Thursday, December 21, 2017

The first grade elves have been busy this week. These elves turned out so cute!  :)






Math - In math we are working on learning how to go through a new rotation.  We are working on building our stamina!  

Reading - This week we worked on Christmas ABC books, Christmas cards, and other Christmas literacy centers.  We are so close to having running records done!  There has been so much improvement since the beginning of the year!

Writing - In handwriting we focused on the letter Ss this week.  We are always working on forming the letters the correct way and putting them in the correct spaces.  In writer's workshop we made Christmas sticker stories.

Science - We worked with our 20 solids this week.  We worked to find out which solids rolled, which stacked, and which did both.  Amazingly, we found out that all of the solids that rolled could also be stacked.  










Religion - The students have loved hearing Bible stores each day through our Jesse Tree.  Each day we follow the path to Bethlehem as we're counting down the days until Christmas!

The students worked so hard this week on making a beautiful project for their moms and dads.  I am so proud of the effort and work that they put into this special project.  I can't post pictures yet.  :)  I hope you love it!  <3  Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow the students may dress in Christmas, ugly sweater, or Christmas colors.  They may wear jeans.  

Our Christmas party is tomorrow at 9:30.  Dismissal is at 11:15.  



Thursday, December 14, 2017

Math - Group 1 has been working on teen numbers.  They have been using base ten blocks to count tens and ones.
Group 2 has been working on all ones, all tens, and ones and tens.  Ex. 3+4=7, 30+40=70, 30+4=34.  They are also working on counting on from two digit numbers.  Ex. 57+6=_____.  To count on you say the number after 57 - so 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63.  They also learned how to use balls and sticks to count on. 
This week we started using a new website in our technology center.  It is called Math Playground.  The students are loving it!

Reading - This week in reading we continue to do running records.  There are about 5 students left to go.  :)  While I am doing running records, the students are working in daily 5.  This week we have Christmas centers.  We have Christmas sight word activities, making words out of the letters in Christmas, putting the words to Jingle Bells in order, making Christmas cards, as well as other Christmas centers. 

Lillian's Squggle

Will in his favorite center!

Phonics - This week we are finishing up suffix s.  We are starting our new glued sounds - ang, ing, ong, and ung.

Writing - We are working on Christmas ABC Books.  They are turning out amazing!  In handwriting today we worked on the letter Uu.  We are always working on forming the letters the correct way and putting the letters in the correct spaces.  Last week we worked on poems for Bishop Bob.  We put them in a book and gave them to him.  Today at mass he brought the book and thanked the first graders for making it for him.  They were so proud!


Religion - We have been talking about Advent.  We made advent wreaths.  We learned about the candles and the wreath symbol.  The four weeks of Advent are hope, peace, joy and love.  Each week we add another flame to our candle.  We also have a Jesse Tree.  Each day we add another piece of the tree and read a Bible story.  This week we read a Promise Paper on Monday - as we ran out of time last Friday.  We learned about our Lady of Guadalupe.  Tomorrow we will read the Promise Paper with this week's Gospel reading.  

Today at mass we celebrated with Bishop Bob.  It was his last mass at the St. Matthew Campus.  Bishop Bob loves sauerkraut.  To honor him, the students brought up 51 cans of sauerkraut - one can for each year he has been a priest.

Bishop Bob with his sauerkraut

Social Studies - We learned a little bit about maps.  We learned about map symbols and the map key.  We worked on a classroom map and a playground map.  Then, our next Einstein kit came, so now we're working on science again.

Science - Our new Einstein kit is called solids and liquids.  The first lesson was about two solids - a ball and a spoon.  We talked about our senses.  Then we used our senses to compare the spoon and the ball.  Today we got to see our 20 solids.  We will be doing lots of different experiments with the 20 solids.  Today we worked on sorting the solids by color and by shape.

Tomorrow we will be making some fun elves!  I can't wait to share them with you.  Also, tomorrow is the Santa's Workshop from the auction.  It will be during lunch time.

***Snack - Just a reminder that we do have a snack time in the morning.  Snack time is right after recess and right before reading.  Our snack time is short - 5-10 minutes at the most.  The students just need a small snack.  Some students are packing enough for a lunch.  :)  They eat lunch an hour after snack time.  An apple, a banana, a bag of goldfish, a bag of pretzels, etc. - that's all that's needed.


Monday, December 11, 2017

Weekly Spelling Lists -

Phonetic List - Glued Sounds - ang, ing, ong, ung
bang
ring
song
lung
gong
hang
wing
long
hung
thing

High-Frequency List - Trick Words - Words 61-70
into
has
more
her
two
like
him
see
time
could

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Our days have been so busy!  We spent so much time in the last two weeks having concert practice!  It was a lot of work...and they sure did a great job!


Another big task we've been given is mass this week.  It is the feast of Immaculate Conception.  The readings are long!  We have been going into church every spare chance we get.  The students have really improved since last week!  Keep practicing tonight!

Our STREAM Project is yet another project we have been working on.  Our first task has been to create Noah's Ark.  The students have certain requirements that the ark must have - including being able to hold 6 animals and float for 30 seconds.  Here's one group as they were testing to see if their boat would float.


We have three more projects that we need to complete.  We'll give you more specifics as we get to them.  We will, however,  need more recyclables.  Please keep sending them in.  Thank you!

In between all of these big projects, we are managing to get in some school work.  Here are a few things we've worked on this week...

Math - Group 1 has been working on doubles, doubles plus and minus 1, and doubles plus and minus 2.  They have been learning about place value - ones and tens.  They are using the "balls and stick" method.  They have been using the dot array to count with place value, to find doubles, and to find odd and even numbers.  They had a big challenge this week - writing out number words up to 90!  It was super challenging and they did awesome!
Group 2 has been working on writing numbers up to 100 on the 100 chart and working on partners of 10.

Reading - This week our word work center focuses around sight words.  We are starting round two of running records.  As the students are working in daily 5 centers, I am pulling them one by one to do a reading assessment.

Phonics - In phonics we have been working on basewords and the suffix s.  We have been doing quite a bit of dictation.  Our latest trick words are question words - who, what, and when.

Religion - All of our Religion time this week was spent practicing for mass.  Our mass is on Friday instead of Thursday this week.  We also have Divine Mercy Chaplet on Friday at 2:30.

***Please return your report card envelopes.




Monday, December 4, 2017

Weekly Spelling Lists -

Phonetic List - Suffix s
webs
mops
pegs
packs
maps
bells
sheds
pups
chips
rocks

High-Frequency List - Trick Words - Words 51-60
out
them
then
she
many
some
so
these
would
other