Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Celebrating Our Students!

Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was an exciting day here at school. It was a day where we honored our students. I am always amazed at how eager the students are to learn. They are so willing to ask questions and expand their knowledge. I truly love coming to work each day. 

To take a break from learning today the primary department planned some fun activities in the gym for the students. They got to ride scooters, participate in relay games, and run through hula hoops. Everyone had a blast! 

Now, back to the learning. In Religion class today we learned that a pastor is the leader of a parish. He leads us in worship and teaches us about Jesus. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also practiced reading long a: ai, ay words. Next we reviewed putting words in ABC order. We wrapped up our review by using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. After all that, it was time to work on our reading. We partner read a story in our decodable reader. We then read How Bat Got Its Wings and completed pages in our close reading companion. We ended class by writing another detailed sentence in our paragraph on why we love camping. 

In Math class today, we continued to work with graphs. Today we analyzed graphs and used our thinking cap to solve problems. 

Tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day. The highlight will be the afternoon movie! 

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

A Celebration of Community!

Greetings! Today was a different day in first grade. We all seemed to enjoy that two hour delay. However, the students were so eager to learn today. We accomplished so much is such little time! 

Our focus today for Catholic School's Week was Community. We signed thank you cards for local organizations that support Holy Name. We also participated in a soup collection for the local food pantry. And finally, to celebrate our school community, we had some fourth grade students come share a story to the first graders. Once they were finished, the first graders read them a story. It was such a nice time. 

In Religion class today we learned what it means when a parish worships God. We said that when we worship God we praise him and thank him. 

And, because, of the two hour delay, our schedule was a bit different. We had Math class before lunch today. In Math, we again practiced making bar graphs. We tallied the data and used that to make the graph. Afterwards we answered questions about it. 

Then, this afternoon was Language Arts class. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday; we answered questions using the words. Then we used our letter tiles to spell and read long a: ai, ay words. Next we put words in ABC order; this time all of the words began with the same letter so we looked at the second letter to do this. After that we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. With all of the phonics practicing complete, we switched our focus to reading. We reread A Tale of a Tail and sequenced the events in the story. We also read our decodable reader. We finished class by practicing using was and were in sentences and writing the first descriptive sentence in our paragraph on why we love camping.  

Tomorrow is Student Appreciation Day. The students have a jean day tomorrow. Please make sure they wear sneakers; we will be participating in some activities in the gym. The fun continues! 

Monday, January 29, 2018

Happy Catholic School's Week!

Greetings! Today marked the beginning of Catholic School's Week. This is a week were we celebrate our faith and our great school. Each day there is a fun activity planned. Today's theme was giving thanks for vocations. This afternoon we attended a prayer service giving thanks for all that Msgr. Lockard, Fr. Rizzo, Deacon Condor, and Sister Margie do for us here at Holy Name. Without their support, I don't know where we would be. 

In between all of the fun activities this week, there is learning to be done. Today in Religion we talked about how our parish is like a family. We share, pray, and celebrate special times together. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts today. Today we learned five new oral vocabulary words. We then practiced asking and answering questions as we read a folktale about how elephants got their trunks. Next, we blended and read long a: ai, ay words. That was followed by learning our new sight words and two vocabulary words. We finished the morning by reading a folktale titled A Tail of a Tale

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned how to use the verbs was and were in sentences. We also wrote the topic sentence in our paragraph on why we love camping. 

In Math class, we learned how to make a bar graph. First we tallied the data. Then we used that data to make a graph. Making the graph was the easy part; we will continue to work on tallying. 

Tomorrow is our soup collection for the food pantry. We will also have some older students visit us to read us a story. The fun and celebration continues! Good night! 

Saturday, January 27, 2018

March of the Penguins!

Greetings! Happy Saturday! I hope everyone is having an excellent start to their weekend. I know that I am enjoying the weather! Friday was a great day in first grade. 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we wrapped up our mini-retreat on Baptism. To end the retreat we made a necklace with beads; each bead stands for something. The black bead (it is supposed to be brown, but I couldn't find any brown beads) reminds us that Jesus died on the cross for us. The blue beads remind us about the waters of Baptism, and the white bead reminds us of the white dress we wore when we were baptized. The yellow bead stands for the oil we receive when we were baptized; the red and orange beads remind us that we need to share Jesus' light with others. The students loved making them and then telling everyone about them! 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We also practiced reading oo words and reading and spelling words with inflectional endings when the final letter is doubled. After that we wrote sentences using our sight words. When then took our weekly assessment. Next we reviewed writing contractions with not. Finally, we wrote a persuasive paragraph on why we love Holy Name School. The students were so proud when we were done writing the paragraph! 

In Math class today we learned all about tally marks. We learned how to make tally marks and how to count tally marks. This will help us next week when we learn to make bar graphs. 

In Science class today we wrapped up our chapter on matter by reviewing the characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases. 

Anticipation all day was brewing for Art class. The students were so excited to make their penguin. They look adorable: 


Catholic School's Week begins on Sunday. You are invited to Open House following the 10:00 Mass. Tomorrow is also our dining out day at Hoss's. Many fun activities are planned all week. Please check back to see what lies ahead. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Back to Normal!

Greetings! Today was a more normal day in first grade. It was a day full of learning and excitement. As I have said before, I really enjoy working with these children each day. 

In Religion class today we worked on a special project for Catholic School's week. On Monday, we will be attending a special program honoring Msgr. Lockard, Fr. Rizzo, Deacon Condor, and Sr. Margie. Today we worked on cards to present to them at the program. The students took such pride in making the cards. 

In Language Arts class, we began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. We also reviewed reading oo words and practiced spelling words with inflected endings where the final letter is doubled. To practice our sight words, we read the word wall. We then switched our focus. We partner read a story in our decodable reader and From Cows to You. Then we read a nonfiction piece about the different food groups; afterwards we completed pages in our close reading companion. We ended the morning by reviewing contractions with not. 

For Gym class today, the other first grade joined us. Together, we played kickball. We are getting better at kicking the ball and running the bases. 

In Math class today, we made another picture graph. Today we graphed the results as we pulled linking cubes from a bag. We then analyzed our results. 

We ended the day with Social Studies. Today we learned the names of the places where we live. We live on the continent North America, the country United States, and the state Pennsylvania. To help us remember this we created a flipchart. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Friday! It is Library and Art day! 

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Wacky Wednesday!

Greetings! Today was a great day in first grade although it was a little bit different. The students love the book Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss and thus dubbed today "Wacky Wednesday." I had to attend a meeting this morning for our upcoming Middle States visit. so the students spent time this morning with the other first grade class. They loved every minute of it! 

In Religion class today we began a mini retreat on the sacrament of Baptism. We looked at why water is important and how Baptism welcomes us into the church. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, sight words, oo words, and inflected ending words. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We then read and discussed From Cow to You, a nonfiction story about how milk goes from a cow to the store. After reading the story we completed pages in our close reading companion. 

This afternoon we practiced writing contractions with not. First we used our whiteboards to practice, and then we wrote contractions on a pair of mittens. Finally, we reviewed the types of sentences in a paragraph. Now, we are ready to write one! 

In Math class today we continued our study of picture graphs. Today's focus was on making them. We made one together showing the results when we flipped a coin. Then, the students made their own graph. They rolled a die and graphed the results. Once the graphs were made, we answered questions about our graphs. 

As promised, here are pictures of Friday's Art project and the writing project from yesterday. The hallway looks so festive! 



Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym day! Please remember your sneakers! 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Action-Packed Learning!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a great day! Today was another action-packed day of learning in first grade. 

In Religion class this morning we wrapped up our chapter on the leaders of the church. We reviewed the roles of bishops and the pope and the ways we can serve others. 

Language Arts class was hopping today. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words from yesterday and learning three new ones today (enormous, delighted, and responsibility). We then worked on the skill rereading as we read a short fiction story. After that we practiced reading oo words by using our letter tiles to spell and read words. Next we learned how to end inflectional endings onto short vowel words that don't end in a blend. We have to double the final letter before adding the ending. We followed that up by reviewing our sight words. We finished our morning by rereading A Look at Breakfast and sequencing the steps in making bread. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we reviewed how to write contractions with not. We then color-coded a paragraph to show the different types of sentences in it. After that we read our decodable reader. We finished the day by writing about what we like to do on a cold winter day. We added a cup of hot chocolate to the writing. I'll post pictures tomorrow once they are displayed in the hall. 

In Math class today we began a new chapter of learning; our focus for the next couple of weeks will be graphs. Today we looked a picture graphs. The students worked in groups to create a picture graph and to answer questions about it. They enjoyed this! 

Have a wonderful night! 

Monday, January 22, 2018

Having Fun with Reading!

Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone was able to get outside today and enjoy the beautiful weather. I wish it would last for one more day! 

We began our week with Religion. Today we talked about how Jesus served others and calls us to do the same. We looked at what Jesus did and talked about how we can do the same things today just in a different way. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts today. We learned two new oral vocabulary words (delicious and nutritious). In addition we worked on the skill of rereading as we read Where Does Food Come From?. We also learned how to read oo words like book and look. Next we learned and practiced reading our new sight words. After all that learning it was time to practice our new skills. We ended the morning by reading A Look at Breakfast

This afternoon we worked in our literacy centers to practice our fluency and comprehension skills. Then we reviewed writing contractions with not. Finally, we looked at the different types of sentences in a paragraph. 

In Math class today we reviewed concepts related to place value, addition, subtraction, and length as we completed workbook pages. 

Have a great night! 

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Snowflake Fun!

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a nice weekend and enjoying the break from the cold weather. It is nice being able to get out and about without any worries. 

On Friday, we began our day with Mass. Msgr. Lockard reminded us not to be jealous of others but to be happy for them. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We then wrote and read long o, u, and e words as wells as CVCe words. Next we wrote sentences using our sight words. We then worked on our fluency and comprehension as we partner read a story from our decodabe reader booklets. We also read a short nonfiction piece about different kinds of transportation and completed pages in our close reading companion. We ended class by reviewing the verbs is and are and by taking our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we wrapped up our study of length by taking our chapter assessment. 

We followed Math class with Science class. Today we looked at how water can be all three types of matter. We said that water is a liquid and when it freezes it becomes ice. We then said that ice can melt and turn back into water. Finally we said that water can evaporate and turn into a gas. 

We ended the week with Art class. Today we made a special snowflake. I placed painter's tape on construction paper in the shape of a snowflake. The students painted all around the tape. On Monday, I will remove the tape and reveal the snowflake. I'll post pictures on Monday! 

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Gym Day!

Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was a fast day in first grade. It was one of those days that when I looked at the clock, it was time to go home. 

In Religion class today we learned how the pope leads and cares for the church. We learned that Pope Francis lives in the Vatican. We spent time exploring the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica by visiting several websites. The students loved our 'field trip'. 

Language Arts class was full of review and practice. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, long o, u, and e words, CVCe words, and our sight words. We practiced building fluency by partner reading a story in our decodable reader. We then read a nonfiction piece titled Long Ago and Now. After reading the story, we completed pages in our close reading companion. We ended class by reviewing the verbs is and are. 

Gym class was the highlight of the day. Today we learned how to play kickball. We practiced kicking the ball and running the bases. The students had so much fun! 

We spent time reviewing the concepts we have learned about length. The students did very well with the review. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we learned the difference between a city, town, and suburb. 

Tomorrow will be a busy day. We have Library, Mass, and Art. 

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Lots of Learning!

Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was another great day of learning in first grade. I am so proud of how hard they worked today. 

In Religion class today we learned about bishops. We learned that the Apostles named leaders to lead the church in their absence; these leaders are called bishops. We then learned that bishops still continue to lead and care for the church today. Our bishop is Bishop Mark and he leads the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese. 

We began Language Arts class by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and then learned three new words (present, future, and entertainment). Next, we worked on rereading as we read a story about pioneers. After that, we spelled and read long o, u, and e words using our letter tiles. We followed that up by learning to blend and read CVCe words. Then we reviewed our sight words. We wrapped up the morning by rereading Life At Home. After reading the story we compared and contrasted life in the past to life today. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we read our decodable reader. We also practiced using is and are in sentences. 

We put our thinking caps on in Math class today. We used our critical thinking skills to solve several problems. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym day! Don't forget your sneakers! 

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

A Snowy Start!

Greetings! Welcome Back! I hope everyone enjoyed their four day weekend. The students were quite eager to tell me about their adventures. I loved hearing the excitement in the voices as they told their stories. 

We began our day by attending Adoration. It was the perfect way to begin after a long break. We spent quiet time talking to Jesus asking him to help others and to help ourselves have a great day. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts. We learned two new oral vocabulary words (century and past). We worked on the skill of rereading as we read The Last Train. Next, we practiced blending and reading long o, long u, and long e words. After that we learned our new sight words. We ended the morning reading a nonfiction story called Life At Home. This afternoon in class we learned when to use the verbs is and are in a sentence. 

In Math class today we reviewed how to measure objects using units. We completed several workbook pages to practice our skills. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Learning to Dance!

Greetings! Today was such a wonderful day in first grade. I had to stop myself this afternoon and just watch the students. They were so eager to learn today and worked so well with each other. Every day is such a blessing! 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on the early church. We recalled how the Church began on Pentecost and how the Holy Spirit helped the church to grow and continues to help the church to grow. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in first grade. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We spelled and read soft c and g words as well as words with inflected endings. We also wrote sentences using our sight words. After all of that reviewing, we practiced our reading. We partner read two stories today: one from our decodable reader booklet and the Gingerbread Man. We then read poems and identified rhyming words in them. We ended the morning by taking our weekly assessment and identifying past and future tense verbs. 

Gym class was full of fun today. Today, we danced. We danced to some classics like YMCA, Chicken Dance, and Hokey Pokey. At the end of class, I played a song and gave the students time to free style dance. It was so enjoyable watching some of them try to break dance. 

In Math class today, the students worked with a partner to measure three objects in the classroom. They then had to identify the shortest and longest object. 

We ended the day with Social Studies. Today we looked at the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. We talked about how he helped to change unfair laws and how he dreamed of a peaceful world. We then illustrated something we can do to make the world peaceful.

Just a reminder that there is no school tomorrow because of Parent-Teacher Conferences. There is also no school on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day. 

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay safe and warm! 

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Creative Minds!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a pleasant day. We had a great day in first grade. 

In Religion class today we talked about how Jesus chose Peter to be the leader of the Apostles. We learned that he chose Peter because he was strong in his faith. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, soft c and g words, and our sight words. We also reviewed adding endings onto words that end in e. After that, we worked on our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet. We also read our story in our anthology. The students really enjoyed The Gingerbread Man. After reading the story we completed pages in our close reading companion. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reviewed past and future tense verbs. We also wrote in our journals. 

In Math class today, we again used linking cubes to measure objects. Today, however, we identified the length of objects by units and not linking cubes. 

So, when I came in the room at recess today, a group of boys were working together on the floor. As I went over to see what they were doing, I saw this giant gingerbread man built out of Army guys. Their creativeness just amazed me. I had to take a picture of their project:


Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym day! 

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Where Does Time Go?

Greetings! Today was another busy day. It was one of those days where I had to ask myself "Where does the time go?" 

In Religion class this morning, we talked about how the Holy Spirit continues to help the church grow today. We learned 2 new songs to help us, and the students sang them all day. It was quite special to hear. 

As usual, Language Arts was full of learning. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. Next we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the soft c and g sound. After that, we reviewed our sight words before switching our focus to reading. We reread The Nice Mitten and wrote cause and effect examples from the story. Then we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reviewed past and future tense verbs by sorting sentences into those categories. We ended the day working in our literacy centers. 

In Math class today we practiced measuring objects like our Math book and rectangles. We used linking cubes and paper clips to do this. Measuring is quite fun! 

Have a great night! 

Monday, January 8, 2018

A Little Bit Warmer!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend snuggling under blankets, reading a good book, or drinking hot chocolate. Hopefully that cold arctic air is behind us. 

In Religion class today we talked about how the Holy Spirit helped the church to grow. We discussed how it helped Jesus' followers talk to others about him, how it guided them in sharing their money, and how it helped Jesus' followers share God's love. 

Language Arts class was full of learning today. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words from last week and learned three new words today. We then worked on making predictions as we read a folktale about a foolish rabbit. After that we reviewed the soft sounds of c and g and -dge as we read a decodable reader. Finally, we learned how to add inflectional endings on words that end with an e; we learned that we first drop the e before adding the ending. This afternoon we wrote the steps in building a snowman. We added a craft to our writing. They are hanging in the hall for all to see on Friday! 

We continue to talk about measurement in Math class. Today we used a start line to arrange objects from shortest to longest. The students had a fun time doing this. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Saturday, January 6, 2018

A Cold Start!

Greetings on this cold day. It seems like 2018 is off to a cold start. However, we did not let this cold keep us from learning. Thursday was quite a busy day in first grade. 

In Religion class we talked about how the first church members were like a big family and how they did things together like share, pray, and eat. 

In Language Arts class we reviewed our oral vocabulary words and the soft sounds of c and g. Today we sorted pictures based on their g sound. Next we learned how to blend and read words with -dge. After that we learned our new sight words. Then it was time to practice our skills. We read a folktale titled The Nice Mitten. We then switched gears from reading to grammar; today we talked about past and future tense verbs. We ended the morning by writing the steps in brushing our teeth. 

We were quite excited to have Gym class today. Today we worked on our endurance as we played "I Want a Home", a game where students try to find a "home" by running to a hula hoop. The students just love this game, but they were tired after it. 

In Math class today were talked about the terms tall/taller/tallest, short/shorter/shortest, and long/longer/longest. We used linking cubes to identify such positions and then transitioned to pictures. The students did quite well with this. 

We ended the day with Social Studies. Today we talked about the seasons and each seasons' weather. The students then illustrated something we do in each season. 

I hope everyone enjoyed the snow day yesterday. Stay warm! 

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break. The students were so excited to tell me all about what Santa brought them. I loved hearing them explain everything and seeing the joy in their faces. I hope you enjoyed that too! 

Well, 2018 is off to a rather cold start. The students didn't seem to mind the cold or delay. Once we got started, we were off and running. 

In Religion class today we learned that the church began on Pentecost. We reviewed what happened on Pentecost and talked about how the disciples were so excited to tell everyone about Jesus. 

In Language Arts class, we began a new week of learning. Today we learned two new oral vocabulary words (hero and tale). We also worked on making predictions as we read Interrupting Chicken. Finally, we learned the soft sounds of c and g. We discovered c can make the /s/ sound and g and make the /j/ sound. We will continue to practice this skill tomorrow. 

The new year brought in a switch in Math class. Today we began our unit on length. We talked about the terms taller and shorter and longer and shorter. We used our linking cubes to explore these terms. The students did quite well with this. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym day! Stay warm!