Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The End of February

Greetings! Happy (fat) Tuesday! I overheard one student explaining that Fat Tuesday is the day where you can eat something that is bad for you. Needless to say that brought a smile to my face. 

We began our day by going to Adoration. We spent quiet time talking to Jesus asking him to help us have a good day and asking him to help those who are sick. 

In Language Arts today we practiced using our oral vocabulary words as we answered questions. Next we practiced reading long i words by using our letter tiles to help us spell words, and we practiced our sight words and vocabulary words by using them in sentences. Then we learned how to blend, read, and spell words with inflected endings; today we learned that when a word ends in y we have to change the y to an i before adding the ending. Our focused then switched to building our fluency and comprehension. We reread Creep Low, Fly High and worked on identifying the point of view of the characters. We also read our decodable reader. 

In Math class today we learned how to count by 10's from any number. To help us, we performed a counting by 10 rap. The students have a copy that they can practice with at home; we will be practicing every morning during our Math Meeting. 

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. We will be heading to a prayer service where we will receive ashes. 

Good night! 

Monday, February 27, 2017

The Return of Normal Weather!

Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I don't know about you but mine sure went fast. I was sad to see the warm temperatures leave us too. I guess we are back to normal weather now. 

In Religion class we began our study on the season of Lent. Today we learned that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. We also learned that purple is the color for this season and that we don't sing Alleluia until Easter. We then discussed the three facets of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We will continue our discussion on Wednesday since we will be going to Adoration tomorrow.

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts today. Today we learned 13 new words: 5 oral vocabulary words, 6 sight words, and 2 vocabulary words. In addition we learned how to blend and read long i words spelled i, y, igh, or ie. We worked on the strategy of visualizing as we listened to a story about insects and as we read Creep Low, Fly High. We finished our morning by working in our literacy centers. This afternoon, we learned how to use see and saw correctly in sentences. We also wrote about keeping our teeth strong and clean. 

In Math class today we learned how to add 10 to a number. We began by using pennies and a hundred number chart. We started at one number and counted on to find 10 more. We quickly discovered that 10 more is right under a number on the chart. By the time Math class was over, we were adding 10 to a number mentally. 

Enjoy your evening! 

Friday, February 24, 2017

Where Has Winter Gone?

Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a wonderful week and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. It was down right gorgeous today which made it hard to come inside from recess. 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on celebrating God's love and the sacraments. We reviewed the special words we say at Mass when we celebrate God's love and recalled the seven sacraments. 

We also wrapped up our week of learning in Language Arts class. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long o words, and open syllable words. We wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. Finally, we practiced using go and do in sentences. 

In Math class today we learned how to solve a problem by drawing a picture. And in Science class we wrapped up our study of teeth. We learned that eating healthy foods will help keep our teeth strong. 

In Art class today, we made a Cat in the Hat. We will begin our celebration of Dr. Seuss next week, so this art project jumped started everything. Here's an example: 


Enjoy your weekend! 

Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Seven Sacraments!

Greetings! It was another great day in first grade. We had fun learning and enjoying the gorgeous weather. 

In Religion class today we learned the name of the seven sacraments and a little about them. After that, we made a cross with symbols of the seven sacraments. Here is an example: 


In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, spelled long o words using our letter tiles, practiced identifying open syllables in words, and reviewed our sight and vocabulary words. We read a story from our decodable readers, partner read Vulture View, and read a poem. 

For gym class today, we again headed to the gym. Today we learned how to play kickball. First we practiced kicking a moving ball. Next we practiced running the bases. Then we put those skills together to play kickball. 

In Math class today we learned about fourths. We learned how to divide a square into fourths two different ways and how to write the fraction one fourth. 

We wrapped up our day with Social Studies. Today we learned about George Washington. After reading a biography, we wrote the facts we learned. We added our writing to a craft. Here is an example: 

Enjoy your night! 

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Summer Weather in February!

Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather we are having. We have been able to go outside these past two days for recess. The students are really enjoying the chance to run around with their friends. 

In Religion class today we talked about the sacraments. We learned that Jesus gave us the seven sacraments and that the sacraments are a special sign of God's life and love. Tomorrow we will learn the names of the seven sacraments. 

Language Arts class was busy with learning today. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, long o words, open syllable words, our sight words, and our vocabulary words. We practiced reading these words, using them in sentences, and spelling them. Next we read a story in our decodable reader booklets. That was followed by reading a story in our literature anthology. The students enjoyed reading and talking about Vulture View which is about the day in the life of a vulture. This afternoon we wrote a narrative paragraph about our Valentine's day party and wrote proper nouns correctly. 

Time was the subject in Math class today as we learned to tell time to the half hour. We used our clocks to show various times and practiced writing the times. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym day! 

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

After a Long Weekend!

Greetings and Welcome Back after a long weekend. I know it has only been four days, but it feels like forever! The students seemed ready to come back today. We started a little sluggish, but once we got going, we were off to the races. 

In Religion class today we talked about how we celebrate God's love. We said that we worship God with special words like Alleluia and Amen. We also talked about other ways we celebrate God's love at Mass. To conclude class, we drew pictures of ourselves at Mass worshiping God. 

Language Arts was one busy class today. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words and answered questions using these words. We reviewed long o words and used our letter tiles to spell long o words. Then we learned about open syllable words. First, we learned how to decode them; then, we learned how to identify the open syllable. Next, it was time to review our sight words and vocabulary words. With all the phonics knowledge, we switched gears to reading. We reread Go Wild! and wrote about the main idea and key details in the story. We then read our decodable reader and answered questions about it. To end, we practiced using go, went, do, and did in sentences. 

Addition was the focus in Math class today. We again added two two-digit numbers; however, this time it involved regrouping. To help us, we used dimes and pennies. After showing each amount, we counted the pennies, decided if we had enough to trade for a time, and if we did we took away 10 pennies and put a dime on our mat. The students did wonderful trading pennies for dimes. 

Enjoy your night! 

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Back in the Gym!

Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was a good day to finish the week in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus celebrated God's love. We learned that he celebrated weddings with his family, prayed together with friends and families, and worked together with them. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts today. We learned new oral vocabulary words. We also practiced asking and answering questions while listening to a story. In addition we learned how to blend and read long o words spelled o, oa, ow, and oe. We then learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We put those skills to the test as we read Go Wild! Next, we practiced using go, went, do, and did in sentences. Finally we worked in literacy centers. 

We were quite excited to go to the gym for gym class today. We loved the new gym! Today we played four corners. Smiles were abound! 

In Math class today we learned how to trade pennies for dimes. This will lead to learning how to add with regrouping. 

We finished our day with Social Studies. Today we learned about Abraham Lincoln. We heard the story Abe Lincoln's Hat which talked about how Lincoln put important papers in his hat. We then wrote about what we would put in our top hats. Here are some finished projects: 


Just a reminder that there is no school tomorrow or Monday. Enjoy your four day weekend! 

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

A Typical Day!

Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a fantastic day! We sure did in first grade. 

We finished our posters in Religion class today. Yesterday we made our sloppy copies for our poster titled Led By the Spirit for the Mission. Today we made our good copies. All of the students did such a wonderful job on them. They all took their time and created some beautiful pictures. 

We wrapped up a week of learning in Language Arts. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long e words and words with prefixes, wrote sentences using our sight words, and generated sentences using our vocabulary words. We then took our weekly assessment. Finally, we reviewed using has and have in sentences. This afternoon we wrote about the things we love. 

In Math class today we learned about place value. Students cut apart pictures of groups of pennies and singular pennies. We then used those pictures to show various numbers. They did an awesome job listening during this activity. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym class. Please remember to wear your sneakers! 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a lovely (pardon the pun) day! We had a great day celebrating in first grade. We worked hard this morning and partied this afternoon. 

We started working on a special project in Religion class today. We are making posters for the bishop. We are drawing what it means to be led by the Spirit for our mission. We made our sloppy copies today and will make our good copies tomorrow. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then used letters to spell and read long e words before reading words with prefixes and using them in sentences. Next we read the word wall to practice all of our sight words and used our vocabulary words in sentences. After that we turned to reading. We partner read both a story in our decodable reader and Animal Teams. Then we read a short story about bees and answered questions in our close reading companion to help build our comprehension. Finally, we practiced using has and have in sentences. 

After working hard all morning, it was time to celebrate Valentine's day. We began with two science experiments involving candy hearts. First we predicted whether candy hearts would sink or float in water and then tried it out; as it turns out, they sink. Next we put candy hearts in water, vinegar, and soda to see what would happen to them. We discovered that in the soda, the heart actually shrinks and floats to the top. 

Next, we created a math graph using candy hearts. Each student was given a cup of candy hearts, graphed them on paper, and then answered questions about their graph. 

Finally, as treats were being passed out, the students played Roll-A-Love-Bug and worked on building puzzles. It was an awesome afternoon. 

Here are pictures of a math graph, stuffed treat bag, and the writing project from yesterday! 




Monday, February 13, 2017

Special Lunch Guests!

They say good things come to those who wait. Well, we waited an extra two weeks to have our parents, grandparents, and other guests eat with us at lunch. We were so excited for this. Thank you to all who came today; you really added a bright spot to the day! 

In Religion class today we finished our chapter on the parish. We reviewed what a parish is, what is means to worship, what a pastor does, and how a parish helps other people. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, long e words, words with prefixes, our sight and vocabulary words. We then went to work reading. We read a story in our decodable readers and a story in our literature anthology. With the latter, we completed some pages in our close reading companion to help build our comprehension skills. We ended the day by writing about whether we like hugs or kisses more. I'll post pictures of the writing tomorrow. 

In Math class today we learned how to count a large collection of objects. To do this, we put them in groups of 10 and then counted. The students did a great job working together today in Math class. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our Valentine's Day party! 

Friday, February 10, 2017

Back in Action!

Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone enjoyed the snow day yesterday. I will say that I did miss school yesterday. I missed seeing the students; their excitement for learning everyday is contagious. 

We began our day with a prayer service. Today we were reminded of God's healing grace. Back in the classroom, we talked about how our parish helps others. We learned that by praying, visiting the sick, and helping those in need are all ways that a parish helps others. 

Language Arts class was full of fun. We reviewed prefixes today. We really spent time learning the meaning of the prefixes re-, un-, and pre-. I put a bunch of words on the board. I then gave the students a definition and they had to find the word. 

Next, we did some Valentine's Day writing. First we generated a list of things that fill our hearts with love. Then we drew pictures of these things in a giant heart. Last we wrote about what feels are heart with love. Here are some examples: 


After that we read The Biggest Valentine Ever. After reading the story, we made a mouse out of hearts. This was our Art project last week that got postponed until today. 


In Math class today we learned about congruent shapes which are shapes that have the same size and the same shape. I made a shape on the geoboard, and the students had to make a congruent shape on their geoboard. We did this several times enjoying each one. 

Science class focused on dental health today. We watched a short DVD about the importance of eating healthy foods, washing our hands, and brushing our teeth. We then practiced brushing teeth. Pairs of students were given a hard boiled egg that was soaked in Coke. Using a toothbrush and toothpaste, they had to clean the tooth. They loved this. They also said that they will brush their teeth every night. 

We ended with Art class. Today we made our treat bags for Valentine's Day. I'll post pictures of the bags next week. 

Enjoy your weekend! 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

"It's Time to go home already?"

"It's time to go home already?" This is what one student said when we started to get packed up to go home. I love when the day flies right by and it seems like it never started. We were busy learning and working and having fun. That is what first grade is all about! 

Our day started with some special visitors from Penn State. They came and talked to us about pests and how to manage them. They also talked to us about Mr. Yuck stickers. The students were excited to get their own Mr. Yuck stickers today to use at home. 

Language Arts was one busy class today. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words and reading long e words. We used our letter tiles to spell and read these words. We then learned how to read words with prefixes; we also talked about the meaning of the prefixes re-, un-, and pre-. Next we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. This afternoon we reread A Team of Fish and wrote about the main idea and key details in the story; we also read our decodable reader. To finish the day, we worked in literacy centers. 

In Math class today we learned how to identify how many more on a graph. We made a class graph on the number of children in our families and then talked about the graph. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow will be our first gym class in the new gym. The students MUST have sneakers to participate. 

Have a wonderful night and stay safe! 

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

A Busy, Tiring Day!

Greetings! Today was a great day of learning in first grade. I know that both the students and the teacher went home tired but happy. 

We began our day by going to Eucharistic Adoration. We spent quiet time thanking Jesus for all that we have, praying for those in need of prayer, and asking Jesus to guide us in making good choices today. 

In Language Arts class, we began a new week of learning. We learned our new oral vocabulary words, sight words, and vocabulary words. We also learned how to blend and read long e words spelled e, ee, ea, or ie. We worked on asking and answering questions as we listened to a story about how animals work together. We then read a story called A Team of Fish about all of the things a school of fish does together. This afternoon we wrote a narrative paragraph and learned how to use has and have in sentences. 

In Math class today we practiced adding two two-digit numbers without dimes and pennies. The biggest thing that we need to remember is to add the pennies first. Other than that, we had no problems adding the numbers. 

Good night! 

Monday, February 6, 2017

On the 101st Day of School!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the Superbowl. It sure was an epic game full of surprises. We had a magnificent Monday to start our week. 

In Religion class today we talked about how a pastor leads a parish. We also discussed all of the things a pastor does to lead a parish. 

We wrapped up last week's week of learning in Language Arts. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We blended and read long a words spelled ai or ay and we put words in ABC. We wrote sentences using our sight words and came up with synonyms and antonyms for our vocabulary words. This after noon we read a nonfiction piece about bats and answered questions in our close reading companion book. Lastly, we took our weekly assessment and practiced using was and were in sentences. 

In Math class today we reviewed the doubles plus 1 facts by using a wrap-up. These facts will now become part of our daily fact practice beginning tomorrow. 

This morning Dr. Woo visited us to talk about good dental practices. He talked to us about how to brush our teeth (inside, outside, over the top), how to floss, and why we need to eat healthy foods. 

Enjoy the break from the winter weather! 

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Happy 100th Day of School!

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! Friday was a crazy day for the 100th Day of School. There was so much excitement in first grade. The students left with smiles and memories. 

We began our 100th day of school by going to Mass. Msgr. Lockard talked to us about how lucky we are to be part of Holy Name School. 

Back in the classroom, we held our Math Meeting, took a Spelling test, and then learned how to solve a Math word problem. Today we used the strategies of guess and check and act it out to solve the problems. After Spanish class and lunch, it was time to start the 100th Day of School celebration. 

First, we created a self portrait of ourselves when we are 100 years old. We then wrote about something we would do when we are 100. Check out their work: 


We did take a break from our celebration to go to the volleyball game. It was such a great time. The students were so excited to cheer on the 8th grade team. Despite the 8th graders best effort, the teachers prevailed in all three games played. 

We returned to the classroom to our celebration. Next, the students were divided into groups and given 100 objects. They had to work together to make a design using their objects. Here they are: 



We ran out of time for Art class so we will make that up next week. I leave you with pictures of the 100 designs the children made at home. They are awesome. Thank you for taking the time to make the designs with the children. 


Thursday, February 2, 2017

Teacher Appreciation Day!

Greetings! Happy Groundhog Day! We were a little disappointed to see that Phil saw his shadow this morning. We were hoping for an early spring and not six more weeks of winter. 

We finished our special project today in Religion class. We made thank you cards to members of the school community who helped with the gym renovations. We are looking forward to gym class next week!

After that we got right to work in Language Arts. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We then reviewed long a words, our sight words, and our vocabulary words. We also reviewed putting words into ABC order. With that done we switched our focus to reading. We read a story in our decodable readers and a story in our literature anthologies. Today we read How Bat Got Its Wings; the students enjoyed reading this folktale. After that we reviewed using was and were in sentences. 

This afternoon we enjoyed The Secret Life of Pets. It was a great way to wrap up teacher appreciation day. 

Please remember that the students need to wear sneakers to school tomorrow. 

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Student Appreciation Day!

Greetings! Welcome back after a snow day. It looks like winter is finally catching up. It never fails that we have a snow day during Catholic School's Week. Today was Student Appreciation Day, a day were we say thank you to the students. They were treated to Bingo after lunch and a special snack. We also had Teacher Swap day. Mrs. Stager had the students moving with videos from GoNoodle, a favorite of ours. It was a great day for them. 

We began our day by working on a special project in Religion class. We are making thank you cards for various members of the community. These cards will be distributed at Mass on Friday. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also talked about asking and answering questions as we read a story. Then we switched focus to phonics were we reviewed reading long a words spelled ai or ay; we used our letter tiles to help us. Next we reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. Finally, it was time to read. We reread A Tail of a Tale and then sequenced the events in the story. We also read a decodable reader. 

We played a game in Math class today called Match-Up. We had to match a doubles plus 1 fact to its answer. We will be playing this game several times over the next few weeks. 

Tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day. That means that we will be watching a movie tomorrow afternoon. I wonder what it will be?!