Greetings! Today was quite an exciting day to end the month of September in First Grade. All week we have been talking about apples. Today, in honor of Johnny Appleseed, we made applesauce. The students added apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon into a crockpot. We let it cook all day which made our room smell so good. Then finally we were able to eat it. You could feel the excitement in the room. Here are pictures of our applesauce. The first one shows the applesauce before it was cooked. The second one shows the applesauce right before we ate it.
In addition to making applesauce, we did do learning in first grade today. In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on the young life of Jesus. We reviewed where he was born and where he grew up.
We wrapped up our week of learning in Language Arts today. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences. Then we practiced reading short o words. Next, we practiced putting words into ABC order. After that we wrote sentences using our sight words. Finally, we took our weekly assessment.
In Math class today we practiced writing number sentences for subtraction problems. The students looked at pictures to help them come up with a subtraction story which helped them write their sentences. They did very well at this.
Next it was time for Science class. Today we talked about the needs of animals. We said that all animals need food, water, a home, and air.
Finally, it was time for Art. Our Art class switched focus from fall crafts to Halloween crafts. Today we did one of my favorite projects of the year. We made mummies. The students drew the mummy's face, added colored wiggly eyes, and the glued strips of white construction paper on the face. I'll posts pictures of these on Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Greetings on this Picture Day! The students looked so beautiful and handsome in their outfits today. They smiled so nicely this morning. I can't wait to see their pictures.
In Religion class today we talked about how the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) prayed to God. We discovered that they prayed the same prayer that we say before we eat meals.
Language Arts class was full of learning today. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. We then reviewed short o words by creating an octopus. On each leg, we wrote a short o word. Here's one of our creations:
Next we practiced putting words in ABC order and reviewed our sight words by reading the word wall. To help build our fluency and comprehension we partner read a story in our decodable readers and our story from yesterday. We then read a poem and completed pages in our close reading companion. Finally we reviewed questions and exclamations by identifying which type of sentence each was.
In Math class today we continued to practice subtraction. Today we worked on writing subtraction sentences.
Since today was Picture Day we did not have Gym class. Instead, we did some apple activities. We read a story about Johnny Appleseed and completed a time line on his life. We then talked about the life cycle of apples. This will all lead to a special event tomorrow.
We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we talked about why people move.
Tomorrow will be a very exciting end to the month of September.
Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was another hot day outside. But just like yesterday, we did not let the warm weather stop us from learning.
In Religion class today we talked about Jesus as a young boy. We learned that he grew up in Nazareth with Mary and Joseph. We discovered that he did many things that we still do today like play games and help his parents.
In Language Arts class today, we began with a review. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, sight words, and short o words. We continued to practice putting words in ABC order. We then switched gears to focus on building our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader. We then read and discussed a nonfiction story called Friends. After reading that story, we completed pages in our close reading companion. Finally, we practiced telling the difference between questions and exclamations.
We continued to learn about subtraction today in Math. Today we focused on using number bonds to help us solve problems. We first filled in the number bond and then used those numbers to write a number sentence.
Please remember that tomorrow is Picture Day. Because of Picture Day, we will not have gym class.
Greetings on this warm late September day. It sure was warm today, but we didn't let that heat slow us down in our learning.
We began our day by attending Mass as part of our 40 Hours Devotion. Msgr. Lockard reminded us today that Jesus gave the gift of himself before he died on the cross. Celebrating that wondrous love is something we should do.
Language Arts was full of learning today. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and learned three new words today. Next we practiced asking and answering questions as we read a nonfiction piece about children's games. We then practiced reading short o words and practiced spelling them using our letter tiles. After that we talked about ABC order and practiced putting groups of words into ABC order. We ended our morning by reviewing our sight words.
This afternoon we focused on our fluency and comprehension. We reread Toss! Kick! Hop! and wrote three details from the story. Next we read our decodable reader and answered questions about the story. Finally, we reviewed questions and exclamations by deciding whether or not a sentence was a question or exclamation.
In Math class today, we continued talking about subtraction. We used a counting tape (which is a simple number line) to help us solve problems. We first put our finger on the bigger number and then counted back to find the answer. The students did well using them.
We did take a break after Math to go back to church for Adoration. We spent some quiet time today thanking God for Jesus and all of the other things God has provided.
Stay cool!
Greetings! Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a great three day weekend. The students seemed to enjoy their break and that sunshine.
This week Holy Name is honoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through the 40 Devotion. Today we participated in 40 Hours by going to Adoration this morning. We spent quiet time talking to Jesus and asking him to help us and others. Tomorrow we will be going to Mass as well as Adoration.
We began yet another week of learning in Language Arts. We began by working in our literacy centers where we worked on our fluency and comprehension skills. Next we learned two new oral vocabulary words. We then practiced the strategy of asking and answering questions as we read a story about friends around the world. After that we practiced blending and reading short o words; that was followed by us learning our new sight words. We ended the morning by reading a nonfiction piece called Toss!Kick! Hop!
This afternoon we learned the difference between questions and exclamations. We practiced identifying each of these sentences. We then practiced writing a star sentence.
Our focus in Math class switched to subtraction today. First, we acted out subtraction stories (also known as some, some went away stories). We then drew pictures to match the story. Finally we wrote number sentences for each story problem. The students did great with this today.
This week in first grade is Apple Week. We will be looking and studying apples throughout the week all leading to a special project on Friday. Today we created a diagram of the parts of an apple. Here's an example:
Greetings! Happy Thursday! I guess today is really like our Friday since the students have off tomorrow. They are quite happy about that. Today was an action-packed day in first grade.
In Religion class we read the Christmas story. We talked about how Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem and how Jesus was born in a stable. We acted out Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and being turned away until one innkeeper told them they could stay in the stable. The students really enjoyed that.
We wrapped up our week of learning in Language Arts today. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We also practiced reading l-blend words and our sight words. For a little creative break, the students made flowers. On each flower, they wrote an l-blend word. Have a look:
After that we practiced using plurals in sentences. Our focus then switched to reading. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet and the story we read yesterday, Flip. We then read a short nonfiction piece about pets' needs and completed pages in our close reading companion. After taking our reading test, we reviewed statements and practiced finding statements.
For Gym class today, we went outside. How could we not? It was just beautiful outside. Needless to say, they had a great time exercising with friends in the sunshine.
In Math class today we took an test on addition. The students did quite well with this.
Finally, it was time for Social Studies. We read a book about community helpers and spent time identifying community helpers all around us.
Enjoy your three day weekend!
Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a good week. It is hard to believe that it is half way over. We had a really busy day in first grade.
In Religion class today we talked about how Mary said 'yes' to God. We read the story of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary and telling her that she was going to have God's son. We discussed that we should say yes to God just like Mary did.
Language Arts class was quite busy today. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. Next we continued to work on visualizing as we read Cool Dog, School Dog, a favorite among the students. After that we reviewed l-blend words, plurals, and our sight words. Our focus then switched to reading to help build our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We then read and discussed Flip, a story about a girl and her pet dinosaur. After reading that story we then completed pages in our close reading companion. We finished the day by writing statements.
In Math class today we put on our thinking caps to solve some problems. We needed to remember how to count on to help us. We then spent time practicing adding two numbers.
Just a reminder that our Spelling test is tomorrow. Tomorrow is also gym day. Please remember your sneakers. Have a great night!
Greetings on this beautiful weather day! It was just absolutely gorgeous outside today. I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the sunshine. The students really enjoyed their recess outside today.
In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on the Blessed Trinity. We reviewed the Three Persons in the Blessed Trinity and the meaning of prayer.
Language Arts was quite busy today. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and then learned three new words today. Next we practiced visualizing as we read a nonfiction piece about pets. After that we reviewed l-blend words by using our letter tiles to spell the words; we also reviewed our sight words by practicing using them in sentences. Then we learned about plural nouns; we learned that we can make a noun plural by adding -s to the end. After all of that, it was time to read. We reread A Pig for Cliff and wrote about the details in the story. We then read our decodable reader. This afternoon we reviewed statements; we practiced sorting sentences based on whether or not they were statements. We ended the day by writing a sentence to describe a picture.
In Math class today we continued to review addition story problems. We wrote addition sentences that correlated to the problem. We are getting very good at adding.
Have a wonderful night!
Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. It was such a beautiful weekend to get out, attend an art festival or watch the Steelers.
We began out day with Religion class. Today we learned that when we pray we talk to and listen to God. We also learned that the Sign of the Cross is a prayer to the Blessed Trinity. We then practiced making the Sign of the Cross.
With today being Monday we kicked off a new week of learning. We began by learning new oral vocabulary words. We then worked on visualizing as we read Cool Dog, School Dog. Next we learned how to blend and read words with l-blends like black, clap, flip, glad, play, and slid. After that we learned our new sight words we will be practicing this week. Finally, we put all of our new knowledge to work as we read A Pig for Cliff.
This afternoon in Language Arts we worked in our literacy centers practicing our skills. We ended the day by learning about statements. We discovered that a statement is a telling sentence.
In Math class today, we practiced writing addition number sentences. We learned to write addition stories from pictures and then write the number sentence. We did really well with this today.
Here is a picture of our scarecrows from Friday's art class: Enjoy!
Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic day to end their week. It sure was a whirlwind day in first grade. We had Mass, two assemblies, and Library.
We began our day with Mass. Today Fr. Rizzo reminded us that when we suffer, Mary is right there with us. Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
After Mass we had our Peacekeeper Assembly. We gathered together with kindergarten and second grade where we talked about ways to be kind. We said that when we are kind to others we are Peacekeepers and that being a Peacekeeper makes the world happier. We all promised to try to be peacekeepers.
Back in our classroom, it was time for Language Arts. Today we practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We also read short i words and words with final double consonants. We then wrote sentences using our sight words before taking our reading test. Finally, we practiced writing sentences paying close attention to the word order.
This afternoon we had a presentation from the Women's Help Center on Diversity. The presenter read us a story about the importance of including everyone and leaving no one out. The students came up with great examples of how to include everyone.
After that, it was time for Science. Today we talked about insects. We learned that insects have three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen) and six legs. Working in groups students used Play-doh to make an insect. Here they are:
Finally, it was time for Art class. Today we made scarecrows using paper bags. They turned out adorable. I'll post pictures next week once I have them hanging in the hall.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Greetings on this Thursday night! I hope everyone was able to dodge the raindrops this morning and enjoy the warmer weather this afternoon.
In Religion class today we talked about the Blessed Trinity. We learned that there are Three Persons in one God. The Three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that they are joined together by love. To help us understand this, we made a triangle ornament with the name of one of the Persons on each side. Here is how they turned out:
Today was a bit of a review for us in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, short i words, and words with final double consonants. As we reviewed our phonics skills, we made a pig sitting in mud. In the mud we wrote short i words. Here is one example:
Next we reviewed our sight words by rereading the word wall. After that we worked on our fluency and comprehension skills. We partner read a story in our decodable readers; we also partner read Go, Pip! Then we read a nonfiction piece about the country and the city. After reading that we completed pages in our close reading companion. We finished the morning by reviewing word order. We practiced unscrambling sentences.
For Gym class today we went down to the gym. The students were quite excited to visit the gym. Today we played "Alligator, Alligator".
In Math class today we continued working on counting on to find answers to addition facts. We practiced completing number bonds and writing number sentences. We will continue to practice this for a few more days.
Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy end to the week. We have Mass, 2 special programs, Library, Art, and of course, our Spelling test. See you tomorrow night!
Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I don't know about you but this week is just flying by. We are already halfway to Friday.
In Religion class today we talked about how Jesus is God's greatest gift to us. We discussed how Jesus welcomed the children and families who came to hear him teach.
Language Arts was full of learning today. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, short i words, sight words, and words with final double consonants. We practiced reading the words and using the words in sentences. We also read a story from our decodable reader booklet. Finally, we read Go, Pip! a fantasy story about a squirrel's day in the city. After reading it, we completed pages in our close reading companion.
We continued to practice counting on in Math class today. The students played a game with a partner using number cards. They each picked a number and then counted on to find the sum. We then completed problems together on a worksheet.
Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym day!
Greetings on this twelfth day of September. I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather we are having this week. First grade was buzzing with learning today.
After Computer class this morning, we went to church for Adoration. We spent quiet time praying to Jesus. We said prayers for three special people and asked Jesus to help us have a good day.
Back in the classroom, we jumped right into Language Arts. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and learned three new ones today. Next we continued to work on visualizing as we read "City Mouse, Country Mouse". After that we practiced reading short i words. First we read words, and then we used our letter tiles to spell and read words. We wrapped up our morning by working in our literacy centers.
This afternoon in Language Arts we learned how to blend and read words with final double consonants. We then practiced using our sight words in sentences. After that, our focus switched to reading. We reread Six Kids and wrote key details in the story. We then read our decodable reader. We finished our day by practicing word order. We unscrambled sentences to make them correct.
In Math class today we talked about counting on. We learned that we begin with the bigger number and count on from there. This will help us as we learn our addition facts.
Just a reminder that Book Orders are due tomorrow.
Greetings! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I hope you were able to enjoy time with your family and maybe catch a football game or two. We had a great start to our week in first grade today.
We began our day with Religion. Today we talked about how God promised to send his own Son, Jesus to us.
Today kicked off a new week of learning in Language Arts. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words. Next we worked on visualizing as we read Alicia's Happy Day. After that we learned how to blend and read short i words. That was followed by learning new sight words. We wrapped up our morning by reading and discussing Six Kids. This afternoon we learned the importance of correct word order when writing sentences. We practiced unscrambling sentences and putting them in correct word order.
In Math class today we reviewed number bonds. We practiced finding parts for a three part number bond. We also solved number bond problems. Tomorrow we will put our number bond knowledge to the test as we learn how to add.
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. I had the opportunity this summer to visit the 9-11 Memorial and Museum in New York. It is such a powerful place, a place where bravery, courage, and remembrance are displayed. Tonight, take a moment to remember the lives lost that day and the heroism shown. Let there be Peace on Earth.
Greetings! Happy Friday! It sure is feeling like fall outside these days. I will admit that I am enjoying the cooler temperatures to start a school year.
We began our day by attending a prayer service on the primary floor. There we were reminded to trust God in all that we do. Next, we returned to our classroom to finish Chapter 1 in our books. We reviewed what we learned and drew pictures of things God has created.
Fridays in Language Arts are wrap-up days. Today we reviewed our oral vocabulary words by using them in sentences. Next we reviewed reading short a words and inflected ending words and using those words in sentences. After that we wrote sentences using our sight words. We then took our first reading test of the year. The students did a good job following directions. Finally we reviewed sentences by writing sentences.
In Math class today we took a test on number bonds. We will continue to use number bonds next week as we begin learning addition facts.
Science class is hugely popular in first grade. Today we talked about different coverings animals have. The students then worked in groups to sort pictures of animals based on whether they have fur, feathers, or scales.
Finally it was time for Art. With fall in the forecast, we made fall trees. Students first drew a triangle on brown construction paper, cut it out, and glued it on white paper. They then glued pieces of tissue paper around their trunk to make their tree. Here are some examples:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Greetings! Happy Open House Night! I look forward to seeing and meeting everyone tonight. The Open House begins at 6:30 in the cafeteria.
We began Religion class today by reading Guess How Much I Love You?. That led us to a discussion of how God will always love us. As one student said "God will love us to the moon and back."
In Language Arts class today we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also reviewed short a words and inflected ending -s words. Today we decorated a sack with short a words. We then reviewed our sight words by reading the word wall. Next our focus switched to reading. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets and partner read Nat and Sam. We then read a nonfiction piece about school rules and completed pages in our close reading companion. We ended our morning by writing sentences. We are working on remembering to begin sentences with capital letters.
For gym class today we went outside to the parking lot. The other first grade joined us, and we enjoyed exercising with our first grade friends.
In Math class today, we continued our work with number bonds. We practiced filling in missing numbers and making number bonds.
We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we talked about why we have rules and about leaders.
See you tonight!
Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was a very busy day full of learning in first grade. We all left tired but happy.
In Religion class today we talked about how God gave us special gifts like sharing his love with others, learning, and being able to pray. We then completed a sheet illustrating other special things God gave us.
Language Arts was full of learning today. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. Next we reviewed short a words, words with inflectional ending -s, and our sight words. We then jumped into reading. First we read a story in our decodable reader booklets. Next, we read a story in our literature anthology book titled Nat and Sam; after that we completed pages in our close reading companion reviewing details from the story. We finished up class by reviewing sentences; today we sorted sentences based on whether or not they were sentences.
We continued our learning of number bonds in Math class today. We began by using linking cubes to help us find the parts of the whole. We then put away our linking cubes and put on our thinking caps to help us find the parts of the whole. We will continue to practice this tomorrow.
Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym day. Please don't forget your sneakers. Also, tomorrow night is open house night. It begins at 6:30. I'll see you there!
Greetings! Welcome back! I hope everyone was able to enjoy their Labor Day weekend. The students seemed to have fun telling me all that they did over the long weekend.
We began our day with Religion class. Today we read about how God created all people to know, love, and serve him. We then talked about how God wants us to take care of creation and discussed ways to do that.
Language Arts was full of learning today. We first reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned on Friday and then learned three more words. Next we worked on visualizing details in a story as we listened to a nonfiction piece about schools around the world. After that we reviewed reading short a words and then used letter tiles to help us spell and read these words. Then we learned how to blend and read words with the inflectional ending -s. In addition to that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. After all of that phonics, it was time to read. We reread Jack Can and wrote the details in the story. We read a decodable reader too. This afternoon we talked about sentences and practiced identifying sentences and not sentences. We also wrote some sentences.
In Math class today we learned about number bonds. We used linking cubes to help identify number bonds for the numbers 4, 5, and 7.
Enjoy your night!
Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic week. We had a wonderful first full week of first grade. Today was full of fun and learning.
We began our day by going to Mass. Msgr. Lockard reminded us to always be prepared not only for school but for life. He told us that if we work hard we will do great this school year and if we are kind and caring that we have nothing to worry about.
Language Arts was full of first grade learning today. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words. We then worked on visualizing as we read the story This Will Be The Best Year Yet. After that we learned how to blend and read short a words. That was followed by learning four new sight words. We then put all of our new knowledge to work as we read Jack Can.
In Math class today we reviewed everything we have been practicing by taking a test. The students did awesome with this.
Science class was full of fun today. We talked about the different ways animals move. The students were put into groups and given a cube with animal pictures on it. They rolled the cube and moved just like that animal does. Needless to say they loved this.
We finished our week with Art class. Today we made owls. After gluing everything together we used celery sticks to stamp on feathers. They look fantastic.
Here is a picture of the owls and a picture of our sprinkle with kindness activity from earlier in the week:
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! See you on Tuesday!
