Money Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed the sunshine today. It was hard to come in from recess today. 

We began our day by attending Adoration. We spent some quiet time praying to Jesus and praying the rosary. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by answering questions using our oral vocabulary words. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the silent letters kn, gn, and wr. Then, we practiced reading and defining compound words. Following that, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focused on comprehension; this week we are practicing cause and effect. We reread Wrapped in Ice and wrote cause and effect examples from the story. We then read our decodable reader and identified whether a sentence was a cause or effect. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we learned about special pronouns, words like anybody, anyone, everyone, everything, nothing, somebody. We practiced using them in sentences. 

In Math class, we practiced counting a collection of dimes, nickels, and pennies. The students enjoyed using the coins to practice counting money. 

Have a great night! 

Pictionary Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone is doing well. It was good to be back today! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus spent 40 days with his Apostles after he rose from the dead. He prepared them to go out and baptize people. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading stories about different types of weather. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (cycle, predict, creative, frigid, and scorching). After that we worked on visualizing as we heard a story about Paul Bunyan. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with silent letters kn, gn, and wr. We ended our morning learning our new sight words and vocabulary words. 

This afternoon, we read Wrapped in Ice, which helped us practice the skills we learned this morning. We also practiced using possessive pronouns in sentences. 

We began a new chapter in Math class today; this chapter focuses on money. Today, we identified the penny, nickel, and dime. We talked about how much each one is worth. We then practiced counting the coins separately. Tomorrow, we will combine them and count them. 

For our ABC Celebration today, we took a break from learning and played Pictionary. The students are very good at this game and had fun drawing on the board. 

Have a great night! 

Dance Celebration!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a great day and dodged the raindrops today. 

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

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the vowel variants a, al, au, augh, and aw, vowel team syllable words, and our sight words. We also spent time today learning about antonyms. To practice identifying antonyms, the students went fishing. The used a "fishing pole" to catch antonym pairs. 

After our antonyms practice, we spent time working on our fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Meet Rosina from our literature anthology. After reading this story, we wrote about the author's purpose for writing it. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using possessive pronouns in sentences. We also spent time developing our writing skills. We read Owl Moon and used that story as a guide to write a personal narrative paragraph. We also did some creative writing. We pretended we were a bug and wrote about what we would do, what we have, and what we can do. We added a bug craft to our writing. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems with graphs. I was amazed at how well the children could explain their thinking today. 

We ended our day with our ABC Celebration. Today, we had a dance party, dancing to classic hits like the Hokey Pokey, Chicken Dance, and YMCA. 

Have a great night! 

Helping Earth!

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

In Religion class today, we reviewed the Apostolic succession. We talked about how Jesus is the leader of the church, how the pope is the visual leader of the church, and how the bishops carry on the work of the Apostles. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by answering questions using our oral vocabulary words. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read vowel variant au, al, a, augh, and aw words. Following that, we learned how to blend and read vowel team syllable words. Then, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on building our comprehension; this week we are focusing on author's purpose. We made a pie to help us learn the three reasons why an author writes a story: P (persuade), I (inform), E (entertain). Using that knowledge we reread our story from yesterday and talked about why the author wrote it. 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 continued to practice making tally graphs and picture graphs. Today, we pulled a colored linking cube from a bag and recorded the color using a tally mark. We repeated this 12 times. Using our tally chart data, we made a picture graph. Then, we noted observations about our graph. We are really enjoying graphs! 

For our ABC celebration today, we focused on crafts. We made a Lorax Earth and wrote about a way we can help our planet. 

Have a terrific night! 

The Marks of the Church!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! Happy Earth Day! I hope everyone had a great start to their week. 

In Religion class today, we learned about the four marks of the church. We learned that the church is one (there is only one church), holy (created by Jesus), Catholic (universal), and Apostolic (teachings have been passed down for centuries). We created a poster to help us remember them. 

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, distance, swiftly, decision, and respect). We then worked on rereading for details as we listened to a folktale about how the moon was put in the sky. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the vowel variant au, a, al, aw, and augh. Next, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words for the week. Then it was time to practice our skills as we read All Kinds of Helpers. We finished the morning by learning about possessive pronouns. 

In honor of Earth Day, we read The Lorax and talked about ways to help the Earth. We sorted examples based on whether they help the Earth or not. We glue them on a trunk of a Truffula tree. We will continue our Earth Day celebration tomorrow. 

In Math class today, we learned how to make a tally graph. We first illustrated our favorite sport. Then, we sorted our pictures. We counted each group and made tally marks showing how many liked each sport. Using our tally graph, we made a picture graph to show our data. Finally, we answered questions based on our data. 

We ended our day with our ABC Celebration. Today, we played BINGO while sitting on our beach towels. We had lots of fun! 

Have a marvelous night! 

ABC Celebration!

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

At Mass today, we heard about the importance of the Eucharist. 

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 even had time to play "Stinky Feet"; the students love cleaning the feet by correctly reading the words and scoring points. I was amazed at how fast they read the words. 

In Math class today, we continued to focus on picture graphs. Today, we made our own picture graph. Each student was given a bag of linking cubes. They took one cube out of the bag and graphed their result; they each got to do this 10 times. When everyone was finished, we spent time talking about our data. 

In Science class today, we talked about why we can't see the stars during the day time. We made a star gazer cup and used our flashlights to project the Big Dipper. Then a partner used his/her flashlight as the sun. We observed what happens when the sun comes up and goes down. 

Thank you to everyone who made paper airplanes today. The students had fun launching them inside and outside today. Our ABC Celebration continues next week. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we painted a caterpillar on a leaf using paper towel rolls. The students did such a nice job with this. I'll be posting pictures next week once the paint has dried. 

Here are pictures from the tulips we made last week. They look so pretty in our classroom! 

Have a great weekend! 

Picture Graphs!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a tremendous day! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus works through the Pope and priests to help the church grow and teach others about Jesus. 

In Language Arts class, we used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with oo, u, u_e, ew, ue, ui, and ou along with words with suffixes. We also practiced identifying synonyms; we generated a list of synonyms for the word big. We then wrote 4 of them on cinnamon rolls. To help us build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader. We also read a nonfiction piece about how people worked together to make the world better. After reading that piece we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced using pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on graphs. Today, we focused on picture graphs. We looked at picture graphs and answered questions about them. We then created our very own picture graph on our favorite fruit. The students did a great job with this! 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we talked about how a factory is one place where goods are made. We also talked about how people work in a factory to earn money. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Pronoun Patch!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful day and was able to dodge the raindrops. 

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

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with oo, u, u_e, ew, ui, ue, and ou and words with the suffixes -ful and -less. We also practiced reading our sight words and vocabulary words. We spent some time today learning about synonyms. We played a game where the students had to quickly find the synonym to a given word; the students loved this. We also spent time today working on our fluency and comprehension skills. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklet. We also read Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. After reading the story we wrote about its theme and completed pages in our close reading companion which focused on key details from the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using pronouns in sentences. We also created a pronoun flower. We wrote the pronouns and examples of a noun that a pronoun could take the place of. 

In Math class today, 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! 

Growing Learners!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope you were able to enjoy the sunshine today! 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Easter and what it means for us because Jesus rose to new life. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by answering questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read words with oo, u, u_e, ew, ui, ue, and ou. After that we practiced reading words with the suffixes -ful and -less. Next, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We spent the rest of the morning finishing our STAR assessments. I am so pleased with how well the students did. They really grew this year! 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we worked on building our comprehension skills; this week we are focusing on theme. We reread Super Tools and wrote about its theme. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. We ended our day practicing switching nouns for pronouns. 

In Math class today, we reviewed addition and subtraction with and without regrouping. We are ready for our test tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

Lessons in Stories!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. We are off to a great start to the week in first grade. 

In Religion class, we talked about how one day we will get to live with Jesus in Heaven. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about working together. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (conflict, argument, shift, risk, and fair). After that we worked on rereading as we read a folktale about mice working together. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with oo (spoon), u (truth), u-e (flute), ew (chew), ue (blue), ui (fruit), and ou (soup). Then, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We finished the morning by reading Super Tools which helped us to practice our new skills. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about pronouns. We also talked about theme, the lesson the author wants us to learn in a story. We read A Bad Case of Stripes and talked about its many themes including be yourself and not to lie. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We really had to focus and think about how to solve each problem. 

Have a great night! 

Spring is in the Air!

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

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian talked to us about the importance of the Eucharist. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with diphthongs oi and oy and final stable syllable words, and wrote sentences using our sight words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader. We also read a nonfiction piece about tiny houses. After reading that story, we completed a page in our close reading companion that focused on main idea. Finally, we took our weekly assessment and practiced using prepositions in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed how to subtract with regrouping. The students are doing so well with this. 

In Science class today, we learned about the phases of the moon. They created a moon book to show how a moon changes over the course of a month. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made tulips using tissue paper. We didn't quite finish; we will do that on Monday. 

Here are pictures from our Wednesday writing project and the Easter Religion project we did last week. Enjoy! 

Have a great weekend! 

Super Subtraction Solvers!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was another great day of learning in first grade. 

In Religion class, we talked about how Jesus restored the gift of grace when he rose from the dead. We also talked about how we need to feed the gift of grace; we do this by going to church and by praying. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the diphthongs oi and oy, read final stable syllable words, and read our sight words and vocabulary words. To help build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Building Bridges. After reading this story, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on finding details about each bridge we read about. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using prepositions in sentences. We also practiced writing names with titles correctly. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving subtraction problems that involve regrouping. I was quite pleased that the students knew to first look to see if regrouping was needed before solving the problem. 

Have a great night! 

Creative Writers!

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

In Religion class today, we reviewed the Easter story. We then looked at the different parts of the Mass and talked about how we celebrate Easter every time we go to Mass. 

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

This afternoon in Language Arts, we worked with prepositions. We practiced using prepositional phrases in sentences; we also practiced finding prepositional phrases. We also did some creative writing the afternoon. We wrote about what we like to do on a rainy day and added it to a craft. 

In Math class, we continued to practice solving subtraction problems without regrouping. The students are doing so well with this skill. 

Have a great night! 

Time with Jesus!

 Greetings! I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and solar eclipse yesterday. I was quite bummed that we had cloud cover yesterday. That's just our luck! 

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

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about different structures and how they are made. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (project, structure, contented, intend, and marvelous). We then worked on retelling as we read a folktale about animals building a house. Next, we learned how to blend and read words with the diphthongs oi and oy. Following that, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. It was then time to put our new skills to work as we read The Joy of a Ship. We ended the morning by writing a persuasive paragraph. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about prepositions. We learned that they connect ideas in a sentence and are used to tell us the location of something. 

In Math class, we switched our focus to subtraction. Today, we solved subtraction problems without regrouping. 

We ended our day with a Social Studies class that we missed on Friday. We talked about how people work to earn money. With the money people earn, they can buy things they need or save it for later. 

Have a great night! 

Solar Eclipse

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is staying warm and dry! 

In Religion class today we continued our talk about the Easter story. We created a beautiful poster showing that He is Risen! I forgot to snap pictures before leaving; I'll do it tomorrow. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the diphthongs ou and ow, spelled and read words with inflectional endings, and reviewed suffixes. To practice our sight words, we played our "Don't Draw the Easter Bunny" game. The students were awesome at guessing the words; I never got to draw the Easter Bunny. After that, we focused on our fluency and comprehension. We read a nonfiction piece about instruments and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea and key details. Following that, we practiced using a, an, this, and that in sentences. Finally, we wrote a persuasive paragraph on why we love Easter. 

To end the morning, we created a band-aid covered with ou and ow words. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding without regrouping. The students were given one number, and used a dice to make a number. They then added them together. Needless to say, they did an awesome job. 

We ended our day talking about the solar eclipse. We talked about how on Monday, the moon will pass between the Earth and sun creating a total solar eclipse. We also talked about how we need special glasses to view the sun. Finally, to help us understand the eclipse, we made a model of what will happen on Monday. 

Have a great night! 

He is Risen!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a blessed, happy Easter. I loved hearing about all of the Easter egg hunts and other celebrations that children partook in during the break. 

In Religion class this morning, we reviewed the events of Holy Week and read the Resurrection story. 

We picked up where we left off at with Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the diphthongs ou and ow, spelled and read words with the inflectional endings -er and -est, and read our sight words and vocabulary words. To help build our fluency skills, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We then read Whistle for Willie. After reading that story, we wrote about the problem in the story, steps Peter took to solve the problem, and the solution. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we reviewed when to use a, an, this, and that in sentences. We also did some spring writing. We wrote about what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch in spring. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on adding and subtracting within 100. The students remembered how to add without regrouping. The only difference now is that the numbers are bigger. 

Have a great night! Stay dry!