The End of April!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice day to end the week. It is hard to believe that today was our last learning day in April. 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian recognized the second grade students who will be making their First Holy Communion tomorrow. We pray for them as they get to experience Jesus for the first time. 

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 practiced reading words with the vowel variants a, al, au, augh, and aw by playing memory. Finally, the students wrote their very own persuasive paragraph on why they love something. They did an awesome job! 

In Math class today, we practiced adding with regrouping. The students did great with this. They even remembered to add the ten that was regrouped! 

In Science class, we talked about the seasons of the year and how the amount of sunlight changes during each season. We learned that we have most sunlight in the summer and that we have the least amount in the winter. 

After a day of learning, it was time for our ABC Celebration. Today, we sat with a friend and shared a story. It was fun walking around hearing everyone read. They have blossomed into fluent readers this year! 

Finally, it was time for Art class. Today we made birds in a nest. We used tissue paper for the birds and added wings, beaks, and eyes. I will post pictures next week once everything has dried. 

Have a great weekend! 

Antonym Picnic!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone the sun shine today! 

In Religion class today, we reviewed the four marks of the church by creating a little poster. We also reviewed Apostolic succession. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with vowel variants and words with vowel team syllables. We also practiced reading our word wall; the students enjoyed reading our sight words in silly reading voices. We then practiced writing antonyms by creating an 'ant'onym picnic. 

Our focus then switched to building our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a poem and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on its main idea. Finally, we practiced using possessive pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class, we reviewed/practiced adding two digit numbers without regrouping. I am quite pleased that the students remembered this skill. 

In Social Studies, we talked about where people work and why. We specially looked at factories. We watched videos of factories showing how assembly lines help products get made. 

We ended our day with our ABC Celebration. Today was "E is for Extra Recess". We headed outside to enjoy the sunshine and playground! 

Have a great night! 

Dancing with Learning!

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

In Religion class today, we talked about the four marks of the church. We learned that the church is one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with the vowel variant a, al, au, augh, aw ad words with vowel team syllables. We also practiced reading our sight words. To continue building our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Meet Rosina, a nonfiction story about a girl who is deaf. After reading this story we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on author's purpose. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using possessive pronouns in sentences. We also wrote a persuasive paragraph on why we love chalk. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on the numbers to 120. Tomorrow we will review adding with and without regrouping. 

We ended our day with our ABC Celebration. Today, we had a Dance party. Need I say more . . . 

Have a great night! 

Chalk Fun!

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

In Religion class today we talked about the seven sacraments. We learned that Jesus gave us the sacraments as a way to feed our soul. We looked at each sacrament and talked about how it feeds our soul. To help us remember the sacraments, we created a cross with pictures representing each one. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by answering questions using our oral vocabulary words. Then, we used our letter tiles to spell words with the vowel variant a, au, augh, aw, and al. Next, we learned how to read words with vowel team syllables, words like drawing and rainbow; we learned that the vowel teams must stay together and not be spilt into syllables. After that we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. Finally, we worked on our fluency and comprehension; this week we are focusing on author's purpose. We reread All Kinds of Helpers and wrote about the author's purpose. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using possessive pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed the numbers 41-120. We practiced counting, ordering, and comparing. We also practiced place value and number patterns. We are ready for our test tomorrow. 

We ended our day with our ABC Celebration. We headed outside for C is for Chalk. We had so much fun drawing on the playground. 

Have a great night! 

The Last Week of April

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. It is hard to believe that we are entering our final week in April. 

In Religion class today we talked about how Jesus chose Peter to be the leader of the Apostles and the first pope. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about people who help us. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (inspire, respect, decision, swiftly, and distance). After that we worked on rereading as we read a folktale about how the moon got into the sky. Following that we learned how to blend and read words with the vowel variant spelled a, au, augh, aw, and al. Next, we practiced our new sight words and vocabulary words. We ended the morning working on our fluency as we read All Kinds of Helpers. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about possessive pronouns and practiced using them in sentences. We also talked about author's purpose, why an author writes a story. We created a PIE to show the three reasons an author writes. P is for persuade, I is for inform, and E is for entertain. 

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

We ended our day with our ABC Celebration. Today was our Block party day. The students worked together to build using the blocks in our classroom. 

Have a great night! 

Oreos and the Moon!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice day to end the week! 

At Mass this morning we gathered with our Faith Families to celebrate. Fr. Brian reminded us that we see a miracle every time we celebrate the Eucharist. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We practiced using our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with the vowel variants and words with suffixes by playing Stinky Feet, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We also took our weekly assessment. 

All week we have been learning about Earth Day and ways to help the Earth. Today, we wrote about what we could do and added it to a craft. Here it is: 

In Math class, we reviewed ordering numbers, comparing numbers, and patterns. 

Science class was lots of fun today. We talked about how the position of the sun changes as we go throughout our day. We used flashlights to help us see how shadows change throughout the day. Then, we talked about how the moon changes during a month. We used Oreo cookies to show how the moon looks at different stages. Needless to say, we loved using the Oreo cookies! 

Then it was time to begin our ABC Celebration. Today was paper airplane day. We took turns launching our planes to see which one would go the farthest. 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we made a spring gnome in the garden. They look so cute! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Synonym Rolls!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone was able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine today! 

In Religion class this morning, we wrapped up our chapter on the Easter story. We created our own Easter Resurrection scene. 

In Language Arts class, we used practiced our oral vocabulary words, read words with the vowel variants, added suffixes to the end of words, and read our sight words. We talked about synonyms and created 'synonym' rolls for the word big. 

After that, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet and read a short nonfiction piece about people working together to change the laws. After reading that story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea. We ended our morning practicing using pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we worked with number patterns. The students did a very good job at recognizing the patterns. 

In Social Studies, we talked about saving money and why people need money. 

We ended our day talking about Earth Day. We sorted examples based on whether or not they help the Earth. 

Don't forget your airplane tomorrow! 

Comparing and Ordering in Math!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! This week is flying right by. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how one day we will get to live in Heaven both body and soul with Jesus. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced rhyming, read words with the vowel variant oo, u, ue, ui, and ou, read words with suffixes, and read our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. After reading this very funny story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea and theme. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we ordered numbers from least to greatest and from greatest to least. We also practiced comparing numbers using <, >, and =. 

Have a great night! 

Pronoun Patch!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is doing well. That cold really took us back today! 

We began our day by going to Adoration; we spent quiet time talking and praying to Jesus. It was a great way to start our day. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We also practiced segmenting words into sounds. In addition, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the vowel variants, oo, u, ue, ew, ui, and ou. Following that, we practiced blending and reading words with the suffixes -ful and -less. After that we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on our comprehension skills; this week we are focusing on theme. After rereading Super Tools we wrote about the theme of the story. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about pronouns. We created a pronoun flower with examples of pronouns and the nouns they replace. We also practiced identifying which pronoun to use for a noun. Here is a flower: 

In Math class today, we practiced finding more or less than a given number. Students worked with partners spinning a number and then identifying two more or two less than that number. 

Have a great night! 

Uplifting Fr. Brian!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend! 

Our day today started off a little crazy. Today, was Uplift Fr. Brian day. We went outside and decorated a parking spot for Fr. Brian. We came inside to decorate a runner which he later walked on. The students were so excited to celebrate him today. We are so thankful for all that he does for us. 

We were able to settle down to begin our day of learning. In Religion class, we talked about how we won back the gift of grace when Jesus rose from the dead. We also talked about how we need to feed this gift of grace by praying, receiving the Eucharist, and going to Confession. 

We began another week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about helping others. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (conflict, fair, argument, shift, and risk). We then worked on rereading for understanding as we read a folktale about mice and a cat. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the vowel variant oo, u, u_e, ew, ui, and ou, words like spoon, truth, flute, chew, fruit, and you. After that we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We ended the morning working on fluency as we read Super Tools. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we talked about theme, the lesson we learn from the story. We read A Bad Case of Stripes and talked about the lesson from the story. 

In Math class today, we focused on place value. We used our base ten blocks to show various numbers. 

Here a pictures from last Friday's art project. 

Have a great night! 

He is Risen: Indeed He is Risen!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great work week. I'm hoping this beautiful weather lasts through the weekend! 

At Mass today, Fr. Brian talked to us about the Easter season. He is Risen: Indeed he is risen! 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We read words with the diphthongs oi and oy and words with final stable syllables. We wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. We also worked on our fluency and comprehension skills. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a story about tiny houses. After reading the story about tiny houses, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on the numbers 41-120. We practiced counting by 10's and 1's to find the total number of objects. We also practiced writing the numbers in both numeral and word form. 

We ended our busy day with Art class. Today we created a flower garden using cupcake liners. I'll post pictures once the paint has dried. 

Here is a picture from our Easter Religion project earlier in the week. 

Have a great weekend! 

Learning About Bridges!

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

In Religion class today we talked about how we remember Easter every time we go to Mass. We then looked at the four parts of the Mass: Introductory Rite, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Concluding Rites. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the diphthongs oi and oy, words with final stable syllables, and our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Building Bridges, a nonfiction piece about bridges. After reading the story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on cause and effect examples from the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reviewed prepositions. We practiced finding them and using them in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on length and weight. Tomorrow we will begin our exploration of the numbers 41-120.

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we learned the difference between goods and services. We sorted pictures based on whether they showed a good or service. 

Have a great night! 

Oh! The Sunshine!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Oh what a beautiful spring day! 

In Religion class today we reviewed the Easter story and created an Easter morning scene. I'll post pictures tomorrow. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. After that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the diphthongs oi and oy. Next, we learned how to blend and read final stable syllable words, words like candle, apple, and table. Following that, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. Finally, we worked on our comprehension skills; this week we are focusing on cause and effect. We reread The Joy of a Ship and wrote cause and effect examples from it. We then read our decodable reader and identified the effect when given the cause. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using prepositions in sentences. We also practiced finding prepositional phrases in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed concepts related to length and weight. We will be taking our chapter test tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Easter!

 Greetings! Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a blessed weekend! I loved hearing about where the Easter baskets where hidden and what was in them. 

In Religion today, we talked about the Easter story. We talked about how Jesus rose from the dead which means he has his body and soul. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are learning about buildings. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (project, structure, contented, intend, and marvelous). After that we worked on answering questions as we read a folktale about animals building a house. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the diphthongs oi and oy, words like boy and coin. After that, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We ended the morning working on our fluency as we read The Joy of a Ship. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we learned about prepositions and practiced using them in sentences. We also wrote a persuasive paragraph on why we love Easter. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems involving length and weight. We really had to pay attention to the pictures to solve the problems. 

Have a great night! 

The Easter Bunny!

 Greetings! Today was a very exciting day in first grade. The students walked in the room and discovered that the Easter Bunny came and left a basket of goodies for them. It was so neat watching the students tear through their baskets and play with everything. I just loved it! 

In Religion class today we reviewed the events of Holy Week. We took pictures from the week and created a cross. 

After our Math Meeting, it was time for some Easter fun. Our fun today centered around jelly beans. We began by coloring a book about what the jelly bean colors mean. Then, we used jelly beans to measure different objects. We also made a graph using our jelly beans. 

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch. After lunch we watched It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. Following that, it was time to pack up and head home. 

I wish you and your family a Happy Easter. See you on Tuesday! 

Remembering Good Friday!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the warm weather. Just seeing the sunshine brings a smile to my face. 

Our day started with excitement. Our eggs hatched! The students were greeted to a cracked egg and chick this morning. Later in the day, we named our chick and wrote about it. 

In Religion class today, we talked about the events of Good Friday. We talked about Jesus being arrested, crowned with a crown of thorns, and his walk up the hill. We created a simple cross scene to remember what Jesus did for us. Here are some pictures. 

In Language Arts, we worked in our small reading groups. We are working hard at building our fluency and comprehension skills. 

In Math class, we continued our weight measurement fun. Today we used our balance to weigh an eraser, scissors, pencil, marker, two crayons, and a glue stick. We used linking cubes and pennies to weigh each object. We are really enjoying measuring! 

We ended our morning with some Easter fun. The other first grade class joined us as we worked in Easter themed centers. We unscrambled sight words, sorted words based on number on syllables, sorted words based on whether they were a noun, verb, or adjective, built compound words, and built math facts. It was an 'eggs-lecent' time. 

This afternoon, we watched a movie. We enjoyed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. 

Have a great night! 

Call to Serve!

 Greetings! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the sunshine today. Spring is in the air! 

In Religion class today, we looked at Holy Thursday particularly Jesus' call to serve. We talked about how Jesus washed his Apostles' feet and how we are to wash each other's feet. We talked about different ways that we can serve and help others. We created a craft to help us remember our call to serve: 

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, spelled and read words with the inflected endings -er and -est, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We also partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and a nonfiction piece about instruments and their sounds. We wrapped up our morning by taking our weekly assessment and using a, an, this, and that in sentences. 

In Math class today, we practiced weighing different objects. We placed an object in our balance and then added linking cubes to see how much it weighed. The students really enjoyed weighing our stapler. 

Today, for Living Stations, we stayed in our classroom and watched The Proud Tree. We talked about how the tree was boastful but had a change of heart as he was carried by Jesus to the top of the hill. 

We then had some Easter fun. The students enjoyed participating in "What's in my Egg?" Thank you for helping them to write clues about their hidden object. We also got ready for our 'chicks' to hatch. As you might recall, the students have been sitting on a paper egg keeping it warm so that it might hatch into a chick. They should 'hatch' tomorrow. 

Here are pictures from Friday's art project and yesterday's Easter writing. 

Have a good night! 

Holy Week 2023!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. The students were eager to tell me about the power outages and fishing trips they had this weekend. 

In Religion class, we began our look at Holy Week. Today, we looked at the events of Palm Sunday. We talked about Jesus riding into Jerusalem and being triumphantly greeted by the people who were waving palm branches and shouting 'Hosanna'. We created our own palm branches using our handprints and a popsicle stick. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with the diphthongs ou and ow, spelled and read words with the inflectional endings -er and -est, and practiced reading our sight words and vocabulary words. We also spent time working on our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We then read Whistle for Willie. After reading this story, we wrote about the problem, steps Peter took to solve the problem, and the solution. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using a, an, this, and that in sentences. We also wrote about where we would hide Easter eggs so that no one would find them. 

In Math class, we switched our focus from length to weight. Today, we used a balance to compare the weights of objects. We used the terms heavy/heavier/heaviest and light/lighter/lightest as we compared the weights. 

Have a great night! 

The End of March!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! It is hard to believe that March has come to an end. This month flew by! 

At Mass, this morning, Fr. Brian reviewed with the children what they gave up for Lent. He also talked to them about receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. 

In Language Arts, we worked in our literacy centers. We also learned when to use this and that in sentences. After that, we reviewed words with ou and ow by creating a band-aid of words. Finally, we wrote about spring using our senses. Here is a picture of our band-aids; I'll post pictures of the writing on Monday. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice measuring using linking cubes. The students really enjoy measuring! 

In Science class today, we talked about what we see in the day and night skies. We also talked about how the sun is a star we see during the day. 

Finally, it was time for Art. Today, we created an Easter egg. The students used watercolors to paint a doily. Once that dries, we will cut out our egg and glue it onto construction paper. I'll post pictures of them on Monday. 

Have a great weekend!