6 7

 Greetings! Today was an exciting day in first grade: it was the 67th day of the school year. The kids loved saying 6 7 all day. Even Jingles got into the spirit. 

In Religion class today, we learned about St. Nicholas. We watched a video to learn about him and then talked about how we can be like him by trusting in God, praying, and being kind to others. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words by answering questions using the words. We then practiced reading long i words, plural words, and our sight words. After that, we read the play The Big Yuca Plant. The students really enjoyed having a part in the play. After reading the play, we answered some comprehension questions about why the characters did what they did. Finally, we practiced using present tense verbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we learned how to solve comparison problems by adding. We focused on understanding what the problem told us which helped us decide if we need to add or subtract. 

In Social Studies class today, we finished our Junior Achievement lessons. Today, we focused on how entrepreneurs advertise their business. We colored an advertisement for a new business. 

Have a great night! 

Welcome December!

 Greetings! Happy December! Where did November go? 

It was nice to be back with the students today. They did seem to enjoy the snow yesterday. I love their excitement with it. I wish I felt the same way they do when I see snow. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would be the mother of Jesus and how Mary said yes to God. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned last week and by learning three new words (assist, grasped, spied). Then we worked on predicting as we read a folktale. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read long i words. Following that, we learned how to make magic e words plurals; we practiced spelling and reading the words. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focused on comprehension. We reread the play Time to Plant. We then wrote about how the characters felt in the story and sequenced the events in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced writing sentences using present tense verbs. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving subtraction word problems. We identified the whole and one part. We then wrote subtraction sentences to find the other part. 

We had a special visitor join our classroom today. Our elf, Jingles, has made his way back to Room 101. Today, we has hanging on the whiteboard. I think he missed us yesterday. 

We ended our day with some Christmas fun. The students decorated the classroom Christmas tree and helped put out the manger. They did a great job of spreading the ornaments around the tree. Our room is looking quite festive. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Greetings! Today was a great last day of school before Thanksgiving break. 

In Religion class today, we made an Advent wreath. The children brought home paper flames to add to their wreath during each week of Advent. May you all have a blessed Advent as we prepare to welcome Jesus at Christmas. 

We spent the rest of the morning celebrating Thanksgiving. Today, we talked about an American tradition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We read Balloons Over Broadway which tells the story about the man who made the first balloons for the parade. Then, we got to design our own balloon. We did a small version and wrote about. Then, we did a big version and paraded around the classroom. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving! See you on Tuesday! 

A Peanuts Thanksgiving!

 Greetings! Today was an exciting day in first grade. We are really getting excited about Thanksgiving! 

In Religion class today, we continued our study on Advent. Today, we completed a story book learning how Advent is a time of waiting. We are waiting and preparing our hearts for Jesus. 

We began Language Arts class by learning our new sight words: green, grow, pretty, should, together, water. Next, we read Time to Plant. We really enjoyed this story because it is a play. We enjoyed playing the different characters in it. Finally, we talked about present tense verbs and practiced using them in sentences. 

In Math class, we practiced solving addition word problems where we were given the two parts and we had to add to find the whole. We did quite well solving these problems. 

This afternoon we had a Thanksgiving feast: Peanut style. We began by watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Then we had our feast which consisted of toast, pretzels, jelly beans, and popcorn. Needless to say, we really enjoyed it. 

Have a great night! 

Thanksgiving Week!

 Greetings! Happy Thanksgiving Week in first grade. We are getting excited for our turkey on Thursday! 

In Religion class today, we started learning about Advent. We learned that Advent is a time to get ready for Jesus. We also talked about the Advent wreath. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about plants. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (bloom and sprout). Then we worked on making predictions as we read Mystery Vine. After that, we learned how to blend and read long i words. 

Then, it was time to do some Thanksgiving learning. Today we focused on the first Thanksgiving. We learned that the first Thanksgiving lasted 3 days and that the Pilgrims and Indians ate food, sang, and danced. 

We also wrote about what we love to eat on Thanksgiving. We added our writing to a craft. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on solving word problems. The key is to pay attention to what we learn in the word problem. 

Here is a picture of the Indian corn we painted on Friday. 

Have a great night! 

Painting Corn!

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

At Mass this morning, we celebrated the feast of the presentation of Mary. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long a words and contractions, and wrote sentences using 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 different ways to tell time. Finally, we took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we learned a strategy that we can use to solve problems. Today, we made lists to help us solve the problems. 

In Social Studies today, we continued to learn about Thanksgiving. Today, we focused on the Native Americans and what daily life was like for them. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we painted flint, or Indian, corn using Q-tips. We will put them together on Monday once our paint has dried. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Applying in Math!

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

In Religion class today we talked about how Mary was born without original sin and was born with grace. We also practiced praying the Hail Mary. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. We also practiced reading long a words, contractions with not, and our sight words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read On My Way to School. After reading the story, we answered questions that focused on the events in the story. Finally, we practiced finding verbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on adding and subtracting within 20. I am so proud of how the students thought about how to solve the problems today. They really applied what they have learned. 

Have a great night! 

Pilgrim, Pilgrim!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is enjoying this last full week before Thanksgiving. 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on the prophets. We reviewed the stories of Moses and John the Baptist. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words we learned on Monday and then learned three new words (occasion, weekend, calendar). Then, we worked on making predictions as we read about different ways to measure time. We ended the morning by practicing reading long a words. We used our letter tiles to spell and read long a words. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we learned how to read and spell contractions with not. We also practiced using our sight words in sentences. Next, we focused on our comprehension skills. We reread Nate the Snake is Late. After reading it, we talked about who was telling the story and sequenced the events in the story. Finally, we practiced identifying the verbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. The students were able to read a math problem and write the number sentence that helped solve the problem. 

This morning, we welcomed Adaigo Health. They talked to us about why athletes don't smoke or vape. 

Yesterday, we learned about the Pilgrims. Today, we finished our Pilgrim craft by writing about what we would do if we were a Pilgrim. 

Have a great night! 

Go Red Flash!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Today was a very exciting day in first grade! 

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

When we returned to the school, it was time to board the buses and head to St. Francis to see the women's basketball game. It did not take us long to get into the spirit. We were soon yelling and cheering on the Lady Red Flash. We really enjoyed the game even though the home team came up short. 

When we returned to the school, it was time to continue our Thanksgiving learning. Today we focused on the Pilgrims. We learned how the Pilgrims had to build their houses, work in the fields, cook over open fire, and the games they played. We created a flipbook with what we learned and are working on a Pilgrim writing project that we will finish tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

Mayflower!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great day to start the week. 

In Religion class, we talked about John the Baptist being the last prophet. We learned that he baptized people as they showed they were sorry for their sins. We also talked about he told the people to get ready because the Savior was coming very soon. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about time. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (immediately and schedule). Next, we worked on retelling as we read A Second is a Hiccup. Following that, we learned how to blend and read long a words. We know that the magic e at the end makes the a say its name. After that we learned our new sight words (away, now, some, today, way, why). We ended our morning reading Nate the Snake is Late which helped us practice reading long a words and our sight words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about verbs. We began by showing different action verbs in action. Then we practiced finding verbs in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed adding and subtracting within 20. We used some critical thinking skills to help us solve problems. 

This week we will begin our unit on the First Thanksgiving. Today, we learned that the Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower. We watched a video about the voyage, wrote facts about what we learned, and created a Mayflower sailing on water. 

Here are pictures of our Mayflower project along with our Pete the Cat Art project from Friday. 

Have a good night!  

Pilgrim Pete

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone enjoyed their short week of school. Today was a busy day to end the week. 

At Mass this morning, we welcomed Fr. Timothy Fariss. He talked to us about God's mercy. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, played Memory to review words with digraphs, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we reviewed subtracting within 20. We did another write the room activity which is a favorite for the students. Today, they walked around the room, copied subtraction problems, and then solved them. 

In Science class today, we talked about how sounds are made when something vibrates. We looked at various instruments to see what vibrates and causes the sounds. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made a Pilgrim Pete the Cat. They turned out cute. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Thanksgiving Lunch!

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

In Religion class today, we continued to learn about Moses. We talked about how God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. We also talked about how God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with the digraphs ch, tch, wh, and ph and words with the ending -es. We also spent time working on our fluency. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and read a short story about map directions. Finally, we practiced writing irregular plural nouns. 

In Math class today, we wrote fact families to help us solve subtraction sentences. I was quite pleased that we remember how to write fact families. 

In Social Studies class today, we talked about different jobs people have in our community. We played a version of Head Bands. Students had to guess what job others were describing without looking at the picture. We had lots of fun with this! 

The highlight of our day was our Thanksgiving lunch. We enjoyed eating turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes with our friends and watching the fifth grade play. 

Have a great night! 

Making Sounds!

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

 In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Noah and Abraham. We also talked about what prophets were.

 We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words and learned three new words (height, model, separate). Then we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with digraphs. Following that, we learned how to spell and read words with the inflectional ending –es. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focusing on comprehension. We reread Which Way on the Map and wrote about what we learned from the map along with its main idea and key details.

 This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about irregular plural words, words like men, women, children, and people. We sorted words based on whether they were singular or plural.

 In Math class, we switched our focus to subtraction. Today, we learned how to subtract by subtracting ones.

 In Science class, we learned that sounds are made when something vibrates. We practiced making sounds of a thunderstorm and bouncy ball.

 Have a great night!

Emotions

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the first full week of November. 

In Religion class today, we talked about emotions. We talked about different emotions we have and how these emotions affect our bodies. We talked about what to say and do when someone does something that makes us feel uncomfortable. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about maps. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words locate and route. Then, we worked on retelling as we read Me on the Map. Following that we learned how to blend and read words with the digraphs ch, tch, wh, and ph, words like chat, pitch, when, and graph. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words: around, by, many, place, walk. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we read Which Way on the Map. We got to practice using our new phonics skills and got to read our sight words in sentences. 

In Math class today, we reviewed addition to 20. We did a write the room activity. Students walked around, found a math problem, copied it, and then solved it. They love doing these things. 

In Music class today, we learned the refrain to "God Has Made Us a Family". 

Have a great night! 

The Stories of Abraham!

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

In Religion class today we reviewed the story of Abraham. We colored a giant three illustrating the three parts to his story. 

We wrapped up a week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng and read closed syllable words like rabbit and dentist. We wrote sentences using our sight words, took our weekly assessment, and wrote proper nouns using capital letters. Finally, to build our fluency and comprehension skills we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we wrote about why veterans are our heroes and added it to a craft. 

In Math class today, we learned how to add three one-digit numbers. We learned to first add two numbers and then add the third number. 

Have a great night! 

Honoring the Saints!

 Greetings! Happy November! November is a short month but filled with lots of activities. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Abraham was tested by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. We talked about how Abraham was obedient to God and how God kept Isaac safe. 

In Language Arts today, we reviewed common and proper nouns by completing a noun sort. 

In Math class, we learned the doubles plus 1 facts. We talked about how we can double the smaller number and add 1 to find the answer. 

Our afternoon was devoted to our All Saints' Day Prayer service. Today we remembered our baptismal call. The children were so excited to dress as saints and let everyone see them. The eighth grade students did a wonderful job researching the saints and writing a short biography on each one. Thank you to all the parents and grandparents who helped assemble the costumes. Let us all remember to look to the saints to help us live out our baptismal call. 

Have a blessed night! 

Happy Halloween!

 Greetings! Happy Halloween! Today was a spooktacular day in first grade. 

We began our day with Mass. Today, Fr. Brian reminded us about keeping holy the Sabbath day. He talked to us about reminding our parents to take us to church on Sundays. 

We came back from Mass and got ready for our Halloween parade. With the cold and wind, we paraded downstairs to the cafeteria. We were quite excited to show everyone our costumes. 

We then returned to our room for our Halloween party. We played ring toss, stuck a spider to a web, and created a sticker scene. We ended our party with a game of Halloween BINGO. 

This afternoon, we watched Hotel Transylvania to end our day of fun. 

Here is our pumpkin that we carved on Wednesday. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Halloween Eve!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! The excitement is building for Halloween. The students are very excited to party tomorrow! 

In Religion class today, we continued learning about Abraham. Today, we focused on how God told Abraham that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. 

In Language Arts class, we practiced writing proper nouns with capital letters. We also practiced reading our sight words. In addition to that, we worked on our fluency and comprehension skills. We read and discussed Nell's Books paying attention to the characters, setting, and events. 

We ended our morning with some pumpkin writing. We read Spookley, the Square Pumpkin. We talked about what made Spookley special and what makes us special. We then created our very own pumpkin and wrote about what made it special. 

This afternoon we joined up with our 8th grade friends to practice for our All Saints' Day prayer service. We are very excited to pray with everyone on Monday. 

Have a great night! 

Pumpkin Math

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was such a fun day in first grade! 

In Religion class, we started learning about Abraham. Today, we learned how Abraham was obedient to God and moved to a new country. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng and read closed syllable words. To help build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reviewed common and proper nouns by completing a write the room activity. The students walked around the room and found a card. After looking at the noun on the card, they had to decide whether it was a common noun or proper noun. They enjoyed this activity. 

In Math class today, we learned the double facts. To help us remember them, we created a pumpkin and added the double facts to it. 

We ended our day with some pumpkin fun. Today, we carved a pumpkin. The students helped clean the seeds from the pumpkin. Together, we decided on the eyes, nose, and mouth. The students watched in excitement as I carved it. After carving it, we wrote the steps in how to carve a pumpkin and added it to a craft. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Noah's Ark!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. 

In Religion class today, we reviewed the story of Noah. We talked about how God keeps his promises. We created a picture of Noah's Ark to help us remember this. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and by learning three more words (connections, enjoy, rely). Then, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng. After that, we learned how to blend and read closed syllable words, words like picnic, rabbit, and wishing. We ended our morning by practicing using our sight words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we focused on comprehension skills. We reread Thump Thump Helps Out and wrote about who is telling the story along with the character, setting, and events in the story. After that, we learned the difference between common and proper nouns. 

In Math class today, we practiced adding by making a ten and then adding on. 

We ended our day with some pumpkin fun. Today, we created a diagram of a pumpkin. Tomorrow we will label the parts. 

Have a great night! 

Pumpkin Week!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had fun trick-or-treating this weekend! I can tell the children did. They were a little sluggish today which is to be expected after a day of fun. 

In Religion class today, we learned about Noah. We talked about how Noah was obedient to God. We also talked about how Noah built and ark to save him, his family, and the animals when God flooded the land. Finally, we talked about how God promised never to flood the earth again. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week, we will be reading about how we can help in our community. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words: leadership and admire. Next, we worked on retelling as we read about Martin Luther King, Jr. After that, we learned how to blend and read words with the digraphs sh, th, and ng, words like fish, shell, math, this, and king. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words: all, call, day, her, want. 

This afternoon we practiced our new skills as we read Thump Thump Helps Out. 

In Math class today, we learned how to add by using number bonds. We broke a teen number into 10s and 1s. Then we added the 1s before adding the 10s. 

Today kicked off pumpkin week in first grade. All week we will be learning about pumpkins. Today, we read a story to help us learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin. We created our own chart to help us sequence the events in the life of a pumpkin. 

Have a great night! 

Spider Webs!

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

At Mass this morning, we welcomed Fr. Brian Norris. He talked to us about being open to God's call in our lives, particularly the call to religious life. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, took our weekly assessment, and wrote sentences using our sight words. 

In Math class, he began learning how to add within 20. Today, we used a number line to help us count on as we add. 

In Science class, we began our unit on sound and light. Today, we talked about how sounds can be loud and soft. We sorted pictures based on whether they were loud and soft. We also drew something that made a loud sound and something that made a soft sound. 

We ended our day with Art. We began by following directions to draw a spider web. Then, we used water color paints to paint our web. They turned out nice. 

And, here is a picture of our scarecrow writing we did yesterday. 

Have a great weekend! Have fun trick or treating! 

Needs vs. Wants

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is adjusting to the change in temperatures. 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Adam and Eve sinning. We reviewed what happened when they sinned and how God promised to send us a Savior. 

In Language Arts, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, read words with end blends, words with the inflectional ending -ing, and our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a poem about the ocean. After that, we practiced writing possessive nouns. Finally, we did some creative writing. We wrote about what we would do if we were a scarecrow. We added that to a scarecrow craft. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on addition and subtraction within 20. We practiced telling addition stories for a picture and reviewed adding and subtracting within 10. 

In Social Studies today, we talked about needs and wants. We talked about how needs are things we must have: food, water, clothes, and shelter. We also talked about how wants are things we would like but are not necessary. 

Have a great night! 

Extra Gym!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is doing well. I don't know about you, but the change of temperature is getting to me. I just need to get used to the change in seasons. Please remember that we still will be going outside for recess. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God promised to send a Savior to bring back grace and open the gates of Heaven. We know that Jesus is the Savior God sent to us. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with end blends and with the inflectional ending -ing and our sight words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read At a Pond. After reading this story we wrote details from the story which helped us determine the author's purpose for writing it. Finally, we practiced writing possessive nouns correctly. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on the numbers to 20. They did very well on this. Tomorrow we will begin learning strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems within 20. 

We enjoyed our extra gym class today! 

Have a great night! 

Time with Jesus!

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

We began our day by going to church for Adoration. We spent some quiet time talking to Jesus. 

We continued our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and by then learning three new words (tolerate, tranquil, hibernate). Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with end blends. We ended our morning by learning how to blend and read words with the inflectional ending -ing. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Next, we worked on our comprehension skills. We reread The Best Spot and wrote facts about the animals in the story and wrote about the author's purpose. Finally, we practiced writing sentences using possessive nouns. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We are ready for our chapter test tomorrow. 

Don't forget, tomorrow is a make up gym class. Wear your sneakers to school! 

Have a great night! 

PIE!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! We had a great start to our week in first grade! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how we are all born with original sin but how that is washed away when we were baptized. We also talked about how we received the gift of grace when we were baptized. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about where animals live. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (habitat and depend). Next, we worked on rereading as we read Babies in the Bayou. After that, we learned how to blend and read words with end blends, words like lamp, pond, desk, and skunk. Then, we learned our new sight words (eat, no, of, under, who). We ended our morning by reading The Best Spot which helped us practice reading end blend words and our sight words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced identifying possessive nouns in sentences. We also learned about author's purpose. We created a pie to help us remember the three reasons authors write stories: p (persuade), i (inform), e (entertain). 

In Math class today, we reviewed our numbers to 20. We practiced finishing patterns, identifying greater and less, and ordering numbers. 

Here is a picture of our mummy art from Friday. 

Have a great night! 

Mummy Art!

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

At Mass this morning, we remembered St. Ignatius of Antioch. This was also our first Faith Family mass of the year. 

We wrapped up another week of reading in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, spelled and read short u words and contractions, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. We also worked on our fluency and comprehension skills. We partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and read a short nonfiction piece about homes around the world. Finally, we practiced writing plural nouns. 

In Math class today we practiced ordering numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least. Again, the children had tons of fun doing this. 

In Science class today, we talked about camouflage and how it helps animals. We practiced finding moths hidden on trees. We also talked about how camouflage can help the predator. 

We ended our week with Art class. Today, we created a mummy using a paper plate and paper towels. I'll post pictures next week! 

Have a great weekend! 

No Lights, No Problem!

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

Our day was filled with excitement. We lost power a little before lunch time. But, because the sun was shining, we were still able to continue with our learning. We opened the blinds, let the light in, and had a great day of learning. 

In Religion class today, we talked about what happened because Adam and Eve sinned. We talked about how they had to leave the Garden of Eden, how they would have to work for food, how the gates of Heaven were closed, and how they lost grace. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words and practiced reading short u words, contractions, and our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read the funny story The Pigs, the Wolf, and the Mud. After reading this story, we wrote about its characters, setting, and events. Finally, we practiced writing plural nouns. 

In Math class today, we learned about the comparison symbols > and <. The students had so much fun writing them. They kept asking for more problems! 

We ended our day with Gym. Today, we headed outside to enjoy the sunshine! 

Have a great night! 

The Fall of Adam and Eve!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a nice day. 

In Religion class today, we talked about the fall of Adam and Eve. We talked about how this happened when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. We learned that because they sinned, they had to leave the Garden of Eden. We ended class by praying the second decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and by then learning three new words (collapsed, furious, refuse). Next we used our letter tiles to spell and read short u words. Following that, we learned about contractions with is. We practiced spelling them and using them in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We also worked on our comprehension. We reread Cubs in a Hut and wrote about the problem and solution and about events in the story. 

In Math class today, we practiced counting to 20. We grouped by 10 and then counted on. 

Have a great night! 

A Visit from a Hollywood Star!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend! 

In Religion class today, we wrapped up our chapter on Adam and Eve living in the Garden of Eden. We also prayed the first decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries. 

After Religion, we headed over to church for a meet and greet with Philip Tan. He told the students to always listen to God and stay close to him. God will lead them into deciding what to do in the future. 

We began a new week of learning in first grade; this week we are reading about buildings. We began by learning two oral vocabulary words (shelter and materials). Next, we worked on making predictions as we read 3 Little Dassies. Following that, we learned how to blend and read short u words. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned our new sight words (could, live, one, then, three). We then read Cubs in a Hut which helped us practice our new skills. We ended our day by learning about singular and plural nouns. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on the numbers to 20. We talked about ways to count and reviewed counting to 10. 

Have a great night! 

Junior Achievement Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a nice day. The children are quite excited for their four day weekend! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how we receive God's grace when we were baptized. We also prayed the fourth and fifth decades of the Luminous Mysteries. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, practiced reading short e words and words with inflected endings. We also wrote sentences using our sight words and took our weekly assessment. To build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets and a nonfiction story about firefighters. Finally, we practiced finding nouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on subtraction. Next week, we will begin to learn the numbers to 20. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we began our Junior Achievement lessons. Our focus today was on our family and neighborhood. We had lots of fun completing our picture book and writing about ourselves. 

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Tuesday! 

Fall Weather!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a nice week. It looks like the fall weather has arrived. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God gave Adam and Eve grace. We also talked about how we, too, have God's life in us. We ended class by praying the third decade of the Luminous Mysteries. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading short e words, practiced spelling and reading words with the inflectional ending -ed, and practiced our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension skills, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read The Red Hat, a realistic fiction story about a firefighter. After reading that story, we wrote about the events in the story. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We are ready for our chapter test tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

The Month of the Rosary!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone's week is going well. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God put Adam and Eve in charge of his creation. He wanted them to be good stewards. We talked about how we can by good stewards. We ended class by praying the second decade of the Luminous Mysteries. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words and by learning three more words (astonishing, equipment, fortunately). Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read short e words. After that, we learned about the ending -ed. We talked about how when added to a word that it means something already happened. We practiced reading words ending in -ed. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focusing on comprehension. We reread Good Job, Ben and writing about what could really happen in the story and events in the story. 

This afternoon we reviewed nouns. We sorted nouns based on whether they named a person, place, or thing. 

In Math class today, we continued to review subtracting. We wrote a subtraction problem and used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. 

We ended our day by going over to church and praying the rosary with the whole school. Our junior high students did a great job leading us in prayer. 

Have a great night! 

Noun Town!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful day today. It was so nice outside. It was hard to come in. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God created Adam and Eve and how Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. We also began praying the Luminous Mysteries today. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about jobs in our community. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (community and occupation). We then worked on making predictions as we read Millie Waits for the Mail. After that, we learned how to blend and read short e words. Next, we learned our new sight words (again, help, new, there, use). We ended our morning by reading Good Job, Ben which helped us practice our new skills. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we learned that nouns name a person, place, thing, or animal. We created a noun house to help us remember this. 

In Math class today, we began reviewing subtracting within 10. The students are doing very well with writing subtraction sentences. 

We ended our day with Gym class. Today, we went outside. How could we not? 

Here is a picture of our mosaic candy corn. 

Have a great night! 

A Visit with the Firefighters!

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

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian reminded us about our guardian angels. 

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. 

As we were wrapping up our Language Arts, we had our annual visit with the firefighters. We began by having a fire drill. Then we got to spend time with the firefighters, review fire safety, and try on some of the gear. 

In Math class today, we learned to compare by subtracting. We had to be careful to make sure that the greater number started our subtraction sentence. 

In Science class today, we talked about why animals have certain features. We focused on birds. We experimented with different beaks to see which one would help us get the most food and avoid rocks. We learned that each animal has special features that it uses to help it survive. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we created a mosaic candy corn. 

Have a great weekend! 

Learning About Firefighters!

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

In Religion class we wrapped up our chapter on learning how we were created with a body and soul. We also prayed the fourth decade of the Joyful Mysteries. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words by answering questions using the words. We also practiced reading words with blends and our sight words. In addition, we completed possessive phrases. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklet. We also read a short fiction piece about a boy on a hike. Finally, we practiced writing sentences correctly. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice writing fact families. The students are really enjoying writing them. 

In Social Studies today, we talked about fire fighters. We learned about what they wear and what tools they use. We wrote about what they do and have and added it to a firefighter craft. 

We ended our day with extra recess time. The students earned this by feeling up our marble jar. Next, they are working towards a special show and tell. 

Have a great night! 

Fact Family Fun!

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

In Religion class today, we talked about how our guardian angels help protect us and guide us each and every day. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with blends, had tons of fun writing possessive phrases, and reviewed our sight words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read Move It. After reading that story, we completed pages in our packet that focused on key details from the story. Finally, we practiced writing sentences correctly. 

In Math class today, we learned about fact families. Once we got the hang of it, we enjoyed writing fact families for a number bond. 

Have a great night! 

Fire Safety Week!

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

We began our day by going to Adoration. We spent some quiet time talking with Jesus. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We began by reviewing our oral vocabulary words and learning three new words (agree, difficult, and exhausted). We then worked on asking and answering questions as we read a folktale. Following that, we used our letter tiles to spell and read s-blend and r-blend words. Next, we learned about possessives and had fun creating possessive phrases. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focusing on comprehension. We reread Move and Grin and wrote facts we learned from the story along with its main idea and key details. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced writing sentences. We also continued with our Fire Safety lessons. Today, we talked about how to feel a door with our hand, how to stay low and go, and how to stay out once we are out. 

In Math class today, we used number bonds to help solve subtraction problems. We used the number bonds to write subtraction sentences two different ways. 

Have a great night! 

Praying the Rosary

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend! The students were quite excited to tell me about PotatoFest this weekend. 

In Religion class today, we learned how to pray the rosary. We colored a sheet showing when we pray each prayer. The students were then given rosaries. Today, we prayed the first decade of the Joyful Mysteries. We will continue to pray one decade a day during the month of October. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about how our bodies move. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (exercise and physical). We then worked on asking and answering questions as we read a nonfiction story about how animals move. Next, we learned how to blend and read r-blend and s-blend words, words like frog and swim. Following that, we learned our new sight words for the week (jump, move, run, two). Finally, we read Move and Grin which helped us practice our new reading skills. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced writing sentences with correct word order and punctuation. 

We also began our Fire Safety Week lessons. Today, we talked about calling 911 in an emergency, staying away from things that are hot, and stop, drop, and roll. 

In Math class today, we learned how to subtract by counting back. We used our number lines to help us do this. 

Have a great night! 

Happy Birthday, Johnny Appleseed!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! Today was a very exciting day in first grade. We celebrated Johnny Appleseed's birthday by making applesauce. 

Before church, we mixed apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon in a crockpot. We turned it on and let it cook. Our classroom smelt so good today! 

At Mass, we celebrated the feast day of saints Cosmos and Damien. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, took our weekly assessment, and wrote sentences using our sight words. We also wrote the steps we did in making applesauce. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice writing subtraction sentences. We are doing very well with this. 

Our Science class today also revolved around apples. We talked about how apples turn brown when exposed to air. So, we did an experiment to see what works best to keep the apple from turning brown. We put a slice of apple into water, vinegar, and lemon juice and watched what happened all day. Lemon juice works the best at keeping an apple from turning brown. 

In Science class, we created an apple by stamp painting it and adding it onto construction paper. 

After waiting all day, it was finally time to try our applesauce. The students loved it! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Apple Sampling!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I don't know about you, but this week has gone by so quickly. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how our soul helps us to know God, love God, and serve God. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, read short o words, and put words in ABC order. We also reviewed our sight words by playing "Apple Man". The goal was to guess the word before the apple man was drawn. I am happy to report that the children won all 4 times. To build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We ended by practicing writing sentences with correct punctuation. 

After all of that hard work, it was time for some apple fun. We began by tasting three different types of apples: red, yellow, and green ones. 

Next, we the students voted on their favorite one and we recorded our answers on a graph. Surprisingly, no one like the red apple the best. 

Finally, we wrote about why we liked the one we did. 

In Math class today, we practiced writing subtraction sentences for pictures. The key for us to remember is that we need to count back. 

We ended our day with Gym. Today, we went to the Gym and played scarecrow tag. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Beginning Subtraction!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a nice day. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God gave us a soul. We talked about how our soul is God's life within us and how our soul makes us different from everything else God created. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading short o words and our sight words, and practiced putting words into ABC order. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Friends, a nonfiction story about two friends. After reading the story, we wrote details from it. We ended our morning by practicing ending sentences with the correct end mark. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on subtraction. We were just introduced to subtraction. We looked at a picture and thought of subtraction scenarios in it. We will be practicing solving subtraction problems tomorrow. 

Have a great night! 

Our Gifts from God!

 Greetings! Today was an awesome day of learning in first grade. 

We are really enjoying our center time. We love practicing our reading skills in small groups! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how God created us with a body and soul. We focused on our body today and talked about how we use our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands to experience the world around us. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words from yesterday and learned three new words (chore, collect, and deliver). We then worked on answering questions as we read a nonfiction piece about games long ago. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read short o words. Following that, we learned how to put words into ABC order. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. We ended our morning focusing on comprehension. We reread Toss! Kick! Hop! and wrote about its main idea and key details. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we practiced using correct punctation marks in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on addition. Tomorrow we will begin our chapter on subtraction. 

For our Apple Week fun, we finished our Johnny Appleseed project. We then created an apple. Tomorrow we will label the parts of the apple. 

Have a great night! 

Apple Week!

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

Today we practiced our emergency drills. We had a fire drill, lockdown drill, and severe weather drill. The children did excellent during our practices! 

In Religion class today, we reviewed how God knows everything, is everywhere, is all powerful, and is all good. We also reviewed the creation story. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about friends. We began by learning two new oral vocabulary words (cooperate and relationship). We then worked on answering questions from a text as we read Friends All Around. Next, we learned how to blend and read short o words. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words (fun, make, they, too). 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we read Toss! Kick! Hop! which helped us practice reading short o words and our sight words in sentences. We also talked about exclamatory sentences. 

In Math class, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. We did an excellent job of explaining our thinking. We are ready for our chapter test tomorrow. 

This week is Apple Week in first grade. We will be learning all things apple this week. Today, we learned about the life cycle of an apple. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. We tied in our Social Studies lesson with Apple Week as we learned about Johnny Appleseed. We wrote facts about Johnny Appleseed and are in the process of adding it to a craft. 

Have a great night! 

The Leaf Thief!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone had a nice day. We had a great day to end our week of learning. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how our guardian angels help us. We also talked about how we can call upon our guardian angels when we need to make a choice. 

We wrapped up our week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences. We read words with l-blends and plurals. We wrote sentences using our sight words, took our weekly assessment, and practiced identifying statements. 

This afternoon we finished the writing project we began earlier in the week. We added our squirrel topper to the writing we did on what we would do if someone was stealing our leaves. 

In Math class today, we continued to review adding to 10. The students did a great job using their critical thinking skills to solve problems. 

We ended our day with Gym class. We really enjoyed playing with our friends on the playground. 

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday! 

Creation Story!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful day! 

In Religion class today, we reviewed the creation story. We then created a mobile to help us remember all what God created. 

In Language Arts, we continued with our week of learning. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words and practiced reading words with l-blends, plurals, and our sight words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reading booklets. We also read Flip and completed pages in our packet which focused on the characters. We ended class by writing sentences with a capital letter and ending them with the correct punctuation mark. 

In Math class today, we reviewed how to tell if a number sentence is true or false. We also began reviewing how to solve addition problems in preparation for our test next week. 

Have a great night! 

Picture Day!

 Greetings! Happy Picture Day! The students were quite excited for picture day today. They all showed Officer White their smiles as we headed to take our pictures! 

In Religion class today, we read the creation story. We then watched a video on the creation story. We will continue to talk about the creation story tomorrow. 

Our Language Arts class was a bit disruptive today between pictures, the nurse's visit, and computer help. We were really excited that Boddle was working today. Of course, it worked when tech support was here. I'm hoping it works tomorrow when tech support is not around. 

We did make it through our day of learning. We reviewed our oral vocabulary words learned yesterday and learned three new words today (companion, groom, popular). We then worked on visualization as we read about different pets. Next, we used our letter folders to spell and read words with l-blends. Following that, we learned to make most words plural we add an -s. We practiced spelling and reading -s plural words. We ended our morning by using our sight words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we reread A Pig for Cliff. We then wrote about what makes the story a fantasy and about the characters, setting, and events in the story. We ended our day by color coding sentences based on whether they were a statement or a question. 

In Math class today, we looked at whether a number sentence was true or false. We will be practicing more tomorrow. 

Have a great night!