Greetings! I hope everyone had a nice week. It was a short week in first grade, but it was a week for of learning and celebrations.
Our Religion classes this week focused on Holy Week. We talked about the events of Palm Sunday, how Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the people waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna. After reading this story, we made our own mosaic palm branches. Next, we talked about the Three Days and the events we remember. We made a poster with symbols of the Three Days. Then, we looked at Holy Thursday. We read about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet and how he shared a meal of bread and wine with his disciples the night before he died. To help us remember Jesus' call to serve others, we took turns washing each others' hands. Finally, we talked about the events of Good Friday. We made a watercolor scene. Here are pictures from the week.
We began our next story in Language Arts class by learning new phonics skills. We spent time practicing decoding and reading compound words. Working in groups, we matched peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to form compound words. Next, we practiced blending and decoding words with vowels ew, ui, and ue. In addition to these skills, we practiced identifying the characters, setting, and plot of a story. We also focused on finding adjectives for how many in sentences.
Language Arts class also included many fun Easter activities this week. We wrote about places where we would hide Easter eggs. After reading The Easter Egg by Jan Brett, we designed our own incredible egg and wrote why it is incredible. The highlight of course was the Easter Egg show and tell. The students loved reading their clues and have others guess what was inside their egg. Thank you for helping in this project!
During Math class this week, we learned new subtraction facts: subtracting a number from 10. We created our own fact cards and used a wrap-up to help us learn these facts. Finally, we identified a dozen and half-dozen.
On Thursday morning, the students were surprised to see that the Easter bunny visited the classroom and left them Easter baskets. Their smiles and laughter were incredible to watch and hear. Here is what the Easter bunny left:
Happy Easter!
Greetings! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope everyone had a fantastic week and was able to enjoy it. We had a busy four days in first grade.
In Religion class this week, we finished our study on the Corporal Works of Mercy. We looked at how we can visit the imprisoned and praying for those who have died. To conclude our study, we made Easter cards for the sick and shut-in members of the parish. Also, this week, we looked at the life of St. Patrick by watching a biography on him and then discussing why he is a saint.
Language Arts class was full of new learning this week. We practiced blending and reading long i: ie and igh words as well as words with kn and wr. After practicing these new phonics skills and learning new sight words, we worked on our fluency and comprehension by reading The Lady in the Moon where we learned all about the Moon Festival. Also while reading this story we practiced distinguishing realism from fantasy. In addition to all that learning, we wrote a persuasive paragraph about our favorite holiday and practiced identifying adjectives for what kind in sentences.
For two days this week, we worked with money in Math class. First we practiced counting nickels. Then we practiced counting nickels and pennies. The students are quite good at counting money. We finished the week by solving a problem by making an organized list.
For gym class this week, we went outside to the sunshine. It was warm and bright and the perfect time to exercise with our friends. In Social Studies, we explored the difference between needs and wants. Needs are things we have to have; wants are things we would like.
Before we knew it, it was time for the weekend. Enjoy!
Greetings! I hope everyone had a fantastic week and enjoyed the beautiful weather we had. I know first grade sure did!
We began our Religion class this week by focusing on the Corporal Work of Mercy to care for the sick. We talked about ways we can do this: making a card, giving them a drink, and helping around the house. We then continued our study on Baptism. We took a closer look at what happens including receiving a white garment and a candle. We ended the week by learning how Jesus is the Light of the World.
Language Arts was full of excitement this week. The students loved Mister Bones: Dinosaur Hunter. They were so excited to read about finding the T. Rex bones. To help us read this story, we learned new sight words as well as new phonics skills: long o: oa, ow and three letter blends. We also worked on the skill of author's purpose. For grammar this week, we looked at adjectives for size.
To help bring this story alive, we participated in many dinosaur related activities. We went on a dinosaur dig. Students were given plastic tweezers and a container of sand. They had to "dig" to find fossils. When they found them all, they then had to put them together. We also learned about fossils and how dinosaur bones became fossils. We then made our own fossil imprints using clay and seashells.
During Math class this week, we learned new addition facts: those with a sum of ten. The students are doing quite well with these facts. We also learned how to draw congruent shapes. Next, we measured and drew lines to the nearest inch.
For Gym class this week, we went outside. It was just too nice to stay inside. We enjoyed the fresh air. In Science class, we talked about sound. We learned that sounds are made when something vibrates. We then talked about how sounds can be loud or soft.
Finally, it was time for Art class. This week we made leprechauns. They turned out really nice. Below are pictures of our leprechauns and the pot of golds we made last week! Enjoy the weekend! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Greetings! Happy March! It is hard to believe that it is a new month already. Where did February go?
We began our Religion class this week by continuing our weekly discussions on the Corporal Works of Mercy. This week we focused on clothing the naked. We talked about how when we donate clothes to charities or when we help with the laundry then we are clothing the naked.
We then spent the rest of the week learning about the sacrament of Baptism. We learned that when we were baptized we became members of the church and we received God's grace. We also learned that water is an important sign at Baptism. We ended the week by discussing the words and actions said during this event.
In Language Arts class, we learned how to blend and read long e: ea words and words with inflected endings when the y is changed to an i. As always, we added more sight words to our word memory. This week we read The Dot where we focused on the reading skill of theme. In addition to practicing our fluency and comprehension skills, we also worked on our grammar and writing skills. We practiced identifying adjectives for color and size in sentences and wrote a persuasive paragraph on why we love recess.
The story that we read is a great story that teaches everyone that you have to try something before you can say you can't do it. This week, to go along with this story, the students were given the opportunity to be artists and try a new painting technique. They painted a picture using dots. Here are two examples:
During Math class, we practiced counting by 10's and adding 10's to a number. We also learned how to order numbers from smallest to largest. In addition, we practiced counting by 100's. We ended the week solving a problem by drawing a picture.
In Science class, we explored our 5 senses by partaking in various experiments. For Art class we made a rainbow coming out of a pot of gold. I'll have pictures next week.
Enjoy the warm weather this week!
