And Then There Was One

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! It is hard to believe that today was our last full day of first grade. We had lots of fun today! 

We began our day with Religion. Today, we reviewed the events of Pentecost and talked about different symbols of the Holy Spirit. 

Then, we had our last theme day of the year. Today we celebrated popcorn! We learned how popcorn comes to be. We practice reading words with digraphs. Then, we wrote about what we are looking forward to learning in second grade. Finally, it was time to taste test popcorn. The students sampled butter, cheese, caramel, and kettle popcorn. We voted on our favorite and answered questions about our graph. 

This afternoon, we relaxed and watched Big Hero 6. It was a great way to end a great year. 

I wish to thank all of you for taking the time to read our classroom blog. It has been a joy working with this group of students. They have grown so much. May you all have a wonderful summer. See you in the fall! 

~Miss Chalich 

Popsicle Day!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! Today was a great day to end what has been a fabulous week! 

At Mass today, Fr. Brian gave thanks for a great school year. He also reminded us that summer is not a time to take a vacation from God. 

After Mass, it was time for us to celebrate popsicles. We began by learning about how popsicles were invented. Then, we sorted sentences about popsicles based on whether they were a fact or opinion. After that, we wrote about what made this a "cool" school year. Following that, the students selected a number and then spelled out the number, wrote it in expanded form, and drew a picture of it. Finally, the students drew their own popsicle. 

In Math today, we continued to practice solving money word problems. Please continue to practice addition and subtraction facts over the summer. 

In Science class, we talked about what a plant needs to survive. 

In Art class, we made a popsicle using tissue paper. 

And, after all of the hard work, we ended our day with a popsicle treat! 

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Tuesday! 

Awards Day and Stuffed Animal Day!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! Today was an exciting day in first grade. It was Awards Day and Stuffed Animal Day! 

We began our day with our Awards Program. The students were quite excited to be recognized for all of their hard work. I am so proud of how hard they have worked this year. 

We came back to our classroom and began our day of learning and fun. In Religion class, we learned about Pentecost. We talked about how the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles. 

Then, it was time for some stuffed animal fun! We began by writing about our stuffed friend. We added a page topper to our writing. Next, we became detectives and used our inferencing skills to find out which bear stole the honey. Then, we graphed gummy bears and discussed the data on our graphs. Finally, we colored various patterns. 

In Math class today, we practiced solving real world money problems. This was a great opportunity to review adding and subtracting with and without regrouping. 

In Science class today, we learned about the parts of a plant and why they help a plant survive. 

We ended our day with a special picnic completed with Teddy Grahams, gummy bears, and iced tea. We enjoyed the special treats with all of our friends. 

Have a great night! 

Watermelon Day!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! Today was another great and fun day in first grade! It was Watermelon Day! 

In Religion class today, we talked about how we can prepare for Jesus' second coming. We talked about praying, going to Mass, serving others, and being kind to one another. 

We really enjoyed our Watermelon Day fun! We began by learning about the life cycle of a watermelon. Next, we talked about the different parts of a watermelon. Following that, we read The Watermelon Seed and wrote about the problem and how it was solved. Finally, we created a giant watermelon by weaving strips of paper. We took our time and they turned out great! 

This afternoon, after all of our hard work, we got to enjoy a piece of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honey dew melon. We then created a graph to show our favorite melon. 

In Math class today, we reviewed counting quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. 

We ended our day with our Summer Countdown. Today, Mr. Neff joined us for a music sing-a-long. 

Have a great night! 

Lemonade Day!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Today was Lemonade Day in first grade. We celebrated all things lemon! 

In Religion class today, we talked about Jesus going up to Heaven. We learned that this is called the Ascension. We also talked about how Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. 

In Math class today, we again used our coins to show various money amounts. The students are doing a great job at using a variety of coins to show the amounts. 

Then, it was time for some lemon fun! We began by doing a math write-the-room activity. The students walked around and identified the various shapes on cards. Next, the students worked in groups to sort words based on whether they were real words or not. Following that, we learned about the life cycle of lemons. After all of that work, it was time to sample some lemonade. The students tried both regular lemonade and pink lemonade. We voted for our favorite, and pink lemonade won. Finally, we wrote the steps in making lemonade. 

We ended our day with our "Up to the Challenge" game break. The students enjoyed playing the various board and card games. I added a few games to my list. Thank you for sending in the games. 

Have a great night! 

Beach Day Fun!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! It is hard to believe that we are entering our final full week of the year. We are going to have a great week reviewing what we learned and having fun along the way. 

In Religion class today, we talked about Jesus' Great Commission to his Apostles: to go and baptize people. We also reviewed the sacrament of Baptism. 

Each day this week will have a theme. Today's theme was Beach Day! The majority of our learning centered about beach themes. We read the story There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell. After reading the story, we sequenced the objects she ate. We then sorted beach-theme words based on whether they named a noun, verb, or adjective. Following that, we worked in centers where we added the correct punctuation to sentences, identified the number of syllables in words, and found 10 more and 10 less than a number. We ended our morning by water coloring bookmarks. 

In Math class today, we reviewed counting a collection of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. We then used our coins to show various money amounts. 

After Math, it was time to return to Beach Day fun! We completed a write-the-room activity that helped us review telling time and adding and subtracting. We then wrote about what we like to do in the summer. Finally, we sprawled out on beach towels, donned our shades, and read a book! 

Have a great night! 

Fun in the Sun!

 Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end the week. It is hard to believe that we only have one more full week of school left. 

At Mass today, Fr. Brian reminded us that when we trust in the Lord, everything will be ok. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, practiced reading r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear and r-controlled syllable words, wrote sentences using our sight words, and took our weekly assessment. 

In Math class today, we continued to practice counting a collection of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. 

In Science class, we started our unit on plants. We learned that young plants have some of the same characteristics as adult plants. We looked at pictures of seedlings and adult plants and matched them up. 

We ended our day with Art. Today, we created our very own beach scene using real sand and seashells. We are getting ready for summer! 

Here are pictures from this week's art project along with last week's. 

Have a great weekend! 

American Symbols!

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

In Religion class, we talked about how Jesus stayed with his Apostles for 40 days preparing them to be leaders once he went up to heaven. 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear and words with r-controlled syllables, and practiced reading our sight words. To help us build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction story about the Fourth of July, Happy Birthday USA. After reading that story, we completed pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that focused on main idea and key details. Finally, we practiced finding adverbs that tell how in sentences. 

In Math class today, we used our coins to practice counting quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. We are slowly getting the hang of it. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today, we talked about various American symbols. 

Have a great night!

Learning about Baptism!

 Greetings! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone enjoyed their day! 

For Religion class today, we headed over to church where Fr. Brian talked to us about the sacrament of Baptism. He guided us through a mock baptism. 

We continued with our week of learning in Language Arts. We answered questions using our oral vocabulary words. Then, we used our letter tiles to spell and read words with r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear. After that, we practiced reading words with r-controlled syllables. Following that, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Next, we learned our vocabulary words (nation and unite) and practiced writing sentences using the words. We ended our morning focusing on comprehension. We reread Share the Harvest and Give Thanks. Then, we wrote examples of how people celebrate the harvest and wrote about the author's purpose. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using adverbs that tell how in sentences. We also did some creative writing. We pretended we were bugs and wrote about what we would do. 

In Math class today, we introduced the quarter. We learned that the quarter is worth 25 cents. We then spent time making 25 cents using just dimes, nickels, and pennies. Tomorrow we will begin learning how to count all 4 coins. 

Have a great night! 

Writers We Are!

 Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Today was back to learning in the classroom. We really enjoyed our day of learning outside the classroom yesterday! 

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

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about holidays. We began by learning our oral vocabulary words (display, pride, represent, design, purpose). We then worked on retelling as we read a story about the American flag. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with r-controlled -air, -are, and -ear, words like chair, care, and bear. Next, we learned our new sight words (favorite, few, gone, surprise, wonder, young). We ended our morning by reading Share the Harvest and Give Thanks which helped us practice our new words we learned. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced finding adverbs that tell how in sentences. We also wrote a narrative paragraph about our field trip. I couldn't help but smile as I read the paragraphs. The students have come so far as writers this year. 

In Math class today, we reviewed counting a collection of dimes, nickels, and pennies. We also reviewed using the coins to show various amounts. Tomorrow we will add the quarter. 

Have a great night! 

Field Trip Day!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! Happy Field Trip Day! I'm sure the children were excited this morning to get up for our field trip! They were excited when they made it to the classroom this morning!

We boarded our bus first thing this morning for our trip to State College. The students were very excited to be riding a school bus. 

Once we got to Discovery Space, we entered their giant classroom for our Chemistry lessons. We learned about chemical and physical reactions. The students created a density tube using water and oil. They also filled a balloon with baking soda then stretched the balloon over a bottle filled with vinegar. They loved seeing the balloon inflate when the baking soda was mixed with the vinegar. Finally, we made slime! 

After our Chemistry lesson, it was time to explore the exhibit floor. We had fun digging for dinosaur bones, creating a tornado, reporting on the weather, creating a roller coaster, and so much more. 

The children had a blast. A lot fell asleep on our way home! 

Have a great night! 

Fiesta Day!

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

At Mass this morning, we continued to pray for our new pope. 

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. 

After all of that, we had our fiesta. We had fun breaking open a pinata and cracking open the confetti eggs. 

In Math class today, we continued to use our coins to show various amounts. We are doing very well with counting dimes, nickels, and pennies. 

Because of the election of a new pope yesterday, we were not able to get in our Social Studies class. So, we had it today. We talked about how government officials pass laws to keep us safe. 

In Science class, we talked about how the North Star can help guide us at night. We also talked about how to find the North Star. 

We ended our day with Art class. Today we created a cool sun. The students enjoyed designed sunglasses for our sun to wear. We then used forks to paint the sun's rays. 

Have a great weekend! 

White Smoke!

 Greetings on this historic day! We had a great day in first grade. 

We were quite excited to hear about the white smoke. The kids were asking all morning about it. We did our best to watch a live feed from the Vatican. Unfortunately, we were not able to see it live, but we did watch videos of the new pope. We pray for Pope Leo XIV that he may guide the church following the Gospel values. 

Aside from a new pope, it was a usual day of learning in first grade. 

In Religion class today, we reviewed the 7 sacraments and were reminded that we receive God's grace in each one of them. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading and spelling words with three letter blends and words with inflectional endings. To build our fluency, we partner read a story from our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about origami. After completing pages in our Reading/Writing Companion that corresponded to the origami story, we made a folded shape of our own. We turned a square into a dog! Finally, we practiced using pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we used our coins to show a given money amount. The students did a great job with this! 

This afternoon, we attended our annual May Crowning. On this historic day, it was appropriate to honor Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. 

Have a great night! 

Papal Conclave!

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

The children have been very interested about the papal conclave. It probably helps that we are learning about Apostolic succession in Religion class. All day, they kept asking me if there was any smoke. I love their excitement! 

In Religion class today, we learned the four marks of the church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. One is for the one church, Holy because Jesus found it; catholic because it is for everyone; apostolic because we continue the church today! 

In Language Arts class, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, practiced reading words with three letter blends, and practiced spelling and reading words with inflectional endings. We also practiced reading our sight words and vocabulary words. To help build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable readers. We also read Lissy's Friends. After reading that story, we talked about its theme and completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that focused on characterization. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we practiced counting a collection of dimes, nickels, and pennies. We are getting very good with this! 

This afternoon we were treated to the 8th grade talent show. We really enjoyed watching the various skits. 

Have a good night! 

Counting Money!

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

In Religion class today, we talked about how priests, bishops, and the pope celebrate the sacraments. By celebrating the sacraments, we receive grace in a special way. 

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 three letter blends. Following that, we reviewed adding inflectional endings onto words; we practiced spelling and reading words with inflectional endings. Next, we practiced using our sight words in sentences. After that, we learned our vocabulary words for the week (difficult and nobody) and wrote sentences using those words. Finally, we focused on our comprehension skills. We reread A Spring Birthday and wrote about what happens in the story that could really happen and wrote about the story's theme. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we practiced using pronouns in sentences. We also wrote a narrative paragraph about our Hawk Walk. 

In Math class today, we practiced counting a collection of dimes, nickels, and pennies. We used our coins to help us count. 

Have a great night! 

The First Week of May!

 Greetings! Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a marvelous day to start this first full week of May. 

In Religion class today, we talked about how Jesus gave Peter the keys to heaven and how Peter became the first pope. 

We began a new week of learning in Language Arts; this week we are reading about traditions. We began by learning our new oral vocabulary words (effort, tradition, ancient, drama, and movement). We then worked on retelling as we read about different cultural dances. Following that, we learned how to blend and read words with three letter blends, words like scrape, splash, shred, three, and sprint. After that, we learned our new sight words (before, front, heard, push, tomorrow, your). We ended our morning by reading A Spring Birthday which helped us practice our new skills. 

This afternoon in Language Arts, we learned how to use the pronouns I and me in sentences. We also learned about narrative paragraphs. We read Owl Moon and used the story as we wrote a narrative paragraph. 

In Math class today, we began our chapter on money. We learned the value of a penny, nickel, and dime. We practiced counting each coin separately. Tomorrow, we will count a collection of coins. 

Have a good night! 

Hawk Walk Day!

 Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Friday was a fun, tiring day to end the week. 

We began our day with Mass. We welcomed Fr. David from St. Francis. He talked to us about how Jesus can always satisfy our hunger when we receive him in the Eucharist. 

After Mass, it was time for our Hawk Walk. Thankfully, the rain held off and we were able to enjoy a nice walk around town. When we returned to the school, we went to the cafeteria for some games. We enjoyed golfing, playing cornhole, participating in sack races, and getting a tattoo. 

After lunch, we headed to the gym for some more activities. We tried knocking bottles over without using our hands, popped balloons, and played volleyball. 

Then we returned to the cafeteria for our snack of popcorn and an ice push up. 

We had a blast today! The children were tired by the end of the day. The room was silent as we watched a Wild Kratts video on polar bears. 

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Resurrection Scenes!

 Greetings! Happy Thursday! I hope everyone is doing well. Hopefully, everyone's power is back on. 

In Religion class, we wrapped up our chapter on Easter. We reviewed how Jesus rose from the dead both body and soul on Easter, how grace was restored, and how we will one day be with him in Heaven. We also created our own Resurrection scene. I always love the creativity the children show when doing this project. 

We wrapped up another week of learning in Language Arts. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences and read words with silent letters and compound words. Then, we wrote sentences using our sight words. To build our fluency and comprehension, we partner read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We also read a nonfiction piece about stormy weather and completed pages in our Reading/Writing companion that focused on main idea and key details from the story. Finally, we took our weekly assessment and identified special pronouns in sentences. 

In Math class today, we took our chapter test on graphs. Next week, we will begin our chapter on money. 

We ended our day with Social Studies. Today we talked about how goods get to market. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our Hawk Walk. Have a great night!