Goodbye First Grade!

 Greetings! Welcome to the final post of the year! Today marked our final full day of first grade. 

We did wrap up a few things today. In Religion, we reviewed how there are three persons in one God. In Language Arts, we completed our memory book and read our final Scholastic News magazine of the year. 

Then it was time to clean. We cleaned out our desks, cubbies, and math bags. The students helped me organize things and put things away. They were such good helpers and went out of their way to help. 

After we had everything cleaned, we relaxed and watched A Bug's Life. 

I want to thank you for taking the time to read our classroom blog. I hope you found it informative and worth the read. I wish everyone a happy and safe summer. See you in August. 

~Miss Chalich 

Bubble Day Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was another exciting day in first grade!

We began our day with our annual Awards Program where we recognize the students for their academic achievements this year. I am so proud of how hard they have worked this year. 

After our awards program, it was time to return to the classroom. In Religion class, we talked about how there is one God and three persons in God. We made a triangle to remind us of the three persons. 

In Language Arts class, we worked on our memory book. Today we wrote about our favorite recess activity, our favorite lunch, and our friends. We also wrote about what the teacher should do over the summer. I just loved some of their ideas; they got some great imaginations. 

We ended our morning with some Bubble Fun! We first learned about how bubbles are formed. Then, we went outside to blow bubbles, pop bubbles, and have bubble fun. When we came inside, we wrote about what we observed while blowing bubbles. Finally, we wrote about what we would do if we were a bubble. 

This afternoon in Math class, we practiced showing various amounts using quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. 

We ended our day playing games. Thank you so much for sending in the games. The children had fun playing the games with their friends. 

Have a great night! 

Watermelon Fun!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine today. The students had a ton of fun in first grade today. 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on Pentecost. We reviewed what happened on Pentecost and how the Holy Spirit helps the church today. 

In Language Arts, we worked in our small reading groups one last time. We then began our first grade memory journal. We wrote about ourselves, our teacher, and things we learned. After that, we wrote about what we plan to do this summer and added it to a craft. We promise that we won't get crabby! 

In Math class, we practiced counting quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. We are slowly getting used to counting money. 

We ended our day with some watermelon fun. We talked about the life cycle of a watermelon and its different parts. We sorted watermelon-themed words based on whether they are a noun, verb, or adjective. Finally, we sampled different melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, and honey dew melon) and voted for our favorite. Here a pictures from the day: 

Don't forget your game for tomorrow. Have a good night! 

Our Final Week!

Greetings! Happy Monday! Welcome to the final week of first grade! Where has the year gone? 

In Religion class today, we talked about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We looked at each gift and talked about what it means while completing a coloring sheet. 

We wrapped up our final week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences and read r-controlled words and words with r-controlled syllables. To practice our fluency, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet. We also read a nonfiction piece about the 13 colonies. We ended class by writing sentences using our sight words, taking our reading assessment, and identifying adverbs that tell how. 

We will spend our last Math classes practicing counting money. Today, we counted a collection of dimes, nickels, and pennies. 

We ended our day with some very refreshing lemonade. We got to enjoy regular lemonade and pink lemonade. After sampling both, we wrote adjectives that described the lemonade. We also made a graph showing our favorite one. Finally, we wrote about why we liked the lemonade. 

Here is a picture from Friday's beach scene Art project. 

Have a great night! 

One Week to Go!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end their week. We have just one week to go! 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us that Jesus is always with us. We also encouraged us to stay focus during our last week of school. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read r-controlled words and our sight words. We then continued to work on our fluency as we read Happy Birthday USA. After reading that story, we completed pages in our close reading that focused on main idea. Finally, we practiced writing abbreviations correctly. 

In Math class, we took our chapter test on graphs. Next week, we will spend a couple days counting money. 

In Science class, we looked at the needs or plants and reviewed plant parts. 

We had our last Art class of the year today. We created a beach scene complete with real sand and seashells. I'll post pictures next week once everything dries. 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

Field Trip!

 Greetings! Today was an exciting day in first grade! It was out field trip day! It was the first time in 3 years that we were able to go on a field trip. And the day did not disappoint! 

Once at Yellow Creek, we took a long nature hike. We spotted tadpoles and salamander eggs. At the top of the trail, we played a nature game. The students had to lead a blind-folded partner to a tree. They then switched roles. On our way back down the trail, we stopped to feel mink and bobcat fur. 

Once back at our pavilion, the water conservation group talked to us about the importance of conserving water. The students did a relay game where they had to fill a 3 galloon bucket with water. 

After lunch, we headed to the play area. The students got to enjoy time playing on the playground and in the sand. I apologize if sand made it home. We did our best to brush it off. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a remote learning day. I'll see everyone on Friday! 

The Eve of the Field Trip!

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

In Religion class today we talked about how the Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, went out and told people about Jesus and baptized them. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words and used our letter tiles to spell and read r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear words. We also learned how to blend and read r-controlled syllable words. After that we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on comprehension; this week we are focusing on author's purpose. We reread our story from yesterday and wrote about the author's purpose for writing that story. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using adverbs that tell when in sentences. We also wrote a narrative paragraph. I hope you enjoyed them tonight. The students have grown so much in their writing skills this year. 

In Math class, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We analyzed a tally chart to find mistakes and we used data on a graph to answer questions. 

For our ABC Celebration today we celebrated Reading. The teachers each took a turn to read a favorite story to the students. 

Just a reminder that our field trip is tomorrow! 

Two Weeks to Go!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day weekend! 

In Religion we reviewed the events of Pentecost and talked about the different symbols of the Holy Spirit. 

We began our final week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about holidays. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (display, pride, represent, design, and purpose). Following that we worked on retelling as we read about our flag. Next, we learned how to blend and read r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear words. Then we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We finished our morning reading Share the Harvest and Give Thanks, a nonfiction piece about harvest festivals. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we talked about adverbs that tell how and practiced finding them in sentences. We also sketched the beginning, middle, and end of our narrative paragraph. 

In Math class today we practiced making a tally chart. We then used the data from a tally chart to make a picture graph. 

For our ABC Celebration, the students participated in Quiz Day. They were given clues about the teachers and had to guess which teacher the clue was talking about. They loved this! 

Have a great night! 

Hawk Walk 2023!

 Greetings on this sunny and warm Friday! Today was an exciting day in first grade. 

We began with our Spelling test. Then we went to Mass. At Mass, Fr. Brian reminded us to always love one another. 

Then it was time for our Hawk Walk. After our group picture, we took our walk around Ebensburg. When we returned to the school, we enjoyed face painting and BINGO.

After lunch, we headed outside to learn about bubbles. We then did some exercising and enjoyed Bubble Lemonade. 

It was a fun day. We will all sleep good tonight! 

Have a great weekend! 

Fiesta!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was quite an exciting day in first grade; it was fiesta day! More on that in a bit. 

In Religion class today we talked about Pentecost. We learned that on Pentecost the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles. They were in a room praying when they heard a gust of wind and saw flames of fire over their heads. 

We wrapped up our week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with three letter blends, read and spelled words with inflectional endings, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We also worked on our fluency as we partner read a story in our decodable reader and a nonfiction piece about origami. We even made an origami dog. Finally, we took our weekly assessment and practiced using I and me in sentences. 

In Math class today, we continued to look at picture graphs. Today the students created a picture graph by showing the results they got as they pulled linking cubes from a bag. 

In Social Studies class we talked about laws and why we have them. 

Finally, it was time for our fiesta. We began by breaking open a pinata. It did not take them long to break it open and dive onto the floor to get the trinkets. We then broke open the confetti eggs. They loved it! Thank you for helping make this day a success. 

Tomorrow is our Hawk Walk! Have a great night! 

Honoring Mary!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine today! 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus after the Resurrection. We reviewed how he spent 40 days with his Apostles after he rose from the dead teaching them about God. We also talked about how Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with three letter blends, read and spelled words with inflectional endings, and read our sight words and vocabulary words. Then our focused switched to fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet. We then read Lissy's Friends, a realistic fiction story about a girl making friends. After reading that story, we wrote about its theme. After that, we practiced using I and me in sentences. Finally, we wrote a narrative paragraph using Owl Moon as our guide. 

In Math class today, we started our chapter on graphs. Today we talked about the importance of organizing our data into a graph. Each student colored a picture of their favorite fruit. We then made a picture graph using their pictures and answered questions based on the data. 

This afternoon we headed over to church to honor Mary in our annual May Crowning. Our second grade students looked beautifully as the reverently honored Mary. May we always turn to Mary in our time of need. 

For our ABC Celebration today, we dressed up as students where encouraged to wear a necktie or necklace. I just loved seeing the kids in neckties today. They had so much fun with it! 

Here are pictures from our Art project on Friday. 

Have a great night! 

A Little Day of Music!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Music was the theme for today. The students really enjoyed their ABC Celebration with Mr. Neff today. He sang and played his guitar for the children today. They really enjoyed singing along. The Music celebration continued this afternoon as we watched the 8th grade talent show. 

In between the music, we worked on our learning. 

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

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read words with three letter blends. After that, we practiced adding inflectional endings to words with three letter blends. Following that, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended our morning focusing on comprehension; this week we are focusing on theme. We reread A Spring Birthday and wrote about the story's theme. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using I and me in sentences. We also read our decodable reader and wrote about that story's theme. 

In Math class, we took our chapter test on adding and subtracting with and without regrouping. Tomorrow we will begin our chapter on graphs. 

Have a great night! 

Writing the Room Fun!

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

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus will one day come again. We also talked about how we can prepare for his second coming. We mentioned that we should pray, go to Mass, not sin, and serve others. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about traditions. We began by learning five new oral vocabulary words (effort, traditions, ancient, movement, and drama). After that we worked on visualizing as we read about different dances. Then, we learned how to blend and read three letter blend words. Following that, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. Finally, we put our new skills to work as we read A Spring Birthday, a realistic fiction story about a boy blending family traditions with new traditions. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned how to use I and me in sentences. We also learned about narrative writing. We learned that narrative writing tells a story. We listened to Owl Moon and illustrated what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. We will use our pictures to help us write a narrative paragraph. 

In Math class today, we completed a write the room activity where students had to solve different math problems. The students practiced adding and subtracting with and without regrouping. We are ready for our test tomorrow. 

We ended our day with some ABC Celebration fun. We headed outside to lay and read. The students really enjoyed laying in the grass, reading, and talking with friends. 

Have a great night! 

Kindness Friday!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice day to end the first week of May. 

All day today, we worked on doing kind acts for our ABC Celebration. The students had fun filling in a kindness BINGO chart of all of the kind things they did. 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian talked to us about always trusting in God and turning to him in the Eucharist. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We began by using our oral vocabulary words in sentences. Then, we practiced reading words with silent letters by completing a write the room activity. After that, we reviewed compound words by completing a craftivity where the students wrote a compound word and then wrote the two words that make it up. We ended class by writing sentences using our sight words and taking our weekly assessment. 

In Math class, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We really had to look at problems, understand what we needed to do, and then solved them. 

In Science class, we looked at the different parts of a plant and the role they play in plant survival. 

Finally, it was time for Art. Today, we completed a directive drawing of a butterfly. We then used water color paints to fill it in. I'll post pictures next week once the paint has dried. 

Have a great weekend! 

A Joking Day!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! This first week of May is flying right by! 

In Religion class today, we reviewed what we learned about baptism from Fr. Brian. We also talked about how Jesus commissioned the Apostles to go and baptize people. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with silent letters, compound words, and our sight words. Then our focused switched to fluency and comprehension practice. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. After that we read a nonfiction piece about storms and completed pages in our close reading companion. Finally, we practiced identifying special pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed subtraction with and without regrouping. We did a much better job today and paying attention to the ones to see if we need to regroup. 

In Social Studies class, we talked about how goods get to market. We looked at how oranges go from the fields to our tables. 

We ended the day with laughs. We spent time writing our jokes and sharing them with each other. Thank you for taking the time to help your child write a joke. These turned out awesome: 

Have a great night! 

Snow in May?

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! It is hard to believe that it is May with the snow flying. The weather sure has been different this year. 

For Religion today, we headed over to church where Fr. Brian showed the students what happens during a Baptism. He did a mock baptism for the students and explained what we use and why we use it. The students really enjoyed this lesson. Thank you Fr. Brian. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, words with silent letters, and compound words. We also practiced our sight words and used our vocabulary words in sentences. In addition, we talked about similes and wrote similes using the colors of the rainbow. To help with our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Rain School, a realistic fiction story about a school in Africa. After reading the story, we wrote cause and effect examples from it. 

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

In Math class, we practiced subtracting with regrouping. It took us a bit to remember when to regroup. Once we remembered, we were great at solving the problems. 

For our ABC Celebration, I is for ice writing. We had tons of fun writing with ice cubes today. 

Have a great night! 

Happiness!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone's day brought them some happiness. Who knew it could snow in May? 

The students really enjoyed their happiness show and tell. I loved seeing all the things that make them happy. Here is what they brought: 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus stayed with his Apostles 40 days after he rose from the dead. We also talked about how in those 40 days, Jesus prepared them to lead the church. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words and used our letter tiles to spell and read words with silent letters. After that, we reviewed reading compound words. We ended the morning by practicing using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reread Wrapped in Ice and wrote cause and effect examples from the story. We then read our decodable reader and decided whether sentences described a cause or effect. Finally, we practiced using special pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, our focus switched to subtraction. We reviewed subtracting two two-digit numbers without regrouping. 

Here are pictures from our spring writing last week along with our Friday art project: 

Have a great night! 

Happy May!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! Happy May! It is hard to believe that we are entering the final month of the school year. Where has the time gone? 

We began our day by visiting the Book Fair. The students had fun selecting books to read over the summer. 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus starting the church. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about the weather. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (cycle, predict, creative, scorching, and frigid). Next we worked on visualizing as we heard a story about Paul Bunyan. Next, we learned how to blend and read words with silent letters kn, gn, and wr. Following that, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We ended the morning learning about special pronouns, words like anything, everyone, nobody. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we read Wrapped in Ice which helped us practice the skills we learned this morning. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding with and without regrouping. The students did a very good job at paying attention to the ones to see if they needed to regroup. 

For our ABC Celebration, we joined with the other first grade and second grade to play two games on Blooket. The students really enjoyed their game time. 

Have a great night!