A Performance Painter!

Greetings! Happy Monday of Catholic School's Week: a week to celebrate our school. To kick off the week, we were treated to a performance painter. We were able to watch as he painted three beautiful paintings. Head over to the school's Facebook page to check them out! 

In Religion class today we talked about how Jesus blessed the children. We talked about how we always welcomed them and got upset when others tried to stop the children from coming to him. 

In Language Arts, we worked on our comprehension skills today; we are focusing on main idea and key detail this week. We reread A Team of Fish and our decodable reader. After reading each story we wrote about its main idea and wrote the details from the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using has and have in sentences. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on the numbers to 40. Today, we represented each number with a picture and wrote a number sentence for that number. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Feet!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice remote learning day yesterday. It was nice to be back together today to end our week. 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian talked to us about St. Thomas Aquinas. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read long e words. Following that, we learned how to read and define words with the prefixes re, un, and pre. We ended our morning by using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on measurement. Next week we will be taking a closer look at the numbers to 40. 

In Science class today, we looked at the five food groups. We identified them and then sorted pictures into each food group. 

For our Penguin lesson today, we talked about how penguins stay warm by huddling together. 

After studying penguins all week, it was time to make one in Art class. Using a plastic bottle, we stuffed that with cotton balls. We then added a hat, eyes, beak, flippers, feet, and bowtie. Aren't they cute? 

And here is a picture from our snowflake writing from earlier in the week. 

Have a great weekend! 

Animals Working Together!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was a busy day of learning in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus walked from town to town teaching the people about God and God's love. We talked about how Jesus taught everybody even those that others did not like. We also talked about how the people called Jesus 'Rabbi' which means teacher. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how animals work together. We learned our five new oral vocabulary words (behavior, beneficial, dominant, endangered, and instinct). We then worked on answering questions as we read a nonfiction piece about animals working together. Following that we learned how to blend and read long e words, words spelled with e, ee, ea, or ie. After that we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. With all this new knowledge, it was time to apply it as we read A Team of Fish. We ended the morning by working in our small reading groups. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned when to use has and have in a sentence. 

In Math class today we reviewed concepts related to measurement. We will be taking our chapter test on Friday. 

Our Penguin lesson today focused on the life cycle of a penguin. We watched a video of a penguin hatching from an egg and a video on a female penguin reuniting with her male companion using special sounds. We then made a life cycle of a penguin craft which turned out so nice. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a Remote Learning Day. Please check Seesaw for assignments. Have a great night! 

Snowflake Writing!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is doing well. We had a great day in first grade today. 

We began our day by going to church for Adoration. We spent some quiet time praying to Jesus. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long a words, put words into ABC order, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We also partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and read a nonfiction story about bats. After reading about bats, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea. We ended our morning by taking our weekly assessment and by practicing using was and were in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we did some creative writing. We wrote about what we would like to fall from the sky like snowflakes. We added our writing to a craft. We have to finish the craft part in the morning. 

In Math class today we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. I just loved hearing their thinking today as we solved the problems. 

In Spanish class today, we wrapped up our learning of the numbers to 20. Next, we will learn the names of classroom objects. 

For our Penguin Week fun, we focused today on different types of penguins and where they live. We also watched a live webcam feed from the Pittsburgh Zoo. 

Have a great night! 

Penguin Week!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We had a marvelous Monday in first grade to begin our week. 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on young Jesus. We reviewed how the Holy Family fled to Egypt before settling in Nazareth. We also reviewed how Jesus helped Mary and Joseph and always listened to them. 

We continued our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read long a words and our sight words, and put words into ABC order. We also practiced using our vocabulary words in sentences. To help build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story from our decodable readers. We also read How Bat Got Its Wings. After reading that story we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on sequence. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using was and were in sentences. We also reviewed writing contractions. 

In Math class, we practiced measuring objects using units. We would look at a picture and count how long or tall something was. The students had no problems with this. 

This week we will be studying penguins which will cumulate with our Art project on Friday. Today, we learned that penguins are birds because they have feathers. We also looked at the parts of a penguin and how they help it to survive. 

As promised, here are some pictures. You will see the final outcome for our Martin Luther King project along with the snowflakes from Friday's art class. Enjoy! 

Poppin' in Science!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone is staying warm. We had a good day to end our week. 

At Mass, Fr. Brian talked to us about always trusting in him and staying true to our faith even when others might persecute us. 

In Language Arts, we practiced using was and were in sentences. Then, we read about walruses as we completed our Scholastic News magazine. We ended our morning by working in our small reading groups to build our fluency and comprehension skills. 

In Math class today, we practiced measuring using linking cubes. Each student found 3 things to measure and then used linking cubes to tell how long it was. They really enjoyed doing this. 

Science class was poppin' today. We reviewed our 5 senses. We began by sorting pictures based on what sense it showed. We then did an experiment using our 5 senses. Each student was given a bag of Pop Rocks. We wrote about what they looked like, how the smelled and felt, what they tasted like, and what we heard as we ate them. Needless to say, this experiment was a hit. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we painted around a snowflake made of painter's tape. Once the paint dries, I will remove the tape to reveal a white snowflake. I'll post pictures on Monday. 

Have a great weekend! Stay warm! 

Good to Be Back!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! It was so good to be back in the classroom today. I really missed the children yesterday. Thank you all so much for your prayers and concerns. I really appreciate them. 

In Religion today, we talked about how Jesus honored his parents. We then talked about ways we can honor our parents. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday (feature, appearance, predicament, relief, and determined). Next, we worked on rereading for understanding as we listened to a fable. Then we used our letter tiles to spell and read long a words spelled either ai or ay. After that, we learned how to put words into ABC order when the first letter is the same. We ended the morning by practicing using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on comprehension; this week our skill is sequence. We reread A Tale of a Tail and our decodable reader. After each story we sequenced the events from them. 

In Math class, we practiced using a start line to see which object was the longest and which object was the shortest. We made several examples and had fun doing so. 

In Social Studies today, we talked about the difference between a city, town, and suburb. 

We ended our day with Gym. We were really sweating after exercising with GoNoodle! 

Have a great (and warm) night! 

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday (Friday for us)! I hope everyone is doing well. 

In Religion class today we talked about how Joseph was the protector of Mary and Jesus. We also talked about how we showed Jesus the tricks of the trade for being a carpenter. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. Today, we used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with the vowel variant oo and u, spelled and read words with inflectional endings where the final letter is doubled, and wrote sentences using our sight words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and a nonfiction piece about the different food groups. After reading that story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on using charts. We ended the morning by taking our weekly assessment and practicing writing contractions with the word not. 

In Math class today, we took a look at the words tall/taller/tallest, short/shorter/shortest/, and long/longer/longest. We used our linking cubes to show our understanding of the words. 

For Gym class today, we exercised with GoNoodle. The children really got into it today. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we looked at the life of Martin Luther King Jr. We talked about how he helped changed unfair laws. We then talked about our dreams for the world. We wrote about them and added it to a craft. We did not get to finish. We will do that Tuesday morning. 

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the four days (and the snow)! 

Linking Cube Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a fantastic day! 

In Religion class today, we talked and watched videos about the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Flight to Egypt. We talked about how Mary and Joseph trusted God and that we need to as well. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with the vowel variant oo and u, spelled and read words with inflected endings when the final letter is doubled, and practiced our sight words. Then it was on to fluency building. We partner read a story in our decodable readers; we also read From Cows to You, a nonfiction story about the process of getting milk. After reading that story, we sequenced how we get milk. We ended class by practicing writing contractions. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on measurement. Today we practiced using the terms short/tall, shorter/taller, short/long, and shorter/longer. We had fun using our linking cubes to show our understanding of these words! 

Have a great night! 

Sequencing Practice!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is doing well! 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on the visit from the three wise men. We reviewed how they followed the star to see Jesus and how they brought him gifts. We also talked about the gifts we can give Jesus. 

We continued our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and then learned three more words (enormous, delighted, responsibility). Next, we worked on retelling as we listened to a folktale. Following that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the vowel variant oo and u. Then, we learned how to spell and read words with inflectional endings when the final letter is doubled. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We wrapped up our morning focused on comprehension; this week our focus skill is sequence. So we reread A Look at Breakfast and our decodable reader and sequenced the events from both of them. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using contractions with the word not in sentences. 

In Math class, we took our chapter assessment on the addition and subtraction strategies to 20. Next, we will be measuring! 

We ended our day with Spanish. Today we practiced the numbers to 20. We watched as numbers disappeared from the screen. We had to identify the missing number in both English and Spanish. The students loved this. 

Have a great night! 

Staying Warm!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone is finding a way to stay warm. We had a great start to our week today! 

In Religion class we talked about how we can offer our prayers, work, joys, and sorrows to God each day. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts today; this week we will be reading about how we get our food. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (delicious and nutritious). Next we worked on retelling as we read Where Does Food Come From? Following that we learned how to blend and read words with the vowel variant oo and u, words like book, hood, and put. After that, we learned our new sight words. We ended the morning by reading a nonfiction story A Look at Breakfast. Thank goodness we read that right before lunch because the story made us hungry! 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on contractions for the word not. We practiced identifying them in sentences. We then created a caterpillar. On the body parts we wrote a contraction, and on each leg, we wrote the words that made up each contraction. 

In Math class today we reviewed our addition and subtraction strategies within 20. Tomorrow we will take our chapter test. 

Have a great night! 

The First Snow!

 Greetings! I hope everyone is doing well. There was a lot of excitement yesterday in first grade. We were really excited about the first snow of the year. 

At Mass, Fr. Brian talked to us about how Jesus is the Divine Healer. He is always there to help us. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long vowel words, and wrote sentences using our sight words. Today, we played Stinky Feet. The students picked a word to read with each word being so many points. They love this game! We ended class by taking our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. I loved hearing how the students came up with the answers. They really have great number sense. 

In Science class, we identified our five senses and what parts of the body we use for each sense. We created a Mr. Potato Head and labeled the parts on him/her. Here is a picture: 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we made a snowman peeking out of a window. Here is how some of them turned out: 

Here are pictures from our New Year's writing, winter writing, and Social Studies activities we did earlier in the week. Enjoy! 

Have a great weekend! Stay warm! 

GoNoodle Exercise Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is ready for the first snowfall of the year! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how the wise men adored Jesus with gifts. We then talked about our gifts God has given us and how we can use them to spread God's love. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read long vowel words, CVCe words, and our sight words. To build our fluency we partner read a story from our decodable reader. We also read a nonfiction piece about the history of transportation. After reading that story, we completed pages in our close reading pattern that helped us build our sequencing skills. Finally, we practiced using is and are in sentences. 

In Math class, we continued to practice solving word problems. We are really good at determining when to add or subtract; we have to practice solving the problems correctly. 

For Gym class, we exercised to GoNoodle videos in the classroom. The children were really excited today about it. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. We spent more time talking about the seasons especially what the weather is like. To illustrate the changes of each season, we painted trees to show what they look like in winter, spring, summer, and fall. 

Stay warm and safe tonight! 

Worshipping Like the Wise Men!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a good first week of 2022. 

In Religion class today we talked about how we can worship Jesus just like the wise men did. We worship Jesus anytime we go to church and anytime we pray at home. 

We continued our week of learning in Language Arts today. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, segmented words into sounds, read long vowels words and two syllable words along with our sight words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a story from our literature anthology titled Long Ago and Now. After reading that story we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on comparing and contrasting. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using is and are in sentences. We also wrote about what we like to do on a cold day. We added our writing to a hot chocolate craft. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving word problems. We are really good at listening to the problems and deciding when we need to add or subtract. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a jean day. Have a good night! 

Comparing and Contrasting!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a warm day. I don't know about you but that cold went right through me today. 

We began our day by going to church for Adoration. We spent some quiet time praying and talking to Jesus. 

In Language Arts class, we continued our week of learning. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words from yesterday and then learned three new words (entertainment, future, present). Next, we worked on rereading as we read a nonfiction piece about pioneers. Then, we used our letter tiles to spell and read long o, long e, and long u words. After that, we learned how to blend and read two syllable words with a long vowel, words like awake, compete, and inside. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focused on comprehension; this week we are comparing and contrasting. We reread our story from yesterday along with our decodable reader. After each story, we compared and contrasted life long ago and life today. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using is and are in sentences. We also wrote the steps in making hot chocolate. 

In Math class, we practiced solving subtraction sentences where the subtrahend was missing. These are problems like 18 - ? = 14. The students did very well solving these problems. 

We ended our day with Spanish. Today, we learned the numbers 11-20. The students are so excited about this! 

Have a great night! 

Happy New Year!

 Greetings! Happy New Year! Today was a great first school day of 2022. 

In Religion class, we reviewed the Christmas story and focused on the three wise men. We talked about how they followed the star to find baby Jesus and how they brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

We began Language Arts by working in our literacy groups. We then began a new week of learning; this week we will be reading about life long ago. We learned two new oral vocabulary words (century and past) and worked on rereading as we read The Last Train. Next, we practiced blending and reading long o, long e, and long u words. Then we learned our new sight words. Finally, we put our new skills to work as we read Life Long Ago. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using is and are in sentences. We also completed a New Year's writing. The students wrote about something they want to do this year. We added it to a craft which says we are 'toasting the new year.' I'll post pictures tomorrow. 

In Math class we reviewed adding and subtracting within 20. I'm so happy everyone remembered how to add and subtract! 

Have a great night!