Book Fair Day!

Greetings! Today was quite an exciting day in first grade! We were quite excited to visit the Book Fair, but before we did, we had some work to do. We did go this afternoon. The students were very quick at finding their books. I just love seeing them so excited about reading! 

We began our day by going to Adoration. We spent some quiet time praying and talking to God. It is always nice to spend some quiet time with God before beginning our learning. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the vowel variant /u/, and sorted words based on their suffix. Then we practiced reading our sight words. The students worked in groups to do this today. Each group was given a cube with sight words on it. They had to rule the cube and then use the word they rolled in a sentence. They loved that! We ended our morning by partner reading a story from our decodable reader. 

This afternoon we partner read Click Clack Moo. We then read a nonfiction piece about how people worked together to change unfair laws. Finally, we completed pages in our close reading companion. 

In Math class today we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. I was amazed at how the children could explain their answers to me. They really love Math! 

Have a great night!

Click Clack Moo!

Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great start to their week! 

We began our week with Religion. Today we wrapped up our chapter on God's forgiveness. We reviewed the story of the Forgiving Father, talked about how God always forgives us, and illustrated a picture that shows forgiveness. 

We continued our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also practiced reading words with the variant vowel /u/. Then we built words with the suffixes -ful and -less and defined them. Finally we reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. Then our focus switched to reading. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We ended the morning by reading and discussing Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type. 

This afternoon we completed pages in our close reading pages that correlated to our story. We also practiced writing sentences correctly remembering to write a capital I when needed. 

In Math class today we worked with patterns. We identified missing numbers in a pattern and continued patterns. The students did a nice job recognizing the counting rule in each pattern. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow we will visit the Book Fair. Please send money in a marked envelope. 

Busy Bees!

Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end their week. I am looking forward to the weekend! 

We began our day at Mass. Today Msgr. Lockard reminded us about our Baptisms as he spoke about the sprinkling rite. He also reminded us to keep the Easter spirit alive during the season. 

We had a busy day of learning in Language Arts. We began by answering questions using our oral vocabulary words. Next we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the variant vowel /u/. After that we practiced decoding and defining words with the suffixes -ful and -less. Following that we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. With all of that complete, we turned our focus to comprehension. We reread Super Tools and wrote about the theme of the story. We then read our decodable reader and discussed its theme. Finally we practiced using pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today we continued to practice using the greater than and less than symbol. The students did very well with this. I am quite impressed with their number sense. 

Our focus in Science today switched to motion. We learned that objects can be made by either a push or a pull. The students then worked in groups to build a maze. Once they were finished, they had to blow a ping-pong ball through the maze. The mazes were quite elaborate. This is the first group that used textbooks to build a maze. I loved seeing their creativity and thinking skills put to use. 

We ended our week with Art class. Today we made bumble bees. We painted a paper plate yellow. We added wings and a stinger. We then added clothespins painted black as the antennas. Finally, the students used special stampers to add the stripes. They look really good. I'll post pictures on Monday once everything has dried. 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

Super Learners!

Greetings on this rainy and dreary Thursday. I did miss the sunshine today. I hope it doesn't hide for too long! 

In Religion class today we switched our focus back to talking about God's forgiveness. Today we talked about the importance of forgiving others. We said that when we have trouble forgiving we need to ask God for help. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts. We learned our new oral vocabulary words (conflict, fair, argument, risk, and shift). We then worked on rereading for details as we listened to a fable about a cat and mice. After that we learned how to read variant vowel /u/ spelled oo, u, u-e, ui, ew, and ue. Following that we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. With all this new knowledge, it was time to practice. We read a fantasy story about writing tools helping a girl in Super Tools. Finally, we learned the pronouns and practiced identifying them in sentences. 

We ended the morning by working on our Lorax project from yesterday. We created a Lorax on paper and then wrote about ways we can help Earth. 

The rain kept us inside for Gym today. We played kickball. The students really got into the game. I loved seeing their enthusiasm. 

In Math class today we practiced identifying the greater and least number in a set. We also ordered numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least. Finally, we learned how to use the comparison symbols < and >. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we talked about how people work to earn money. We learned that some workers work in a factory. We watched a short video on how people in a factory help make crayons. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Library day! Don't forget your books! 

Spinning with Fun!

Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week and is enjoying some of the leftover Easter candy! 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we wrapped up our study of Easter. We again reviewed the Easter story and how we celebrate Easter for 50 days. 

We wrapped up a week of learning in Language Arts today. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with the diphthongs oi and oy, and read final stable syllable words. We then wrote sentences using our sight words before taking our weekly assessment. Finally, we practiced using prepositions in sentences. 

This afternoon our Language Arts class focused on Earth Day. We read The Lorax and talked about ways to make Earth beautiful. We will finish our celebration of Earth tomorrow when we complete a writing craftivity. 

In Math class today we practiced finding more and less than a number. Using a hundred number chart, we identified two, five, and ten more than a number. We then worked with partners to practice finding more and less than a number. Each partner spun a spinner. The students then found more or less given the number they spun. They really enjoyed this. 

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

Easter Scenes!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the sunshine before the rains came! 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we again read and talked about the Easter story. The students then created their own Easter scene. I just love doing this project every year. I love seeing their interpretation about the first Easter. Here are some of the projects: 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers. Then we jumped into our daily routine. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, words with the diphthongs oi and oy and words with final stable syllables (C+le). We then read our word wall to review all of our sight words. Our focus then switched to building our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets and our story from yesterday about bridges. We then read a short nonfiction piece about tiny houses and completed pages in our close reading to go along with it. 

This afternoon we reviewed how to write abbreviations remembering that they begin with a capital letter. We also wrote a persuasive paragraph on why we love recess. 

In Math class today our focus was place value. We identified the number of tens and ones in a number. We then used our base-ten blocks to show various numbers. The students are very good with this. 

Because of the sewer project, our water was a bit brown today. You may send in a water bottle with your child tomorrow for them to use during the day. If you have any questions, please let me know. Have a great night! 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a blessed Easter. I loved hearing about where the children's Easter baskets were hidden and all that they found with them. That brought a smile to my face this morning. 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we read the Easter story. We talked about the events of that first Easter so long ago. 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers to build our fluency and comprehension. We then jumped back into our week of learning. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned last week. Then we practiced reading words with the diphthongs oi and oy and final stable syllable words. After that we reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. Our focus then switched to reading. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We finished the morning by reading a nonfiction story about bridges all over the world. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we completed pages in our close reading companion that went along with the story from this morning. We then practiced using prepositions in sentences. 

In Math class today we began a new chapter; this chapter will focus on the numbers to 120. We practiced writing the numbers and identifying the numbers when given the tens and ones. The students found this to be very easy. 

Here is a link to the Hawk Headlines found on the Diocesan website. The article features first grade. 

https://proclaim.dioceseaj.org/hawk-headlines-happenings-at-holy-name-school/

Enjoy your night! 

A Special Visitor!

Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter break! When the students walked into the classroom on Thursday, they were greeted with Easter baskets on their desks. The Easter Bunny left them a special gift. I just loved seeing their excitement and joy. It melts my heart! 

Once we got settled, we began our day with Religion class. We spent time reviewing Holy Week. We created a cross with pictures of Holy Week. They turned out very nice. 

From there we did some jelly bean math. We used jelly beans to measure various objects in our classroom. We then created patterns using jelly beans. 

We then joined our second grade friends to watch Charlie Brown. And before we knew it, it was time to go home! 

Just a reminder that we do have school on Monday. 

I hope everyone has a blessed and happy Easter! 

A Day to Remember!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a great day! It was quite an adventurous day in first grade today. We began our day with no power. The beautiful sunshine did help us to get some learning in. Then, when the power came on, there was such a surge that the fire alarm went off. I am so proud of how all of the students exited quickly and quietly. They definitely know what to do in case of an emergency. It was not until after lunch that things returned to normal! 

In Religion class today we talked about the events of Good Friday. We learned that on this day, we remember Jesus' dying on the cross. We then made a cross scene. Students painted the background and then added the crosses this afternoon. They look beautiful. 

In Language Arts class, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We then reread The Joy of a Ship and identified cause and effect examples in the story. After that we partner read our decodable reader and idenitfied cause and effect examples in that story as well. Finally, we worked with prepositions. Students worked in pairs to write a sentence using a prespositional phrase. We then practiced using prepositions in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on the calendar and telling time. Next week we will begin to explore the numbers to 120. 

We had a special Science class today. Today we wrapped up our chapter on sound, light, and heat. We reviewed everything we learned by completing a graphic organizer. 

We ended the day with our Easter show and tell event. The students were quite creative in what they put in their egg. They were also very good at guessing what was in the egg. We really enjoyed this! 

Just a reminder that tomorrow we will be dismissing at 12. 

A Day of Drills!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! We had quite an exciting day in first grade today. I am sure the students told you all about our practice drills today. We had a fire drill, lockdown drill, shelter in place drill, and severe weather drill. I am extremely proud of how well the students did. They listened and took each one seriously. 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we focused on the events of Holy Thursday. We read the story about the Last Supper. We talked about how Jesus washed his disciples feet before eating a meal of bread and wine. We talked about how by washing their feet, Jesus is calling us to serve others. We also talked about how we remember what Jesus said and did at the Last Supper every time we go to Mass. To help us remember to be kind to others, we washed each others hands by pouring a small cup of water on them. 

We began Language Arts by working in our literacy centers. Then we jumped back into our week of learning. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words by answering questions using the words. Then we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the diphthongs oi and oy. Following that we learned how to blend and read words that end with a consonant plus le, also called final stable syllable words. 

In Math class today, we reviewed the calendar and telling time. The students are very good at this. They are ready for a test tomorrow. 

This afternoon, once all of the drills were complete, we gathered to watch an Easter movie. It is always good to reward hard work. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our show and tell event. Don't forget your egg! 

Entering into Holy Week!

Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I just loved hearing all of the stories about fishing and dancing this weekend! 

This weeks marks the holiest week in the Church year. Each day during Religion class this week, we will be looking at the events of Holy Week. Today our focus was on Palm Sunday. We reread the story of Jesus entering triumphantly into Jerusalem and how the people greeted him. We then created a mosaic palm branch and wrote Hosanna on it. 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers. Then we began a new week of learning. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (project, structure, contented, marvelous, and intend). After that we worked on asking and answering questions as we read a fable about a sheep, a pig, and a goose. Following that we learned how to blend and read words with the diphthongs oi and oy. Next we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We ended the morning by applying the new skills we learned as we read The Joy of a Ship, a nonfiction piece about building a ship. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about prepositions. We read Behind the Mask and identified the prepositions in the story. 

We continue to practice telling time in Math class. Today we practiced telling time to the half hour. We again used clocks to help show the time and practiced writing the time using numbers (2:30) and words (half past 2). 

Because Living Stations can be much for first grade, we stayed behind and instead watched The Proud Tree, a video telling the story of how a boastful tree became the cross on which Jesus died. It is a very sweet movie with a great message. 

Just a reminder that there is no Spelling test this week. Enjoy your night! 

Hatching Chicks!

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I know many of the students were excited to go fishing, go to the movies, and go to the Father-Daughter Dance this weekend! I hope all went well! 

In Religion class on Friday, we looked at the sacrament of Penance. We talked about how during this sacrament we tell the priest times that we were not good and how God forgives us. This was a very brief look at the sacrament. The students will dive deeper into the sacrament next year as they prepare to make their First Penance. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with the diphthongs ou and ow, used words with the inflectional endings -er and -est in sentences, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We then took our weekly assessment and reviewed using a, an, this, and that in sentences. 

We ended our morning with Art class. Today we made chicks hatching out of eggs. They look adorable. I am so excited for everyone to see them in the hallway. Have a look: 

In Math class today, we learned how to tell time to the hour. We used clocks to show various times and wrote the time using numbers (7:00) and words (7 o'clock). The students found this easy! 

We ended our day by praying the Stations of the Cross. It was a great way to end the week and prepare ourselves for Holy Week next week. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Stay dry! 

Fun in the Sun!

Greetings! Happy Thursday! I can't believe that there is only one more day left in the week! 

In Religion class today we talked about how God is always ready to forgive us as long as we are sorry. 

We began Language Arts by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. We then read words with the diphthongs ou and ow and words with the inflectional endings -er and -est. After that we read our sight words and vocabulary words. With all that complete, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets and our story from yesterday Whistle for Willie. We then read a short nonfiction piece about instruments and completed pages in our close reading companion. 

We ended class by working on a fun project. The students colored a picture of a doctor. Then they added band aids around the doctor. On each band aid they wrote a word with a diphthong ou or ow. 

For Gym class today we went outside to the playground. It was so neat to watch the students run around with smiles on their faces. They so loved it! 

In Math class today we began a new chapter which focuses on the calendar and time. Today we focused on the calendar. We reviewed the months of the year, days of the week, how to write a date, and the seasons. The students had no problems with this! 

We ended our day with Science class. Today we focused on heat. We identified objects that give off heat and how heat moves easily through metal. 

Tomorrow will be a busy day to end the week. We have Library, Art, and Stations. Have a good night! 

Acting Out Stories!

Greetings on this sunny Wednesday! It was so nice to see the sun shining all day. A day like today really makes you appreciate the change of seasons. 

We began our day with Religion class. Today, the students created stick puppets for the Prodigal Son story. After that, they took turns acting out the story with a partner. As we did this we stressed the importance that God is always ready to forgive us. They just loved soing this today. 

We began Language Arts by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. Then we read words with the diphthongs ou and ow. After that we spelled words using the inflectional endings -er and -est and practiced using the words in sentences. Then we reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. Following that, we switched our focus to fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader. Then we read and discussed Whistle for Willie, a realistic fiction story about a boy trying to whistle. This afternoon we completed pages in our close reading companion that related to this story. We also reviewed using a, an, this, and that in sentences. Finally, we wrote about places we would hide Easter eggs. 

In Math class we took our chapter test on mental addition and subtraction. Next we will begin a chapter focused on the calendar and time. 

Finally, here is a picture of last Friday's art project. Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy! 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our Box Tops Jean day. All students can wear jeans to school tomorrow! 

Learning About God's Forgiveness!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! We had another busy and action-packed day in first grade! 

We began our day with Religion. Today we began a chapter on God's forgiveness. What a better way to start this chapter than to read the Prodigal Son story. We talked about how God is like the father in the story, always ready to forgive. 

We began Language Arts class by again working in our literacy centers. Then we jumped back into our week of learning. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. Next we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the diphthongs ow and ou. After that we reviewed the inflectional endings -er and -est. We practiced spelling words with these endings. We ended the morning by using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we reread Now, What's That Noise? After reading it, we discussed then wrote the problem in the story, steps the characters took to solve the problem, and the solution. We did the same thing as we read our decodable reader. Finally, we practiced using a, an, this, and that in sentences. 

In Math class today we reviewed adding and subtracting mentally. The students are really good at this and are ready for the chapter test tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

A New Week!

Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It was so nice to see the sunshine this weekend! 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus being the Light of the World. We reviewed why we give Jesus this title and how we can share his light with others. 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers. Then we began a new week of learning. We learned our oral vocabulary words (volume, distract, senses, nervous, and squeaky). From there we worked on answering questions while reading as we read a fantasy story. After that we learned how to blend and read words with the diphthongs -ow and -ou. Finally, we learned our sight words and vocabulary words for the week. We finished the morning by putting everything we learned together to read Now What's That Sound?, a realistic fiction story about children searching for a mysterious sound. The students really enjoyed making the noises in the story! 

This afternoon we learned when to use a, an, this, and that in sentences. 

In Math class today we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We also reviewed adding and subtracting 10 from a number. 

Because of Stations on Friday, we had Social Studies class today. Today we learned the meaning of the words buy, save, and trade. 

Have a great night! 

The First Week of April!

Greetings! Happy Friday! It is hard to believe that we have one week of April already in. 

We began our day by attending Mass. Today Msgr. Lockard talked about how we are not be jealous or envious of other people and how we are treat everyone with kindness and respect. 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers to build our fluency and comprehension before wrapping up another week of learning. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read r-controlled -or words and abbreviations, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We then took our weekly assessment and practiced using adjectives that compare in sentences. 

In Math class today we learned how to subtract 10 from a number mentally. The students figured out pretty quickly how to solve these problems. It was great seeing their excitement as they wrote answers to the problems. 

Science class was lots of fun today. Today we talked about how shadows are made when something blocks the light. The students worked in groups to make shadows of objects on the wall. They then illustrated a shadow that they made. 

We ended our week with Art class. Today we talked about the pointillism technique. The students then used this technique to create an Easter egg. I loved how to the students took their time to decorate their egg. I'll post pictures of these on Monday once the paint has dried. 

Enjoy your weekend! 

Gym Day!

Greetings! Today was a fun day in first grade filled with learning and Gym class. 

We began our day with Religion. Today we talked about how God wants us to make good choices. We learned to ask ourselves "What Would Jesus Do" when we are not sure what to do in a situation. 

We began Language Arts by reviewing our oral vocabulary words. We then practiced reading r-controlled -or words and writing abbreviations. After that we read our word wall to review all of the sight words we have learned this year. Following that we switched our attention to fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read poems and completed pages in our close reading companion. We ended the morning by creating a bucket full of popcorn. On each kernel, we wrote an r-controlled -or word. 

For Gym class today, we headed outside. The students really enjoyed being able to run around and play with friends. They were quite tired when we came back inside. 

We began a new chapter in Math class today. We will be focusing on mental math the next few days. Today we learned how to add multiples of 10 mentally. Once the students found the trick, there was no stopping them. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we discussed the difference between goods and services. 

Kudos tonight to the Elementary Reading Competition team. The won a second place ribbon at tonight's meet. I'm am so proud of them! 

Have a good night! 

Reading About Inventions!

Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is enjoying their week! 

We began our day with Religion class. Today we talked about what it means to be peacemakers. We learned that Jesus is calling us to be peacemakers in the world and that means we need to be kind and caring towards others. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also practiced reading r-controlled -or words writing abbreviations for words. In addition, we reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. Following that our focus switched to reading. We partner read a story in our decodable reading booklets. We then read and discussed Thomas Edison, Inventor. This afternoon we completed pages in our close reading companion to build our comprehension skills. We also practiced using adjectives that compare in sentences. 

In Math class today we took our test on addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. Tomorrow we will begin a new chapter which focuses on mental math. 

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

Stuffed Animal Fun!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is doing well. We had one awesome, busy day of learning in first grade. The students really loved having their stuffed animals with them today. Thank you for supporting our Penny Challenge. This week's race is really close. We need more pennies (and silver to sabotage the others)! 

We began our day by going to Adoration. We filled in for the students taking the IOWA test this week. It was so nice to begin our day with some quiet time with Jesus. 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers. Then we jumped back into our week of learning that we began yesterday. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words and answered questions using those words. Next we worked on answering questions as we heard a story about inventions. After that we used our letter tiles to spell and read r-controlled -or words. Following that we learned abbreviations for titles, months, and days of the week. We ended the morning by using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. 

This afternoon in class we reread The Story of a Toy Robot and wrote about the problem and solution in the story. We ended the day by reading our decodable reader and determining whether a sentence was a problem or solution in the story. 

In Math class today we reviewed everything we have learned over the last several weeks: adding and subtracting with and without regrouping, three digit addition, and solving word problems. Tomorrow we will take our chapter test. 

Have a great night!