Fabulous Fourth Day!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a fabulous day! We sure did in first grade! There is always so much to do in a day. 

In Religion class today we talked about what we can do to be good friends. We then wrote an example of what we can do to be good friends. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed the letters d, h, o, and e. We also practiced reading the words my, look, little, where, here, play, the, we. In addition we identified the beginning and ending sounds in words, segmented syllables, and blended phonemes (sounds) together. Finally, we worked on our comprehension skills as we read a fiction story ("Jack and the Beanstalk"), a poem about a rain forest, and a nonfiction piece about climates around the world. 

This afternoon in Language Arts we wrote about what we would like to learn this year in first grade. We will be adding our writing to a craft project tomorrow. 

In Penmanship class today we practiced writing the numbers 0, 6, 8, and 9. 

In Math class today we talked about the terms same, more, and fewer. We used lines of students to demonstrate the meaning of these words. Then we created a graph. One line was socks and the other line was shoes. We talked about which had more and which had fewer. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Gym day. Wear your sneakers to school! 

Terrific Third Day!

Greetings on this terrific third day of school! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. It sure was a perfect weekend weather wise. 

We began our day with Religion class. We continued our talk about what it means to be a good friend. We reviewed tattling and telling. We also sorted pictures based on whether they were a good choice or a bad choice. 

We continued our review in Language Arts class. Today we reviewed the letters n, r, i, f, and c. We also reviewed sight words we learned in kindergarten (go, a, has, this, is). We worked on rhyming and segmenting syllables. In addition we worked on telling details from a story as we read a nonfiction piece about elephants. 

In Penmanship class, we practiced writing the numbers 2, 3, and 7. 

In Math class we continued to practice counting to 10. Today the students were given linking cubes and a ten frame. They were told a number and had to show that number on their frame. They did very well with this. 

We ended our day by working on a special project. On Friday, we have our first school Mass. At this Mass we will official welcome Fr. Brian as pastor of Holy Name School and say good-bye to Msgr. Lockard and thank him for all he did. We made cards for both of them to celebrate the day! 

Have a great night! 

Spectacular Second Day!

Greetings! I hope everyone had a spectacular Friday just like we did in first grade. We are learning our routines and settling in. We are working at paying attention and being good friends. 

We began our day with Religion. We will spend the first few days talking about being good friends and what that means. Today we read a Bad Case of Tattle Tongue and talked about when to tell and when not. We all agreed that a good friend does not tattle. 

To begin the year in Language Arts, we spend about a week reviewing skills learned in kindergarten. Today we reviewed the letters m, s, a, p, and t. We also reviewed some of the sight words learned (I, like, do, to, you, he, can). We practiced identifying rhyming words in poems and answered questions after reading a story. 

In Penmanship class, we practiced writing the numbers 1, 4, and 5. 

In Math class, we worked with the numbers 1-10. The students were put into groups. Each group was given a bag with blocks inside. They put the blocks on a ten frame and then colored their ten frame to match the number of blocks. We then worked together to order the ten frames from 1-10. They did great with this! 

We begin Science class by studying animals. Today we sorted animals into various groups. We did big/small, fly/don't fly, and swim/don't swim. 

Finally, it was time for Art. Today we made a caterpillar. On each circle of our caterpillar, we wrote a letter of our name. We glued to caterpillar on a giant leaf. They look awesome. I can't wait to display them in the hallway! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Fun in First Grade!

Welcome everyone to First Grade! This year will be a fun and exciting time. We will learn a lot, grow a lot, laugh a lot, and smile a lot. I am so excited for the school year! 

And welcome to our classroom blog. Every night I will post about the things that we did in school that day. When possible I will also add pictures. The goal is to keep you informed about all that we do in first grade. 

We began our day by unpacking and organizing all of our supplies. The students did a great job with this. I was quite pleased at how well they followed directions. 

From there we read First Day Jitters, a funny story about someone not wanting to go to school on the first day. The students enjoyed the surprised ending! And, because we all had jitters this morning, we had some jitter juice to help calm our nerves. 

After that we read David Goes to School and talked about what fantastic first graders do. We then reviewed our classroom reward systems. 

This afternoon we got to know each other better. We answered questions about ourselves. We even created a person and wrote about some of our favorite things. 

Next, we had our first Math Meeting of the year. Every morning, we will gather to discuss concepts related to the calendar, practice counting, identifying place value concepts, and create a weather graph. 

Finally, we ended our day with a craft project. We wrote about our favorite part of the day. We added our writing to make an apple. 

It was a fantastic first day. I am so excited for the rest of the year! 

A Wonderful School Year!

Greetings for the final time this school year. We had a fabulous last full day of school in first grade. 

In Religion class today we talked about how the church honors Mary with special titles, feast days, and with prayers. In Social Studies, we created a flipbook with some of the American symbols. And in Science class, we sorted objects based on whether or not they come from trees. 

Then it was time to clean. The students are really good cleaners. They really helped me out. They scrubbed white boards, chalkboards, organized word cards, and put together the linking cubes. I really appreciated all of their help. 

To end our year, we watched Ralph Wrecks the Internet. They really enjoyed the movie. 

Thank you for a fabulous school year. It began as a big change with 23 in one classroom. We soon grew into a small class filled with kindness and love. The students really came together to form a community of learners. 

I loved each and every day with the students. I loved watching them grow in their knowledge. I enjoyed laughing with them, playing with them, and talking to them. I am really going to miss them, They will hold a special place in my heart. 

Thank you for all of your continued support and help this year. Without that, this year would not have been a success. 

I wish everyone a safe and happy summer. I will see you in August! 

With Love,
~Miss Chalich 

Games and a Movie!

Greetings, everyone on this beautiful Tuesday! I hope everyone is enjoying their week. Just like yesterday, we mixed some fun into the learning. 

We began our day by going to Adoration one last time this school year. We spent time thanking God for the wonderful school year and asked him to be with us this summer. 

In Social Studies today we talked about heroes. We began by looking at some American heroes like Sacajawea. Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, and Martin Luther King, Jr. We then discussed people who are our heroes. This ranged from our parents, to firefighters, to police men. 

In Science class, we reviewed the needs of plants and parts of a plant. We then sorted foods based on what part of the plant they are. 

Then it was time for Language Arts. Today we created an i-Pod and wrote about our next track: second grade. The students wrote why they are excited for second grade. 

We ended our morning by playing our board games. The students just loved this and I loved watching them. They sat and played so nicely together. I just loved seeing them interact in such a kind, caring manner. 

This afternoon we again watched a movie. Today we watched Lilo and Stitch. 

Tomorrow is our last full day of school. We will be doing a lot of cleaning. The students can wear shorts and sandals to school tomorrow! 

Happy June!

Greetings! Today marks the beginning of the end. It is our last week of school. But, there is still work to be done. 

We began our day with our Awards program. The students were recognized for all of the hard work they did all school year. As I was signing the certificates yesterday, I just couldn't help but think about how far these children grew this year. They are an amazing group of students. I can't wait to see what their future holds. 

In Religion class today we talked about how Mary cared for and loved Jesus and how Jesus wants us to love Mary. 

In Social Studies today we talked about the rights of citizens. We said that one of those rights is the right to vote. We then held our own election. The students voted for the book they would like to hear tomorrow. The winner, by one vote, was Moosekitos: Family Reunion. 

In Science class today we talked about the different parts of a flower and the job of each part. 

In Math class today we practiced counting quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. We also practiced showing various amounts using these coins. The students are doing very well counting money. 

Finally, it was time for Language Arts. We did a writing project today. The students wrote about what they are excited to do this summer. Then, we had our Cuddle and Snuggle Reading event. The students, with their furry friends, shared their books. I just loved listening to each of them read. They have truly become fluent readers. 

This afternoon was Movie time. Today we watched Sherlock Gnomes. 

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our game day. Don't forget your game!