Final Friday

Happy Friday! I just can't believe that the last week of school has come and gone. It feels like we just started the week and here we are done. We did have a fantastic, fun day in first grade. 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our study on Mary and the Saints. We worked with a partner to write a pray to Mary. The students did a great job with this. 

Language Arts was a mixture of review and fun. We reviewed the phonics sounds aw, au, short e: ea, prefixes un- and re-, and long i and o words. We also practiced our sight words. We then partner read our story. To review the literary elements from it, we made a kite and illustrated the characters, setting, problem, and solution. In addition we wrapped up our study of pronouns. 

For writing today, the students made ice cream cones. On each scoop, they wrote something they learned this year. Here are some examples. 

In Math class today we reviewed our math facts and took a written test. We all agreed that Math class was fun this year especially when we used the linking cubes. 

During Science class today we talked about products we get from plants. 

We had our last Art class of the year today. The students are quite sad to not be having Art for awhile. Today we made suns using our handprints. 

We ended our day with our games. Thank you so much for sending in games. The students had so much fun playing with their friends. I love how well they worked together and loved seeing the smiles on their faces. It was a great time. 

On Monday please join us for Mass at 9:00. Following that will be the Awards Ceremony. And yes, everyone will receive something. I hope to see you there! 

Have a great weekend!

Ascension Thursday

Greetings, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day. It was a very busy day in first grade. 

We began our day by attending Mass in honor of Ascension Thursday. It is hard to believe that it has been 40 days since Easter. Msgr. Lockard reminded us today that Jesus is always with all day long. 

Back in the classroom, we reviewed prefixes un- and re- and long vowels i and o in preparation to read our story. We enjoyed reading and discussing Ben Franklin and His First Kite. We loved hearing about Ben using a kite in a different way. 

During Math class today, we again practiced writing fact families. In do so, we learned four new subtraction facts. 

The students today had an impromptu Music class. Therefore, we were not able to have our game day. We will have our game day tomorrow. And just a reminder that tomorrow is a Box Top Jean Day for us. Thank you for sending in the Box Tops. 

Wednesday Learning

Happy Wednesday! The week is half over but it just seems like it began. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how the church honors the Saints with a Mass on November 1, All Saints' Day. This bought back memories of the time this year that we dressed up as our patron saint. 

During Language Arts class today, we learned how to blend and read long i and o words spelled -ost, -old, -ild, ind. We also practiced our sight words and talked about the pronouns us, them, him, and her. 

In Math class today, we used pictures of pennies to represent numbers. This helped us to identify the place value of three-digit numbers. 

For a change today, we had a special Science class. Today we talked about the parts of plants that we eat. 

Today did end on a sad note as we held our last gym class of the year. We stayed inside and played kickball. We sure are going to miss our Wednesday afternoon exercise. 

The Last Week of School

Greetings! It is so hard to believe that today we began the last week of school. I just don't know where this year has gone. But as I keep telling the kids, we have so much to learn this week. 

In Religion class, we talked about the saints and why people are called saints. 

In Language Arts, we blended and read words with the prefixes un- and re-. We also talked about the theme of the story. We even worked in literacy centers today. 

During Math class today, we learned about fact families. We practiced together writing them and then the students practiced on their own. While doing this, we learned 4 new subtraction facts. 

Have a great night! 

Beach Fun!

Greetings! Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone is enjoying their extra day off. For me, I can say I had a busy weekend between graduation, a Baptism, picnics, and preparing for the last week of school. 

I was sad to see this current 8th grade class graduate on Friday. Six of the students were part of my first class. As sad as it is to see them graduate, I know great things await them in the future. Best of Luck Class of 2014! 

In school on Friday, we had a great day of learning. In Religion class, we talked about how the church honors Mary. We found out this includes special songs, prayers, and Holy Days. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed our phonics skills and sight words. We took a test on our story and wrapped up our study of the pronouns I and me. We even took time to learn about another inventor: Ben Franklin. Our story next week is about him when he was a boy; today we learned about the many inventions he created when he was an adult. 

In Math class, we practiced solving a problem by drawing a picture and acting it out. Science class  was devoted to plants specifically the different parts of plants. We learned about roots, stems, and, leaves.

Our day ended with some fun at the beach. We made beach scenes today and used real sand for an extra touch. They turned out great! 

Have a great rest of your day! 

Telephones!

Happy Thursday! What an absolutely gorgeous day it was! I love seeing all of the green sprouting up. Summer is just around the corner! 

In Religion class today, we began our chapter on Mary and the Saints. Today we reviewed that Mary taught Jesus many things as he grew up. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed diphthong oi and oy and suffixes -er and -or. We partner read our story. To review details from our story, students wrote 4 facts about Alexander Graham Bell. We then added a telephone craft to the top to create a poster. Have a look: 

We also worked in literacy centers, reviewed using I and me, and wrote the concluding sentence in our paragraph about our field trip. 

In Math class today, we counted by hundreds, tens, and ones. We also identified the place value of digits in a three-digit number. 

Tomorrow will be an exciting day in first grade! 

Midweek Learning

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week; it is hard to believe that it is already half over. For me, I am finding it very hard to see the time fly. When I look at the calendar, I realize we have less than two weeks of school left :(. 

Today is Religion class we wrapped up our study of how we love and serve. We talked about loving and serving our families, God, and others. 

In Language Arts class, we read a biography about Alexander Graham Bell. The students were just fascinated at the history of the telephone; they were asking some very good questions. We did do some reviewing before reading; we reviewed vowels au and aw, short e: ea, and our sight words. For our phonics skills, each student was given a word; he/she then had to determine the vowel sound the word says. We then sorted the words into charts. I have pictures of the charts below. We ended class by writing our narrative paragraph about our field trip. 

During Math class today, we talked about probability. We discussed the terms likely, certain, and impossible. We then did an experiment using linking cubes. I put 9 yellow and 1 red linking cubes in a bag. Each student had a turn to pick a cube from the bag without looking. We then graphed our results. We realized that it was more likely that we would get a yellow cube since more yellow were in the bag. Here is how our graph turned out: 

In Social Studies class, we wrapped up our study of American civics and government. We reviewed different concepts we have studied over the past several weeks. 

Our day ended with Gym class. The rainy weather forced us inside today. So we played kickball. The smiles and laughter could be heard a throughout the gym during the game. 

Are You Sure?

One of my favorite things I love hearing from the students is "Are you sure it is time to go home?" They are in awe that the learning day has come to an end. Today many students couldn't believe it was the end of the day. Time flies when we are having fun learning. 

Our day began by attending Adoration. This was the last time we will be attending this school year. It was nice spending some quiet time with Jesus and thanking him for everything this school year. 

In Language Arts class, we blended and read short e: ea words. We also practiced our sight words and continued our discussion of I and me. In addition, we wrote the topic sentence for our narrative paragraph. We even had time to work in our literacy centers. Plus, we used the iPads to review our Phonics skills. 

During Math class today, we used the pennies to solve half of a double subtraction facts. The students soon realized that if they remember their double facts then they will be able to solve these facts as well. 

Tomorrow is gym day!!!

Monday Learning

Greetings! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. The children seemed well rested today. They had quite an exciting two days to end last week. 

In Religion class today, we talked about ways we can share God's love with others including our family and parish. 

During Language Arts class today, we blended and read au and aw words. We also talked about drawing conclusions when reading. In addition, we talked about when to use I and me in sentences. Finally, we completed our graphic organizer for our narrative paragraph on our field trip. 

In Math class today, we learned about temperature. We drew temperatures on thermometers and read temperatures from them too. 

We had a special Science class today. We began our study of plants by talking about seeds. We planted seeds in hopes of growing marigolds. 

Healthy Hawk Walk

Today was our very first Healthy Hawk Walk. It was a bit cold and chilly, but we still had an awesome day. 

Our day began with Mass followed by our Spelling test. Then it was time for the fun to begin. The fun started with our walk. We followed along a designated route. Thanks to all of the parents who lined the route and for those who walked with us. It was great having extra eyes and hands there! 

This afternoon we had some fun outside. We played various games and had got our faces' painted. The highlight though was the dunking booth. Kudos to Mrs. Ross, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Rhoades, and Fr. Brian for braving the cold weather to be dunked. 

Again, thank you to everyone who helped make this a great day for the students. Have a fantastic weekend! 

A View at the Zoo

We had an awesome day for our field trip today. Unfortunately, the rain did not hold off, but that did not ruin our fun. 

We were able to walk around the park (many groups made 2 trips) to see all of the animals. We saw camels, lemurs, chickens, peacocks, billy goats, pot belly pigs, bears, monkeys, lions, tigers, and so much more. 

We loved feeding the animals. Some of the animals ate right out of the children's hands and cups. I loved seeing the smile on their faces when the animals did this. 

The manager of Living Treasures was super nice to us. Since we could not go back into the park after lunch because of the rain, he brought some animals to us. He showed us an alligator and snakes. He even let the students hold them! 

I am sure that the students will sleep well tonight. They will need their rest since tomorrow is the walk-a-thon. Please remember to have students wear their shirt, jeans, and sneakers! 

The Eve Before the Field Trip!

Happy Wednesday! We were quite busy beavers today in first grade. We are all excited about the field trip tomorrow. Please remember to have students bring a packed lunch (preferably with no peanuts) and money for the gift shop. Also, students need to wear sneakers to school tomorrow. If you have any other questions, please let me know. 

In Religion class today, we talked about ways to show love to our families. When we do this, we also show God that we love Him too. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed many phonics skills (diphthongs oi and oy, inflected endings, suffixes, and vowels in book) and our sight words. We partner read our story Simple Machines and wrote a sentence describing each one we read about. We reviewed pronouns and wrote our narrative paragraph on recess. 

In Math class today, we used dimes and pennies to subtract two two-digit numbers. By the end of class we were solving problems without using our coins. 

Our focus today in Social Studies class was American symbols. We made small books illustrating some American symbols including the flag, bald eagle, Uncle Sam, and the Statue of Liberty. 

Our day ended with gym class. As you can imagine, we took advantage of the sunshine and warm weather and played outside on the playground. It was so nice to be able to do. 

The Heat is On

Happy Tuesday! It was another fantastic day in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we talked about prayer. We discussed the different prayers we say to God and talked about how we grow closer to God when we pray. We then wrote our own prayer to say this week. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed diphthong oi and oy, suffixes -er and -or, and our sight words. This led up to reading Simple Machines. It is a great nonfiction story about levers, pulleys, inclined planes, and wheels and axles. We did a lot of Science learning while reading this story. Also today, we wrote the topic sentence for our narrative paragraph on recess. Finally, we ended class by working in our literacy centers. 

In Math class today, we learned about quarters. We began by just counting quarters. We then counted quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies together. We are getting very good at counting coins. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym class. 

Learning between Breaks

Greetings, friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic and an especially wonderful Mother's Day. Today was a great day of learning in first grade. 

Our day did have some major breaks in it. We had Music class, Guidance, and Computers all today. In between those specials, we did lots of learning. 

In Religion class today we talked about how Jesus calls us to love and serve one another. We talked about ways we can do this everyday. 

During Language Arts class, we blended and read words with suffixes -er and -or. We also practiced reading our sight words. We spent time reviewing pronouns and had time to work in our literacy centers. 

In Math class today, we learned some new subtraction facts. Our focus today was the difference of 2 facts. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Friday! I know how I always mention how time flies, but today as we were packing up, one of the students just could not believe that it was the weekend. He said that when we work hard, the days go by quickly and today was no exception. 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our look at the Mass. We reviewed some of the responses we say and other things that happen during Mass. 

During Language Arts class today, we learned how to blend and read words with diphthong oi or oy. We also talked about finding the main idea of a story as well as using pronouns. We finished class by writing our first narrative paragraph about the spring concert. 

In Math class today, we learned about rectangular prisms. We then sorted all of the geometric solids by different characteristics. 

During Science class today we talked about the different simple machines. We will be spending more time learning about them next week as this is what our story is all about. 

We finished up our Mother's Day gifts during Art class today. They were so excited to give their presents to their Moms. 

I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day! I hope you enjoy your weekend! 

A Summer Day

Hello everyone! What an absolutely perfect day it was today. It was so hard to come inside from recess. We could have soaked in that sun all afternoon. 

We had an action-packed day in first grade. In Religion class we talked about the ending of the Mass. 

During Language Arts, we did a lot of reviewing and practicing. We reviewed the vowel sounds in book and inflected endings as well as diphthong ou and VCV words. We read our story again and compared and contrasted how we are alike and different from Dot and Jabber. We also reviewed how sentences begin and end. 

In Math class, we learned about polygons. We learned how to identify polygons and draw them. 

This afternoon we attended May Crowning. It was a beautiful service honoring Mary as Mother both of heaven and of earth. 

Enjoy the night! 

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week just like we are in first grade! 

Our focus today in Religion class was the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We were again reminded that the bread and the wine become Jesus' Body and Blood. 

In Language Arts class today we did some reviewing of our phonics skills this week (vowel sounds in book and inflected endings) and our sight words before reading our story Dot and Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery. The students loved being detectives along side the characters and figuring out the solution to the mystery. We ended class by writing the beginning sentence to our narrative paragraph. 

During Math class today we learned how to subtract 10 from a number. The students were fantastic at this! 

In Social Studies today, we talked about some American heroes including Sacajawea, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Students were then asked who there hero was. They wrote about why that person is there hero. 

Our day ended in gym class. Today, the other first grade joined us for a rousing game of kickball. There was a lot of excitement in the air! 

Smiling Sunshine!

What a beautiful day it was! That sunshine was so awesome to see. It really did put a smile on our faces all day. 

In Religion class today, we continued our talk about the Mass. Today we learned about the three readings we hear at Mass on Sunday including our responses to the readings. 

Language Arts class was full of exciting new learning today. We discovered how to spell words with inflected endings especially when there is a spelling change. It took us a little while to remember to drop an e before adding -ed or -ing but we soon found our groove. We also learned our new sight words today. In addition, we looked at a new type of writing. Our focus is now on narrative writing. We will be writing a narrative paragraph this week. 

In Math class today, we learned how to identify a fractional part of a whole. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym class and that we will be visiting the book fair. Please send in money in an envelope if you wish for your child to purchase books. 

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo day! We did not have a formal celebration for this day but we did celebrate by learning new things today! 

Our focus for Religion this week is the Mass. Today we looked at the opening part of the Mass including how we can participate. This includes singing and making the Sign of the Cross. Tomorrow we will look at the Liturgy of the Word. 

During Language Arts class today, we learned how to blend and read words spelled oo as in book. These words really came easy to us. We also talked about the importance of comparing and contrasting when reading. We practiced this skill when we worked in our literacy centers today. Finally, we reviewed how to properly write sentences. 

In Math class today, we learned new subtraction facts. Our focus today was the difference of 1 facts. We look forward to practicing these facts this week. 

Have a great night! 

On the 2nd of May

Greetings! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. Many of the students were telling me on Friday that they had baseball games this weekend. I hope you were able to get them in. I can't wait to hear about the games tomorrow. 

Our day on Friday began with Mass. Kudos to the band for doing such a marvelous job during Mass. 

It was a wrap up day in Language Arts. We reviewed diphthong ou and VCV words as well as our sight words. We took a test on Mole and the Baby Bird and finished our study of exclamations. We also wrote the concluding sentence to our paragraph on cheetahs. 

In Math class today, we learned how to solve a problem by guessing and checking. We learned that it was ok not to be right the first time and that it is ok to try again until we solved the problem. 

During Science class, we focused on magnets. We learned that magnets attract or repel from surfaces. Pairs of students were then given a magnet and asked to find 3 things in the classroom that the magnet is attracted to and three things it repels. They loved doing this. 

Art class today is a surprise. Here's a hint . . . it has to do with next weekend. 

I wanted to share with you one of our Easter bulletin boards in the classroom. Students were asked to design a puzzle piece before Easter. I then took those pieces and put them together to make a cross. Isn't it beautiful? 

Dodging the Rain

Greetings! I hope everyone had a great day. We were so fortunate today. We were able to play outside both before school and during recess. We dodged the rain!

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our study on the Eucharist. 

During Language Arts class today we reviewed ow words as well as C+le words. We partner read our story and wrote about the events in Mole and the Baby Bird. We even worked in literacy centers. Finally, we wrote our paragraph on cheetahs. The students were so excited to do this by themselves and they did fabulous. They are becoming such excellent writers. 

In Math class today, we learned about cubes and cylinders. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Library and Art class!