Trusting in Jesus!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a terrific day! The children were so excited to return to the playground for recess. It was really hard for them to come in. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus calmed the stormy sea. The Apostles trusted that Jesus would help them, and we, too, trust that Jesus will help us in our times of need. We made a poster to help us remember this. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, read r-controlled words and words with the inflectional ending -er. We also worked on our fluency and comprehension skills. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about the moon. After reading that piece, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing workshop that focused on main idea. Finally, we did some St. Patrick's Day writing. We wrote about the lucky charms in our life. I'll post pictures tomorrow. 

In Math class today, we measured various classroom objects using both paper clips and pennies. We loved screaming stop when the balance was level. 

Have a great night! 

Jesus Still Feeds Us!

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

In Religion class today we reviewed the miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and 2 fish. We created a basket to remind us that Jesus still feeds us today! 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read r-controlled er, ir, ur, and or words, read words with the ending -er, and read our sight words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Kitten's First Full Moon. After reading this story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on cause and effect. We really enjoyed reading today because we got to read with our flashlights! Reading is so much fun in the dark! 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced writing sentences with adjectives. Today, we rolled a die and wrote a sentence using the number we rolled. 

In Math class today, we again brought out the balance to measure objects. Today, we put an object on one side and added linking cubes to the other side to see how much the object weighed. The messy glue was the heaviest needing 79 cubes! 

Here are some pictures from our Art project last Friday and our Dr. Seuss projects from this week. Enjoy! 

Spring Fever!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! How many of us have spring fever tonight? 

We began our day by going 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 began by answering questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read r-controlled er, ir, ur, and or words. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the ending -er. After that we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Next, we learned our vocabulary words for the week: leaped and stretched. We wrote sentences using the words and talked about shades of meaning. We ended the morning focused on comprehension. We reread A Bird Named Fern. We then wrote about why this is a fantasy story and wrote cause and effect examples from the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using adjectives in sentences. 

In Math class today, we switched our focus on measurement to weight. We pulled out the balance to hep us. We weighed various classroom objects to see which ones were heavy and which ones were light. We had lots of fun doing this. 

We ended our day with some Dr. Seuss fun. Last week, we heard the story  One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Today, we did activities with goldfish crackers. We measured pictures of various fish using our crackers. We then created a fish using our handprint and measure our handprint using the goldfish crackers. We really enjoyed this! 

Have a great night! 

Fun with Adjectives!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! 

In Religion today, we started to learn about some of the miracles Jesus did. Today, we read the story of Jesus multiplying the five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5,000 people. We also talked about how Jesus still feeds us today in the Eucharist. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week, we are reading about things we see in the sky. We began by learning our five new oral vocabulary words (observe, vast, certain, remained, thoughtful). We then worked on making predictions as we read the folktale about why the sun and moon are in the sky. Next, we learned how to blend and read r-controlled -er, -ir, -ur, and -or words. Following that, we learned our new sight words (another, climb, full, great, poor, through). Finally, it was time to put everything together and read A Bird Named Fern. 

This afternoon we learned about adjectives, words that describe nouns. We looked at and tasted an apple to help us generate adjectives for that apple. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice measuring objects. We again used our linking cubes to help us measure pictures of Dr. Seuss characters. But, today, we added in using a ruler to help us measure. 

We ended our day by praying the Stations of the Cross. 

Have a good night! 

Glitter!

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

At Mass this morning, we remembered Sts. Felicity and Perpetua. Fr. Brian called us to have courage like these women did in living the Gospel. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We read r-controlled -ar words and spelled the plurals of words when the final y is changed to an i. We also wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we had fun with measurement. We used our linking cubes to measure different objects in the classroom. The students had so much fun walking around and measuring things. 

In Science class today, we learned about how shadows change over a day. That is because the sun moves causing shadows to shrink or even switch places. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made a rainbow coming out of a pot of gold. We used glitter to add to the gold coins. The students were very excited with the glitter. 

Have a great weekend! 

Ash Wednesday!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was a good day of learning in first grade. 

We began our day with Mass. Today was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us to spend the next 40 days praying, fasting, and helping others. The students were excited to receive ashes. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read r-controlled -ar words, spelled and read plurals where the y is changed to an i, and read our sight words. We also practiced using our vocabulary words in sentences. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read A Lost Button, which is from a Frog and Toad book. We loved this story. After reading it, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that focused on characterization. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced joining sentences together. We also wrote about what we would buy if we found a pot of gold. Finally, we created a treasure chest of r-controlled -ar words. 

In Math class today, we learned how to use a start line to organize objects. This helped us see which object was the shortest and which one was the longest. 

Just a reminder that the students do not have school tomorrow. We will see everyone on Friday! Have a great night! 

Picture Dump!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed the day today! It feels like spring is in the air! 

In Religion class today, we reviewed the Stations of the Cross. We also wrote a prayer that we can pray at home during Lent. 

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 and read r-controlled -ar words. Next, we learned how to spell and read plurals when the final y is changed to an i. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Following that, we learned our vocabulary words for the week: trouble and whole. We wrote sentences using those words. We finished the morning by focusing on our comprehension skills. We reread A Barn Full of Hats. We then wrote about the characters and what we learned about them. We also wrote about who the narrator is. 

This afternoon we practiced joining sentences using the words so and because. We also had some Dr. Seuss fun. We read The Foot Book and illustrated antonyms. 

In Math class today, we compared height and length between three people and objects. We used our linking cubes to identify the tallest and shortest in the group. We then found three objects in the classroom and identified the shortest and longest among those. 

Here are pictures from our Lenten writing project, our Cat in the Hat writing, and our robot art. Enjoy! 

Talk Like a Pirate Week!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! Happy March! It is hard to believe that we are beginning a new month. Where does the time go? 

In Religion class today, we continued our discussion on Lent. Today, we focused on the Stations of the Cross. We watched a Brother Francis video as he explained each station. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how we can sort different objects. We began by learning our five oral vocabulary words (classify, distinguish, entire, startled, and organize). We then worked on making predictions as we read the classic story "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Next, we learned how to blend and read r-controlled -ar words; this is where we said that we will be talking like a pirate this week. After that, we learned our new sight words for the week (four, large, none, only, put, round). Finally, we read A Barn Full of Hats which helped us practice reading r-controlled -ar words and our sight words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned how to combine sentences using the words and, but, and or. We also started our celebration of Dr. Seuss. We read the classics The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. Afterwards, we wrote about what happened when the Cat in the Hat came to our house. We added it to a craft. 

We began a new chapter in Math class today; this chapter focuses on measurement. Today, we looked at two objects and identified which one was taller and shorter and which one was longer or shorter. We had fun finding examples around the classroom and using our linking cubes to show this. 

Have a great night! 

The End of February!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great last day of February! 

At Mass this morning, we heard about being a good friend to all. We also said a special prayer as Mrs. McMullin prepares for the birth of her child. 

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. 

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

In Science class, we talked about shadows. We learned that shadows move because the sun moves. We used our flashlights to show this. The students rotated between stations and used their flashlights to show a paper gnome's shadow. We had lots of fun playing with our flashlights. 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we painted the robot we drew last week. We loved using our watercolor paints! 

Have a great weekend! 

Becoming Writers!

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

In Religion class today, we continued learning about Lent. We talked about who we can pray for during Lent, what we can give up, and ways we can show kindness this Lenten season. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary, read long e words and compound words, and practiced our sight words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a short nonfiction piece about saving bees. Finally, we practiced finding adverbs that tell why in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we wrote our very own how-to paragraph. The students wrote and illustrated the steps in the process of their choosing. They did a very nice job! 

In Math class today, we reviewed adding and subtracting with and without regrouping. We are ready for our chapter test tomorrow. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we talked about the difference between cities, towns, and rural areas. 

Have a great night! 

An Amazing Gorilla!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was a great day of learning in first grade! 

In Religion class, we began our study of Lent. We learned that Lent lasts for 40 days and that it is a time to grow closer to Jesus and become more like Jesus. We also talked about praying, fasting, and helping in Lent. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading long e words and compound words, and reviewed our sight words and vocabulary words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Koko and Penny, a nonfiction story about a woman working with a gorilla. The children were amazed at what Koko could do. After reading that story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on sequencing the order of which Koko learned things. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using adverbs that tell when in sentences. We also began preparing to write our very own how-to paper. We brainstormed a list of things we know how to do. Then, we picked the topic we liked best and illustrated the steps in that process. Tomorrow we will write our paper! 

In Math class today, we continued to practice solving word problems. We did better at listening to the word problem first which helped us decide whether we needed to add or subtract. 

Have a great night! 

Learning to Solve Word Problems!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is doing well and is enjoying this last week of February. 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus teaching the people the Good News. We reviewed how he went from town to town telling the people how God loves them. We also reviewed how we can love God, love others, and love ourselves. 

We are continuing with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read long e words spelled with -ey or -y. Following that, we learned how to blend and read compound words. Next, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. After that, we learned our two vocabulary words for the week: clever and signal. We wrote sentences using the words. Finally, we focused on building our comprehension skills. We reread From Puppy to Guide Dog. After reading the story, we wrote what we learned from the captions. We also sequenced how a puppy becomes a guide dog. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about adverbs that tell when. We practiced finding the 'when' word in sentences. We also wrote the steps in making a pizza. 

In Math class today, we worked on solving word problems. We are still working on knowing whether we need to add or subtract to solve the problem. 

Have a great night! 

The Great Commandment

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone is doing well and is enjoying the break from the cold weather. 

In Religion class today, we learned the Great Commandment. We learned that we need to love God, love others, and love ourselves. We created a giant heart to help us remember this commandment. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; we will be reading about how animals help people. We began by learning five new oral vocabulary words (career, soothe, advice, remarkable, trust). We then learned how to blend and read long e words spelled with -ey or -y. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words (found, hard, near, woman, would, write). 

This afternoon, we put our new skills to work as we read From Puppy to Guide Dog. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving word problems. We first decided whether we needed to add our subtract. We then recalled how to add or subtract with and without regrouping to solve the problem. 

Have a great night! 

Dental Health Month!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone is doing well. I don't know about you, but that cold just went right through me today. I am looking forward to a warm spring day! 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us to pick up our crosses and carry them. When we feel like we are falling, he reminded us to turn to Jesus. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read vowel team i words and words with inflected ending, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. To build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a short nonfiction piece about insects. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice subtraction. Today, we solved problems with and without regrouping. Our key is to pay attention to the ones and not get into the habitat of automatically regrouping. 

Our Science class was messy today. We talked about our teeth and what we need to do in order to keep them healthy. We talked about brushing them twice a day, flossing daily, and eating healthy foods. The students then got to work cleaning a dirty tooth (a hard boiled egg soaked in Coke Cola). Using toothpaste and a toothbrush, they made those teeth pearly white again. 

We ended our day with Art class. We did not get to finish our project. We completed a directive drawing on how to draw a robot. Next week, we will use water color paint to color our robot. 

Have a great weekend! 

Celebrating George Washington!

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

In Religion class today, we talked about how the Bible is the book authored by God. We talked about how it has two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. We also talked about how it contains the Good News. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary, practiced reading long vowel i team words, spelled and read words with inflected endings when the final y is changed, practiced using our vocabulary words in sentences, and read our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets along with Hi! Fly Guy. The students loved this story! After reading it, we completed pages in our close reading companion that focused on how the characters felt during the story. Finally, we practiced using the verbs see and saw in sentences. 

In Math class today, we practiced subtraction with regrouping. We are doing well knowing when to regroup. We are still working on regrouping the ten to add 10 ones. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we learned about George Washington. The students loved the fact that he had no teeth! 

Have a great night! 

The Beatitudes!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is staying warm. Keep thinking warm thoughts! 

In Religion class today, we learned the Beatitudes. We talked about what Jesus meant by each one and how we are called to follow the Beatitudes. We created a poster to help us remember them.

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by wrapping up a few things from last week. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a poem and completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that focused on finding details in the poem. After wrapping that up, we jumped back into our current week of learning. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then used our letter tiles to spell and read words with vowel team i. Next, we reviewed adding endings onto words where the final y is changed to an i. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. After that, we learned our new vocabulary words (beautiful and fancy) and wrote sentences using them. We ended our morning by focusing on comprehension. We reread Creep Low, Fly High. After reading the story, we wrote about problems Caterpillar had and how he solved them. We also identified the narrator in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using the verbs see and saw in sentences. We also wrote about what we would do if we were president. We added our writing to a craft. 

In Math class today, we learned how to subtract with regrouping. The key is to pay attention to the ones and see where the bigger number is. We learned that if the bigger number is on the bottom, we need to regroup. We take a ten and add it to the ones and then subtract. Once we got the hang of regrouping, we enjoyed solving the problems. 

Have a great night! 

Spring is Coming!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a nice long weekend! I also hope everyone is staying warm. Spring is coming in 30 days! 

Because of the cold weather, we had a late start today. But, we still were able to learn a lot in the time that we had. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about insects. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (flutter, different, resemble, protect, and imitate). Next, we worked on retelling facts as we read about how insects hide in order to stay safe. Following that, we learned how to read vowel team i words, words with i (find), y (cry), igh (sigh and night), and ie (pie). 

This afternoon we learned our new sight words (caught, flew, know, laugh, listen, were). We then put our new skills to work as we read Creep Low, Fly High. We ended our day by learning when to use the verbs see and saw in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed subtracting without regrouping. Tomorrow, we will learn how to subtract with regrouping. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Greetings! Happy Valentine's Day! We were really excited to celebrate Valentine's Day today. That two hour delay did not stop us! 

We were able to wrap up our week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences and read words with the vowel team o and words with open syllables. We also wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice solving subtraction problems without regrouping. The students are doing very well adjusting from addition to subtraction. 

After all of our work, it was time to celebrate! Our activities centered around candy hearts. We used candy hearts to measure arrows. We graphed our candy hearts and answered questions about our graph. Finally, we used our candy hearts to play BINGO. After all of our games and activities, we passed out our Valentine's. We were really excited to share cards with each other. Here's a picture of a graph! 

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Tuesday! 

A Short But Busy Day!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Yes, today was a short day. However, it was filled with learning! 

In Religion class, we talked about how Jesus shared the Good News with everyone. He told everyone how much God loves us. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the vowel teams o and words with open syllables. We also practiced our sight words and practiced using our vocabulary words in sentences. To help build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Vulture View, a nonfiction story about how vultures find food. The students really enjoyed this story. After reading the story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced using the verbs go, went, do, and did in sentences. 

In Math class today, we learned how to subtract without regrouping. We are doing very well at beginning with the ones. The key for us is to remember that we are subtracting now. 

Here are pictures from last Friday's Art class along with our Valentine writing we did this week. 

I hope everyone made it home safely. Just a reminder that our Valentine's Day party is tomorrow! Have a great night! 

Celebrating Abraham Lincoln!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Today was another fun-filled day in first grade! 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus beginning his public ministry. We reviewed how Jesus went from town to town teaching people about God and how Jesus called 12 men to be his Apostles. 

We continued with our learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the vowel team o. After that, we learned how to blend and read words with open syllables, words like taken, silent, and locate. Then, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Following that, we learned our two vocabulary words for the week: search and seek; we wrote sentences using those words. Finally, we focused on building our comprehension skills. This week we are focusing on main idea and key details. We reread Go Wild and wrote about its main idea and the details in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using go, went, do, and did in sentences. We also created our bags to put our Valentines' in. Finally, we celebrated Abraham Lincoln by creating a picture of him and attaching a book of facts about him. We really enjoyed the fact that he put important papers in his top hat. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding three one-digit numbers. We also began exploring how to subtract two two-digit numbers. 

Have a great night! 

Superbowl Monday!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! The students were so excited to talk about the Superbowl today. It was fun hearing their perspective on the game. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how we are called to be Apostles by listening to our parents and by being kind and nice to everyone we meet. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about how animals survive in nature. We began by learning our oral vocabulary words (survive, provide, communicate, wilderness, and superior). Next we worked on retelling as we listened to a story about how animals survive in winter. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the vowel team of o: o, oa, ow, and oe. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words (find, food, more, over, start, warm). 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we read Go Wild, a nonfiction story about how animals survive in the wild; the students loved reading about all of the animals. After that, we learned how to use the verbs go, went, do, and did in sentences. 

In Math class today, we learned how to add three one-digit numbers. The students loved doing this and called it the best Math class ever! 

Have a wonderful night! 

Two Art Projects!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice day to end the week! We were so close to having a normal week! Maybe next week . . . 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us to always be humble in all that we do. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with the long e vowel teams and read and defined words with prefixes. We also wrote sentences using our sight words, took our weekly assessment, and practiced using the verbs has and have in sentences. Finally, we worked on our fluency and comprehension. We read a short nonfiction piece about bees. After reading the story, we wrote details about what job each bee has in the hive. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding with and without regrouping. I am so proud that the students take their time when adding. They are doing very well in knowing when to regroup and when not to regroup. 

In Science class today, we talked about how sounds and lights can be used to send signals. We played a small version of Red Light/Green Light. We also had to listen to various sound clips to decide what was making that sound and what that sound could mean. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we completed two art projects. First, we painted a heart stained glass. Second, we made a mouse using hearts. The students did a very good job at listening while completing both projects. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Lovely Writing!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! This has been such a great week of learning in first grade. It has been nice to be back into our routine. Unfortunately, that will not last. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus called the 12 Apostles to be his close friends, to learn from him, and eventually to be the leader of the church. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with long e vowel teams and with prefixes, and practiced our sight words and vocabulary words. To build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Animal Teams. After reading this story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on main idea and key details. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using the verbs has and have in sentences. We also practiced writing sentences with capital letters and punctuation marks. In addition, we wrote about someone we love and why we love that person. Here is that writing: 

In Math class, we continued to solve addition problems that require regrouping. The students are doing very well with regrouping. They enjoy solving the problems. 

As promised, here is a picture of our polar bear art from a few Fridays ago. They make our classroom quite bright and cheerful. I love them! 

Have a great night! Be safe! 

Celebrating Groundhog Day!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone got to enjoy the weather yesterday. It brought so much hope that maybe we have turned the corner. But, with the upcoming forecast, I'm not so sure now. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus blessed the children. We talked about how Jesus wanted the children to come to him and was not happy when the Apostles tried to stop them. 

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 and read words with the long e vowel teams. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the prefixes un-, re-, and pre-; we also learned how define these words. Next, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. After that, we learned our two vocabulary words for the week (danger, partner). We wrapped up our morning focusing on building our comprehension skills; this week our skill is main idea and key details. We reread A Team of Fish and wrote about its main idea and the details in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using the verbs has and have in sentences. We also finished our groundhog writing project from yesterday. They turned out cute. 

In Math class, we learned how to add with regrouping. We began by using a base ten blocks to help us see when we need to regroup (when the ones value is 10 or more). As we got more comfortable with regrouping, we switched to our whiteboards. They key for us is to remember to add the ones first. 

Here is a picture from our 100th day writing project last week. 

Have a great night! 

Hello February!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! Happy February! We have made it through January! Even though February is the shortest month of the year, it is a month jammed packed with learning and fun. 

In Religion class today, we learned why Jesus is called Rabbi - because he went from town to town teaching people about God. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how animals help each other. We began by learning five new oral vocabulary words (behavior, beneficial, dominant, endangered, and instinct). Next, we learned how to blend and read words with long e vowel teams, words spelled with e, ee, ea, and ie. We wrapped up the morning by learning our new sight words (because, blue, into, or, other, small). 

This afternoon in Language Arts we read A Team of Fish which helped us practice reading long e vowel team words and our sight words in sentences. We also learned when to use has and have in sentences. Finally, in honor of Groundhog's Day, we wrote facts about groundhogs. We will be adding our writing to a craft tomorrow. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice adding two two-digit numbers without regrouping. I am quite pleased at how well the students are doing. We will be adding with regrouping tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

Happy 100th Day of School!

 Greetings! Happy 100th Day of School! It is hard to believe that we are already celebrating 100 days of learning. It feels like we just begun! 

Before our big celebration, we had some learning to do. 

We began our day at Mass with our Faith Families. After Mass, we were treated to hot chocolate and Oreos. What a great way to end our Catholic Schools Week celebration. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice adding two two-digit numbers. We are getting better at this. 

In Science class, we learned about how light is used to send signals. We used flashlights and colors to tell a partner what action to do. Thank you for sending in flashlights to help with this activity! 

After lunch and recess, it was time to celebrate! We colored a candy jar filled with 100 marbles. The best part is that we got to use markers to do this. 

Next, we worked in groups to make designs using 100 objects. We made designs using 100 cups, 100 pattern blocks, 100 connecting wheels, and 100 wooden blocks. Here are some of our designs.

 

Finally, we created a self portrait of us at 100 years old. The students loved crinkling the paper to give themselves wrinkles. After creating our portrait, we wrote about something we would do when we are 100 years old. 

And, of course, we could not forget about Sunday: Groundhog Day! We each made a prediction of whether or not Phil will see his shadow. We are spilt between early spring and 6 more weeks of winter. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

On the 99th Day Of School!

 Greetings! Today was another great day in first grade. The excitement is building for tomorrow as we get ready to celebrate the 100th day of school. As one student said, he was not going to be able to sleep tonight! 

In Religion today, we wrapped up our chapter on the life of young Jesus. Next week, we will begin to learn about Jesus' public ministry. 

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. 

In Math class today, we learned how to add two two-digit numbers without regrouping. We learned to add the ones first and then the tens. We will continue to practice this tomorrow. 

This afternoon was tons of fun. We made crowns and necklaces for tomorrow. We also watched The Peanuts Movie. It was a great celebration today. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Student Appreciation Day!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a great day! The students really enjoyed their day! 

In Religion class, we talked about how Jesus obeyed his parents. We talked about how we can obey our parents as well. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, read long a words, put words into ABC order, and reviewed all of the sight words we learned this year. We also spent time working on our fluency and comprehension. We partner read our story from yesterday along with reading a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about animals moving fast. After reading that story we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced using was and were in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on writing. We wrote about why our snowman melted and added it to a craft. 

In Math class today we took our test on the calendar and time. Tomorrow we will begin adding two digit numbers without regrouping. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Let's Go Bucs!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Today was an exciting day at Holy Name as we welcomed Neil Walker to the school. We were able to take a class picture with him and receive an autograph. We were very excited to meet this former Pittsburgh Pirate and see how his faith helped him in his career. 

Despite all of the excitement surrounding the day, we were able to focus and had a great day of learning. 

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

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We also read long a words spelled with ai and ay. In addition, we practiced putting words into ABC order. We worked on our fluency as we read a story in our decodable reader booklets. Along with that, we practiced reading our sight words and practiced using our vocabulary words in sentences. 

This afternoon we read Little Rabbit. After reading the story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that focused on sequencing the events in the story. 

In Math class today, we reviewed what we learned about the calendar and time. We will be taking our chapter test tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Catholic School's Week!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! Our Catholic School's Week Celebration is off to a great start! 

This morning we gathered for a prayer service honoring Fr. Brian, Deacon Condor, Deacon Conner, and Sr. Margie. We thank God for their call to serve and for all they do for us. We pray that we may be open to what God is calling us to do in our lives. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned last week by answering questions using the words. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read vowel team words spelled with ai and ay. Then, we learned how to put words into ABC order when they all start with the same letter; we learned that we focus on the second letter to help us put them in order. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Beginning this week, we will be learning two vocabulary words. This week we are focusing on the words special and splendid. Today we wrote sentences using these words. We ended our morning by focusing on our comprehension; this week we are practicing sequencing. We reread Snail and Frog Race. After reading the story, we sequenced the events in it. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using the verbs was and were in sentences. We also wrote the steps in brushing our teeth. 

In Math class today, we practiced telling time to the half hour. The students worked with a partner to match the time on a clock to the digital time. 

Have a great night! 

Polar Bear Art!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! It is hard to believe that the week is over. We were just getting started! 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us to love one another. He also reminded us to show our love to our greatest friend, Jesus! 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We practiced reading long a words with the vowel teams ai and ay. We also learned our new sight words for the week (about, animal, carry, eight, give, our). In addition, we practiced our new skills as we read Frog and Snail Race. Finally, we learned how to use was and were in sentences. 

In Math class, we learned how to tell time to the half hour. We know that we must pay attention to where the minute hand is pointing. We must also look carefully to see which hour has past in telling time. The students really enjoyed using the small clocks to show time. 

In Science class, we talked about how light helps us. We did an experiment trying to read a message in a dark box. We realized that we needed light to help us read it. We then spent time identifying all things that give us light. 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we made a picture of a polar bear. Yesterday, we painted the background. Today, we added the polar bear and painted snowflakes. They turned out great! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

We're Back!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Boy, it was nice to be back in the classroom today. I missed seeing the children and working with them. Thank you again for everything these past two days. 

It was a crazy day back. We helped film the upcoming Proclaim episode about Catholic School's Week. The children were so good at being quiet for so long. Although we had that interruption, we were able to resume our learning. 

In Religion class we talked about what life was like for the Holy Family in Nazareth. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how animals use different body parts to help them survive. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (feature, appearance, determined, predicament, relief). We then worked on rereading for details as we heard the folktale of how elephant's got their trunks. Next, we learned about the vowel teams ai and ay. We learned that both make the long a sound. We practiced reading words and phrases with ai and ay. 

In Math class today, we reviewed telling time to the hour. The students did very well with this. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we reviewed the seasons. The students illustrated pictures showing something they do in each season. 

Have a great night! 

March of the Penguins!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! Today was a great day to end another week of learning in first grade! 

At Mass this morning, we heard the story of Jesus healing the paralytic man. Fr. Brian reminded us that he can always turn to Jesus when we need healing. 

We finished 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. Yesterday, we learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, we talked about our dreams for the world. We wrote about our dreams and added it to a craft. 

We also wrapped up our week of penguin learning. Today, we wrote about something we would do if we were a penguin. We added that writing to a craft as well. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on calendar and time. Today we reviewed the days of the week, months of the year, and practiced finding a date from a given date. 

In Science class we talked about light. We learned the words opaque (can't see through), translucent (can kind of see through), and transparent (can see through). We sorted objects based on these words. We also created a picture using tissue paper. We hung them on the window to see if light could easily pass through it). 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we made penguins. Thank you for sending in the bottles. We had lots of fun making these adorable penguins. 

Have a great weekend! Stay warm! 

An Early Night!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone made it home safely. Today was our first weather related early dismissal in years. These days are usually crazy, but not today. The students stayed focused, and we were able to accomplish a lot today. 

In Religion class, we talked about how Joseph was the protector of Mary and Jesus. We also talked about how Jesus would help Joseph in his shop.

In Language Arts, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We also read oo and u words along with words with inflectional endings. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reading books. We also read a nonfiction story about the five food groups. Finally, we practiced writing contractions with not. 

In Math class, we took our chapter test on the numbers to 40. Next, we will focus on the calendar and telling time. 

In Social Studies, we learned about Martin Luther King, Jr. We will be completing an activity about him tomorrow. We ran out of time today! 

Have a great night! 

Warming Up with Learning!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! It was another cold day outside. But inside, we warmed up with lots of learning. 

In Religion class, we talked about how Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple. We also talked about how they fled to Egypt to escape Herod's persecutions. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with oo and u, spelled and read words with inflected endings when the final letter is doubled, and read our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about getting milk. After reading that story, we sequenced the process. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced writing contractions correctly. 

In Math class today, we reviewed the concepts we learned with the numbers to 40. We will be taking our chapter test tomorrow. 

We ended our day with some penguin learning fun. Today, we talked about the life cycle of a penguin. We watched videos showing a chick hatching and the mother penguin finding her baby. 

Here is a picture from our Art project on Friday. 

Have a great and warm night!  

It's a Cold One!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is staying warm this week! 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapters on the Christmas story. Next, we will learn about young Jesus' life. 

We continued with our week of learning in first grade. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and by learning three new words (enormous, responsibility, and delighted). Next, we worked on rereading for to find details as we read a folktale about a little red hen. Then, we used our letter tiles to spell and read oo and u words. Following that, we learned how to spell and read words with inflected endings when the final letter is doubled. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on building our comprehension. We reread A Look at Breakfast. After reading the story, we wrote facts that we learned and sequenced the steps in making orange juice. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced writing contractions with not. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We wrote sentences describing a pattern. We solved for missing numbers and created a pattern with numbers that were in random order. 

We ended our day with some penguin learning. Today, we learned how the different parts of a penguin help it survive. We also learned where different types of penguins live. 

Have a great night! 

Penguin Week!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone is doing well and had a fabulous weekend! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how we can give Jesus gifts by praying to him and by doing kind works for others. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about how we get our food. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (delicious and nutritious). We then worked on rereading as we read Where Does Our Food Come From?. After that, we learned how to blend and read words with oo and u, words like book, hood, pull, and full. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words (after, buy, done, every, soon, work). 

This afternoon in Language Arts put our new skills to work as we read A Look at Breakfast. We then reviewed how to write contractions with not. 

In Math class today, we continued working with number patterns. The key for us is to take our time to find the pattern before writing the missing numbers. 

Today began our Penguin Week in first grade. Each day this week, we will learn about penguins. Today, we learned that penguins are birds because they have beaks, wings, and feathers. 

Have a great night! 

Snowman Art!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end the first full week of 2025! 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us of God's healing touch. He reminded us to turn to God when we need help and to pray for those who need help. 

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 review reading long vowel words and CVCe syllable words, we played "Stinky Foot". The students had to clean the foot by reading and erasing the words on it. They had lots of fun with this activity. 

In Math class today, we worked with number patterns. Using our number chart to 40, we practiced filling in the missing numbers in a pattern. 

In Science class today, we talked about how sounds are all around us. We used a string to make sounds by plucking it and watching it vibrate. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made a snowman looking out a window. We got to use our messy glue and paint! I'll post pictures next week once everything dries. 

And, last but not least, here are pictures from last Friday's snowflake art along with the trees we painted in Social Studies class yesterday. 

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm! 

Staying Warm with Learning!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is doing well. 

In Religion class today, we talked about gifts we can give to Jesus. We said that our gifts can include being nice to others and doing chores at home. 

In Language Arts, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We then spelled and read long vowel words and CVCe syllable words. Following that we worked on our fluency as we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a short nonfiction piece about the history of transportation; after reading that story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that helped us sequence the transportation inventions. Finally, we reviewed using the verbs is and are in sentences. 

In Math class today, we compared numbers. We used the symbols < and >; the students had fun drawing the 'alligator' mouths. We also ordered numbers from least to greatest and from greatest to least. Then, for some review fun, the students selected two numbers, used tens and ones to show the numbers, then compared the numbers. Here are some results: 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we talked about the seasons and the weather in each season. We used paint to show how trees look in each season. 

Here is a picture from our winter writing we did earlier this week. 

Have a good night! Stay warm! 

Life Today and Life Long Ago!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is staying warm. Winter has returned this year! 

In Religion class today we talked about how we can visit Jesus just like the wise men did. We talked about how when we go to church, when we go to Adoration, and when we find quiet time at home to pray we spend time with Jesus. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read long vowels words, CVCe syllable words, and our sight words. We then spent time building our fluency and comprehension skills. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Long Ago and Now. After reading that story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that had us compare and contrast things from long ago and today. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using the verbs is and are in sentences. We also wrote the final steps in how to build a snowman. 

In Math class today, we practiced finding 2 more, 3 more, 2 less, and 3 less from a given number. We used a number chart to help us solve the problems. 

Have a great night! 

Snow Days!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is doing well and staying warm. The children are so enjoying playing in the snow! 

We began our day by going to Adoration. We spent some quiet time with Jesus praying for others and asking Jesus to help us have a good day of learning. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned last week and then learned three new words (entertainment, future, and present). Next, we worked on retelling as we read a story about pioneers. After that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read long vowel words. Following that, we learned how to read multi-syllabic words that have a long vowel. Then, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended the morning focusing on building our comprehension; this week we are comparing and contrasting. We reread Life Long Ago and compared and contrasted life today to life long ago. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using the verbs is and are in sentences. We also focused on writing. We wrote the first two steps in building a snowman. We also wrote about what we like to do on a cold day. 

In Math class today, we reviewed place value. We also compared sets of objects. We identified which set had more and how much more. 

Have a great night! 

Snowflake Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone made it home safely today. It was quite a snowy ride home. 

At Mass today, we celebrated the feast day for the most Holy Name of Jesus. We were reminded to always use Jesus' name with reverence and respect. 

In Language Arts, we partner read Life at Home. We also learned how to use the verbs is and are in sentences. Finally, we wrote about something we hope to do this year. 

In Math class, we continued practicing counting to 40. We did a write the room activity. Students looked at pictures of numbers and wrote the number for what they saw. 

In Science class, we talked about how vibrations make sounds. We then became sound effect experts as we used our hands and feet to make noise for a thunderstorm. We also used rulers to make a boing sound for a bouncy ball. 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we painted a piece of white construction paper with a snowflake made of painter's tape on it. Once the paint dries, we will remove the tape which will leave behind a beautiful snowflake. The students had tons of fun painting. I will post pictures of the finished product next week. 

Have a great weekend!