The End of February!

 Greetings! It is hard to believe that we have come to an end of another month. It has been one filled with snow days and delays. Even with all of that, we still continued to learn and grow this month. 

In Religion class today we began our study on the sacrament of Baptism. We learned that when we were baptized we became a member of the church and a part of God's family. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long e words and compound words, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We also partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and a short nonfiction piece about saving gorillas. We then took our weekly assessment. Finally, we practiced finding adverbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we worked at solving number patterns. We used a number chart and linking cubes to help us with this. Once we were able to see the pattern, we could identify the missing numbers. 

In Science class, we continued talking about sound. Last week we sorted objects based on whether or not they were loud or soft. Today we focused on whether the sound was high or low. We listened to various sound clips and identified where each object belonged.

Finally, it was time for Art. Today, we made a rainbow coming out of a pot of gold. We used little pieces of construction paper to make the rainbow. After school, I added glitter to the coins. I'll post pictures on Monday once everything has dried. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Happy Birthday, George Washington!

 Greetings on this sunny day! I hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine today!

In Religion class, we reviewed the seven sacraments. We created a cross with symbols for each sacrament. Tomorrow, we will begin to study the sacrament of Baptism. Here is a picture of our crosses. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary word, read long e words and compound words, and reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. After our reviewing and practicing, it was time to read. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Koko and Penny, a nonfiction story about a gorilla and her zookeeper. The students were so excited to read this story. They waited all week for it and were not disappointed. I hope you enjoyed it tonight, too. After reading the story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on sequencing. 

In Math class today, we practiced finding 1, 2, and 3 more than a number and 1,2, and 3 less than a number. We also practiced identifying more and less in a set and arranging numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least. The students did great with these skills. 

For Gym, we danced to some GoNoodle videos. They picked some dances involving Nickelodeon characters and loved it! 

In Social Studies, we learned about George Washington. We watched a short video biography and learned that he was our first president, was in the Army, and died at 67 years old. We took what we learned, wrote about it, and added it to a craft. Have a look: 

As promised, here are pictures from our President's Day writing and our Art class from Friday. Enjoy! 

President's Day . . . A Little Late!

 Greetings on this absolutely beautiful day! It was so nice to be able to get outside for recess. This day just gets us ready for spring! 

In Religion class today, we continued to focus on Lent. We reviewed the three pillars of Lent and discussed what we need to do during this season. Then, we completed a Lenten journal page. Each week during Lent, we will focus on one thing we can do to help us grow closer to Jesus. This week we are focusing on helping others. We talked about how we can help others at school and at home and how Jesus helped others. 

We began Language Arts by working on our fluency skills. We reviewed all of the sounds we have learned so far, practiced reading nonsense words, and choral read a passage. Then we jumped back into our weekly learning. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We used our letter tiles to spell and read long e words spelled ey and y. We then learned how to blend and read compound words. Following that, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focused on reading. We reread our story from yesterday along with our decodable reader. After each one, we sequenced the events in the story.

This afternoon, we practiced using adverbs that tell when in sentences. We also learned about paragraphs. We put a a paragraph together using colored strips of paper. The students saw how we begin a paragraph, what we include in the middle, and how we end it. We will soon begin writing paragraphs. 

In Math class today, we worked on place value. Using our base-ten blocks, we showed the place value for a variety of numbers from 20-40. 

In Spanish class, we reviewed our vocabulary words for objects in the classroom. I'm so happy with what they are remembering! 

We ended our day with a special writing project. Today, we celebrated President's Day. I know we are late, but the weather has been playing havoc with our schedule. We wrote about what we would do if we were president. We then added our writing to a craft project. I just love how they turned out. I'll post pictures tomorrow! 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a jean day! Have a great night! 

It Just Won't End!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I don't know about you, but I am getting a little tired of the snow. I miss just being able to get up and go. We will really appreciate spring this year! 

In Religion today, we continued our talk about Lent. We focused on different things we can do during this season to help us grow closer to Jesus. 

We began Language Arts by first working in our centers and reading our leveled readers. We then jumped into another week of learning. We learned five new oral vocabulary words (career, soothe, remarkable, advice, trust). We then worked on visualizing as we read a fable. Next, we learned how to blend and read long e words spelled -ey and -y. After that we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. Finally, we read a nonfiction story about guide dogs called From Puppy to Guide Dog. 

This afternoon we learned about adverbs. We learned that these are words that tell us when something happens. 

In Math class today we began a new chapter that focuses on the numbers to 40. Each student was given a number. He/she had to draw that number and then write a number sentence for it. For example, for 21, they would draw two groups of 10 and 1 extra one and write 20+1=21. They did great with this! 

Have a great night! 

Painting Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed the snow day yesterday. 

We began our day by attending Mass. Today, Fr. Brian reminded us about the importance of praying. He also encouraged us to practice acts of almsgiving like helping others or greeting them. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts today. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We spelled and read long i words and words with inflected endings. We also wrote sentences using our sight words. To build our fluency skills, we partner read a story from our decodable readers and our story from Wednesday. We also read a nonfiction piece about insects and completed pages in our close reading companion. Finally, we took our weekly assessment and reviewed using see and saw in sentences. 

In Math class we took our chapter test on graphs. Next week, we will begin looking at the numbers to 40. 

In Science class, we learned that sounds can be loud or soft. We practiced sorting pictures based on whether they were a loud sound or a soft sound. We also illustrated examples of each. 

We ended our week with Art class. Today, we made a stained glass heart window using paint. Needless to say, the students loved it. I'll post pictures on Monday once the paint has dried. 

Have a great weekend! Stay warm! 

Ash Wednesday!

 Greetings on this Ash Wednesday. I hope all are well tonight. 

Today we began the season of Lent. We did not attend Mass, but we did receive ashes later in the morning. This year, they were sprinkled on our heads. In Religion class, we watched a short video about Lent and then talked about how during the season we work to become better people. We talked about praying, fasting, and giving. Many students laughed at the idea of giving up something. I encourage you to talk to your child about giving up something this Lent and use that time to do something good for others. 

Language Arts was busy as usual. We began by working in our centers. We then practiced our oral vocabulary words, read long i words, and spelled and read words with inflected endings where the final y is changed to an i. We also practiced reading our sight words and vocabulary words. We ended our morning by partner reading a story in our decodable readers and practiced using see and saw in sentences. 

This afternoon, we read Hi! Fly Guy, a story loved by all. After the story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that helped us work on characterization. 

In Math class today, we solved problems using both picture graphs and bar graphs. 

In Spanish class, we learned the Spanish words for window (ventana), notebook (cuaderno), pen (pluma), desk (escritorio), paper (papel), and door (puerta). 

Have a safe evening! 

The Day After a Long Weekend!

 Greetings on this wintry day! Welcome back after a long weekend plus two more hours. We are getting really good at doing learning during a shorter amount of time. 

In Language Arts today, we answered questions using our sight words. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read long i words. Before we knew it, it was time for lunch. 

We finished our Language Arts learning this afternoon. We learned that when a word ends in y we need to change the y to i before adding -es or -ed. We practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. Next, we reread Creep Low, Fly High. After reading the story, we talked about each character's point of view, or how they felt. We took what we said and wrote it in a graphic organizer. After that, we read our decodable reader and talked about those character's point of view. Finally, we practiced using see and saw in sentences. 

In Math class, we learned how to make a bar graph. We first collected data in a tally chart. We then took that information to make a bar graph. Finally, we answered questions using our bar graph. 

Have a great, warm night. Here's to hoping tomorrow is a full day! 

Happy Valentine's Day (a few days early)

 Greetings! Today was a lovely day in first grade. (Sorry about the pun - I had to do it). We had loads of fun celebrating Valentine's Day today. 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on the sacraments. We reviewed what sacraments are and listed each of the sacraments. 

Language Arts class today was devoted to Valentine's day. We practiced reading nonsense words. We worked on our fluency as we read a short Valentine theme passage. Next, we wrote about things we love like what we like to eat, play with, and make. Our writing then became a cupcake book. Finally we read The Day it Rained Hearts. After reading the story, we wrote about what we would do if it rained hearts. 

In Social Studies today, we learned about Abraham Lincoln. We listened to a story about how he put important papers inside his hat. Afterwards, we wrote about what we would put in our hats. 

In Math class, we learned how to make tally marks. The students remembered this from last year and did great with both making tally marks and counting them. 

Then, it was time for more Valentine fun. This time we used candy hearts to complete several activities. We estimated and then counted how many hearts we would need to fill a heart. We used the hearts to measure arrows. We sorted our hearts by color and then graphed the results. Finally, we used our hearts to make patterns. We ended our day by watching the Charlie Brown Valentine special. 

I didn't take many pictures today. But here are a few from the writing projects we did this week. 

Have a great weekend. I'll see everyone on Tuesday! 

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day!

 Greetings on this snowy evening. I hope everyone is doing well. The students are definitely getting excited about our Valentine's day celebration tomorrow. They were a bit more chatty than normal today. 

In Religion class today we learned the names of the seven sacraments. For each sacrament, we learned what we celebrate when we receive it. My favorite response always comes with Matrimony. All the students say yuck and make a face. That always makes me laugh. 

We began Language Arts by working in our guided reading groups to help build our fluency and comprehension skills. We then began a new week of learning. This week we will be reading about insects. Today we learned five new oral vocabulary words (flutter, different, imitate, protect, and resemble). We then worked on rereading as we heard a story about how insects camouflage themselves for safety. Next, we learned how to blend and read long i words spelled i, ie, igh, and y. After that we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. Finally, we read a fantasy story called Creep Low, Fly High. We have to remember to look at the word and all of its letters; we can't just read any word we want. This afternoon we practiced using see and saw in sentences. 

In Math class today we worked with picture graphs. This time, the students created a graph in Seesaw and had to record themselves stating something about the graph. 

In Spanish class today, we learned the Spanish names for chair (silla), table (mesa), book (libro), pencil (lapiz), scissors (tijeras), and eraser (borrador). 

We ended our day making our Valentine treat bags. After school, I filled them with all of the cards and treats. They are waiting on desks for tomorrow morning! 

Have a great night! 

Another Late Start!

 Greetings on this snowy day! I hope everyone made it to and from safely today. We are in a good stretch of winter lately. 

Because of our delay, we had to shorten a few things, but we still had time for learning. 

This morning in Language Arts we used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long o words and open syllable words. We also partner read our story in our decodable reader booklets. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we wrote sentences using our sight words. We also read a poem and then completed pages in our close reading companion. After that we took our weekly assessment. Next, we practiced using go, went, do, and did in sentences. 

Finally, it was time for Valentine's Day writing. Today we wrote about whether we prefer hugs or kisses and why. We added a Hershey kiss to our writing. 

In Math class we continued to explore picture graphs. Each student was given a dice. They rolled it 10 times and graphed the results. Afterwards, we discussed our results. 

Just a reminder, all Valentine's Day cards need to be brought to school tomorrow. 

A Super Day!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a super day. It was so funny listening to the students talk about the Super bowl today. I really enjoyed their conversations. 

We began our day with Religion. Today we learned that Jesus gave us the seven sacraments. We learned that the sacraments are special signs of god's life and love. Tomorrow we will learn the name of the sacraments. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading long o words and open syllable words (words like locate and pilot), and reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a story from our literature anthologies. Today we read Vulture View, a nonfiction story about vultures. After reading the story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on the details from the story. We ended the morning by reviewing capitalizing proper nouns in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on Valentine's Day writing. The students illustrated all the things they love and then wrote about them. 

We began a new chapter in Math today. This chapter focuses on graphs. Today we learned about picture graphs. The students helped me make a picture graph using different sport balls. They then created a picture graph using desserts. We had fun making picture graphs today. 

Have a great night! 

Importance of Brushing Teeth!

 Greetings! I hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend! We had a great day yesterday to end our Catholic School's Week. 

In Religion class we took time to make a card for our parents thanking them for all that they do so that we can attend Holy Name. We added the card to a special gift to show that we love them "snow" much! 

In Language Arts class, we practiced using our oral vocabulary words by answering questions with them. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read long o words spelled with o, oa, ow, and oe. After that we learned how to read open syllable words like frozen and locate. Following that, we used our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended our morning focusing on fluency and comprehension. We reread Go Wild and our decodable reader. After each selection, we wrote about that story's main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced using go, went, do, and did in sentences. 

After lunch, we watched the career videos submitted by parents. We really enjoyed seeing all of the different careers. Thank you to everyone who participated!

In Math class, we took our chapter test on measurement. Next week, we will begin to look at graphs. 

Science class was loud, messy, and fun. In honor of Dental Health month, we talked about the importance of brushing our teeth each and every day. We looked at what happens when we don't brush our teeth. Each student was given a hard boiled egg that sat in Coke. That egg was brown and dirty. Using a toothbrush and some toothpaste, the students brushed the egg to make it clean and white. They loved doing this and learned why we need to brush our teeth! 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we read The Biggest Valentine Ever. After reading the story, we created the heart shape mouse that was created in the story. Here are some of our finished projects: 

Have a great weekend! Stay warm! 

Happy 100th Day of School!

 Greetings on this 100th Day of School! We have been waiting a long time for this day, and we were so glad to be able to celebrate today! It was also nice to have a full day of school. 

In between our celebrating, there was some learning. In Religion class, we took time to make thank you cards for a local business who supports Holy Name through their EITC donation. We also watched a vocations video from Sr. Margie who urged all of us to pray and listen to what God is calling us to be. 

In Language Arts class, we practiced reading long o words. We also learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. Then, we read a nonfiction story about animals called Go Wild. The students just loved this story. Finally, we learned how to use go and do in sentences. 

We spent the rest of the morning celebrating the 100th day of school. The students created a necklace using 100 beads. We also wrote about something we learned these first 100 days and something we would still like to learn. We realized these first 100 days were no prob "llama". 

In Math class today we reviewed measurement. We are ready for our chapter test tomorrow. 

We ended our day with more 100th day fun. We created a self portrait and wrote about something we would do when we are 100. We also created a giant poster illustrating things like where we would like, what we would eat, and our family. Here are some of our portraits:

And finally, here are pictures from our 100th day project. Thank you for helping the children with them! 

Have a great evening! 

Happy Student Appreciation Day!

 Greetings! Today was another short and crazy day. I am hoping for a regular day tomorrow! 

Today was all about celebrating our students. They are the reason that Holy Name is such a great place to work and learn. So, in honor of them, we had some extra fun activities planned. We got to play BINGO with Mrs. McMullen via Zoom. Everyone was a winner! We also had our Show-and-Tell event. I loved seeing and hearing about everything. We even painted today! 

In addition to the fun, we did do some learning. We began a new week of learning in Language Arts. We learned five new oral vocabulary words (survive, provide, communicate, superior, and wilderness). We also worked on retelling as we read about how animals survive in the winter. Finally, we learned how to blend and read long o words spelled o, oa, oe, and ow. 

In Math class, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a jean day and the 100th day of school. We can't wait! 

Happy Catholic School's Week!

 Greetings! Welcome to Catholic School's Week 2021! As usual, winter weather always plays havoc during this week. This year is no different. 

After our day off yesterday and our two hour delay today, it was time to start the celebration. Today was Teacher Appreciation Day. The students were treated to an afternoon movie and popcorn. This afternoon we watched The Peanuts Movie. It was enjoyed by all. 

Before watching the movie, we did do some learning. In Math class, we practiced measuring objects using different units. The students did great with this! 

We also took time to celebrate Groundhog's Day! We watched the video of Phil's prediction this morning. In case you missed it, he saw his shadow meaning six more weeks of winter. The students were very happy about this. Many said because they get to play in the snow! We added our writing to a quick art project. 

As promised, here is a picture of our penguins from Friday! Enjoy! 

Don't forget, tomorrow is student appreciation day. We will have our special show and tell event tomorrow!