Thankful for Firsties!

Good Afternoon!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  I have so much to be thankful for again, both personally and professionally.  Today we were able to take some time to share all that we are thankful for in 1st grade.  The "tablecloths" made great canvases for some thankful writing and drawing.  Look for a Thankful Turkey that should have made it home today.

We had so much fun at our Thanksgiving Feast, inspired by Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.  Keeping with the theme, we had our own feast filled with pretzels, popcorn, jelly beans, punch and of course, buttered toast!  Check out some photos of our fun-filled day in 1st grade!

Decorating our Thankful Tablecloth

Decorating our Thankful Tablecloth

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Our feast of buttered toast, jelly beans, pretzels, popcorn and punch!

The coming weeks will be VERY busy in 1st grade.  We will attend a class favorite field trip to the Plains Art Museum for the gallery tour as well as Creative Art Studio where students will make their penguins.  Watch for photos on Tuesday on Seesaw!  I'll be sure to snap the cuties in action!  Just a heads up that I will be absent on Thursday and Friday (November 30-December 1) for a funeral.  Mrs. Pochmara will be there, so rest assured that all will flow as usual.  Beginning on December 4, our class will be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army.  Send you spare change and try to swing in when your kiddo is ringing the bell.  A schedule came home last week, but I will also list the schedule on the December calendar that will come home next week.  If your child is unable to ring the bell on his or her assigned date, I will do my very best to reschedule.  December will also bring our study of holidays around the world.  This is a HUGE highlight for our students as the packages begin to arrive from all around the world.  I'll be sure to post highlights from the event.  Looking ahead, on December 22 we will celebrate in our classroom with Grinch Day!  More information will come for that fun celebration.

All About Eva

Eva is full of smiles and kindness in 1st grade.  She brought the most adorable book to share with the class called The Twelve Dogs of Christmas.  If you haven't read it yet, it is adorable.  Eva loves dolls and My Little Ponies.  The students enjoyed seeing her pony that could flip on her show and tell day.  We are so lucky to share Eva in our classroom!

Another 1st grader has turned 7!  Happy Birthday, Daphne!

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: Things are moving along nicely in reading.  Students are busy learning about main idea and supporting details.  In phonics students are learning about initial and consonant blends in words like spin, past, plan, frog, etc.  We had lots of fun practicing our words on our Boogie Boards.  In grammar students will learn about plural nouns next week.

Writing: We have almost finished our third writing unit on procedural nonfiction texts.  Students will learn to add introductions and conclusions to their writing pieces as well as publish their favorite piece.  Students will work with their writing team to share and record their writing during a writing celebration.  I'll apologize now, the camera work may be a little shaky, but the students will take great pride in completing the recordings on their own.

Math: We will begin learning about plane the three-dimensional shapes next week in math.  Students will also be introduced to the fractions half and fourth.  Math Workshop continues to be a favorite part of our day.  I enjoy meeting with students in small groups daily.

Social Studies: We will finish our study of USA next week.  Students will learn about voting after reading Duck! Rabbit! and then voting in a mock election.  They will also learn about the final US symbol by making torn paper flags.

Upcoming Reminders:

November 22-24: No School - Thanksgiving Break

November 28: Field Trip to Plains Art Museum

November 30-December 1: Mrs. Sterling absent

December 4-8: Mrs. Sterling's class bell ringing

Pumpkin Fun!

Well we did it!  We survived Halloween (and the days after) in 1st grade.  Don't get me wrong, I love all things pumpkins, however, 1st graders seem to get a bit busy during this exact week each year!  We managed to pack a lot of fun into the day beginning with our exploration of our class pumpkin.  Since we have been learning about adjectives, students worked together to describe our pumpkin on the outside. 

We then dug in, literally, and used adjectives to describe the inside, too! 

 After we collected all of the seeds, students estimated the total using their super estimating powers!  The students then devised a plan as to count the seeds after reading Margaret McNamara's How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?  While all groups chose to count by 10's, one group decided to count by 2's.  They later decided it would be easier to count by 10's, so made the switch!  Activities like this foster excellent  communication and collaboration skills for our students.

  Our pumpkin had 677 seeds!  Dawson was only 23 away with a guess of 700!  Way to go, Dawson!

Next we read, Vote for Me! by Ben Clanton.  The students were inspired to vote for our Jack-O-Lantern Face.  I forgot to snap a photo of our finished Jack-O-Lantern, but don't worry, he is still a guest in our class!  Below Daphne votes in our own, secret voting booth!

As I said, our Pumpkin Jack is still in our classroom!  After reading Pumpkin Jack, by Will Hubbell, we sealed our pumpkin in an airtight, clear tote for the students to observe.  We will watch him decompose (and even mold) over the next month or two.  It is quite gross to see, but the students get to see first hand how a pumpkin and its seeds can begin the life cycle again each year!

The afternoon was a ball with our pumpkin party!  We made beaded pumpkins, went on a scavenger hunt, played make10 bowling, bingo, and finally decorated cookies, YUM!  Thank you to Mrs. Johnson (Leah's Mom) and Mrs. Pochmara (Elizabeth's Mom) for volunteering at the party!  

 Meet Odi

Have you met Odi?  I have had the pleasure of having both Odi and his older brother Rylee in my 1st grade class!  Odi is one of the sweetest kiddos you will meet.  He may be quiet, but has a great laugh to share (when he thinks his teacher isn't listening).  He was excited to share that neither Mrs. Baarstad nor I have ever had an Odi in our class!

Meet August

August is such a star in our class, too!  He is very kind and conscientious of doing his best.  During his share week, August brought in a really cool Pokemon set that the class loved to see.  His desk was definitely the hang out during snack break!  Keep smiling in 1st grade, August!

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: In reading students utilized headings to determine a text focus for a particular section of a nonfiction text.  They are also busy learning how to use commas in a series in grammar.  We practiced writing sentences with our favorite foods to put this skill into action.  In phonics students are working on l and r blends in words such as crib, blink, and truck. 

Math: Yippee!  We started all four rotations of Math Workshop!  The students learned to navigate through each station as well as visit me for small group math.  We had three really successful days of learning about subtraction by taking away and counting back.  It was also fun as our new class iPads arrived just in time!  If you are looking to boost subtraction fluency with your kiddo, practice counting back from any given number.

Students work at "Hands On" Math independently.

Students play "Subitize Tree" to practice subitizing rapidly.

Writing: We have finished another writing unit!  Students published their first personal narrative story last week.  They will participate in another writing celebration on Monday where they will share their piece with a small group.  I can't wait to share their pieces with you at conferences!

Upcoming Reminders:

November 6: Picture Re-Takes (Send your envelopes in if you would like a re-take)

November 9: Book Order's Due (Use class code HXPY7 at scholastic.com)

November 10: No School - Veteran's Day

November 14, 16, 20: Parent Teacher Conferences (Reminder notes will be sent home)

November 22, 23, 24: No School - Thanksgiving Break

Field Trip Fun by Everyone!

Who doesn't love field trips?  The first graders had a blast on their first field trip of the year.  As part of the Metro Learning Bank Experience, students experienced fine art by attending MSUM's own Fuego Tropical performance.  Students not only sang and danced along to the wonderful steel drum performance, but they also learned proper concert etiquette.  They wowed me with their excellent behavior as I knew they would!

What does it mean to imagine, design, create, engineer and experiment?  This week students learned all about the STEM Design Loop and made their way through their first investigation in our study of gravity and motion.  After reading Jack and the Beanstalk, students were challenged with designing their own beanstalk or tall building with a team of "engineers" (aka 1st grade students).  Students imagined their beanstalks and then made a plan.  Students were challenged with working together to discuss the plans and select the best for the group.  We even introduced our friend "Mr. Talking Stick" to help facilitate a one person talking at a time rule.  In the end, our engineering may need a little more practice, however, we are well on our way to learning how to improve the engineering process.  Check out the process along with the final products that the teams made.  

All About Josephine

Have you met sweet, Josephine?  Josephine loves the fact that her name has 9 letters and so do I!  Josephine loves the color pink, horses, and math.  The class was amazed to find out that there is even a Lake Josephine.  We did a bit of research only to find that there is not only a Lake Josephine in North Dakota but also one in Minnesota. We thought it was so neat I had to include the picture from her poster for you to see!

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: In reading students just completed Unit 1 and took their first reading assessment of the year.  It was long, but the students kept positive attitudes and did their best to remember and apply all of their new knowledge.  This week we will practice summarizing the main event in a story.  We will also practice reading and writing words with double final consonants and ck.  

Writing: Students are working are on their personal narrative stories in writer's workshop.  We like to call these, Small Moment stories, as they are about one moment in their life that they tell bit by bit including lots of details.  This week students will take the stories they have been working on and visit the "Revising and Editing Table" in our classroom with a partner to make their writing even stronger.  I can't wait to share their published pieces with you at conferences.

Math: The focus of our math instruction this week will be to introduce the final two pieces of MATH workshop!  Students will be introduced to 12 hands on games that can be played individually or with a partner during our math workshop.  We will also be getting five, new classroom iPads that students will learn how to utilize during math.  I was able to take time over the long break to get things set up and ready for students on Monday!  

Science: We are continuing our work in our gravity and motion unit.  This week students will learn about motion in terms of pushing and pulling.  Students will explore friction through hands on practice outside (let's hope the weather cooperates).  All of this will lead into the final STEM activity where students will design and engineer a six-foot marble run using ramps.  We can still use your toilet paper tubes if you have any!  Any extra will be kept for another project that takes place in May.

Upcoming Reminders

October 23: Wear NFL Jerseys to kick off Fuel off to Play 60

October 31: Fall Party 1:15-2:30

This week in 1st grade...

We've just hit the 30 day mark for 1st grade, and we are well on our way to a successful year!  The first graders work hard everyday, and I am already seeing them shine in so many areas.  After filling our class gumball machine, students brainstormed and voted for a class party.  PJ's and stuffed animals won!  Students had fun reading to their little critters during Daily 5!

Pajama Day with stuffed animals!

Just a friendly reminder that the weekly homework menus are a required homework piece for all 1st graders at Washington.  Additionally, guided reading books have started to make their way home with your student (Be on the look out for a large plastic book bag!).  Please listen to your reader and initial the slip within two school days.  These books (and any other books you read to your child or your child reads to you) can make their way onto the Book-It Reading log!  Even if your child isn't a pizza eater, it is a great routine to get into to prepare for the Reading Medalist program that will begin in January.

This week at Washington is Box Top Collection week!  Thank you to the families that have already sent Box Tops in periodically.  I have been holding on to these for collection week so we already have a nice start.  Additionally, the Washington PTA is hosting the Scholastic Book Fair.  Our class will visit the fair on Thursday, October 12.  Please feel free to send money with your child in an envelope or baggy labeled with their name.  The awesome volunteers will help your child select books and get them their change.  

All About Jaxon

This week we had the privilege of learning more about Jaxon.  He is a great kiddo with a great knack for math!  Jaxon brought his fidget spinner to school for show and tell and even showed us how he can balance it on his forehead, spinning!  On Friday Jaxon brought one of his favorite treats to share, Sour Skittles!  We decided to practice sorting by using our alligator tongs to divide skittles among our groups.  

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: Because reading is such a huge component of our day, I have started sending home the Journeys home link letters for your information.  They include all of the weekly phonics, grammar, spelling and target skills we are working on for the week.  Each week, students complete a performance assessment where they write about the story we have read.  They practice finding text evidence to support their responses.  I will have their performance assessment booklets available at conferences. 

Math:  In math students are working hard on addition to ten.  The number bond tool was introduced and students are utilizing it to break numbers into parts.  For example, 4 can be made with 2 and 2, 1 and 3, and 0 and 4.  In the coming weeks, small group math will begin.  Similar to reading, an independent practice model will be introduced to support students at four stations.  This week two of the four stations of our MATH workshop model were introduced:  The A - At your seat and H - Hands on components.  Below students practice two hands on activities with partners to strengthen number sense and addition.

Science: We have made our way through the life science unit in 1st grade with numerous stories, projects, experiments and demonstrations.  Science can be SO fun and it is especially helpful to have it at the end of the day when little minds are tired and looking for something engaging to do!  We finished learning about plant parts by comparing the human body to a plant to describe the parts of a plant.  We also went on a nature hunt looking for living things.  We then used Pic Collage to share all of our photos. After learning about different animal homes, students used paper plates to create their own animal habitat.  If you subscribe to Seesaw, I snapped a photo of each firstie and uploaded it to their Seesaw portfolio!  Aren't they adorable?

Roman allowed us to "label" him with plant parts.

Animal and plant sorting

We found lots of "living things" on our nature hunt.

Writing: Students have made their way through the writing process and are busy fancying up their final piece of writing for our introductory unit.  We will have our writing celebration on Tuesday, where students will get to share their pieces with the classroom.  Right now, students are enjoying designing their covers and adding colored illustrations to make the pieces complete! (I'll snap some photos or videos to add to Seesaw when they share!)

Upcoming Reminders:

October 9-13: Box Top Collection Week

October 12: Scholastic Book Fair

October 13: PTA Movie Night

October 13: Scholastic Book Order's Due (Code HXP7Y)

October 16: Field Trip to MSUM - Poco Fuego

October 18: Learn Not to Burn Firefighter Visit 

October 19-20: No School

First Grade Fun!

We've had a busy two weeks in 1st grade!  Students have been working hard to follow the school rules and have almost filled our class gumball machine!  Once full, as a class we will determine a reward to celebrate our success!  This could be a pajama day, movie, snack, recess or lunch in the classroom.  The event always stems from student ideas which makes it even more meaningful.

Last week students participated in the district Bus Safety presentation.  Even though some students do not ride the bus to and from school, all students will be riding the bus for several field trips this year.  Students reviewed the bus safety rules including emergency evacuations.

I've finally finished assessing student in reading and sight words, yippee!  You may have seen a letter accompanied by yellow sight word flashcards home with your student.  I'm asking for a bit of home support to review and refresh students in their kindergarten sight words.  Summer vacation is a long time and unfortunately, some of the sight words slip their minds.  Please practice these sight word cards with your child.  A list of suggestions accompanied the cards though the possibilities are endless!  Return the cards or a note indicating mastery and I will re-assess your student so he or she can begin practicing the 1st grade words.

I'm excited to say that small group reading instruction will also begin this week!  Students have increased their stamina to 20 minutes so we are ready for the challenge!  This is honestly my favorite part of the day as I am able to tailor my instruction to meet the needs of the students.  After a student completes a two-day lesson with a particular book, he or she will bring home the book in a plastic, book bag.  Please ask your child to read this book aloud to you (or another adult) and fill out the yellow log including your initials.  Parents often say, "the book was so easy for my child" which is great news!  We have practiced hard at school and I am hoping the read is smooth and easy for your kiddo!  Watch for 1 or 2 books to come home each week with your child.  I ask that all books are returned within 2 school days.

Speaking of reading, the Book It Reading Program will begin in October.  This is perfect timing as those guided reading books that come home count towards your child's book total!  A letter informing you of the rules and requirements will accompany the first reading log.  The Book It Program leads in nicely to the 1st Grade Reading Medalist Program that begins in January!

All About Piper!

This week we had the privilege of getting to know Piper a bit more in 1st grade!  Piper enjoyed helping us get to know her by bringing in special items as well as a special treat to share.  The students loved seeing Piper's tricks with string and it brought  back wonderful memories for me of playing cats cradle as a child!  Additionally, as the Star Student, Piper was my personal assistant and did a great job leading calendar math, helping with snack and handing out papers.  

September Birthdays

Hip-Hip Hooray!  We celebrated two birthdays in the month of September!  

Happy Birthday Xander and August!  

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: This week students will begin learning about story sequencing while reading Curious George at School. We will practice monitoring while reading as well as look at the importance of an author's word choice.  Our phonics practice will include short o and consonants l, x, and inflection -s. In grammar students will learn about verbs action words that tell what a noun is doing.

Math: In math students are busy learning about number combinations to 10.  How  can we make 10?  Students use manipulatives, including their fingers, to show combinations to 10.  We are also busy practicing several hands-on math games to prepare us for when daily math begins next month.

Science: Our unit of study is life science.  Students are currently exploring living and nonliving things.  Last week we planted bean seeds in various environments to determine plant needs.  Students also planted their own flower seeds to care for in our classroom.  As we wrap up our study of plants, we will begin to compare and explore animal needs.  Students will observe how animals grow and change using rich non-fiction texts and interactive websites.

Planting Marigolds!

Writing: In writer's workshop students are busy writers!  Students are working hard to write, illustrate and add to their pieces.  This week students will learn about the revision process in 1st grade.  We begin the year with peer revisions and students will learn how to visit our "Revising and Editing" table for support.  Utilizing peer support is a powerful experience for the students to learn from one another.

Upcoming Reminders:

September 28: School Picture Day

September 29: Mrs. Sterling absent in the morning (guest teacher subbing)

PS: Thanks for the recent Scholastic Book Orders!  Look at the new books I was able to get for our classroom library!