Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings on this Wednesday before Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is ready to celebrate the holiday tomorrow. 

We had a short but action-packed day in first grade. After starting our day with Music class, we reviewed the season of Advent in Religion class by coloring an Advent wreath and reviewing the order that the candles are lit. 

For Math class today the students created a pattern using pictures of harvest vegetables. 

For Language Arts class today we read Turkey Trouble. After reading the story, we sequenced the different disguises Turkey used in the story. The students then created their own disguise for Turkey. 

Finally, it was time for a break. We enjoyed watching Peanuts Thanksgiving. 

May you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy time together, good food, and laughter. See you on Tuesday! 

The First Thanksgiving!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! Today was another day filled with Thanksgiving fun! We also did some regular learning, too. 

Today in Religion class we made our own Advent wreath. Before we did that we reviewed what we learned about Advent yesterday including the importance of the Advent wreath. Each student was given paper flames to cut and glue onto their wreath at home during the Advent season. 

We began Language Arts class by working in our literacy centers. From there we returned to our weekly learning. We practiced reading long i words. After that we learned our six new sight words. Following that we read a play titled Time to Grow. The students really did a nice job reading the play. Next we practiced using present tense verbs in sentences. Finally we wrote the final two steps in how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

Today's Thanksgiving activities focused on the first Thanksgiving. We read about how Squanto helped the Pilgrims that first year, how bountiful their harvest was, and how the first Thanksgiving lasted three days. We created our own Thanksgiving story booklets, compared and contrasted Thanksgiving today to Thanksgiving back then, and wrote about what foods we like to eat on Thanksgiving. We added that writing to a pumpkin pie craft. 

In Math class today we practiced counting the numbers 11 to 20. First we identify a group of ten and then count on. The students are very good at this. 

Just a reminder that dismissal tomorrow is at 12:00! 

Pilgrim Fun!

Greetings on this Monday! I hope everyone is doing well. It seemed that everyone had a great weekend! 

In Religion class today, we talked about Advent. We learned that this church season is a time for waiting, waiting for Jesus to come. We talked about the Advent wreath and how we can be light to others during this season. 

We began Language Arts by working in our literacy centers. We then began a new week of learning. We learned two new oral vocabulary words (bloom and sprout). We then worked on making predictions as we read Mystery Vine. After that we blended and read long i words. 

With this being Thanksgiving week, we will be taking time to learn and celebrate Thanksgiving. Today we focused on the Pilgrims. We read stories about the life of Pilgrim boys and girls. We sorted activities based on whether they happen now or then. Finally, we wrote about something we would do if we were a Pilgrim. We added that writing to a craft. Have a look: 

In Math class today we began a new chapter. This chapter focuses on the numbers 11-20. Today we took a close look at how to build these numbers by identifying how many tens and extra ones we need. For example, we said that 13 is the same as 10 and 3 more. 

Have a great night! 

Mayflower Fun!

Greetings! Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day to end their week. As I was preparing the room at the end of the day for next week, I realized that this was our last full week of November. Where has the time gone? 

We began our day with Mass. Today Fr. Brian talked to us about always being thankful for what we have and to show that thanks to God. 

We wrapped up yet another week of learning in Language Arts today. We used our oral vocabulary words in sentences, read long a words, spelled and read words with the contraction for not, and wrote sentences using our sight words. Finally, we took our weekly assessment. 

Library class was extra special today. The students picked their first colored dot book of the year. They know that they are to read their book and bring it back to school to take a test on it. They are quite excited to do this. Thank you for helping them with this. 

In Math class today we took our test on shapes. Next week we will begin looking at the numbers 11-20. 

In Science class today we talked about how objects can be grouped into solids, liquids, and gases. We took pictures and classified them based on their state. 

We finished up our Social Studies lesson from yesterday. We are learning about Thanksgiving and focused yesterday and today on the Mayflower. We read a story about the Mayflower. Then, using what we learned from yesterday and today, wrote about that voyage. We took our writing and added it to a craft. They look so awesome: 

In Art today, we created Indian corn. The students used Q-tips dipped into paint to design their corn. They did a great job. They were so quiet while doing this. Have a look: 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Thanksgiving Feast!

Greetings! Today was quite an exciting day in first grade. We had our annual Thanksgiving Feast. The students waited all morning for the special lunch. And they were not disappointed! 

We began our day with a program from Prince Gallitizin State Park. The presenters talked to the students about woodpeckers. Afterwards, the students were able to create a woodpecker pecking away for bugs. Thank you to the Home and School Association for providing this awesome program for us. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words, read long a words, read and spelled contractions for not, and practiced reading our sight words and using them in sentences. We then partner read a story from our decodable reader booklet and our story from yesterday. After that we read a nonfiction piece about time and completed pages in our close reading companion. Finally, we identified verbs in sentences.  

In Math class today we reviewed shapes. Tomorrow we will take our test. 

Because we did not get to Science last Friday, we had a special Science class today. Today, we learned that we can sort objects into groups. We then conducted an experiment to see which classroom objects floated and which ones sank when placed in water. 

We began our study of Thanksgiving today in Social Studies. We watched Peanuts: Voyage on the Mayflower to learn about the Pilgrims trip and first year in America. 

Tomorrow is a Faith Family Mass. The students can wear their red Christ is RICH in me shirts to school. 

Gym Class Fun!

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a great week. This week is surely flying by. 

In Religion class today we wrapped up our chapter on Jesus teaching his followers. We recalled the story of Jesus calming the water and how Jesus taught his followers the Our Father. 

In Language Arts, we reviewed our oral vocabulary words. We then practiced reading long a words and contractions for not. After that we practiced our sight words. We then switched our focus to fluency. We read a story in our decodable reader booklets. We ended our morning by reading On My Way To School, a fantasy story about what makes a boy late to school. 

This afternoon we wrote about the characters, setting, and plot in the story. We also practiced inserting commas into a list. 

For Gym class today we talked about how we need to exercise to break down fats. The students were divided into teams. Each team was given beans bags (which represented healthy foods) and balls (which represented unhealthy foods). They had to run to another group's area and exchange a ball for a bean bag. They had lots of fun doing this! 

In Math class today we used our critical thinking skills to solve problems. The students also created their own patterns by cutting and gluing shapes. 

Tomorrow will be quite an exciting day. It is our annual Thanksgiving Feast. We also have a special program tomorrow morning! 

Awesome Day!

Greetings! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed the sunshine today! We had an awesome day in first grade. The students really worked hard and learned lots today.

In Religion class we took a close look at the Our Father. We took each verse and discussed what it means when we pray it.

We began Language Arts by working in our literacy centers. We then jumped back into our week of learning. We reviewed the oral vocabulary words we learned yesterday and then learned three new words (calendar, occasion, and weekend). We then worked on making predictions as we read a nonfiction piece about measuring time. Following that we used our letter tiles to spell and read long a words. Next, we practiced writing contractions for the word not. After that we practiced using our sight words in sentences. Finally, we reread Nate the Snake is Late and wrote about the events in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

This afternoon in Language Arts we read our decodable reader and discussed the characters, setting, and plot in that story. We then created a superhero. Around our superhero we wrote action verbs of all the things he/she can do.

In Math class today we worked with patterns. The students used pattern blocks to create several patterns. They are quite good with this.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is a Jean Day. Students can wear jeans and sneakers to school. They do not need to wear a uniform shirt but can wear a shirt that is appropriate for school. Tomorrow is also Gym day!

Have a great night!