The Last Day in March!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! It is hard to believe that today was the last day in March. Where did the month go? 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on believing in Jesus. We reviewed what it means to believe in Jesus and how we can strengthen our faith in Jesus. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about building structures. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (project, structure, contented, intend, marvelous). We then worked on retelling as we listened to a folktale about a sheep, pig, and goose. After that, we learned how to blend and read words with the diphthongs oi and oy, words like coin and boy. Following that we learned our new sight words (above, build, fall, knew, money, toward). We ended the morning by reading The Joy of a Ship which helped us practice reading oi and oy words and our sight words in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned about prepositions, words that join nouns together and tell us where or when something is. We also wrote our first persuasive paragraph. We did this together. When we finished, the students remarked at how easy it was! 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. I was very pleased at how the students were able to use their 100 chart to help them solve the problems. 

Have a great night! 

Spring Flower Wreaths!

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

Before Mass today, Dom Raso talked to the students about God's purpose in their lives. He told them to never take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate the sacraments. 

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. To review words with the diphthongs ou and ow, we created a giant band-aid with those words written all over it. 

In Math class today, we reviewed comparing and ordering numbers to 120 and finishing number patterns. Using our number chart really helps us when we do this. 

In Science class today, we talked about how days are longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we made a spring flower wreath using mini cupcake liners for the flowers. They are so pretty. I am so excited to hang them for all to see. I'll post pictures on Monday! 

Have a great weekend! 

Opening Day!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Happy Opening Day! Many of you know that I love baseball. And, today, was Opening Day. Unfortunately, the Pirates lost a tough one. Better luck tomorrow! 

In Religion class today we talked about how we grow our faith in Jesus. We talked about how when we pray and when we learn about Jesus, our faith in him grows. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, read words with the diphthongs ou and ow, and spelled and read words with the endings -er and -est. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about instruments. Finally, we practiced using a, an, this, and that in sentences. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we wrote about what we like to do on a rainy day. We added our writing to an umbrella craft. 

In Math class today, we worked with number patterns. Using our number chart, we circled the given numbers in a pattern, discovered the pattern, and then continued it. It really helped us to see the pattern. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we talked about the difference between needs and wants. We sorted pictures based on whether they where a need or a want. 

Have a great night! 

Fun with Whiteboards!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! The students were quite shocked to see the snow today, as was I. Many were wondering why it was still snowing in spring! 

In Religion today, we talked about how Jesus will help those whom we pray for. 

In Language Arts, we used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, practiced reading words with the diphthongs ou and ow, spelled and read words with the inflected endings -er and -est, and read our sight words. We also wrote sentences using our vocabulary words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read Whistle for Willie. After reading that story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on problem and solution. We ended our morning by practicing using a, an, this, and that in sentences. 

In Math class today, we compared and ordered numbers. The students loved using their whiteboards to show which number was greater using the comparison symbols. They also loved ordering numbers from least to greatest and from greatest to least. 

Have a wonderful night! 

Spinning a Number!

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

In Religion class today we talked about how because of our belief and trust in Jesus that Jesus will help us. We just need to ask. 

We continued 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 words with the diphthongs ou and ow. Following that, we learned how to spell and read words with the inflected endings -er and -est. After that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Next, we learned our two vocabulary words: scrambled and suddenly. To end our morning, we reread Now, What's That Sound? and wrote about the problem and solution in the story and what we learned about the main characters. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we learned when to use the words this and that in sentences. We also arranged sentences to form a paragraph. Finally, we wrote sentences describing spring using our senses. 

In Math class today, we practiced identifying 2 more and 2 less than a given number. The students were given a number chart to help them. They enjoyed our activity today. They got to spin a number and then tell 2 more and 2 less than it. 

Have a great night! 

The Last Week of March!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It is hard to believe that this is the last full week of March already. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how we believe in Jesus. We also talked about how since we believe in Jesus that we will one day get to be with him in Heaven. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about sounds. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (volume, senses, distract, squeaky, nervous). We then worked on retelling as we read a story about a squeaky bed. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with the diphthongs ou and ow, words like out and cow. After that, we learned our new sight words (color, early, instead, nothing, oh, thought). We ended the morning by reading Now, What's That Sound which helped us practice our new phonics skills. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we learned how to use the words a and an in sentences. We also learned that a paragraph is a group of sentences all talking about the same topic. We learned about the sentences and color-coded a paragraph. We will soon be writing paragraphs on our own. 

In Math class today, we used our base ten blocks to show the place value of a number. We really enjoyed using our blocks to show various numbers. 

Have a great night! 

Extra Short Day!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! Today was an extra short day in first grade! 

We began our day at Mass. We enjoyed praying with our Faith Families this morning. 

After Mass, we took our Spelling test and then went to lunch. After lunch, we created a bucket of popcorn words, words that have the r-controlled -or, -ore, and -oar spelling. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Walking Around the Classroom!

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

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus performing miracles. We reviewed how Jesus fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, how Jesus calmed the stormy sea, and how Jesus healed people both body and soul. 

In Language Arts class, we answered questions using our oral vocabulary words, read r-controlled -or words, and wrote abbreviations. We also wrote sentences using our sight words, took our weekly assessment, and identified adjectives that compare in sentences. In addition to that, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets and read poems. 

In Math class today, we practiced counting and identifying the numbers to 120. We did a write the room activity where students counted base ten blocks and wrote the number. They love walking around the room to solve problems. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we learned the names of the countries that border the United States. 

Have a great night! 

Jesus, Our Helper!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Spring is almost here! 

In Religion class today, we continued learning about the miracles of Jesus. Today, we listened to the story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man. We talked about how Jesus forgave his sins and how the man got up and walked. We then created a poster to help us remember that Jesus is our helper. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading r-controlled -or words, and practiced reading and writing abbreviations. We also practiced reading our sight words. After all of that, we read Thomas Edison, Inventor. After reading that biography, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that focused on problems and how he solved them. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using adjectives that compare in sentences. We also partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. 

In Math class, we began our chapter on the numbers to 120. We learned to count by 10's and then by 1's to identify the amount in a group of objects. 

Here are pictures from our St. Patrick's Day writing projects! Enjoy! 

Almost Spring!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Did you enjoy the sunshine today?

In Religion class, we continued to learn about some of the miracles Jesus did. We learned about how he raised Jarius' daughter and how he helped a blind man see. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. Next, we used our letter tiles to spell and read r-controlled -or words. Then, we learned how to write abbreviations for titles, places, months, and days of the week. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. After that, we learned our new vocabulary words (idea and unusual) and wrote sentences using those words. Finally, we spent time working on our comprehension skills. We reread The Story of a Robot Inventor. We then wrote facts about his life and wrote about the problem and solution in the story. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using adjectives that compare in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on length and weight. Tomorrow we will begin to look at the numbers to 120. 

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

Have a great night! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 Greetings! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope everyone had a great, lucky day! We sure did in first grade! 

In Religion class today, we learned about St. Patrick. We watched a video about him and talked about how he always prayed to God and always trusted in him. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we will be reading about inventors and their inventions. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (curious, improve, device, complicated, and imagine). We then worked on retelling as we read about different inventions. Next, we learned how to blend and read r-controlled -or, -ore, and -oar words. We ended our morning by learning our new sight words (began, better, guess, learn, right, sure). 

This afternoon in Language Arts we read The Story of a Robot Inventor, which helped us practice reading r-controlled words and our sight words in sentences. We also learned about adjectives that compare. When we compare two things, we add -er to the adjective. When we compare 3 things, we add -est to the adjective. 

In Math class, we reviewed length and weight. We are ready for our test tomorrow. 

The students really enjoyed their show and tell today. We got to see some really cool toys! 

And, no St. Patrick's Day is complete with some celebrations. Today, we reviewed the colors of the rainbow. We used food dye to make the rainbow. We then added baking soda to our cups of vinegar and watched the rainbow erupt! We also sank a pot of gold using pennies. Finally, we wrote about what we would do if we were a leprechaun. 

Have a great night! 

Look at the Clouds!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a nice day to end this week. It was absolutely gorgeous outside today! You appreciate these days after the winter days we had! 

At Mass this morning, Fr. Brian encouraged us to continue on our Lenten journey. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. We also participated in a write the room activity where students sorted r-controlled words into -er, ir, and ur groups. 

We ran out of time yesterday for Social Studies but had time today for it. Today we created a flipbook to help us remember the continent, country, and state where we live. 

In Math class today, we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. The key today was to look closely at the pictures to help us solve the problems. 

Science class today consisted of two parts. We began by learning that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. We created a sun path finder to help us remember this. Then, we learned about the different types of clouds. We used cotton balls to help show each type. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today, we used cotton balls and paint to outline a shamrock. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

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!