A few updates...

First Grade Math - We have been working on telling time.  We are working on :00, :15, :30, and :45.  A few students can even tell time to the minute.  :)  The students loved talking about clocks with Roman numerals.

First Grade Phonics - This week we learned the keywords to all of the bossy r sounds - ar, er, ir, or, and ur.

Science - Our caterpillars are growing.  Some of them have gone into the j-shape.  A few of them are in a chrysalis.

Religion - The Gospel reading and our Promise Paper this week focuses on helping and healing.

Reading - Our word work focus has been contractions.  The students have been making amazing contraction caterpillars!  This week I am finally finishing up running records.  The growth...amazing!

Stream - This week in Lego robotics we built a sailboat.

100 - This week Wednesday was the 100th day of school.  Our whole day focused on the number 100.  Some of the activities we did - wrote a story with 100 words, wrote 100 words on chart paper, wrote books that talked about what we'd like 100 of - and what we wouldn't like 100 of, rotated into centers where we built things out of 100 items (Legos, Duplos, blocks, 10 sticks, cups, dominoes, cubes, pattern blocks and puzzles), rolled a die 100 times and tallied how many times it landed on each number, we did 100 exercises, created 100th day crowns, wore 100th day glasses and bracelets, counted to 100 in many different ways, read stories about the 100th day, created pictures out of die-cut 100's, walked through the giant 100 in the hall, etc.  We had a lot of fun activities!

Info from Mrs. Friday -
Social Learning Lesson #6
This week we will learn a final thinking strategy to help move us out of a Yellow or Red Zone. The following vocabulary terms will be introduced:

 SUPERFLEX THINKING – a flexible thinking pattern in which a person is able to consider different points of view or ways to do something
 ROCK BRAIN THINKING – a rigid thinking pattern in which a person gets stuck on an idea and has difficulty considering other options or ways to do something.

We will be reading the story Superflex takes on Rock Brain and the Team of Unthinkables by Stephanie Madrigal. The premise of the book is that a superhero, Superflex lives in all of us. Superflex uses strategies to defeat the Team of Unthinkables who sometimes invade our brains and try to make us do unexpected behaviors. Rock Brain tries to invade our brain to make us get stuck on an idea or way of doing something and not consider others. This often can lead us quickly into the Yellow or Red Zone. Students will talk about how they can become better at recognizing when their brains are getting stuck on something. Thinking about how Superflex would handle this can help bring them back to the Green Zone.

Questions for generalizing at home:
 When was a time you used Rock Brain thinking?
 Describe what happened and how it affected others.
 What do you think would have happened if you would have used Superflex thinking instead?
 How would this have changed what others thought or felt about you?
 How can Superflex thinking affect your zone? As situations arise at home, take the opportunity to point out the times you see your child use Superflex thinking to stay in the Green Zone.

Conversely, you can also let them know when you notice that Rock Brain thinking is putting them in the Yellow Zone. Ask them to call on Superflex to help them defeat Rock Brain by using flexible thinking paired with any other strategies we have learned to help them regain control.
It has been a pleasure working with your children at Resurrection and I wish them all the very best!

Mary-Beth Friday

Please don’t hesitate to contact Mary-Beth Friday with any questions, comments or concerns at the Communication Pathways office: 920-632-4488 or by email: marybeth@communicationpathways.com