Popcorn and a Movie!

 Greetings! Happy last full day of first grade. We had lots of fun cleaning and packing things away today. 

We began our day with our Annual Awards Ceremony. It was great to recognize the students for all of their hard work this year. They have grown so much! 

We came back to the classroom and had our final Math Meeting of the year. Then it was off to Music class. After that, it was time to clean. We emptied our desks and cubbies and helped clean away the dust bunnies. These students are great cleaners! 

After that work, it was time for some Popcorn Day fun. We sampled butter, cheddar, caramel, and kettle corn. The students voted on their favorites. We created a bar graph and answered questions about it. 

This afternoon the students enjoyed watching A Bug's Life and eating some more popcorn. 

I want to thank everyone who took time to read the classroom blog each day. I hope you found it beneficial to see what we did each day. Thank you so much for making this a fantastic year. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. See you in August. 

~Miss Chalich

Popsicle Day!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was a refreshing day in first grade. It was Popsicle Day! 

In Religion class today, we talked about the Blessed Trinity. We talked about how all Three Persons are equal. 

We finished our first grade memory book today. The students were excited to take them home and share them with you tonight. 

We wrapped up our Science lesson from yesterday by reviewing the needs of plants. 

We had our final Social Studies lesson of the year. Today we talked about different American symbols. We created a booklet that showcased 6 American symbols. 

After all that, it was time for Popsicle Fun! We began by learning how popsicles were invented. Did you know that an 11 year old boy invented the first popsicle? After that, we sorted facts and opinions about popsicles. Then, we reviewed place value concepts by creating a popsicle placemat. Finally, we drew a popsicle. 

This afternoon we had our ABC Celebration fun by exchanging autographs. The students signed their names on a picture frame. Once everyone signed the picture frames, I added a class picture for all to enjoy. 

We ended our day with board games. The students really enjoyed playing games with their friends. I loved seeing and learning new board games. Thank you for sending in the games. After we played the games, the students enjoyed their popsicle. It was another great day in first grade. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Watermelon Day!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Today was another exciting day in first grade! It was Watermelon Day! 

We began our day by going to Adoration. We spent quiet time with Jesus, praying to him, and asking him for a blessed summer. Please remember that Adoration continues during the summer months. Students are encouraged to visit the church on Tuesday mornings to spend some time with Jesus. 

We continued to work on our first grade memory book. Today, we wrote about what we liked to do at recess, what our favorite lunch was, and who are friends are. 

Our writing today had the students give suggestions on what I should do this summer. The students thought I should take a road trip, go to the beach, watch my nephew, and cut the grass. 

Our Watermelon Day festivities began with us learning about watermelons. We created a diagram showing the life cycle of the watermelon and a diagram showing the parts of the watermelon. We then sampled watermelon, cantaloupe, and honey dew melon. We voted on our favorite melon and created a picture graph. Finally, we answered questions about our graph. 

In Math class today, we practiced telling time to the nearest 5 minutes. We are getting ready for second grade math. 

We had our final Science lesson of the year. Today, we talked about why plants need sun and water to grow. 

We ended our day with some relay race fun; they got rained out last week. We teamed up with our 6th and 7th grade friends for our races. 

Have a great night! 

Our Final Week!

 Greetings! Welcome to the last week of first grade! It is going to be one exciting week! 

We began our day with Religion. Today, we talked about the Blessed Trinity. We learned that there are Three Persons in one God. To help us remember the Three Persons, we created a triangle ornament. I always love how this turns out. 

In Language Arts class, we began our First Grade Memory Book. We took time to write about things we have learned this year. 

We spent the rest of the morning having Lemonade Day Fun! First, we identified words as either a noun, verb, or adjective. Then, we wrote the steps in making lemonade. Finally, we sampled yellow and pink lemonade, voted for our favorite, and created a picture graph to show our favorite. After creating the graph, we answered questions about it. 

In Math class today, we reviewed adding and subtracting with and without regrouping. The students did a write the room activity to review this skill. 

Then, it was time for a summer writing project. The students wrote about what they plan to do this summer. We added it to a craft. 

And here is a picture from our final Art project on Friday! 

Have a marvelous night! 

A Day at the Beach!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a fantastic day to end their week. It is hard to believe that there is only one week of school left. 

At Mass today, Fr. Brian talked to us about loving God. 

We wrapped up our final week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear words and r-controlled syllable words. We wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. To help build our comprehension skills, we read a nonfiction piece about the 13 colonies and completed pages in our close reading companion. We also partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. Finally, we practiced finding adverbs that tell how in sentences. 

In Math class, we took our chapter test on money. Please remember to practice math facts over the summer! 

In Science class, we looked at how trees are able to stay in the ground during wind and rain. We learned that the roots, branches, and leaves help with this. 

We ended our day with our final Art class of the year. Today, we created a beach scene complete with sand and seashells. Once everything dries, I will post pictures. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

A Beary Special Day!

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

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on the Holy Spirit coming to the Apostles. We reviewed the events of Pentecost and what the Apostles did once they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words and practiced reading r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear words, r-controlled syllable words, and our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we read a nonfiction story called Happy Birthday USA where we learned about America's birthday. After reading the story, we wrote about the author's purpose. Finally, we practiced writing abbreviations correctly. 

In Math class today we reviewed money. We practiced counting a collection of coins, showing money amounts in various ways, and solving problems. Tomorrow we will take our chapter test. 

This afternoon we had a beary special event. Our ABC Celebration called for the students to bring in a favorite stuffed friend. With our furry friends, we had a tea party complete with gummy bears, Teddy grahams, and iced tea. We all had lots of fun! 

Have a great night! 

Gifts of the Holy Spirit!

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

In Religion class today, we talked about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. We created a poster to help us remember them. 

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 r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear. Then, we learned how to blend and read words with a r-controlled syllable. Following that, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on our fluency and comprehension; this week we are focusing on author's purpose. We reviewed the three different reasons why an author writes a story. We then reread our story from yesterday 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 adverbs that tell how in sentences. We also wrote a narrative paragraph. I just loved reading them. They have grown so much in writing. They began barely able to write a sentence and now they are writing paragraphs! 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. The students did quite well reasoning what they know and what they needed to find out. 

For our ABC Celebration today, we had a special show and tell event. I loved seeing all of the special objects. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Fiesta Time!

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

In Religion class today, we began by reviewing the events of Pentecost. We talked about how the Apostles felt before the Holy Spirit came and how they felt after the Holy Spirit came. We then talked about the different symbols for the Holy Spirit. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about holidays. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (display, pride, design, purpose, represent). We then worked on retelling as we read about the American flag. Following that we learned how to blend and read words with -air, -are, and -ear. Next, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. We put all our new learning together as we read Share the Harvest and Give Thanks. We ended the morning learning about adverbs that tell how. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice adding and subtracting money amounts. We practiced selecting items from a picture and adding them to find the cost and subtracting to find the change. 

We ended our day with our fiesta! We had so much fun breaking open a pinata and getting sprinkled with confetti eggs. I just loved seeing their smiles. 

Have a great night! 

Crowning Mary!

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

In Religion class today, Fr. Brian came over and talked to the students about Baptism. We had a mock baptism as he explained using the holy oils, water, and words said during a Baptism. 

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 by partner reading a story in our decodable reader booklets. In addition, we read a nonfiction piece about origami and completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea. Finally, we took our weekly assessment and practiced using the pronouns I and me in sentences. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding and subtracting money amounts. We add when we want to find the total. We subtract when we need to find out how much change we are getting. 

This afternoon we attended our annual May Crowning. We honor Mary as our Mother. The second grade led us in this prayer service and looked beautiful and handsome in their First Communion attire. 

For our ABC Celebration today, the students got to ask me questions. Some of them were trivia and some were wanting to know about things I like. 

Have a marvelous night! 

Hawk Walk 2024!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! Today was an exciting day. It was our annual Hawk Walk Day! 

Before we participated in the festivities, we took our Spelling test, had our Math Meeting, and went to church. At Mass today, Fr. Brian reminded us about how Jesus is still present with us. 

Then, it was time for our Hawk Walk. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate this year, but that did not dampen our spirits. We took a walk around the school. We played games in the cafeteria, got tattoos, jumped in a bounce house, played games in the gym, and ate popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy. We had a great day! Thanks to all of the parents who helped make this day such a success. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms. Enjoy your day! 

Have a great weekend! 

Origami Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was a busy day in first grade. 

Today was Ascension Thursday, so we headed to church this morning. Today, Fr. Brian talked to us about Jesus still being here with us in the Eucharist. 

After Mass and a trip to the library, it was time to dive into Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with three letter blends, our sight words, and our vocabulary words. We also practiced spelling and reading words with inflectional endings. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we read Lissy's Friends. After reading the story, we wrote about its theme. Finally, we practiced using I and me in sentences. 

This afternoon we were treated to the annual 8th grade talent show. We enjoyed all of the skits and hard work put into making this show. 

After the show, we had Math class. Today, we practiced counting a collection of coins with friends. 

Finally, it was time for our ABC Celebration. Today, we learned about origami and made a dog by folding paper. We really enjoyed it! 

As promised, here are pictures of our caterpillars and butterflies we made in Art class. Enjoy! 

Please remember that our Hawk Walk is tomorrow. Pray for no rain! Have a great night! 

Special Science Class!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a nice day! 

In Religion class today, we talked about Pentecost. We learned that this is the day the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles. We learned that they heard a strong when, saw flames of fire above their heads, and were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

In Language Arts class, we practiced using our oral vocabulary words by answering questions with them. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read three letter blend words. Following that, we reviewed inflectional endings with three letter blend words. Then, we practiced using our sight words and vocabulary words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on comprehension; this week we are focusing on theme. We reread A Spring Birthday and wrote about its theme. We did the same as we read our decodable reader. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using I and me in sentences. We also wrote a narrative paragraph about a day we spent with our mom. 

In Math class today, we used our coins to show various money amounts. The students are getting really good at counting coins. 

We had a special Science class today. We started our unit on plants. We talked about the parts of plants and how seedlings have some characteristics of the adult plants. We used our detective eyes to match seedlings with adult plants. 

Have a great night! 

Music Day!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a great day! We were back to a normal day of learning in first grade. 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus' Ascension into Heaven and on his giving the Apostles their Great Commission. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about family traditions. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (effort, tradition, ancient, drama, and movement). We then worked on visualizing as we read about different ethnic dances. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with three letter blends. Then, we learned our new sight words and vocabulary words. After all that, it was time to put everything together; we read A Spring Birthday. After reading our story, we learned how to use I and me in sentences and wrote a narrative paragraph about our field trip yesterday. 

In Math class today, we learned how to count a collection of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. We used our coins in class to help us count. 

For our ABC Celebration today, Mr. Neff joined us with his guitar. We enjoyed singing songs with him. 

Have a great night! 

Field Trip Day!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! Today was an exciting day in first grade. It was Field Trip day! We took the learning outside the classroom walls! 

We headed to Discovery Space in State College for a day of hands-on learning. This science based children's museum was wonderful. The students got to build a roller coaster, create a tornado, dig for fossils, build Lego cars and race them, make music, and so much more. 

I loved watching the students problem solve and use their creativity today. I also loved seeing all of the smiles. It was a wonderful day. I'm sure they will sleep well tonight. 

Have a great night! 

Butterfly Art!

 Greetings! I hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start. We had a great day yesterday to wrap up another week of learning. 

At Mass, Fr. Brian talked to us about how we know that God truly exists. We also welcomed the four new priests to our diocese. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We participated in a write the room activity to review silent letter words. We also wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. Finally, we wrote a narrative paragraph about a day at recess. 

In Math class, we learned about the quarter. We practiced exchanging a quarter for different coins. 

In Science class, we talked about how the stars can guide us at night. We learned about the Big Dipper and how we can find the North Star if we find the Big Dipper. 

Finally, it was time for Art class. Today, we made a butterfly. We painted a paper towel roll for the middle. Then, we painted the wings of our butterfly. I'll post pictures next week. 

Have a great rest of your weekend! 

Coin Counters!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a great week. We sure are in first grade! 

In Religion today, we talked about how we can wait for Jesus' second coming. We talked about how we can be kind to others, pray, and attend Mass. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words and read silent letter words and compound words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about stormy weather; after reading that we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced finding special pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed how to count a collection of dimes, nickels, and pennies. The students completed a write the room activity where they walked around the room, found a card, and counted the coins on it. 

We finished our day with Social Studies. Today we talked about how goods get to market. We also talked about what laws are and who makes them. 

Thank you so much for sending in the jokes today. We have some future comedians! 

Have a great night! 

Ink Writing Day!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Happy May! It is hard to believe that we are entering the final month of the school year. Wow, did that go fast! 

In Religion class today, we talked about Jesus' Ascension into heaven. We talked about how he ascended both body and soul and how he promised to send the Holy Spirit to his Apostles. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with silent letters, compound words, and our sight words. We also learned about similes and wrote similes using the color of the rainbow. Then our focus switched to fluency and comprehension. We partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Rain School. After reading this story we wrote cause and effect examples from it. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced adding commas in a letter and identifying special pronouns. 

In Math class today, we used our coins to show various amounts. The students were given an amount and used their coins to show various ways on making it. 

Thank you for sending in the ink pens today. We had fun writing with them. Don't forget your joke for tomorrow. 

Have a wonderful night!