Fun Times in First

Today was a great day of learning in first grade! 

We started our day with Religion class. We reviewed the story of Zacchaeus first by assembling a little booklet of the story and then by discussing what we would do if Zacchaeus came to our house. We talked about decorating, cleaning, cooking, setting the table, and wearing nice clothes. The students then illustrated four ways they would prepare for Jesus and glued them onto a house. 

During Language Arts class we reviewed our phonics skills for the week and practiced our sight words. It was then time to put our new knowledge to the test as we read Get the Egg! The students were glad that Brad was able to save the egg. 

In Math class today, we learned the last four double facts. We then made our own fact cards by writing the answers for the double facts on them. We will use these fact cards in school to help us practice and learn the double facts. 

Our focus today in Social Studies class was the world. We learned that continents are land and that there are seven continents in the world. We also learned that there are four oceans. We then created a map of the world. Take a look: 

Have a great night! 

Reading, Writing, and Math

Greetings! What a beautiful day it was today. Fall is definitely in the air. 

We began our day today by going to Adoration which was the perfect way to start our day. It is always nice to spend some quiet time with Jesus. 

In Language Arts class today, we learned how to read words with initial consonant blends. We also practiced our sight words. In addition, we practiced telling if something is real or fantasy. The students were each given a card with a sentence on it. They had to tell if it was real or make-believe and put it in the correct column. Here is how our chart turned out. 

In Math class, we used our pattern blocks to build various patterns including AB, ABB, ABC, and ABBC. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is gym day! 

Off to a Great Start

Today was a great start to our week. 

In Religion class, we talked about how Jesus loved all people no matter if they were young or old, rich or poor, or sick or healthy. To emphasize this point, we read the story of Zacchaeus. The students really enjoyed acting it out with a partner. 

In Language Arts, we learned how to read short e words. We also talked about the difference between realism and fantasy. In addition, we discussed the characteristics of telling sentences. 

During Math class today, we learned how to write number sentences for 'some, some more' stories. We discovered that all of these problems have a + sign in them. 

Today marks the beginning of Fire Safety Week. Each day this week, we will discuss some aspect of fire safety. Today we reviewed what to do during a fire drill as well as important numbers to know in an emergency. We also talked about when to change batteries in a smoke alarm and what to do if our clothes catch on fire. 

I hope everyone has a great week. 

A Wonderful Day!

Today was such a fantastic day in first grade. I was sad to see the day end. 

We began our day with Mass where Msgr. Lockard talked about St. Francis of Assisi since today is his feast day. he reminded us to do things because we love to do them and not to do them for the money. 

After Mass, we explored our pattern blocks. Students were given time to play and build designs using them. Then we talked about the names of these shapes. 

In Language Arts class, we wrapped up our story A Fox and A Kit by reviewing our phonics skills and sight words. We also took a test on the story. During class time, we visited the library. We are excited to bring home new books to read this week. 

In Science class, we talked about the needs of animals: food, water, air, and shelter. 

Art class today was mummifying. We made mummies using strips of white paper. I just loved how they turned out and cant wait to display them in the hallway for everyone to see them. 

Have a great weekend!

A Great Day

Today was a great day in first grade. We really enjoyed the sunshine today and the warm weather.

In Language Arts we reviewed short o words and plurals. We also worked in our literacy centers. In addition we continued practicing writing sentences making sure we use correct word order.

In Math class we continued practicing our double facts. We also talked about the attributes of rectangles.

Tomorrow is Friday. What will we do in Art class?

A Visit from an Author!

Today was an exciting day in first grade. We were quite excited to meet Matt Novak today, but we had to wait until the very end of the day to do so. 

So, in the meantime, we worked on learning new things. We wrapped up our study of Jesus as a young boy going up in Nazareth. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed inflected ending words and our sight words before reading A Fox and A Kit. The students seemed to enjoy this nonfiction piece about a fox and her kit. 

In Math, we began learning our double facts. It helps that we have an awesome rap to say which will help us learn these facts. 

Then, it was finally time to meet Matt Novak. He began by having the students give him names of animals and places. Using these animals, he created a story for the students a drew pictures of the animals. He said that sometimes he thinks about the characters, setting, and plot before writing his story. Next, he had some of the students help draw a character and name. He said that sometimes he designs a character first and then creates a story around that character. The students totally enjoyed their visit as laughter filled the classroom throughout his presentation. Here are some pictures of the artwork he drew and the students did today. 

A Nice Day

Today was just a nice day in first grade. The students worked hard and we we able to accomplish so much. 

It began with Religion class were we talked about Jesus as a youth. We discovered that he did the same things that we do today like play with friends, spend time with his family, and pray. We then used our imagination to draw or write about things we would have done with Jesus if we lived back then. 

In Language Arts class today we worked in our literacy centers. We used play-doh to spell our sight words and practiced building words with inflected endings. We also wrote about what animals do to help their young. 

In Math class, we identified ordinal position. 

To prepare for our author's visit tomorrow we read Elmer Blunt's Open House about a man who leaves his house unlocked for a day. The students laughed at all the things the animals did inside the house. We took it one step further by writing about what would happen if the school was left open at night. We are all excited for Matt Novak's visit tomorrow. 

Just a reminder that because of the visit, we will not have gym class tomorrow.