Thursday, May 26, 2016

Farewell to First Grade!

Greetings! As the old saying goes . . . all good things must come to an end. It is just so hard to believe that this school year has ended. It went by so fast. Thank you for all of your support throughout the school year. It would not have been successful without you. 

Before leaving for summer break, we had a few more things to learn in first grade. In Religion class we talked about how God made the world and asks us to care for it especially the animals. 

The highlight of Language Arts class this week was seeing which big books were our favorite. The students voted on them last week in Social Studies and the top three were revealed this week beginning with the one in third place. In third place was Wilford Gordon McDonald Partridge. In second place was A Frog in a Bog and in first place Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile

During Math class this week we worked on showing place value by using pictures of hundreds, tens, and ones. We also learned new math facts. 

In Social Studies, we looked at various American heroes and wrote about a person who is our hero. We also explored many American symbols. We made a booklet to help us remember them. 

During Science class we looked at the different parts of a plant that we eat. We also looked at products that come from plants. 

Thank you so much for taking part in the extra celebrations this week. The students enjoyed our Cuddle and Snuggle reading day. It was so neat to hear them read; they have grown so much! Needless to say, they loved the game afternoon. 

I wish everyone a happy, safe summer. Enjoy time with your families and friends. I'll see you in August! 

~Miss Chalich 

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Our Last Full Week!

Greetings! It is so hard to believe that this school year is quickly coming to a close. We had a busy, fun last full week of school. 

In Religion class this week we talked about the saints. We learned about who they are and how the church honors them. On Tuesday, we took a break from learning to attend Eucharistic Adoration. It is always nice to begin the day spending some quiet time talking to Jesus. 

We read our last story in Language Arts class this week. As I listened to the students read, a smile came to my face. They have grown so much in reading this year. Thank you for encouraging them to read and grow in their love of reading. 

As we read Ben Franklin and His First Kite we practiced blending and reading words with prefixes un- and re- and words with long vowels i and o spelled -ost, -old, ild, and -ind. We also practiced finding the theme of the story. In Grammar we again worked with pronouns. We practiced using them in sentences. And in Writing, we wrote a narrative paragraph about the Hawk Walk. 

During Math class this week, we explored probability by discussing the terms certain, likely, and impossible. We did an experiment with linking cubes to help us understand these words. We then talked about place value and identified place value to the hundreds. Next, we learned four new subtraction facts as we learned how to write addition and subtraction fact families. Finally, we practiced solving a problem by drawing a picture and using a table. 

For Gym class this week, we headed out to the sunshine to enjoy the great outdoors with our friends. We were quite disappointed as this was our last gym class as a first grader. Gym always brought a highlight to Thursday afternoons. 

In Social Studies, we talked about rights and responsibilities citizens have including the right to vote. We then participated in a mock election voting for the favorite big books we read this year in Language Arts. The students will find out the winners next week as each one will be read one a day. 

And in Science, we talked about the needs of plants. We sorted plant needs from plant parts. 

Finally, it was time for Art class, the last one of the year. The students created a beach scene and added some sand to make it look real. Art class was always the perfect way to end the week. Here is one beach scene: 



Of course the highlight this week was our field trip on Wednesday. We began our day at the Quaint Corner Children's Museum. The students enjoyed three floors of fun. There was a vet room, grocery store area, art room, dress-up room, laser room, science rooms, and a giant sandbox with a climbing wall. From there we headed to the Railroaders Memorial Museum. The students enjoyed seeing the trains and watching a movie about the Horseshoe Curve. It was a great day of fun and learning! 

Have  a wonderful weekend! Don't forget about the Snuggle and Cuddle reading on Monday! 

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Week of Interruptions and Learning!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a fantastic week. We had one crazy week in first grade. It seemed that everyday brought about a change in the schedule. On Monday, we gathered to celebrate the retirement of Miss Hertzog. I think the ice cream treat was the hit of that party. We also took time to visit the Book Fair on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we honored Mary with our annual May Crowning celebration. And on Friday, we had our Hawk Walk. Thankfully the rain ended and we were able to enjoy a nice walk and fun games. Despite of all of the interruptions, we still we able to learn new things this week. 

In Religion class, we talked about why the Church honors Mary and ways that the Church honors her. 

During Language Arts class, we learned to blend and read words with the vowels aw and au and short e words spelled ea. We also worked on drawing conclusions as we read Alexander Graham Bell. The students were amazed at how the first telephones looked and were used. In Grammar this week we practiced using I and me correctly in sentences. 

In Math class, we learned how to count quarters. Please continue to practice counting by 25's with the students. We also learned how to subtract two digit numbers without regrouping. Then we practiced showing the temperature on a thermometer. Finally, we learned new subtraction facts: half of a double. 

For Gym class this week, we returned to the playground to enjoy the warm breeze and sunshine with our friends. In Social Studies class, we talked about the roles of a mayor, governor, and president. And in Science class, we learned and identified the parts of a plant. 

We did have Art class on Friday. It was a simple project. The students made a slice of watermelon using construction paper and a paper plate. They look yummy! 

Have a great weekend! 

Saturday, May 7, 2016

The First of May

Greetings! I hope everyone is doing well! We had a busy and exciting first week of May in first grade. 

In Religion class, we spent time talking about ways we can love and serve God and others. We said that when we pray, listen, and help others we are loving and serving God and others. We did take a break from our studies to attend Mass on Thursday since it was Ascension Thursday. Msgr. Lockard reminded us to always listen and participate in the liturgy. 

Our Language Arts class this week was like Science class; we learned all about simple machines. It was quite the informative story, but nonetheless we came away with greater knowledge about levers, inclined planes, wheels and axles, and pulleys. To help us read our story we learned new sight words along with new phonics skills, including blending and reading words with the diphthongs oi and oy and words with suffixes -er and -or. We also practiced identifying the main idea of the story. Our focused switched in Grammar this week. We learned all about pronouns including identifying them in sentences and using them in writing. Finally, in Writing, the students wrote their first narrative paragraph; they wrote about a recess memory. 

In Math class this week we learned how to identify the fractional part of the set. We also learned how to subtract 10 from a number. Next, we practiced drawing polygons. Then we learned new subtraction facts, those with a difference of 2. Finally, we learned about rectangular prisms. 

For Gym class this week, we had a spirited game of kickball. It was great watching how their skills improved during the year! In Social Studies we talked about community laws and why we have them. In Science class, we reviewed force and motion. 

Art class this week was devoted to Mother's Day. The students worked hard on their presents and they turned out great. I hope all moms have a wonderful day on Sunday. 

To end, here is a picture from last week's Art class: 


Enjoy your weekend! Happy Mother's Day!