviewed possessives. We partner read our story and completed a character map for Vashti. We discussed how her feelings changed over the story and concluded that she is a realistic character. We also talked about adjectives and completed adjective phrases. Finally we wrote the second sentence in our paragraph about why we love recess. 

In Math class today we learned new facts. We learned the facts with a sum of 10. We will be practicing these facts over the next several days. 

Just a reminder that the Spelling test is tomorrow. 

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

A Gray Day!

Today was a good day in first grade. We could not get over how dark it was outside today. We were definitely missing the sunshine. 

During Religion class today, we talked about what happens during a Baptism. We learned that the Sign of the Cross is traced on a baby's forehead before water is poured on the baby. We also learned what the priest says when baptizing a baby. After all that learning, we role played a Baptism using a baby doll. The students are quite excited to find out about their Baptism. 

In Language Arts class today we reviewed long e: ea and inflected endings. We learned some new vocabulary words and practiced our sight words too. Then it was time to read our story The Dot. After reading this story, we learned that we have to try things before we can say we can't do something. 

In Math class today, we learned how to count by 100's. 

Social Studies class again focused on economics. Today we learned the difference between goods and services. Students were given a word card and had to classify it as either a good or service. Here is our chart. 


Our day ended with gym class. We again played kickball. The students enjoy this game and are getting a better understanding of how to play. 

Just a reminder tomorrow is a jean day. Students can wear jeans and a red or white shirt to school tomorrow. 

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

What a Beautiful Day!

Greetings, everyone! I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather! It was so nice to see the kids playing outside before school and then again at recess. Spring is coming! 

Today was another awesome day in first grade. We continued our talk about Baptism in Religion class. We talked about the importance of water and how we receive God's grace when we are baptized. When we went to Stations of the Cross today, we were able to see the baptismal font. The students are so excited to learn about this sacrament. 

In Language Arts class, we learned how to blend and read words with inflected endings. Today we learned that before we can add an ending to a word ending in a y we have to change the y to an i and then add the ending. We also practiced our sight words and worked in literacy centers. 

During Math class today, we learned how to order numbers from least to greatest. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym class! 

Monday, March 10, 2014

Fiesta!

Happy Fiesta Day from first grade! Today was an exciting start to the week. 

Our day began with Religion class where today we talked about the Stations of the Cross. We reviewed each station and began coloring our station booklet. Tomorrow we will pray the Stations of the Cross. This will occur at 2:00 and you are welcome to join us. 

During Language Arts class today, we learned how to blend, read, and spell long e words spelled ea. The students did a great job learning this skill. We also talked about theme and adjectives for color and shape. 

In Math class today, we learned how to add 10 to a number. We first did it with dimes and pennies and then did it mentally. The rap we learned last week is helping us with this skill. 

Our fiesta today was a huge success! The students enjoyed the confetti eggs. They loved being sprinkled with confetti. We also had a pinata at our fiesta. Everyone got to take a turn hitting it before it was broke open. Their prize consisted of a plastic toy and a sight word. They had to use their sight word in a sentence. I will say I enjoyed seeing them leave with smiles on their faces and pieces of confetti still in their hair. Here are pictures of our pinata and some of the confetti eggs. 



Have a great night! 

Saturday, March 8, 2014

We Made It!

We did it! We had our first full week of school since January. It felt so good to be back on a schedule. I know the students loved being back into a routine! They had an awesome week of learning! 

Our day began with Religion. Today we began our talk about the sacrament of Baptism. Today we learned that we became members of the church when we were baptized. 

Our focus then switched to Language Arts. We wrapped up our story Mama's Birthday Present. We reviewed our phonics skills long a spelled ai and ay and possessives as well as our sight words. We also took our test on the story. In addition, we reviewed adjectives. Finally, during the Writing part of class, students designed their own tortillas and wrote about what they put it them. 

In Math class today we practiced solving a problem by drawing a picture. 

We wrapped up our Dr. Seuss studies by reading My Many Colored Days. We then did a color experiment. Students guessed what new color would be made when we mixed two colors. We mixed red and blue to make purple, red and yellow to make orange, and yellow and blue to make green. Here are our new colors. 


In Science class today, we talked about my plate, the government's new version of the food pyramid. We talked about each group including foods found in each one as well as why they are an important part of our daily diet. Students were then asked to sort foods and put them on our my plate. Here is how that turned out! 


Our day ended with Art class. Today we made a mosaic rainbow and pot of gold. The highlight was adding glitter to the gold coins. 


Have a great weekend everyone! Just a reminder, our fiesta is on Monday. 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Thursday Already?

It is hard to believe that today is already Thursday. Where did this week go? 

We began our day by wrapping up our discussion of Lent. We reviewed the three disciplines of Lent (prayer, fasting, almsgiving) and were reminded that God is always with us on our Lenten journey. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our sight words, comparative endings, and -dge words. We also practiced building our fluency by partner reading Mama's Birthday Present. We then illustrated what each character did at the fiesta. During the writing portion of class, we wrote the concluding sentence to our paragraph about the zoo. We even had time to work in our literacy centers today too. 

In Math class today, we learned a rap to help us count by 10's. The students really enjoyed saying this rhyme. We will continue to say it over the next couple of weeks. 

Tomorrow is Friday and surprises await in first grade! 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Ash Wednesday

Greetings! Today was a wonderful Wednesday in first grade. It was full of prayer, learning, and exercise. 

We began our day by attending Mass for Ash Wednesday. The students were excited to receive ashes on their foreheads and compared them throughout the day. In our classroom, we will be following a Lenten calendar. Also, each student was given a white cross. Each day, the will have the opportunity to add a color square to it when they follow Jesus' way. The goal is to have a cross full of color by the time it is Easter. 

In Language Arts class today, we read our story Mama's Birthday Present. The students loved this story and are excited to partake in the fiesta celebration on Monday. They can't wait for the confetti eggs. 

During Math class today, we learned how to add ten to a number. We began by using our hundred number charts to help us, but by the end of class, we were able to add 10 in our heads. 

In Social Studies class today, we talked about the difference between needs and wants. We learned that we need food, clothing, and shelter. Wants are things we would like to have, but we don't need. 

We ended our day with Gym class. Today we learned how to play kickball. The had fun learning how to field the ball as well as how to run the bases. They are looking forward to playing this again next week. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Tuesday! Things are still going great in first grade! 

Today in Religion class we continued talking about Lent. We reviewed the Lenten traditions of praying, fasting, and almsgiving. We then made a Lenten calendar that we could use at home during this season. Our goal is to grow closer to Jesus as we journey with him this Lent. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed long a: ai, ay and possessives. We also reviewed our sight words. We then listened to our story for the week. It is a bit of a longer one, so we will read it tomorrow. We ended class by writing the detailed sentences for our paragraph on the zoo. 

During Math class today, we learned how to divide a square into fourths. We also practiced writing the fraction one fourth. 

Just a reminder, tomorrow is gym class. 

Monday, March 3, 2014

Happy March!

Greetings, everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I was so excited that we did not get all that snow that was predicted. I am hoping that a new month will bring a change in the weather. 

Things are going great in first grade. In Religion class today we talked about Lent and how during Lent we pray, fast, and give. 

In Language Arts class, we talked about adjectives and practiced finding adjectives in sentences. We then wrote a topic sentence for our paragraph on the zoo. Next, we reviewed possessives and our sight words. We completed possessive phrases and then illustrated them and played Roll-an-Alien to practice our sight words. 

During Math class today, we learned how to tell time to the half hour. 

We continued our celebration of Dr. Seuss by reading There's a Wocket in My Pocket. After reading the story, we had our own fun with play on words. Students selected a place in the school and then added a blend to that place to create a phrase. An example is "There's a Groffice in the Office." Students had fun illustrating their sentence. 

We had a special prayer service today in honor of St. David of Wales, the patron saint of Msgr. Lockard. Students presented Msgr. Lockard with a prayer chain of prayers we have said for him. It was a special time to honor this patron saint. 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

Today was such a good day in first grade. We almost made it through a whole week with no interruptions. I am excited to say good-bye to February and hello to March. Spring is only 21 days away! 

Our day was filled with new learning and our celebration of Dr. Seuss. Unfortunately, with the delay, we did not get all of our activities in, so we will complete them next week. 

In Language Arts today, we learned about possessives. The students were fantastic at reading possessive phrases and recognizing the difference between possessives and contractions. We also learned our new sight words for this week. 

We read two Dr. Seuss books today. First we read Horton Hears a Who about an elephant who is faithful to people no one can see. We then made a Horton and wrote how we can be faithful to others. They turned out great! 



Next we read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Students then used fish beads to make a graph. Looking at the graph, students analyzed the data. We then determined which color was most graphed in the room. After tallying the different colors, green had the most and yellow had the fewest. Here is a sample graph. 



Then it was time for Art class. We made a Cat in the Hat. The cat is holding a cupcake on which the students wrote the name of their favorite Dr. Seuss book. They turned out adorable. 



Have a great weekend!