Merry Christmas!

 Greetings on this jolly day! Excitement was present in first grade from the moment the children arrived. And, I loved every minute of it. I just love seeing their excitement for Christmas and Santa and all the magic the holiday brings. 

In Religion class today, we watched a video about the very first Christmas. We then used stickers to create our own Nativity scene. They turned out awesome. 

Next, we read Mooseltoe. After reading the story, we wrote about the problem the characters had and how they solved it. We then decorated our very own Moose using sequins and foam stickers. 

We then spent time sitting around the Christmas tree opening presents. After lunch, we watched the Charlie Brown Christmas before heading home. As we left, we said good-bye to Jingles and all of the other elves. 

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope your holidays are merry and bright. See you in 2024. 

~Miss Chalich 

Polar Express Day!

 Greetings! Today was a much more normal day in that we did not have a two hour delay. However, it was another fun day as we get ready to celebrate Christmas. The highlight of the day was a visit from Santa. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus is God's greatest gift to us. We then talked about a gift we can give Jesus like being kind to others, praying, sharing, and using kind words. We created a gift craft showing what we can give to Jesus. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on the addition and subtraction strategies to 20. Our next chapter will focus on the numbers to 40. 

We spent the rest of the day having Christmas fun. We wrapped up our Gingerbread Day by writing about our gingerbread person we created yesterday. Here is a picture of our gingerbread people. 

We also did a write the room activity where the students turned short vowel words into long vowel words with the magic e.

Then our focused switched to the Polar Express. We began by reading the classic book. After that, we used jingle bells to measure various pictures. Following that, we sequenced the events in the story. Finally, we wrote about what we would like for the first gift of Christmas. 

This afternoon we attended the annual Christmas Choir show. The children did a beautiful job! 

Before leaving for the show, we made hot chocolate in a crockpot. After the show we enjoyed a cup. 

And, Jingles, gave us a book to add to our classroom library. The students were very excited to read it today. 

Have a great night! 

Gingerbread Day!

 Greetings! Today was a bit of a different day in first grade since we had the two hour delay. This was something new for everyone since we did not have one last year. Once we got going, the students settled in and had a fabulous day. 

In Religion class today, we continued our reading of the Nativity story. Today we sequenced pictures from the story. 

In Math class today, we reviewed our addition and subtraction strategies to 20. We will take our chapter test tomorrow. 

This afternoon was dedicated to Gingerbread Fun! The students worked in gingerbread man theme centers. They practiced adding by rolling dice and adding them to find the sum. They also practiced finding the number of syllables in words, identifying the correct punctuation mark to place at the end of a sentence, and matching rhyming words. We ended the day by creating our very own gingerbread person using glitter glue pens. Once they dry, I will post pictures. 

I hope everyone had a safe day. See you tomorrow! 

Grinch Day!

Greetings! Happy Grinch Day! It was a great, fun day in first grade! 

We began our day by reader How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Then it was time for some Grinch fun. Each teacher rotated to the rooms to complete an activity. The students did a directed drawing of the Grinch, played an ornament game, decorated a Who house, saw how to grow the Grinch's heart, and wrote about what they would do to make the Grinch grin. 

When we were all done, Mr. Neff stopped by to sing some Christmas carols with us. 

We did take a break to do some learning. We used our thinking caps to solve problems in Math. We also read the Nativity story and colored a booklet. 

This afternoon, after some technical difficulties, we resumed our Grinch fun by watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was such a great day! 

Have a marvelous night! 

Santa Claus Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! We had an exciting day in first grade. The excitement is building for Christmas! As crazy as everything is, I just love it! 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us that we need to get ready for Jesus' birth. After Mass, the students were treated to hot chocolate and Oreo cookies. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts; this will be our last week of learning until January. Next week, we will be doing fun Christmas activities. So today, we used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. 

To get us ready for next week, we read Santa's Stuck and wrote about what we would do if Santa was stuck in our chimney. We added our writing to a craft. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving addition and subtraction word problems. The children did great knowing when to add and when to subtract. 

In Science class, we talked about how we can use light to send messages. The students colored circles and decided what each color would mean (i.e. jump, hop on 1 foot, clap, etc). Then using flashlights, they sent a signal to a partner and the partner did the action. The students loved using the flashlights for this. 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we made a Santa Claus. The highlight was using messy glue. 

Jingles was in the giving spirit today. He gave the students a new pencil. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

A Christmas Play!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a beautiful day. It was a bit of a different day in first grade, but we liked the change. 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Mary. We reviewed the Annunciation and Visitation stories. Next week, we learn about the Christmas story. 

Because of the Christmas play this afternoon, we had our Math class this morning. Today, we reviewed how to subtract within 20. The students did very well applying their favorite subtraction strategy to solve the problems. 

We did have a little bit of Language Arts before lunch. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with soft c and soft g, and read and spelled words with the inflectional endings -ed and -ing. 

After the Christmas play, we read some Mother Goose poems and found the rhyming words in them. We also identified sentences as either in the past or future tense. 

Kudos to the Intermediate Department for a job well done with the Christmas play. The singing was beautiful. We really enjoyed it! 

Have a wonderful night! 

The Gingerbread Man!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful day. We had a busy day of learning in first grade. 

In Religion class, we read the story of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth. As we listened carefully to the words Elizabeth said, we recognized them as part of the Hail Mary. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with soft c and soft g, read and spelled words with the inflectional endings -ed and -ing where the final e is dropped, and practiced reading our sight words. To help build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read The Gingerbread Man. After reading the holiday classic, we wrote cause and effect examples from the story. We ended our morning by practicing sorting verbs into past or future tense. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on our writing skills. We wrote sentences telling about what we would do or have if we were one of Santa's elves. I just loved seeing how much their writing has developed this year. Their sentences were fantastic! 

In Math class today, we practiced telling whether number sentences were true or false. We learned to look at each side, find the answer, and then decide whether it was true or false. 

Have a great night! 

Learning About Cause and Effect!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful day! 

In Religion class today, we read the Annunciation story. We discussed how the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she would be the Mother of his Son and how Mary said 'yes' to God. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and by learning three new oral vocabulary words (foolish, timid, and eventually). After that we worked on making predictions as we listened to a folktale about a foolish rabbit. Following that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read soft c and soft g words. The, we learned how to add inflectional endings onto words that end in e. Next, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended the morning focused on building our comprehension skills; this week we are focusing on cause and effect. We completed a worksheet where we identified what happened and why it happened. We then reread The Nice Mitten and wrote cause and effect examples from the story. Finally, we read our decodable reader and identified cause and effect examples in it. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on past and future tense verbs. We sorted sentences based on whether they were in the past or future. We then practiced writing sentences using the future tense. Finally, we sorted words based on their tense. 

In Math class today, we reviewed fact families. We know that we can use our knowledge of fact families to help us solve subtraction problems. 

As promised, here is a picture of our Art project from Friday. 

And, Jingles had fun in the wrapping department last night. Just look at him. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Secret Santa Shopping!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I don't know about you, but I could use just one more weekend before Christmas. There is always so much to do! 

We began our day by shopping! The students had so much fun shopping for family and wrapping their presents. We thank the parent volunteers for organizing everything and helping with the shopping and wrapping. 

Once we finished shopping, it was time to begin our day of learning. We began with Religion class. Today we talked about how God chose Mary to be the mother of his Son. We talked about how Mary is immaculate, meaning she never sinned. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading and learning about folktales. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (tale and hero). Next, we worked on retelling as we listened to Interrupting Chicken. After that we learned how to blend and read words with soft c, soft g, and -dge words. Then we practiced our new sight words. Finally, we put our new skills together as we read The Nice Mitten. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about past and future tense verbs. We learned that most past tense verbs end in -ed and that future tense verbs contain the word will. We also continued to work with soft c and soft g words; we sorted words based on the sound c and g made. 

In Math class today we learned and practiced a new subtraction strategy. We practiced subtracting by grouping into 10's. 

Jingles had fun over the weekend. Look what he made:

Have a marvelous night! 

Rudolph in the Snow!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic day to end the work week. We had lots of fun in first grade today. 

At Mass, we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Brian talked to us about how God chose her to be the mother of her Son. We know Mary as our Mother and need to have a special devotion to her. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, wrote sentences using out sight words, and took our weekly assessment. To practice our fluency with long i words and plurals, we played BINGO. 

In Math class today, our focused switched to subtraction as we began to learn subtraction strategies to help us solve problems to 20. Today, we counted back to find the answer. 

In Science class, we continued our discussion on light. We reviewed the terms transparent, translucent, and opaque; the students sorted objects based on whether light easily passes through them, somewhat passes through them, or cannot pass through them. We then talked about what it would be like if there was no light. The students tried to read messages written in a dark box. As you guessed, it was a challenge to do so. Light makes it so much easier. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we made a Rudolph in the snow. I'll post pictures on Monday. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

O Christmas Tree!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a tremendous day! We had lots of fun in first grade today. 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on the prophets. We reviewed the stories of Moses and John the Baptist. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabular words, long i words, and plurals. We also practiced reading our sight words. We then switched our focus to building our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. Following that, we read a nonfiction piece about how plants grow and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on sequencing the steps. We ended the class by using present tense verbs in sentences. 

In Math class, we reviewed our to add to 20. I am so proud of how well the students are doing with adding. Tomorrow we will start subtraction. 

In Social Studies class, we learned about natural resources. 

We ended our day with some Christmas fun. The students helped decorate our classroom Christmas tree. They loved putting the ornaments on it and are so proud of it. It does look beautiful. 

And Jingles had fun last night. Look at the mess he made! 

Have a great night! 

Celebrating St. Nicholas!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Happy feast day for St. Nicholas! I loved hearing about what were in the students' shoes this morning. I always remember the excitement of waking up and finding what was in mine. 

In Religion class today, we watched a video about the life of St. Nicholas. We then talked about ways that we can be kind like St. Nicholas was. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading long i words, plurals, and our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read the play A Big Yuca Plant. After reading the story, we sequenced the events in it. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using present tense verbs in sentences. We also wrote a letter to baby Jesus telling him something we will do this Advent and someone we will be praying for. 

In Math class today, we discovered that we can add in any order. The students worked with a partner to solve addition problems. 

Jingles was also excited for the feast day of St. Nicholas. He hid 12 candy canes around the classroom. The students loved finding all of them! 

Have a wonderful night! 

Sequencing Fun!

 Greetings! I hope everyone had a terrific day! We sure did in first grade today. 

We began our day by going over to church for Adoration. We spent some quiet time praying to Jesus. It was a great way to start our day. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and then learned three new words (assist, grasped, and spied). We then practiced reading long i words by using our letter tiles to spell and read words. After that, we practiced reading plurals when the words end with a magic e. Next, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Finally, we focused on building our comprehension skills; this week we are focusing on sequencing. We reread Time to Grow and sequenced the events in the story. We did more sequencing practice as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced finding and using present tense verbs in sentences. We also began learning how to write how-to pieces. Today we wrote the steps in how to plant a seed. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding by looking for doubles and doubles plus 1 facts. We identified the doubles facts (i.e. 5 +5, 6+6) and used that knowledge to help us solve doubles plus 1 facts ( i.e. 5 + 6, 6 + 7). 

Have a terrific night! 

Three Weeks to Christmas!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend! I loved hearing all of the elf stories this morning. I look forward to them. 

In Religion class today, we began our daily Advent reflection. Each day we will watch a short video from Brother Francis as he explains a symbol of Advent. After watching the videos today, we resumed our talk on the prophets. We learned how John the Baptist was the last prophet who prepared the people for Jesus. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how plants grow. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (bloom and sprout). Next, we worked on making predictions as we read Mystery Vine. Following that, we learned how to blend and read long i words, words like bike and kite. Then, we learned our new sight words. Finally, we read the play Time to Grow. The students really enjoyed reading the play and got into the characters. 

In Math class today, we continued to learn strategies to solve addition problems to 20. Today, we practiced making a ten and then counting on. 

Thank you for making sure that the Chrome books were charged for today. We were able to take both of our STAR tests. I am really pleased with the progress the students are making this year. 

Have a marvelous night! 

Welcome December!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end the week. It is hard to believe that it is December already. 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Stabile talked to us about staying the course and never giving up much like Daniel did. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. We also did a write-the-room activity to review long a words. 

In Math class today we began a new chapter; this chapter will focus on addition and subtraction strategies with the numbers to 20. Today, we learned one addition strategy - counting on to find the answer. We used our linking cubes and a number line to help us. 

In Science class today, we learned about light. We learned that light can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. The students created a stained glass flower. We hung them on the windows and talked about how light passes through the tissue paper. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made a Christmas tree. We covered a triangle with green tissue paper. We then decorated our tree with sequins before adding a star. Some students even added snow around their tree. They look quite festive. 

Today, Jingles brought the students a sticker as a thank you for a great first week. I bet Santa is happy with that report! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

The End of November!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a great week. I don't know about you, but this week is flying by. 

In Religion class today, we made an Advent wreath for the students to use at home. We reviewed the colors of the candles and the order that they are lit. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read long a words, wrote contractions using the word not, and read our sight words. We also worked on our fluency. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about time and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced finding action verbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on the numbers to 20. Tomorrow we will begin learning addition strategies to solve problems to 20. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we reviewed the continent names and oceans. We also talked about landforms we see on each continent including river, plain, and mountain. 

Have a great night! 

Christmas Writing Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is finding a way to stay warm with this burst of wintry weather. I will say that the children are loving this weather. They were so excited to see the snow yesterday. I wish I could say the same. 

In Religion class today, we began our discussion on the season of Advent. Today, we talked about how Advent is a time for waiting and preparing for Jesus. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary, read long a words and contractions with the word not, and read our sight words. We also worked on our fluency and comprehension skills as we read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read On My Way to School, a fantasy story about a boy who exaggerates why he is late for school. After reading this story we sequenced the events in it. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using verbs in sentences. We also wrote a descriptive sentence for a picture we drew. Finally, we did some fun Christmas writing. The children wrote about why they should be a reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh. We added this writing to a craft. 

In Math class, we reviewed the concepts we learned with the numbers to 20. We will be taking our chapter test tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful night! 

The Return of Jingles!

 Greetings! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break. I enjoyed hearing what the children did over the holiday. I also enjoyed hearing stories about their elves. 

In Religion class today, we talked more about Moses. Today, we learned that God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. We also learned about how God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. 

We picked up where we left off last week in Language Arts class. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned last week and then learned three new words (weekend, occasion, and calendar). After that, we worked on making predictions as we read a nonfiction piece about different ways to tell time. Following that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read long a words. Next, we learned how to write contractions with the word not. Then, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on our comprehension skills; this week we are focusing on sequencing. We reread Nate the Snake is Late and sequenced the events in the story. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reviewed action verbs. We practiced using action verbs in sentences. We also wrote action words to describe what a superhero does. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We worked at explaining our reasoning when comparing numbers. 

I'm sure the students told you that we had a special visitor today. Jingles, our classroom elf, has returned. The students loved seeing him. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Greetings! Today was a fun day in first grade celebrating Thanksgiving. 

We began by having our annual Charlie Brown Thanksgiving feast. We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special and then partook in a feast consisting of toast, popcorn, jelly beans, and pretzels. As much as we liked this feast, we will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast tomorrow. 

Then, we created a thankful turkey using an applesauce cup. We wrote about things we are thankful on each of its feathers. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy time with family and friends. See you on Tuesday. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Balloons Over First Grade!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone made it home safely in the rain and fog. I told the students that today was a perfect snuggle on the couch with a good book kind of day. 

In Religion class today, we began our study on Moses. Today, we talked about how God had a special plan for Moses even when he was a baby. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed long a words by sorting and reading short a and long a words. We then learned our new sight words for the week. Finally, we read Nate the Snake is Late which helped us practice our phonics and sight words skills. 

The highlight of the morning was having Tony Martin from WJAC come and talk to us about the weather. We learned about clouds, radar, and how a forecast is made. The students even got to use shaving cream to make clouds. We really enjoyed his visit. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving number patterns. The students were great and continuing the number patterns by either adding 1 or 2 more or subtracting 1 or 2. 

We ended our day with some Thanksgiving fun. Today, we listened to Balloons Over Broadway, the true story of Tony Sarg who created the first balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The students then designed their own balloons for a parade. They turned out great! 

Have a wonderful night! 

Magic E Words!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone's Thanksgiving week is off to a great start. 

In Religion class today we learned that prophets were holy men sent by God to prepare the people for Jesus' coming. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about time. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (immediately and schedule). We then worked on making predictions as we read A Second is a Hiccup. Following that, we learned how to blend and read long a words, words like bake and made. We say that the e is magic as it pinches the a to make the a say its name. 

Then, it was time for some Thanksgiving learning. Today, we learned about the Wampanoag tribe and their daily life. We also talked about how they helped the Pilgrims when they first landed in the New World. Finally, we learned about the first Thanksgiving feast. 

In Math class today, we learned how to find 1 more, 2 more, 1 less, and 2 less of a number. We used our linking cubes to help us before switching to mental math. 

We ended our day with a pep rally to recognize our fall sport athletes. 

Have a great night! 

Art Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic day to end their week. 

At Mass today, Fr. Roman talked to us about our goal of one day being with Jesus in heaven. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, played memory to practice reading words with digraphs and with the inflected ending -es, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we reviewed comparing and ordering numbers. First, each student was given a stack of number cards. They were then put into groups. Each student turned over a card and together they had to put the correct comparison symbol between the numbers. Next, we reviewed ordering numbers. The students flipped over three numbers and then put them into order from least to greatest and greatest to least. 

In Science class, we talked about how sounds are made. We learned that sounds come from vibrations. We took string and made it vibrate and heard the different sounds we get depending on where we struck the string. 

We ended our day doing several Art projects. First, we made a Pilgrim and wrote about what we would do if we were a Pilgrim. 

Next, we made a Pilgrim Pete the Cat. 

Finally, we started an Indian or flint corn project which we will finish on Monday. The students really enjoyed all of the projects today. Have a wonderful weekend! 

Pilgrim Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a nice week. 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on the people waiting for the Savior. We reviewed the stories of Noah and Abraham. To help us remember the 3 promises of Abraham, we created a craft showing his 3 promises. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with digraphs and inflected endings, and practiced our sight words. To help build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a short piece about the directions and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on the details about directions. Finally, we practiced writing irregular plurals. 

In Math class today, we practiced writing numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least. The students enjoyed writing the numbers on their whiteboards. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we continued our Thanksgiving unit and our focus on the Pilgrims. We learned about what the Pilgrims ate and wore, what their houses were like, and what work they did everyday. 

Have a great night! 

Alligator Math!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the sunshine today. 

In Religion class today, we talked about Abraham's faith. We read the story of Abraham and Isaac and learned that Abraham trusted God so much that he was willing to sacrifice his son. We then talked about how we can grow our faith in Jesus. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with digraphs and with the inflectional ending -es, and read our sight words. To build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader books; the students really enjoy using the Chrome books to read the stories. We also read a nonfiction piece about maps. After reading Fun With Maps we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on finding details in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using irregular plurals in sentences. 

In Math class, we learned how to compare numbers using the > and < symbols. We learned that these symbols can be thought of as alligator mouths with the alligator eating the bigger number. The students loved drawing the teeth while writing the symbols. 

We ended our day with some Thanksgiving fun. We continued our discussion on the Mayflower and wrote facts about the voyage. We then created a Mayflower craft. 

Have a wonderful night!  

Place Value Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a terrific day. We had a great start to our week in first grade. 

We began our day by going to Adoration and spending some quiet time with Jesus. 

In Language Arts, we continued with our week of learning. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned last Thursday and then learned three new words (separate, model, and height). Then we worked on retelling as we read a nonfiction piece about different maps. Following that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the digraphs ch, tch, wh, and ph. Next, we learned about the inflectional ending -es; we learned that we use this ending to make a word plural when it ends in ch, tch, sh, z, x, or ss. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on comprehension; this week we are talking about main topic and key details. We reread Which Way on the Map and wrote about its main idea and details from the story. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reviewed irregular plurals. We also started our Thanksgiving unit. Today, we watched a short video about the voyage of the Mayflower. 

In Math class today, we learned about place value. We used our place value blocks to show various numbers to 20. 

Have a terrific night! 

Turkey Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope you had a great day. We had a great day to end our week here in first grade. 

In Religion class today we continued learning about Abraham. Today we learned that God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; we will be reading about using maps this week. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (location and route). Then we worked on retelling as we read Me on the Map. After that we learned how to blend and read words with the digraphs ch, tch, wh, ph. Next, we learned our new sight words. We ended the morning working on our fluency as we read Which Way On the Map?. 

This afternoon we learned about irregular plurals. 

In Math class today we reviewed the numbers 11-20. We each got a number and created a turkey showing that number in various ways. Here they are: 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we learned the names of the continents and the oceans. 

And, here is a picture of our Art project from last Friday. 

Have a great weekend! See you on Tuesday! 

New Technology Home!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was a very exciting day in first grade as we took home our new Chrome books tonight. We are very excited about that! 

In Religion class today we talked about how God asked Abraham to move to a new country. We learned that Abraham was very obedient to God and did what he asked him to do. 

We wrapped up our week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences and wrote sentences using our sight words. To review words with digraphs sh, th, and ng and closed syllable words, we played Stinky Feet where we had to read words to clean the foot. The students enjoyed that. Finally, we took our weekly assessment. 

In honor of Veteran's Day, we wrote about why veterans are heroes and added our writing to a craft. Here it is:

This afternoon in Language Arts we wrote a detailed sentence about a horse. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on the numbers 11-20. We looked at the numbers as 10 and how many more. The students did a great job creating this chart showing the numbers and writing the number sentence for each number. 

Have a wonderful night! 

God Keeps His Promises!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a terrific day! 

In Religion class today, we reviewed the story of Noah. We created an ark complete with puppets to remind us that God keeps his promises. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also practiced reading words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng and words with closed syllables. To practice our sight words, we played "Don't Draw the Turkey". The students correctly spelled all 5 sight words before the turkey was drawn. To help build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets using our new Chrome books. The students just loved using the tablets. To help build our comprehension skills, we read a short nonfiction piece about kids helping in the community and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on key details. Finally, we practiced writing proper nouns with capital letters. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on shapes. Tomorrow we will begin looking at the numbers to 20. 

Have a great night! 

New Technology!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I enjoyed hearing about the basketball games. I'm so excited that the students are having fun. 

In Religion class today, we read the story of Noah and the Ark. We talked about how God saved Noah because Noah was obedient to God. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words and practiced reading words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng, closed syllable words, and our sight words. Today, when we partner read a story from our decodable readers, we used our new Chromebooks. The students did a great job following directions and reading the story. They are very excited about the new technology. After partner reading our decodable reader story, we read Nell's Books, and following that, we wrote about the characters, setting, and events in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced sorting words into common and proper nouns. We also practiced writing proper nouns with capital letters. 

In Math class today, we reviewed all that we have learned about shapes. We will take our chapter test tomorrow. 

Have a marvelous night! 

Turkey Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! Today was another fun and fantastic day in first grade!

At Mass this morning we welcomed Fr. Reese. He talked to us about keeping holy the Sabbath day. 

In Language Arts, we talked about common and proper nouns. We identified proper nouns in sentences. We also sorted nouns based on whether they were common or proper. In addition to that, we practiced reading and writing words with the digraphs sh and th. We did a write the room activity where the students found words displayed around the room, wrote them on a recording sheet, and then practiced reading them. 

In Math class today we worked in centers. We spent time practicing identifying shapes in everyday objects. We looked at both flat shapes and solid shapes. 

In Science class, we learned about sound. We learned about how different sound effects are made for cartoons and practiced making different sound effects. Needless to say, the students loved it! 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made a giant turkey. I always look forward to this project. I'll post pictures next week once they have dried. 

Have a great weekend! 

Pattern Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone's November is off to a good start. 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on Adam and Eve. We reviewed what happened when they sinned and talked about God's promise to them. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and then learned three new words (collapsed, rely, and enjoy). We then worked on retelling as we heard a nonfiction piece about a man in Colombia and his library. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended class by focusing on our comprehension skills; this week we are looking at character, setting, and events. We reread Thump Thump Helps Out and identified the characters, setting, and events in the story. We did the same thing as we read our decodable reader. 

In Math class we continued to look at patterns. We used our pattern blocks to build patterns using two or three different shapes. We then practiced drawing various patterns. 

In Social Studies class today we learned that continents are big pieces of land. We also talked about how their are 7 continents. We will start learning the names next week. 

Have a great night! 

When the Saints Go Marching In!

 Greetings! Happy November! Who was shocked to see snow today? The kids were thrilled by it! 

Today we headed to church to celebrate All Saint's Day. At Mass, Fr. Brian showed us relics from saints and talked to us about our call to be saints. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how to help out in our community. We learned two new oral vocabulary words (leadership and admire). We then worked on retelling as we read a story about Martin Luther King Jr. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng. Next, we practiced our new sight words. Finally, we read Thump Thump Helps Out which helped us practice our new decoding skills. 

In Math class, we worked with patterns today. We used our pattern blocks to make a pattern. We also drew patterns. 

This afternoon, we had our annual All Saints' Day prayer service. The students were so excited to dress up as their patron saint. They were so reverent in church. I hope everyone enjoyed the prayer service. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Halloween, part 2!

 Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a spooktacular day! 

It was a little different day in first grade as both classes came together for a wonderful day of learning. 

In Religion class, we talked about how God promised to send us a Savior who would open the gates of heaven. We know this Savior to be Jesus. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. Today, we used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we looked for shapes around us. We found everyday objects and identified both the flat shapes and the solid shapes that make up the object. 

This afternoon we joined up with our 8th grade friends to practice for our prayer service tomorrow. We are really excited to pray with everyone tomorrow. 

We ended our day with some Halloween fun. We played some minute-to-win-it games. We also played Halloween BINGO. 

Have a great night! 

Let's Taco About It!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend trick-or-treating. The students really seemed to. I loved hearing all of the stories today. 

We continue to practice for our All Saints' Day prayer service on Wednesday. We are remembering our baptismal call that one day, we too, may be saints. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words and read words with end blends and words with the inflectional ending -ing. To practice our sight words, we played a version of Hangman. The students guessed one letter at a time trying to spell the word before I drew a pumpkin. They won all 5 rounds! To help us build our fluency skills, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. And, to help us build our comprehension skills, we read a poem and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on finding details in the poem. We finished the morning by identifying possessive nouns in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we wrote a sentence using lots of adjectives to describe what a cat was doing. 

In Math class today, we looked at designs using our solid shapes. We practiced identifying how many of each shape were in the design. 

We ended our day with some Math fun. The students created a taco filled with different shape ingredients. They then identified how many of each shape they used. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Halloween!

Greetings! Happy Halloween! Today was a fun day in first grade. We waited all month to celebrate Halloween. 

But, before we celebrated, we went to Mass. This was our first Faith Family Mass of the year. Today we welcomed Fr. Voytek. He reminded us that we will always be tempted by the devil but we need to turn to God to help us make the right choices. 

After Mass, we quickly got into our costumes and waited to parade outside. It was so much fun seeing all of our parents and friends there as we walked around the parking lot in our costumes. 

Once we got back to our classroom, we changed and got ready for our party. We are so thankful to the parents who came and made crafts with us. We made bookmarks and monsters. 

This afternoon we enjoyed Hotel Translyvania. After the movie, we went outside for some extra recess which we earned by feeling our marble jar. 

Here is a picture from our pumpkin we carved yesterday. 

Have a wonderful weekend trick or treating. I can't wait to hear about it on Monday! 

Fun with Shapes!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was a celebration in first grade as we celebrated being drug free. The students loved wearing a holiday shirt today!

In Religion class we prayed the fourth and fifth decades of the Glorious Mysteries. As we come to the end of October and the month of the rosary, we are reminded to pray the rosary at home. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our sight words. Then we read At A Pond, a nonfiction piece about animals at a pond. After reading the story, we wrote about its main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced writing possessive pronouns correctly. 

In Math class today, we used our flat shapes to make designs. Afterwards, the students identified the number of each shape used. Here are some of our designs: 

In Social Studies class, we talked about why people move: to be close to family or to get a job. 

We ended the day with pumpkin fun. Today, we carved a pumpkin in preparation for our Halloween party tomorrow. The students helped clean out the seeds. Together we decided on the eyes, nose, and mouth. All watched in excitement as I carved it. We are ready for tomorrow! 

Have a tremendous night! 

Pumpkin Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today we gave the boot to drugs by wearing western attire to school. All of the students really enjoyed today as we celebrated being drug free. 

In Religion class today we reviewed what happened when Adam and Eve sinned. We also talked about how we are all born with original sin and how that sinned is washed away when we are baptized. We ended class by praying the third decade of the Glorious Mysteries. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary. We also practiced reading words with end blends and words with the inflectional ending -ing. To help us build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader. Finally, we practiced using possessive nouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed our solid shapes by playing memory. We matched a picture of the shape to its name. 

We ended our day with pumpkin and Halloween fun. We read Creepy Carrots and wrote about what we would do if Creepy Carrots were following us. We added our writing to a creepy carrot. 

We then looked at the different parts of a pumpkin by creating a diagram. The exciting part to this project was using our messy glue. 

Don't forget your Halloween treats tomorrow! Have a wonderful night! 

Fun with Solid Shapes!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful fall day today!

We began our day by going over to church for Adoration. We spent some quiet time praying and talking to Jesus. Many prayed the rosary today. Once we returned to the classroom, together we prayed the second decade of the Glorious Mysteries. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. Today, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words from yesterday and learned three new words (tranquil, hibernate, and tolerate). We then worked on making predictions as we read a nonfiction piece about animals in the desert. Following that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with end blends. After that, we learned how to blend and read words with the inflectional ending -ing. We ended the morning by practicing using our sight words in sentences. 

We stopped our class early today so that we could begin practices for our All Saints' Day prayer service. We are looking forward to praying with everyone next week. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on building our comprehension skills. This week we are focusing on main idea and key details. We reread The Best Spot and wrote about its main idea and details from the story. We did the same thing as we read our decodable reader. 

In Math class today, we identified the six solid shapes: cone, cylinder, cube, rectangular prism, pyramid, and sphere. With each shape, we experimented to see if it could stack, slide, or roll. 

This afternoon we met with our Faith Families. We spent time getting to know one another. We will begin our Faith Family masses this week. 

We ended our day with Pumpkin Fun! Today, we looked at the life cycle of a pumpkin. 

Have a terrific night!