Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a great day and made it to and  from safely today. We had an action packed day in first grade. 

We began our day by attending Mass. Msgr. reminded us to thank God every day for all that we have. 

Back in the classroom, we did many Thanksgiving activities. First, we reviewed the life of Pilgrim boys and girls by completing a Venn Diagram. We listed all the ways Pilgrim boys and girls are the same and how they are different. We then wrote a sentence describing something we would do if we were a Pilgrim boy or girl. Next, we added that sentence to a Pilgrim craft. Here are two samples: 

Next we read the story This is the Feast and talked about the first Thanksgiving. We made a small booklet to help us remember this event. 

We followed that up by reading Turkey Trouble. In this hilarious book, a turkey tries to disguise himself as different animals so that the farmer doesn't catch him. We then reviewed the different disguises and made our own disguise for the turkey. 

Finally, we created a bar graph which shows our favorite Thanksgiving foods. As you can see from the graph below, turkey and corn are our favorites while stuffing is least liked. 

I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your families and friends! See you on Tuesday! 

Preparing for Advent

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

In Religion class, we reviewed the season of Advent. We then made an Advent wreath using our handprints. I sent home flames and encourage you to add them to the wreath during each week of Advent. Here is a picture: 

During Language Arts class, we again worked in literacy centers where we practiced our fluency and comprehension skills. We also wrote the steps in cooking a turkey. I always love reading how the students think you cook a turkey. Finally we read Sarah Morton's Day. We learned about the life of a Pilgrim girl. 

In Math class today we practiced finding numbers on a 100 number chart. Students worked with a partner for some of the lesson. One person used linking cubes to cover numbers and the other person had to guess the number being hidden. The students loved this guessing game. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is an early dismissal day. We will begin dismissal at 12:15. Also, we will have lunch tomorrow. 

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday! What a difference a week makes. Last week it was cold and snowy; today it was warm and sunny. It was a nice day for the students to get outside and release some of their energy! 

Today in Religion class we talked about the season of Advent which begins on Sunday. We talked about how this season is spent waiting for Jesus' birth at Christmas. We also talked about the Advent wreath and the candles. 

In Language Arts today, we worked in our literacy centers. We have not worked in them for awhile so it was nice to practice everything we learned over the last few weeks. We also read the story Samuel Eaton's Day about a Pilgrim boy living in Plymouth. We learned all about what he did during the day like gathering firewood, serving his parents, and helping with the harvest. 

During Math class today, we learned about the even numbers. We identified the even numbers to 20 and practiced counting by 2's to 20. 

Have a great night! 

Indian Corn!

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Friday was a busy and exciting day in first grade. 

We began our day by attending Mass. We heard the story about Jesus getting mad in the Temple. Fr. Brian reminded us to always respect the church and ourselves. 

In Language Arts class, we wrapped up our story The Big Circle. We reviewed long o words and contractions. We also practiced our sight words. We then took a test on the story. Finally, we practiced writing days, months, and holidays correctly. 

In Math class we practiced solving a problem by drawing pictures. 

Our focus switched in Science class. We began our study of physical science by looking at different ways to group objects. We said that we could group objects by color, size, what they do, and if they float. We then did an experiment to see which objects floated and which objects sank. We learned that the pattern block, linking cube, and the link floated while the paper clip, Army man, and dime sank. 

We finished our day with Art class. Today we made Indian corn using paint. Students took sponges and stamped them on their corn. They turned out great! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Building Fluency

Greetings! Today was a terrific day in first grade! 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter. We reviewed why we call Jesus the Good Shepherd, how the people greeted him when he entered Jerusalem, where Jesus taught in Jerusalem, and why he died and rose for us. 

Our focus today in Language Arts class was building fluency and comprehension. We partner read our story and then illustrated what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. We also reviewed and practiced writing days, months, and holidays correctly. Finally, we wrote the final steps in brushing our teeth. 

In Math class today we talked about capacity. We filled 4 containers with water to determine their volume and then put the containers in order from smallest to largest. 

This morning we finished our Mayflower booklets. This is one of my favorite projects to do with the students. Didn't they turn out great? 

Singing and Learning

Happy Wednesday! Today was a wonderful day in first grade. The students did such a wonderful job singing their song for the Christmas CD. It was beautiful to listen to. 

In Religion class, we talked about how Jesus died on the cross for us and rose to new life on Easter Sunday. We talked briefly about these days but will cover them more in depth when it is Easter time. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed long i words and the digraphs wh, ch, and tch. We also choral read our story The Big Circle. Tonight the students will be reading it with you. I hope you enjoy it! 

In Math class today we learned two new sets of facts: subtracting a number from itself (4-4, etc.) and subtracting 0 facts (4-0). The students discovered that these new facts are quite easy. 

For Social Studies class today, we talked about the Mayflower by reading the book On the Mayflower. We then wrote facts about the Mayflower and created a small booklet. We will be finishing these booklets up and sending them home tomorrow. 

Wintry November Day!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a good day and were able to stay warm. I like the change in seasons but it just seems awful early for winter weather. The students love the snow. They all are exited to play in it. 

We began our day by going to Adoration. It was nice to spend some quiet time with Jesus to start our day. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed contractions by completing a contraction flip book. We wrote contractions and then used those contractions in sentences. We also reviewed our sight words before reading the story The Big Circle. The students really enjoyed this story about how the triceratops scared away the Big T. Rex. Finally, we wrote the first two steps in how we brush our teeth. 

During Math class today, we learned about time. We learned to tell time to the nearest hour. We also practiced showing various times on our small clocks. 

Tomorrow will be an exciting day. We are going to record a song for the school's Christmas CD. Because of this, we will not have gym class. 

It's a Monday!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and a great start to the day. We had a wonderful start to our week in first grade today. 

We began our day with play practice. Thank you so much for helping the students learn their lines. They did great today without their papers. Please keep going over their lines each night. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus taught in the Temple in Jerusalem. We also reviewed good touch/bad touch. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed long o words and contractions. We also reviewed our sight words. We then listened to our story The Big Circle. We are going to read it tomorrow. Finally, we wrote the final steps in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

In Math class today, we practiced counting by two to 10. We are going to continue to practice counting by 2 daily. Eventually we will be learning the adding 2 facts. 

Have a great night! 

The First Day of Snow!

Happy Friday! Today was a crazy yet fun day of learning in first grade. One of the highlights was being able to put a snow tag on our weather graph. The students were so excited about it! 

A special thank you goes out to the Home and School Association for providing our special program today. We learned about Internet Safety from Faux Paw the Cat. We learned not to tell anyone our name or address online and to always have a parent around when we are on the Internet. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how the people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. We learned that they waved palm branches and shouted 'hosanna'. 

During Language Arts class today, we blended and read the contractions n't, 'm, and 'll. The students did a fabulous job reading these words. We also sorted words based on their contractions; here is how our chart turned out: 

Finally in Language Arts, we practiced reading our new sight words. 

In Math class today we practiced counting dimes. We also practiced showing various amounts using the dimes. 

For Science class today, we wrapped up our study of living and nonliving things and habitats by reviewing what we learned. 

Finally, in art, we made scarecrows. I think they turned out adorable. 

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm! 

Thanksgiving Luncheon!

Happy Thursday! Today was a special day in school; it was our annual Thanksgiving feast. We enjoyed a delicious meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and more. The fifth graders did an excellent job with their play. It was truly an enjoyable event. 

Before and after the meal we did lots of work in the classroom. In Religion class, we talked about why Jesus is called the Good Shepherd. We discussed how Jesus always watches over us and loves us just like a shepherd watches and cares for his sheep. 

In Language Arts class, we practiced reading long o words by reading our decodable reader. We talked about sequence of events in a story and practiced writing days, months, and holidays correctly. Finally, we began writing steps in a process. Today we wrote the first two steps in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

During Math class today we practiced our subtracting 1 facts by using a wrap-up. We just need to remember that subtracting is just like counting backwards! 

Tomorrow will be a crazy and fun day to end the week! 

Back at It!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing weekend. It was great talking with everyone on Monday. Thank you for taking the time to come to conferences. 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we wrapped up our chapter of Jesus teaching his disciples. We reviewed the stories of Jesus calling the Apostles and of Jesus calming the stormy sea. We also recalled the prayer Jesus taught his followers. 

In Language Arts class, we blended and read long o words. We also used our letter tiles to spell long o words. Finally, we talked about how to write days of the week, months of the year, and holidays correctly. 

For gym class today, we used the parachute. Using the parachute always brings smiles to the students' faces and today was no exception. We played some games with it and practiced keeping a ball on it while shaking it. 

In Math class today, we learned our minus 1 facts. To solve these facts, we first used linking cubes. We soon discovered that subtracting 1 is just like counting backwards by one. 

Finally, for Social Studies, we talked about Veterans' Day by reading our Scholastic News magazine. We also talked about natural resources. 

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving luncheon, so today we made table decorations for our table. Didn't these turkeys turn out cute? 

Have a great night!

End of the First Week of November!

Greetings! Happy Friday! It is hard to believe that the first week of November has come and gone. 

We began our day by attending Mass. We were reminded through the readings to be Christ like for others through our words and actions. 

We wrapped up our story in Language Arts class. We reviewed long i and digraphs wh, ch, and tch; we also practiced our sight words. We then took a test on the story. Finally, we practiced writing special titles correctly. 

In Math class, we used the designs we created on Wednesday to identify those that we identical. Students worked great in groups sorting and identifying identical designs. 

For Science class today, we looked at different habitats around the world. We looked at deserts, forests, and oceans. Students were then asked to draw animals or plants found in each one. 

Finally, for art class today, we made Thanksgiving turkeys. On each feather, students wrote something they are thankful for. They turned out great! 

Just a reminder that Monday is Parent-Teacher Conferences. The students are off on Tuesday as well. See you on Wednesday! 

Reading and Counting!

Happy Thursday! Today was yet another busy day in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we looked at the meaning of the words to the Our Father. Then, students were given strips with parts of the prayer written on them. They had to glue the strips in order. Afterwards, students decorated the paper. 

During Language Arts class today, we worked on fluency and comprehension. We partner read our story and then worked in literacy centers. We also practiced writing names with special titles. 

In Math class today, we counted by 10's to 100. 

This afternoon we had Computer class followed by play practice. 

Have a great night! 

A Busy Learning Day!

Today was a very busy learning day in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we learned that Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. I loved seeing the students' reaction as I read the story of Jesus teaching his followers the Our Father. There was wonder and awe. It truly was a blessing to see. 

Today, also, we attended an Hour of Devotion for prayers to the priesthood. Fr. Matt Reese, the director of vocations for the diocese, led us in prayer. He reminded us to always ask God what He wants us to be. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed long a and c/s/ and g/j/ words. Students were asked to sort words based on the c and g sounds. We also practiced our sight words and worked on our fluency by choral reading our story. 

In Math class today, we practiced our new adding 0 facts and covered a design using pattern blocks. We covered the same design four different ways. In a few days, we are going to look at all the ways we covered the design. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the nice weather we had today. The students enjoyed it at recess. 

In Religion class today we learned how the disciples trusted Jesus. We read the story of Jesus calming the stormy waters. After reading, we acted it out. We were reminded that in times of troubles to trust Jesus and call upon him. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed short and long i words by sorting word cards. We also reviewed our sight words before reading our story Who Works Here? We enjoyed reading this story about community helpers. 

In Math class, we learned new addition facts. Today we learned the adding 0 facts. The students quickly discovered how easy these facts are. 

We had an awesome first day of play practice using the microphones. Please keep practicing those lines! 

The First School Day of November!

Happy November! I don't know about you but the month of October just flew by. It is hard to believe that it is November and the holidays are right around the corner. I actually saw two Christmas commercials yesterday; they come on earlier and earlier each year. 

Anyways, November is off to a great start in first grade. In Religion class today, we learned how Jesus called his followers. We read the story about Peter and Andrew leaving their nets and following Jesus. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed long i words and the digraphs wh, ch, and tch. We listened to our story Who Works Here?. We also worked in literacy centers. 

In Math class, we practiced counting on from a number. Using dice and working with a partner, each student rolled a cube and then worked together to find the sum. They made a bar graph to show which sum they rolled the most. 

Beginning today, we will be practicing for our Christmas play on a daily basis. There will be changes to our routine but we are excited to put this play on. Please keep practicing your child's lines each night! 

Here's to a great month ahead!