A picture before field day began!  I wanted to get an after picture, but I didn't get a chance.  They were hot, sweaty, and tired out by the end of the day!  :)  It was such a fun day!

Math - The yellow group is working on addition and subtraction stories up to ten.  The green group is working on 2D shapes, basic fractions, 3D shapes, and they will end this week with measuring.  The red and blue groups are learning about money.  They have finished the first grade book and will get a taste of what the second grade book is all about!  

Reading - Wow!  Are you as impressed as I am?  I love looking at the progress first graders make from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.  The progress is absolutely amazing!  They come to first grade - some not even reading.  They leave first grade reading and reading and reading.  Daily 5 is one of my favorite things.  I get to see first hand these kids read in small groups.  I get to see the light bulb turn on.  I get to see those a-ha moments.  Wow!

Writing - I can say the same thing as reading.  I look back to where they started and to where they are now.  It is phenomenal!  When first grade began, many students didn't spell correctly, know when to use punctuation, when to use capital vs. lowercase letters, etc.  They know that now.

On the first day of school the students wrote about their day.  This week the students wrote about their day.  The differences in the two writings are incredible.  On the first day of school most of the students wrote one sentence.  Some students wrote one word.  This week - they wrote paragraphs.  They filled the page.  Some kids even wrote on the back. And the illustrations that go with the writings?  Wow!  Just wait until you see the difference!  I'm going to put the two writings in their report card envelopes to share with you.  

Phonics - This week we learned about 2 syllable words.  We learned about closed syllables and vowel-consonant-e syllables.  We learned about 2 syllable words that end in -ic.  We learned that the spelling is ic - not ick.  If it is a one syllable word, the spelling is ick.  Again - this year in phonics - they have learned so much!  They have learned short vowels, long vowels, digraphs, blends, closed syllables, v-e syllables, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, bonus letters, glued sounds, and the list goes on and on!

Science - We are finishing up our organisms unit.  We have had lessons comparing and contrasting the plants, the animals, and the plants and animals.  The organisms unit has been so much fun!

Religion - We are finishing up our Promise books.  The final unit we have been working is called Mary is the Mother of the Church.

***Leader of the Pack - Our final class goal was 300 Leader of the Pack slips.  We earned that today!  The reward the class decided on is a board game day!  We will have our day on Monday, June 4th.  The students may bring board games from home.  We will take some time in the afternoon to play games!  :)

Math - The yellow group is working on story problems of addition and subtraction up to ten.  The green group is working on telling time.  They have learned :00, :30, :15, and :45.  Today we worked on time in 5 minute increments.  The red and blue groups are working on two digit addition with regrouping. 

Reading - Our word work focus is nouns and verbs, as well as common and proper nouns.  All of the running records are done for the year!  :)  We continue to work in our reading groups and work in the daily 5 centers.

Writing - On the first day of school we wrote and illustrated what we did that day.  Today we wrote about what we did today, the weekend, or something similar.  We compared the writing, punctuation, lower/upper case letters, handwriting, and illustrating of the two writings.  It was amazing!  The students loved seeing their growth!

Handwriting - We finished our book and sent everything home.  We have one more task - to write all the upper case and lower case letters correctly.  :)

Religion - We are working out of our book.  Our current parable was the parable of the Good Shepherd.  We have also been working out of our Promise workbooks.  We are just about finished with them. 

Phonics - We are learning about two syllable words that have one closed syllable and one v-e syllable.  (example - dislike, rosebud)

Science - We are finishing up or organisms unit.  We still have our terrariums and aquariums.  We are doing lessons on comparing and contrasting the plants and animals in each container.

Social Studies - We have learned all the states and capital.  We know two songs.  The kids are loving the state books we have in our classroom.  Many students are using the state books to work in the writing center fantastic facts.  This week we also learned a few things about our presidents and Washington DC.

The Book Mobile came!  

Friday is Field Day!  Everyone need to be dropped off and picked up at Res.  If your student needs to be bussed back to the St. Matthew Campus for after school care or the Y Program please let me know.

We had a fantastic day at The Building For Kids.  Here are a ton of pictures.  Enjoy!

The kids worked so hard on their Mother's Day projects!  I hope you enjoyed their water fall books, Mom writings, and painted flower pots.  They were so excited to give their presents to their Moms!

*Tuesday, May 22nd - The Bookmobile is coming to school!  If your child would like to check out a book, they may bring their Brown County Library card.  The children will visit the bookmobile for a story.  They will also be talking to us about the summer reading program.

*Wednesday, May 23rd - Friendship Mass - All students are to be dropped off at Res.  They will be take the bus back to the St. Matthew Campus after mass.

*Friday, May 25th - Field Day - All students will spend the entire day at the Res Campus.  Team colors were sent home in an attachment in the newsletter.  

Weekly Spelling Lists -

Phonetic List - 2 syllable words with 2 closed syllables
upset
admit
pigpen
sunfish
laptop
napkin
himself
contest
insist
cobweb

High-Frequency List - Trick Words - Words 151-160
every
found
still
between
name
should
home
big
give
air

Math - The yellow group is working on subtraction stories up to 10.  The green group is continuing their work with comparison bars and comparing story problems.  The red and blue groups finished up chapter 7 with measuring.  Today they started the last chapter in the book!  They are working on two digit addition.  They are learning a few different methods on how to do this. 

Making animals out of pattern blocks

Reading - This week we continued to work on contraction caterpillars, tongue twisters, and fantastic facts.  This week we also finished our final running records of the year!  The students have grown SO MUCH as readers this year!  First grade reading growth is AMAZING!  

A super awesome story written during daily 5 - work on writing

Phonics - This week we finished up our unit on vowel consonant e and vowel consonant e with suffix s.  (We call this v-e)  Our next unit will introduce two syllable words with two closed syllables. 

Writing - In handwriting this week we are reviewing letters.  We have made it through the whole alphabet!  We always work on forming the letters correctly and putting the letters on the correct lines.  In writer's workshop we worked on a super secret project for a super special day coming up on Sunday.  I hope you love it!  <3

Religion - This week's chapter in Religion was about Jesus teaching us to love God.  Friday we will read out of our final Promise Paper of the year!

Social Studies - This kids have loved learning about the states and capitals.  We continue to sing our songs, work on USA puzzles, and read out of some pretty cool USA books.

Science - We observed the bess beetles and put them in our terrariums last Friday.  It was pretty awesome!  We learned that bess beetles are classified as insects because they have three body parts and six legs.  We made a venn diagram comparing and contrasting the pill bugs and the beetles.  Today we observed both our aquariums and our terrariums.  We talked about what changes we see in both since we originally put our organisms in them.  Some things have grown and some things have died.  We are now working on murals of both the aquarium and the terrarium.

Joah's Grandma - Miss Maggie - was with us when we were working with the bess beetles.

She was very brave in holding them.  She was great at helping the kids be brave, too!  :)

Look at how much our grass seed caterpillars have grown!

*Spring Concert - Monday, May 14th - The students are asked to dress up for the concert.  The concert begins at 6:00.  The students will report to their classrooms at 5:30.

*The Building For Kids field trip in on Wednesday, May 16th.  We will leave school around 8:30.  I do not have permission slips yet form Elliot, Guadalupe, or Mia.  The students must bring a cold lunch that day.  Please have everything in their lunch brown bag style - baggies, plastic silverware, etc.  Please no lunch boxes or tupperware.  The students may order a lunch from school if you wish.  Dylan, Brady, Suzi, and Gabriella have already signed up for this.  If you would like your child to have a cold lunch made by our school, please let me know.  

*Field Day - Friday, May 25th