Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! This week was full of Christmas activities. 

In Religion class our focus was the Christmas story. We read and discussed the story. We then made our own manger scene. The students did such a wonderful job coloring, cutting, and putting their scene together. Here are a few examples of how they turned out: 

We ended the week by finishing a candy cane ornament. We turned the candy cane upside down and learned about the legend of the candy cane. They turned out great. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures. 

In Language Arts this week we read three Christmas stories. We read How Santa Got His Job. After reading it, we put in order the different jobs Santa had and identified the different characters in the story. Next we read The Polar Express. After reading this story, we sequenced the events in it and then made Christmas bells. Joyful noise could be heard throughout the primary floor. Finally, we read The Gingerbread Man. We then completed a paper where we drew ourselves as gingerbread boys and girls, drew our house, and wrote what we would run away from. 

During Math class this week, we learned how to measure using nonstandard units. To measure different objects, we used linking cubes. We will soon be using rulers to measure things. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go home for the week. I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2016! 

~Miss Chalich

Getting Closer to Christmas

Greetings on this snowy day! I will say that I missed the cold weather and snow; now it feels like Christmas. We had a busy week in first grade. The students are getting excited for Christmas. I love seeing their excitement this time of year. 

In Religion class this week we learned about the early church. We talked about how the church began on Pentecost and grew with the help of the Holy Spirit. We also discussed things the early church members did together like pray, eat, and share. It did not take us long to see that they did the same things we do today with our families. 

Language Arts class was full of learning and practicing this week. We practiced reading our sight words, words with the vowel sounds of y, and CV words. We reviewed reading long e: e, ee words and VCCV words. We put our decoding skills to the test as we read An Egg is An Egg. While reading this story, we discussed how things change over time. In addition to all that reading, we talked about action verbs in Grammar. We practiced identifying verbs in sentences. We even created our own Action Hero and wrote action verbs to describe what our hero does. During Writing class this week, we wrote the steps in decorating a tree. 

With Christmas just around the corner, we have taken a break from our reading anthology to read Christmas stories. On Thursday, we read Santa's Stuck. After reading this funny story about Santa getting stuck in a chimney, we wrote about what we would do if Santa was stuck in our chimney. We then added a few pieces to create a craft project. On Friday, we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We then illustrate a way we would make the Grinch grin. Here are pictures from our projects: 

Math class was full of learning this week. We began the week by learning new math facts: the adding 2 facts. We discovered that adding 2 to a number is just like skip counting. To help us solve these facts, we used linking cubes to complete our fact cards. We then practiced these facts using a wrap-up. 

For Gym class this week, we went back to the gym. We talked about eating healthy foods. The students were divided into teams. Each team was given a hoop full of healthy foods (bean bags) and unhealthy foods (small balls). Their job was to trade an unhealthy food for a healthy food. They enjoyed this activity. In Social Studies, we talked about natural resources. 

On Friday afternoon, we attended the Handbell Concert. The students did a beautiful job playing Christmas music. After the show, we returned for Art class. This week, we made Santa Claus. Have a look: 

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. See you next week! 

Beautiful Weather in December

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather. It is so hard to believe that it is December and Christmas is only two weeks away. This was the first time that I ever was able to have Gym class outside in December. It was just too nice on Thursday to stay inside. 

We did and learned many things in Religion class this week. We began the week by watching a video on the life of St. Nicholas. On Tuesday, we went to Mass in honor of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. We then spent the rest of the week talking about Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came to Jesus' followers. 

Language Arts was quite busy this week too. We finished one story and began another one. At the beginning of the week, we reviewed long vowels: e, ee and syllables VCCV. We read and discussed Honey Bees; the students loved reading and learning about bees. Finally, we practiced finding nouns in sentences. At the end of the week, we practiced new phonics skills. We learned how to blend and decode words with the vowel sounds of y and CV words. We also practiced comparing and contrasting while reading. Our focused also switched in Grammar; we began our study of verbs. This week we are exploring action verbs. For writing this week, we wrote the steps in planting a seed. 

During Math class this week, we practiced drawing lines of symmetry and identifying one half of a whole. We also practiced counting by odd numbers; we do this everyday as part of our math meeting. Then we learned how to number a clockface and show time on a clock. We ended the week by solving a problem by looking for a pattern. 

In Science this week, we talked about solids, liquids, and gases. We sorted objects based on their state of matter. 

We ended the week with a fun Art period. We decorated a classroom Christmas tree. We then made a Christmas tree using strips of green paper. To add some sparkle to our tree, we added white dots of paint to make it look like snow. 

Below are pictures from this week. The first two are from art class: one are the peppermints we made last week and one is of the Christmas trees. The third picture is from phonics class. As we were practicing reading CV words, students were given a word and they sorted the words based on the vowel sound. 

 Enjoy your week!

Shopping and Learning!

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving with your families and friends. The students were quite excited on Tuesday to tell me all about their holiday. They also enjoyed shopping at the Secret Santa shop. They always enjoy buying gifts for their families to put under the tree. 

In Religion this week, we reviewed the season of Advent. Each morning we read part of the Christmas story and add a symbol around our manger bulletin board. We also draw a slip of paper which has a kind act written on it. We then focus on doing that kind deed throughout the day. In addition to that, we talked about how Jesus visited his followers after he rose from the dead and how he promised to send the Holy Spirit to help them. 

During Language Arts class this week, we worked on several skills. We learned to blend and read long e: e, ee words and VCCV words. We also learned new sight words. Our reading strategy this week is compare and contrast. We worked on this skill by comparing/contrasting ants and bees and ants and people. We will continue working on this skill next week. We are coming to the end of our study of nouns. This week we are putting everything we learned about nouns to the test by finding nouns in sentences. Finally in writing we are writing the steps in planting a seed. 

In Math class this week, we focused on several new skills. First we learned to identify the even numbers to 20. Each morning we practice counting by 2's to 20. Next, we identified numbers on the 100 number chart. We then stretched that skill by identify numbers one more, one less than a given number. Then, we learned to count dimes and pennies together. Finally, we talked about symmetry. We made a tree that had a line of symmetry. 

For gym class this week, we played with the parachute. The students enjoyed running under it! In Social Studies, we reviewed various landforms by creating a shape book and identifying each one. During Science class, we discussed grouping objects by various properties. We grouped objects by size, color, and use. We then did an experiment to help us group objects based on whether they float or sank. 

Our Art project this week focused on Christmas. We made a Christmas candy using our handprints and a paper plate. I'll post pictures next week of the finished project. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! First grade is quite excited for the holiday. At times, it was hard to contain our excitement in class this week. 

In Religion, we talked about the season of Advent. We learned that it is a time of waiting and preparing for Jesus' birth. We discussed the importance of the Advent wreath and which color candle we light each week. To help us celebrate the season of Advent at home, we made our own Advent wreath. We used our handprints for the greenery and added the candles. Students are encouraged to glue a candle flame each week during the season. Here is one Advent wreath: 

On Wednesday we gathered for our school's Thanksgiving Mass. This was also the last Mass Fr. Brian will celebrate with us before he moves to his new parish. We enjoyed his classroom visits and stories. We will continue to pray for him as he promised to continue to pray for us. 

During Language Arts class this week, we wrapped up our story Life in the Forest. Not only did we review long u, long e, and inflected words but we also reviewed long o words and contractions. We partner read our story to help us build fluency and wrote facts we learned from the story to help us build our comprehension skills. In addition, we identified more than one noun in a sentence. Finally, we finished writing about the steps in brushing our teeth. 

In Math class this week we learned new subtraction facts: subtracting a number from itself and subtracting 0 from a number. We discovered that these a easy facts for us to remember. We also talked about volume of a container. We filled four containers with water, talked about its capacity, and then ordered the containers from smallest to largest. 

In between all that work, we took time this week to talk about Thanksgiving and completed several activities. We created a story booklet about the First Thanksgiving. After reading This is the Feast we compared and contrasted the First Thanksgiving to Thanksgiving today. We then wrote and illustrated our very own I'm Thankful booklet where we listed various things and people we are thankful for. We ended our week by reading Turkey Trouble and discussing all of the disguises Turkey tries to avoid being Thanksgiving dinner. 

I want to take this time to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your family and friends. Enjoy your turkey and all the good food that comes with it. God Bless!

~Miss Chalich 

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving!

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. We had a good, busy week in first grade this past week. 

In Religion class this week we began by talking about Jesus being called the Good Shepherd. We learned that he is called this because he watches over us and protects us. Next we read about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We read about how the people laid palm branches and shouted Hosanna. Then, we talked about how Jesus taught in the Temple in Jerusalem. Finally, we read about Jesus dying and rising to new life. In the midst of all this learning we went to Adoration on Tuesday. It is always nice to spend some quiet time with Jesus. 

Language Arts class was busy this week. On Monday and Tuesday, we wrapped up our story The Big Circle. We reviewed our phonics skills (long o and contractions) and our sight words. We partner our story which helped us build our fluency skills and then sequenced the events in the story which helped us build our comprehension skills. Finally we practiced writing days, months, and holidays correctly. 

Our focused then switched to a new story for the remaining of the week. We learned to blend and read long u, long e, and inflected ending -ed words. We also practiced our sight words. On Friday, we read our story Life in the Forest and talked about the author's purpose for writing it. In addition to the reading, we identified one and more than one noun. We also continued practicing writing steps in a process. We finished writing about how to make a PBJ sandwich and began writing how to brush our teeth. 

During Math class this week, we learned and practiced several new skills. First, we learned how to count dimes. We put dimes on a mat and then practiced counting how much money we had. Next, we learned how to count by 2's. Then, we practiced telling and showing time to the hour. Finally, we solved a problem by drawing a picture. 

We participated in many Thanksgiving activities this week. On Wednesday, we had our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. The students loved decorating the table, eating turkey with friends, and watching the 5th grade play. We also learned about Pilgrim life this week. We read stories about life as a pilgrim boy and girl. We compared life then to life today and made pilgrim people. Here's a picture of them. 

In Science class this week, we wrapped up our study of living and nonliving things by reviewing what we learned. 

Finally, it was time for Art class. In celebration of Thanksgiving and all of the food we are going to eat, we made a piece of pumpkin pie. Students cut brown and orange construction paper into mosaic pieces and glued them onto a paper plate. We added cotton balls for the whip cream. They look delicious! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

A Different Week!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a great week! It was a different week for us in first grade. We are not used to having two days off in the middle of the week. 

In Religion class this week, we learned that Jesus taught his followers how to pray and taught them the Our Father. We then took a deeper look at the Our Father and talked about what we are saying as we pray the prayer. 

During Language Arts this week, we learned how to blend and read long o words. We also learned to read and spell contractions. While doing this, we sorted words based on their contractions. Here is how our word sort turned out: 

Also during Language Arts, we talked about sequence. We know it is important to retell a story by putting the events in the correct order. After discussing and practicing all of these skills it was time to put them to the test as we read The Big Circle. The students just loved this story about dinosaurs; they waited all week to read it! You will be able to hear it on Monday night. I hope you enjoy it as much as they did. 

In addition to practicing all of these reading skills, we also learned and practiced new grammar and writing skills. We practiced writing days, months, and holidays correctly. We also began learning how to write steps in a process. Our first task is writing how to make a PBJ sandwich. 

We worked on two new skills in Math class this week. First we practiced counting by 10's to one hundred. Next, we learned the subtracting 1 facts. We will continue to practice these new skills daily in Math class. 

Our focus for Social Studies this week was Thanksgiving. We read On the Mayflower and talked about the Pilgrims' journey aboard the Mayflower. With the new facts we learned, the students created their very own Mayflower books to share with you. 

In Science class, we explored habitats around the world. We looked at oceans, forests, and deserts and talked about the plants and animals that live there. 

Finally, it was time for Art class. We made turkey centerpieces for our Thanksgiving luncheon next Wednesday. Here are pictures of our turkey centerpieces and the turkeys we made last week: 

Have a fantastic weekend! 

The First Week of November!

Greetings! It is hard to believe that we have completed the first week of November. Time is moving right along. We had a busy week learning new reading and math skills as well as learning about Jesus. The children were quite tired leaving school today. 

In Religion class this week, we reviewed Ordinary Time. We discussed the color of this season and special feasts days that occur during it. Our focused then switched to Jesus calling his disciples. We read the story of Jesus calling Andrew and Peter. We also talked about how his followers knew he is the Son of God especially after he calmed the stormy sea. 

In Language Arts, we practiced new phonics and reading skills. Our story this week was called Who Works Here?; it detailed the workers who work in a community. To read this story, we learned how to blend and read long o words and words with the digraphs wh, ch, and tch. We also learned and practiced new sight words. Our skill focus this week was on author's purpose. We talked about how authors write to entertain or inform a reader. During the Grammar portion this week, we practiced writing special titles correctly. By Friday, we knew that both the title and name receive capital letters. For writing this week, the students wrote a three part sentence adding in adjectives. I am so impressed at how far their writing has come! 

We began Math class this week by using a balance to weigh objects. To help us weigh these objects, we used pennies. We found that we needed the most pennies for the eraser and the fewest pennies for the pencil. Our focused then switched to learning new facts: the adding 0 facts. We found these facts really easy to learn. Next, we used pattern blocks to cover a design. After covering the design, we learned how to trace and color the pattern blocks. We will be using these designs in a sorting activity next week. Finally, we learned how to solve a problem using logical reasoning. 

With the sun shining and warm weather in the air, we took gym class outside on Thursday. It was just too nice to stay in and so hard to come back inside. In Social Studies this week, we talked about mountains, plains, rivers, and lakes. I love their excitement at learning about all of these landforms. In Science class we talked about the difference between living and nonliving things. Students worked in groups to sort pictures based on whether they were living or nonliving things. 

Finally, it was time for Art class. We made turkeys today. I'll post pictures next week after I hang them up. They turned out so nice. 

Have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to seeing everyone at conferences on Tuesday! 

All Saints' Day and Halloween!

Greetings! We had a busy yet fun and exciting week in first grade. On Thursday, we dressed up as our patron saint for the All Saints' Day prayer service. The students looked so beautiful in their outfits. Thank you for taking the time to put costumes together for them. 

Our week ended with the celebration of Halloween. We dressed up in our costumes, paraded on stage in the cafeteria, and then returned to the classroom to have our Halloween party. There we played a minute-to-win-it game with cotton balls, hid a pumpkin for others to find, played a Halloween version of Head-Bands, and pinned the nose on the jack-o-lantern. We had so much fun Friday afternoon. 

This week was also Red Ribbon Week. Throughout the week, we talked about the importance of saying no to drugs. We also looked at ways to keep our bodies healthy. 

But, in addition to all of the fun activities at the end of the week, we worked hard learning new things and practicing skills we learned. In Religion, we talked about the seasons of the church year. We looked briefly at each season and talked about it and the colors for each season. 

In Language Arts class, we continued to practice reading long a and c/s/ and g/j/ words as well as our sight words. We read The Farmer in the Hat. As we read this story, we worked on finding cause and effect examples in it. We also practiced sequencing events in the story. In addition, we continued to practice writing proper nouns correctly. For writing this week, we wrote about the monster we created. It was great seeing the students use their creativity as they wrote. 

During Math class this week, we learned and practiced new addition facts: the adding 1 facts. We first used linking cubes to help us find the answers. We then practiced these facts using a wrap-up. In addition, we created a bar graph by sorting pattern blocks according to color; we then answered questions about our graphs. Finally, we used linking cubes to help us measure objects including our pencils, crayons, and reading anthology. We will soon be using rulers to help us measure. 

In Science this week, we wrapped up our unit on animals by taking a test. For Art class, we used our handprints to make a vampire. They look scary. 

Have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour! 

Magic Words and Pumpkins!

Greetings, everyone! I hope everyone is doing well on this rainy Sunday morning. We had a busy week last week learning new things in first grade. 

In Religion class, we learned the Great Commandment. Jesus told us to love God, love others, and love ourselves. We talked about ways to love God, others, and ourselves. To help us remember the Great Commandment we made a mobile. Check it out: 

In addition to learning the Great Commandment we began praying the Glorious Mysteries. We will finish praying them this week. 

Things switched up for us in Language Arts class. We learned how to blend and read long a words. The key for us is to look for that Magic e at the end of words and remember that when we see Magic e that a will say its name. We also learned how to blend and read words with a c when it says s and a g when it says j. It will take practice for us to remember all of these rules. 

Also in Language Arts class, we talked about identifying cause and effect in stories. In addition we practiced writing proper nouns correctly. One thing we did was create a Proper Noun Pizza. I posted a picture below of this tasty work. Finally, in the spirit of Halloween we wrote about haunted houses. We described what we see, hear, feel, and touch in a haunted house. 

With fall in full swing we took time to explore pumpkins. We looked at the life cycle of a pumpkin as well as the parts of the pumpkin. We even carved a pumpkin for our classroom. Check out what we did: 

In Math class this week, we used number cards to identify a number one more than a number. This led us to a discussion on the adding 1 facts. We also learned how to write number sentences for some, some went away stories. We ended the week by identifying things we do in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night. 

Have a great rest of your weekend! 

All Around the World!

Greetings! I hope everyone is doing well! We had a busy week in first grade. We really enjoyed dressing up for pictures on Wednesday. I can't wait to see everyone's smiles. 

We began our week with Mass with Fr. Jim. He reminded the students to always show others mercy. During our studies in Religion this week, we again talked about how Jesus helped others. We made a special poster reminding us that Jesus is our Healer; check out the picture below. We also discussed why people followed Jesus and learned the Great Commandment of loving God, ourselves, and others. 

In Language Arts this week, we learned to blend, read, and spell words with digraphs sh, and th as well as words with the vowels al. We also practiced our sight words. All of this helped us as we read A Big Fish for Max. The students really love this story about Max and Ruby. This week as we read our story we worked on finding cause and effect examples in the text. Also this week, we learned about nouns and practiced finding and using nouns in sentences. Finally, we continued to work on writing sentences by adding details to them. 

During Math this week, we added a new piece to our homework. Each night we will be practicing writing answers for our Math facts. This will help us learn them. In addition to practicing our math facts, we learned how to identify heavier and lighter objects by using a balance, covered designs using pattern blocks, and solved a problem by looking for a pattern. 

With the sun shining, we took Gym class back outside on Thursday. It was such a picture perfect day to spend outdoors playing with our friends. In Science class we talked about how adult animals care for their babies. And in Social Studies we learned about continents and oceans. We even made a map of the world. Here it is:

Finally, it was time for Art class. We began by tracing a pattern on black construction paper. We then used marshmallows to outline it. They turned out great: 

Have a terrific weekend!

Fire Safety Week

Greetings, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful week. We had a great week in first grade learning all sorts of new things. This week was extra special because it was Fire Safety Week. We talked about the job firefighters do. We also reviewed the emergency number we call and discussed fire safety rules like stay low and find our meeting spot. Here is an example of the fire safety dog we made on Wednesday: 

In Religion class this week we prayed the Luminous Mysteries. We also attended the Living Rosary. Our friends in third, fourth, and fifth grade did a beautiful job leading us as we prayed the rosary. Also in Religion class this week, we talked about how John the Baptist prepared people for Jesus' coming. In addition, we studied how Jesus shared God's love with everyone and how Jesus helped all those in need.

In Language Arts class, we learned to blend and read short u words as well as words with final blends. Our story this week, Animal Park, took us on a safari as we read about the various animals that live there. While reading this story we worked on identifying cause and effect as well as our sight words. In Grammar this week, we learned all about questions including how to write questions correctly. Finally, in writing, we practiced writing a three part sentence using descriptive words. 

During Math class this week we used our geoboards to make rectangles. We also learned how to write addition number sentences. In addition we learned new doubles facts; we used our linking cubes to help us find the answers to these facts. We also made our very own student fact cards which we will use to help us learn these facts. Finally, we used a new math manipulative this week: pattern blocks. We learned to identify pattern blocks by their color and their shape. We also used them to make repeating patterns. 

We learned about Christopher Columbus this week in Social Studies. We made a small booklet about his life. We also made a poster of his three ships. Here's a poster: 

In Science class, we talked about the four basic needs of animals: food, water, air, and shelter. Next students drew an animal and then drew the basic needs for that animal. 

Finally, it was time for Art class. In the spirit of Halloween we made mummies. This is one of my favorite art projects to do with the students. 

Have a fantastic weekend! 

Welcome to October!

Greetings! Welcome to October! It is hard to believe that the first month of school has come and gone. We are working really hard at learning new things. This week was no exception. 

On Monday in Religion class the students were given a rosary. We talked about how to pray the rosary and the sets of mysteries we pray. Each day we prayed a decade of the Joyful Mysteries. We will continue to pray the rosary throughout the month of October. In addition to learning to pray the rosary, we talked about Jesus as a young boy. We learned that Jesus grew up in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and that as a family they did many things together. We ended the week by celebrating Mass with the school. Msgr. Lockard reminded us to always listen to our guardian angel. 

In Language Arts this week, we practiced blending and reading short e and initial blend words. We also reviewed reading words with inflected endings. In addition we practiced our sight words. While reading Get the Egg, we focused on differentiating between realism and fantasy.  During one activity, students were given a scenario and had to decide if it was real or fantasy. Here is how our chart turned out: 

Also in Language Arts, we learned about telling sentences. We discussed that these sentences tell us something, begin with a capital letter, and end with a period. In writing, we wrote a three part sentence and then jazzed it up by adding adjectives. 

This week in part of Language Arts class we learned about apples. We talked about the life cycle of an apple and the parts of an apple. The students created an apple using pieces of construction paper and then made a sentence describing their apple. Here are some examples: 

We learned and practiced several new skills in Math this week. On Monday, we made a pictograph showing the number of seeds in an apple. We then noted observations about our graph. Next we practiced writing addition number sentences; we used our linking cubes to help us do this. Then we talked about ordinal position; we again used linking cubes to help us identify ordinal position to the sixth. Finally we began to learn our double facts. We will be learning lots of addition and subtraction facts this. 

As for our other classes . . . The rain forced us to the gym this week. We played several rounds of "Alligator, Alligator." The students love this game and game away sweaty and tired. In Social Studies class, we wrapped up our unit on our community. And in Science we learned about insects. Working in groups, the students used Play-doh to make a model of an insect. Each model included a head, thorax, abdomen, and six legs. Here is one model: 

We ended our week with Art class. Our focused switched from fall to Halloween. We made screaming ghosts. They are boo-tiful! 

Have a wonderful (and dry) weekend! 

Falling for Fall!

Greetings, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful week. We had a fantastic week in first grade. Not only did we do our normal work but we also celebrated the first day of fall and Johnny Appleseed. 

This week Holy Name participated in the 40 Hours Devotion. We went to Mass on Tuesday and Adoration on Monday and Tuesday. Also this week in Religion we read the story about Mary saying yes to God when He asked her to be the mother of Jesus. We also read and acted out the Christmas story. Finally, we talked about what it means to be a peacemaker. We attend our Peace Keepers Assembly where we all promised to be friends to one another. 

In Language Arts class this week, we learned how to blend and read words with inflected endings. This week we focused on the -s and -ing ending. To read words with endings, we need to read the base word, read the ending, and then put it together. We also practiced reading our sight words this week and reviewed short o and -s plural words. Our story this week was titled A Fox and a Kit. The students loved reading about the fox and her kit at the zoo. While reading this week, we focused on finding the main idea of the story. Lastly, we talked about using correct word order in sentences. We practiced unscrambling sentences and putting the words in the correct order. 

During Math class this week, we learned how to draw pictures for some, some more and some, some went away stories. We also practiced counting pennies and identifying a number between two numbers. In addition, we learned how to divide a solid in half. To do this, we used apples. Finally, we solved a problem by making an organized list. 

For Gym, we again went outside. It was just too nice to stay inside. In Social Studies, we talked about why people move. And in Art class, we made fall trees by stamping apples into paint and adding them around our tree. 

This week we had two extra celebrations. First, we celebrated the first day of fall by talking about things we do in fall. We also celebrated Johnny Appleseed by making applesauce. On Friday morning, we worked together to make the applesauce. We let it cook all day long before sampling it at the end of the day. It was delicious. 

I am posting pictures of the fall writing project we did, the applesauce, and our Art project. Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend! 

Pocket Full of Sunshine!

Happy Thursday! It is hard to believe that another week has come and gone. Just a reminder that the students do not have school tomorrow. The teachers have a meeting in Altoona. 

We began our day in Religion. Today we talked about the meaning of prayer (listening to and talking to God). We also learned that the Sign of the Cross is a prayer to the Blessed Trinity. We finished class by practicing the Sign of the Cross. 

We wrapped up our story in Language Arts class. We began by reviewing short o, -s plurals, short i, and final x words. We then listened to our story, partner read our story, and reviewed the details from the story before taking our test. We also finished learning about the action part in sentences. 

For Gym class today we went outside. It was just too gorgeous of a day to stay inside. 

In Math class today we practiced identifying sorting rules. We sorted ourselves and then named the sorting rule. 

Finally in Social Studies we talked about community helpers. Using a PowerPoint show we identified various community helpers. Next, students picked a community helper and wrote about what they do. 

Just letting you know that beginning next week, I will be updating the blog on Fridays. I will be posting about what we have learned during that week and sharing pictures. See you then! 

Working on Reading!

Greetings! It is so hard to believe that it is already midweek and that we only have one more day of school left this week. 

We began our morning by attending the Officer Phil program. While there we learned some important information regarding stranger danger and being a buddy. We were entertained by magic tricks and a visit from the bulldog. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our sight words, short o, and plural -s words. We then read our story The Big Blue Ox. We enjoyed reading about all the Ox did to help mom and pop. Next, we continued our study of the action part in sentences. Then, we worked on writing sentences. It was a busy day in Language Arts class. 

During Math class, we used geoboards to make shapes. After we made the shapes, we practiced identifying the inside and outside of a shape. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym Day! 

The Blessed Trinity

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are enjoying the sunshine as much as we are in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we learned about the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We learned that those 3 persons make one God and that they are joined together by love. We made an ornament using popsicle sticks to help us remember the Blessed Trinity. 

During Language Arts class, we blended and read -s plural words; we also talked about how adding an s to the end of a word changes its meaning. In addition we practiced reading our sight words. We then reviewed the action part in the sentence by identifying them in sentences. Finally, we worked in our literacy centers where we practiced our fluency and comprehension skills. 

In Math class today, we talked about attributes of triangles. We then sorted shapes based on whether they were triangles or not. We continued practicing sorting rules by sorting ourselves into different categories i. e. boy/girl, white socks/not white socks, glasses/no glasses, etc. 

Learning About Short o

Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. From the sounds of the children, they enjoyed theirs. 

We began our week with Religion class. Today we talked about God's greatest gift to us: Jesus. We designed a banner for Jesus by coloring the letters of his name and then adding decorations around it. 

In Language Arts class, we blended and read short o words. The highlight was making a lollipop filled with short o words. We also talked about the characters and setting in a story. In addition, we learned about the action part of the sentence. Finally, we practiced writing sentences. 

During Math class, we acted out some, some more and some, some went away stories. Shortly, we will be drawing pictures for these problems before eventually learning how to write number sentences for them. 

Enjoy your night! 

Scarecrows!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a good day to end their week. We had a busy day in first grade to end ours. 

In Religion class, we read about how God promised to send his Son, Jesus to help and guide us. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed our sight words, short a and short i words, and final ck and x words. We then partner read our story and talked about the difference between realism and fantasy. The students wrote sentences telling what pigs can and cannot do. Finally, we reviewed the action part of the sentence. 

In Math class, we learned how to solve a word problem. First we learned the four steps in solving a problem: understand, plan, solve, and check. Then, we talked about the strategy we used to solve the word problem; today we used logical reasoning. We will continue to solve problems using different strategies throughout the year. 

We discussed different animal coverings in Science class today. We talked about how fur, feathers, scales, and shells help protect animals. We then used magnifying glasses to observe feathers. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we made scarecrows. They turned out really nice! Have a look:

Have a fantastic weekend!

A Rainy (and Cooler) Day!

Happy Thursday! Today was a day of change in first grade. It was the first day that it rained this school year. today was much cooler. 

In Religion class this morning, we reviewed everything we learned about creation and God's love for us. We completed some book pages and drew items that God created. 

During Language Arts class, we reviewed our sight words, short i, and final x words before reading our story Pig in a Wig. The students loved this story. I really hope you enjoy it tonight. We finished class by identifying the naming part in sentences. 

Because of the rain, we had Gym class inside today. We played "Alligator, Alligator". The students had so much fun and worked up a sweat. 

In Math class today we learned ordinal position (first, second, third). We acted out some problems before using our linking cubes to help identify the positions. 

Finally, it was time for Social Studies class. Today we talked about leaders and rules. We learned that leaders are in charge of a place and that rules keep us safe. 

Tomorrow looks to be an action-packed day! 

Another Warm One!

Greetings! Today was yet another warm day in school. The good news is that we were able to stay and focus and learn a lot today! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God always loves us. We read the story Guess How Much I Love You? to illustrate that God's love has no boundaries. 

During Language Arts class, we learned and practiced blending and reading final x words. We also practiced reading our sight words. In addition, we practiced identifying the naming part in a sentence and writing sentences. Finally we worked in our literacy centers. 

In Math class today we learned how to identify most and fewest. We used our linking cubes to help us with this. Students made towers of two numbers and then had to identify which one had the most and which one had the least. They did great with this!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym Day! 

The Beginning of Week 3

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. I know that I really enjoyed spending time with my family at our Labor Day cookout. 

We are off to a good start for the week. We did our best to stay focused and follow directions despite the heat. The good news is that the heat won't last forever! 

We began our day by going over to church for Adoration. We spent time quietly praying to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and asking him to help us today. 

We then returned to school and went to the Magazine Assembly. The students brought home an envelope of information regarding this fundraiser. If you have any questions about it, please ask. 

In Language Arts class today, we learned to blend and read short i words. We also talked about the difference between realistic and fantasy stories. In addition, we learned to identify the naming part of the sentence and wrote a sentence about pigs. 

During Math class today we practiced writing the numbers 0, 6, 8, and 9. 

Have a cool night!

Give a Hoot!

Happy Friday! We had a wonderful day in first grade learning, reviewing, and having fun. Our day began with our first school Mass of the year. Msgr. Lockard reminded us to call upon the Holy Spirit to help us this year as we learn new material. 

Back in the classroom, we reviewed short a and final ck words by locating these words in sentences. We also took a test on our story Sam, Come Back. Finally, we reviewed sentences by identifying them on a worksheet. 

In Math class today we created a bar graph. Each student was given a die. They rolled the die and then colored  graph showing what number they rolled. When we were finished, we talked about the graphs and identified the column with the most and the column with the least. 

For Science class today we discussed ways animals move. For an activity, students were given a card with the picture of an animal on it; they had to act out how that animal moves. They loved doing this! 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we made owls. We traced, cut, and glued the owls' body, wings, and eyes. We then used celery to stamp feathers on the owl. They look so cool! 

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Learning in the Heat!

Greetings! Today was a busy day in first grade. We are really excited about all of the new things we are learning. 

In Religion class today we went over to the church and reviewed our Church manners. We also practiced blessing ourselves with Holy Water and praying "Jesus, in the blessed sacrament, I adore you" as we kneel to enter the pew. We are very excited for our first Mass tomorrow. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our high frequency words and the consonants. We then practiced identifying the beginning and ending sounds in a word. Next, we partner read our story which is helping to build our fluency skills. Finally, we reviewed sentences. The students are so good at knowing what makes a sentence a sentence. 

For gym class today, we went outside. They had so much fun playing with their friends. By the end of class, we were all sweaty and tired. 

During Math class today we made a pictograph showing how we come to school. We then practiced identifying left and right. We danced to the Hokey Pokey to help us do this. 

Finally, in Social Studies class today we talked about being classroom helpers. We discussed that when he help we show others that we care. We then listed ways that we can be helpers in our classroom. 

Open House Day!

Happy Wednesday! And Happy Open House Day! I am looking forward to meeting everyone tonight. Open House begins at 6:30 in the cafeteria.

We had another great day of learning in first grade despite the heat. In Religion class, we talked about how God made people special. We talked about people who help us learn about God.

During Language Arts class, we reviewed short a and final ck words as well as our sight words. We then read our story Sam, Come Back! The students enjoyed this story. I hope you like it as well tonight. This afternoon we played Uh-Oh where we reviewed our letters and their sounds. We also created an -ack sack. We wrote 6 -ack words and then glued them onto a sack.

In Math class, we reviewed circles and squares. We located many examples in the classroom and talked about characteristics of each.

See you tonight!

A Warm Day!

Happy Tuesday! Today was a good day in first grade. We worked really hard learning new things despite being warm. It never fails that it gets warm when school starts. 

In Religion class today, we reviewed that God created people. We then learned that God asks people to take care of the world. We talked about ways to do that. 

During Language Arts class, we learned how to blend and read words with final ck. We used our letter tiles to help us spell words and read our decodable reader with a partner. We then learned our new sight words for the week. This afternoon we practiced identifying sentences and wrote sentences. 

In Math class today, we practiced with the numbers 2, 3, and 7. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Open House. It begins at 6:30 in the cafeteria. The Book Fair will be open at 5:30 if you wish to purchase books then. I look forward to meeting everyone tomorrow! 

The First Monday of First Grade!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Many of the students were excited to tell me that they spent time outside enjoying the sun. I loved hearing that!

We had an excellent day in first grade. In Religion class this morning, we talked about how God created the world. We talked about how He created all of the animals, people, and food. We finished class by drawing something we love in creation. 

In Language Arts class, we continued practicing read short a words. We used letter tiles to spell words. We then read our decodable reader. First we found all of the short a words and then we partner read it. For homework, they will be reading the story tonight. We also talked about characters in a story. Finally, we discusses sentences and what makes a good sentence. 

During Math class today we used linking cubes to build towers for the numbers 1-9. When we put them in order, they looked like stairs! 

Have a great night! 

Our First Friday!

Happy Friday! It is hard to believe that we have finished our first week in first grade. We had an awesome and busy day in school. 

We began our day with Religion class. We talked about all of the things we are going to be learning this year in first grade. We also promised to be kind to one another throughout the year. 

During Language Arts class, we learned about short a. We talked about the sound short a says and practiced reading short a words. Next, we read the story If You Take A Mouse to School. After reading the story, we sequenced the events from it. Next, we matched the cause to effect events in the story. 

In Math class today we practiced writing the numbers 1, 4, and 5. We discovered that of those 3 numbers, 1 is the easiest to make. 

Next came Science class. We began our study of animals today by grouping animals into different categories. We talked about big and small animals, animals that fly and don't fly, and animals that swim and don't swim. 

Finally, it was time for Art class. Today the students used pieces of paper to decorate their name. These signs look awesome! 

See you on Monday! 

The Second Day of School!

Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a wonderful second day of school. We sure did in the classroom today. We are working hard at learning new routines and remembering to follow our classroom rules. 

We began today with Religion class. I first had the students draw a picture using only their pencils. I then had them draw a second picture using their crayons. We talked about the difference and why the crayon picture was more special. Next, we read the story The Crayon Box That Talked. We learned that even though each one of us is unique, we are special. We need to respect each other and be good friends to each other. We promised to do this all year. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed syllables and rhyming words. We then wrote two sentences describing what we like to eat and what we like to do. 

For Gym class today we went outside. We really enjoyed the fresh air while exercising and playing with our friends on the playground. 

In Math class today, we used linking cubes to help us build towers for the numbers 1-5. After we did this, we realized that when we put them in order they look like stairs! Tonight the students had their first homework assignment. Don't forget to bring it to school tomorrow. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we talked about our families. The students loved sharing what they do together with their families! 

Have a wonderful night!