Hello Spectacular First Graders and Super First Grade Families!
Reminders:
1. Conferences are next week. Please return your conference sheet to me by Thursday, September 30.
2. We have early outs Tuesday - Friday, October 5 - 8, for conferences.
This week we are doing a science/social studies unit on Johnny Appleseed and the life cycle of an apple tree. We had a fun day learning about Johnny Appleseed and why he is important! For guided reading, we learned about Johnny Appleseed's life and how he helped bring apple trees to many states in our country. Kids - can you remember the states where Johnny Appleseed planted his trees? Can you remember the abbreviations for each state? After we read about Johnny Appleseed, we got to have our very own apple tasting! We tasted Red Delicious, Granny Smith and Fuji. Thank you so much for all the apple donations! The kids had so much fun with the tasting. After we tasted our apples, we made an "I Like Apples" book. Each child wrote his/her favorite kind of apple and decorated a picture for his/her page. Once the book is finished, it will go in the Bee Quiet Corner so everyone can enjoy it!
The kids loved centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Arts and Crafts: Apple Masks - The kids created apple tree masks for summer and fall. The summer masks have leaves and the fall masks have apples. They got to be creative with their coloring and they even learned how to do some tricky cutting!
2. Science: Apple Painting - The kids had to guess how to cut an apple to get the seeds to make a star. They watched as the apples were cut to see if their guesses were correct. After the apples were cut, they painted apple pictures.
3. Writing: Apple Person - The kids got to make an apple person! They colored and cut an apple and attached strips of paper for arms and legs. They wrote facts about apples on the arms and legs. These turned out so great! They are hanging up in the room!
4. Arts and Crafts: Apple Masks - The kids created apple tree masks for spring and winter. The spring masks have flowers and the winter masks have bare tree branches.
5. Reading: Kids read from their leveled books in the Bee Quiet Corner.
We do not have new spelling words this week. Since it is the week before report cards, we will be doing a lot of testing in all subjects, including spelling. The children will take a test each day on spelling words we have already practiced. These tests will be used to have the most up to date scores for their report cards.
We did two different math activities and the kids enjoyed both of them! In math we made an apple tree glyph. They turned out so cute! Kids - can you remember what kind of data our apple tree glyphs gave us? Kids - look around the room tomorrow when you come in. Can you be the first to spy the new glyphs? We continued our work in chapter 2 and we learned different ways to make 7 and 8. The kids are doing a very nice job with this and they really understand how to write addition sentences! Way to go, 1st grade mathematicians!
In computer today we did more work on Raz - Kids. The kids are learning how to be responsible computer users and log in, read books and take quizzes independently. If you'd like to see what we did in computers today, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 9/27."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
September 27, 2010
September 26, 2010
Computers, 9/27
More Fun With Raz - Kids!
Let's start by voting on this week's poll! After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about this week's activity.
I hope you are all enjoying using Raz-Kids! Now that you've had some practice with Raz-Kids, you will get to show me how much you know by taking a quiz! You can read any book at your level and then take a quiz. Our learning goal for today is to read one book and successfully complete one quiz.
Let's log in Raz - Kids together to learn how to take a quiz. Click here: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login . Let's explore the site together to make sure we all know how to log in, read and take a quiz.
After you take a quiz, you may explore the links on my website. You must read AND take the quiz before you can go to another website.
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Johnston
Let's start by voting on this week's poll! After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about this week's activity.
I hope you are all enjoying using Raz-Kids! Now that you've had some practice with Raz-Kids, you will get to show me how much you know by taking a quiz! You can read any book at your level and then take a quiz. Our learning goal for today is to read one book and successfully complete one quiz.
Let's log in Raz - Kids together to learn how to take a quiz. Click here: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login . Let's explore the site together to make sure we all know how to log in, read and take a quiz.
After you take a quiz, you may explore the links on my website. You must read AND take the quiz before you can go to another website.
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Johnston
September 23, 2010
Week In Review
Happy Friday, First Grade!
The kids really enjoyed our study on nutrition. Each day we heard from Granny Smith and Red Delicious; they are a grandmother and grandson who helped teach us about nutrition. Each day we learned about a different food type (grain, vegetable, fruit, meat, dairy). The kids continue to enjoy doing guided reading up on the white board. I projected the images onto the board and the kids absolutely LOVED seeing all the food. I heard a lot of, "I'm SO hungry!" all week long! The menus turned out so well! The kids chose a name for their restaurants and they decorated the cover. Each page of the menu shows a different food group. The children were responsible for writing the name of the food group and choosing, drawing and labeling 3 foods per group. The kids did a really wonderful job! They shared their menus during sharing circle time. We had four sharing circles; each table shared their menus with each other. The menus will be on display in our classroom next week.
The kids are doing a great job of writing friendly letters! It is so much fun for the special person to receive his/her book of letters each day! We also learned how to write thank you letters. The kids got great practice writing thank you letters to Mr. Scott, the bus driver who took us to the zoo, Mr. Rusty, our behind the scenes tour guide at the zoo, and to our parent and grandparent helpers from the zoo field trip. Mr. Scott liked the thank you letters so much that he even sent our class a special card with a monkey on it! That was very exciting for the kids.
This week we expanded our glyph knowledge by working individually (the kids have worked collaboratively with table groups until this week) to collect data. It was tricky but the kids did a great job! We are working in chapter 2 of our math books. The kids are really enjoying the math books; they are very colorful and kids get to build and colorful to discover math concepts. I have heard several kids say, "I love math!"
Kids - be sure to check out the questions for the week! Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how much you know!
Get excited! We are learning about Johnny Appleseed and how apple trees grow next week! It's going to be a crunchy week in 1st grade! Please let me know if you can donate apples to our class for our tasting and apple painting! Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
Wow! What a delicious week we had in first grade! The kids loved learning about all the food groups and everyone was hungry by 10:00 am each day from looking at all the yummy food pictures! :)
We had some excitement this week with picture day! Picture day was also the first rainy day of the year! Luckily, we were able to get our pictures taken before the skies opened up. I got a sneak peak of the class picture and it looks great! Everyone has a big smile!The kids really enjoyed our study on nutrition. Each day we heard from Granny Smith and Red Delicious; they are a grandmother and grandson who helped teach us about nutrition. Each day we learned about a different food type (grain, vegetable, fruit, meat, dairy). The kids continue to enjoy doing guided reading up on the white board. I projected the images onto the board and the kids absolutely LOVED seeing all the food. I heard a lot of, "I'm SO hungry!" all week long! The menus turned out so well! The kids chose a name for their restaurants and they decorated the cover. Each page of the menu shows a different food group. The children were responsible for writing the name of the food group and choosing, drawing and labeling 3 foods per group. The kids did a really wonderful job! They shared their menus during sharing circle time. We had four sharing circles; each table shared their menus with each other. The menus will be on display in our classroom next week.
The kids are doing a great job of writing friendly letters! It is so much fun for the special person to receive his/her book of letters each day! We also learned how to write thank you letters. The kids got great practice writing thank you letters to Mr. Scott, the bus driver who took us to the zoo, Mr. Rusty, our behind the scenes tour guide at the zoo, and to our parent and grandparent helpers from the zoo field trip. Mr. Scott liked the thank you letters so much that he even sent our class a special card with a monkey on it! That was very exciting for the kids.
This week we expanded our glyph knowledge by working individually (the kids have worked collaboratively with table groups until this week) to collect data. It was tricky but the kids did a great job! We are working in chapter 2 of our math books. The kids are really enjoying the math books; they are very colorful and kids get to build and colorful to discover math concepts. I have heard several kids say, "I love math!"
Kids - be sure to check out the questions for the week! Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how much you know!
Get excited! We are learning about Johnny Appleseed and how apple trees grow next week! It's going to be a crunchy week in 1st grade! Please let me know if you can donate apples to our class for our tasting and apple painting! Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
September 18, 2010
Weekly Update, September 20 - 24
Hello Awesome First Graders and Amazing 1st Grade Families!
Reminders:
1. School pictures are this Wednesday, September 22. Please turn in your order forms.
2. The reading log needs to be brought to school each day. It needs to be signed by a parent each day. Books are exchanged throughout the week as needed. The log and book(s) are turned in on Friday.
We had a fun day learning about the grain food group to kick off our nutrition study! Today we learned about grains and the kids of foods that are in the grain group. We even learned a fun song to sing to help us remember the foods in the grain group. Kids - can you remember the song and sing it for your parents? This week we are going to be restaurant owners! We will create our own menu with foods from each group. Today we completed the grain portion of the menu. This week we will learn about vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy, and each day we will complete a new section of the menu.
The kids loved centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children listen to "Animal Tracks." They write the name, author and illustrator of the book, write 3 things that happened in the story and draw a picture.
2. Science - The children complete a food group graph. Students group the foods from their dinner into the correct food groups. Students answer questions about the food groups.
3. Writing - The children choose from a word bank of different foods to complete a story about lunch. The children write about the lunch.
4. Math - The children work to figure out how many ways they could order ice cream. There is a plain cone or a sugar cone, and there is mint, blueberry and grape ice cream. The children work to put different scoops on different cones to figure out how many choices there are in all.
5. Reading - The children read with me. We focus on fluency, strategies and comprehension.
We practiced our spelling words. The children came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week we are working on the "en" family. There are also two tricky homophones: for and four.
Today we began work in our new math books! The books are very colorful, engaging and interactive. I think the kids are really going to like these books! Tomorrow we are doing a bread glyph. It should be yummy and fun!
In computers we learned how to log into Raz - Kids. The kids had a great time exploring the site and reading! Raz - Kids can be done at home for extra practice and it will be assigned as part of the reading log from time to time. To log into Raz - Kids, go to: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login and under Teacher Username type: mjohnstonw. The link for Raz - Kids is also listed in the links section of my blog. If you'd like to see today's activity, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 9/20."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Reminders:
1. School pictures are this Wednesday, September 22. Please turn in your order forms.
2. The reading log needs to be brought to school each day. It needs to be signed by a parent each day. Books are exchanged throughout the week as needed. The log and book(s) are turned in on Friday.
We had a fun day learning about the grain food group to kick off our nutrition study! Today we learned about grains and the kids of foods that are in the grain group. We even learned a fun song to sing to help us remember the foods in the grain group. Kids - can you remember the song and sing it for your parents? This week we are going to be restaurant owners! We will create our own menu with foods from each group. Today we completed the grain portion of the menu. This week we will learn about vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy, and each day we will complete a new section of the menu.
The kids loved centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children listen to "Animal Tracks." They write the name, author and illustrator of the book, write 3 things that happened in the story and draw a picture.
2. Science - The children complete a food group graph. Students group the foods from their dinner into the correct food groups. Students answer questions about the food groups.
3. Writing - The children choose from a word bank of different foods to complete a story about lunch. The children write about the lunch.
4. Math - The children work to figure out how many ways they could order ice cream. There is a plain cone or a sugar cone, and there is mint, blueberry and grape ice cream. The children work to put different scoops on different cones to figure out how many choices there are in all.
5. Reading - The children read with me. We focus on fluency, strategies and comprehension.
We practiced our spelling words. The children came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week we are working on the "en" family. There are also two tricky homophones: for and four.
Today we began work in our new math books! The books are very colorful, engaging and interactive. I think the kids are really going to like these books! Tomorrow we are doing a bread glyph. It should be yummy and fun!
In computers we learned how to log into Raz - Kids. The kids had a great time exploring the site and reading! Raz - Kids can be done at home for extra practice and it will be assigned as part of the reading log from time to time. To log into Raz - Kids, go to: http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login and under Teacher Username type: mjohnstonw. The link for Raz - Kids is also listed in the links section of my blog. If you'd like to see today's activity, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 9/20."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 9/20
Raz - Kids is back!
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about this week's activity.
Show me with sign language, please: how many of you love Raz - Kids? Raz - Kids is a wonderful reading website that helps you read books at your just right level! Raz - Kids picks the books for you and after you read, it checks to make sure you understood what you read.
Today we are going to learn how to log into Raz - Kids, how to read books and how to take quizzes. To get to Raz - Kids, click http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login (Raz - Kids is also in the LINKS section of the blog). It will ask you to enter the teacher username: mjohnstonw. Find your name and get started! Let's watch to learn; I'll use myself as an example!
Now it's your turn! Go to Raz - Kids, log in, find your name and start reading!
Happy Reading,
Mrs. Johnston
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about this week's activity.
Show me with sign language, please: how many of you love Raz - Kids? Raz - Kids is a wonderful reading website that helps you read books at your just right level! Raz - Kids picks the books for you and after you read, it checks to make sure you understood what you read.
Today we are going to learn how to log into Raz - Kids, how to read books and how to take quizzes. To get to Raz - Kids, click http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login (Raz - Kids is also in the LINKS section of the blog). It will ask you to enter the teacher username: mjohnstonw. Find your name and get started! Let's watch to learn; I'll use myself as an example!
Now it's your turn! Go to Raz - Kids, log in, find your name and start reading!
Happy Reading,
Mrs. Johnston
September 16, 2010
Week in Review
Happy Friday, First Grade!
WOW! What a wild week we had! The kids LOVED learning about animals and they had a BLAST at the zoo!
Each day we learned about a different animal. Our animal studies were guided reading lessons that were projected on the white board. The kids got to see lots of wonderful animal pictures and they absolutely loved looking at all the pictures of animals! We had a great zebra study and we learned about the word unique and how zebras are unique.
Tuesday - We learned what the word distinguishing means, and how we can distinguish male and female lions in terms of height, weight, fur and tail.
Wednesday - We learned what the word climate means. We learned about the arctic climate and why polar bears need to live in the cold to survive.
Thursday- We learned about 3 types of monkeys: the spectacled langur, the snub nose monkey and the owl monkey. We reviewed the word characteristics and learned about characteristics of each monkey.
Friday - We got to see the real thing! The zoo was so much fun!! We got a special behind the scene tour tour. We saw where the tigers sleep, we saw the kitchen and all the different foods they feed the animals and we got to pet a rhino! After our special tour, we walked around the zoo, and we got to see all the animals we studied this week (and then some!). It was all so cool! Thank you much to the parents who came on the trip. I have a lot of great pictures from today; I will email them to you within the next few days.
This week we expanded our glyph knowledge by collecting data on glyphs with more difficult questions. We got to practice adding and subtracting in a very fun way by completing an activity based on "Who Sank The Boat?" Each child had a boat and 5 animals (a big thank you to our room mom, Barbara R. for cutting out all the animals and boats!!!). The kids had to add in animals and subtract out animals to see which animal finally sank the boat! Kids - be sure to tell your parents who sank the boat! It was a surprise!
The kids did a great job with their reading logs! Kids - please remember to bring your signed reading log to school every single day. The log and books need to be turned in on Fridays.
Thank you for coming to the ice cream social! It was great to see everyone and enjoy some yummy treats. I hope you enjoyed seeing our busy beehive classroom and the kids' great work!
Kids - be sure to check out the questions for the week. You can answer the questions to show your parents how much you learned and how smart you are! The questions will now be updated every Friday.
Get hungry! We are learning about food groups next week! It's going to be a delicious week in first grade!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
WOW! What a wild week we had! The kids LOVED learning about animals and they had a BLAST at the zoo!
Each day we learned about a different animal. Our animal studies were guided reading lessons that were projected on the white board. The kids got to see lots of wonderful animal pictures and they absolutely loved looking at all the pictures of animals! We had a great zebra study and we learned about the word unique and how zebras are unique.
Tuesday - We learned what the word distinguishing means, and how we can distinguish male and female lions in terms of height, weight, fur and tail.
Wednesday - We learned what the word climate means. We learned about the arctic climate and why polar bears need to live in the cold to survive.
Thursday- We learned about 3 types of monkeys: the spectacled langur, the snub nose monkey and the owl monkey. We reviewed the word characteristics and learned about characteristics of each monkey.
Friday - We got to see the real thing! The zoo was so much fun!! We got a special behind the scene tour tour. We saw where the tigers sleep, we saw the kitchen and all the different foods they feed the animals and we got to pet a rhino! After our special tour, we walked around the zoo, and we got to see all the animals we studied this week (and then some!). It was all so cool! Thank you much to the parents who came on the trip. I have a lot of great pictures from today; I will email them to you within the next few days.
This week we expanded our glyph knowledge by collecting data on glyphs with more difficult questions. We got to practice adding and subtracting in a very fun way by completing an activity based on "Who Sank The Boat?" Each child had a boat and 5 animals (a big thank you to our room mom, Barbara R. for cutting out all the animals and boats!!!). The kids had to add in animals and subtract out animals to see which animal finally sank the boat! Kids - be sure to tell your parents who sank the boat! It was a surprise!
The kids did a great job with their reading logs! Kids - please remember to bring your signed reading log to school every single day. The log and books need to be turned in on Fridays.
Thank you for coming to the ice cream social! It was great to see everyone and enjoy some yummy treats. I hope you enjoyed seeing our busy beehive classroom and the kids' great work!
Kids - be sure to check out the questions for the week. You can answer the questions to show your parents how much you learned and how smart you are! The questions will now be updated every Friday.
Get hungry! We are learning about food groups next week! It's going to be a delicious week in first grade!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
September 13, 2010
Weekly Update, September 13 - 17
Hello Awesome First Graders and Amazing First Grade Families!
New This Week: Reading Logs
Your child brought home a weekly (Monday - Thursday) reading log. The log includes an A-Z reading book borrowed from our wonderful Harelson Reading Room. Please help your child to remember to bring back the log each day with your signature and comments. The final log and the books are due back on Friday. It is very important that the books are returned each Friday! Thank you for your help with this!
What a fun day we had learning about zebras and getting ready for our zoo field trip! The children were so focused during our science guided reading and they can't wait until Friday's field trip! It is so great to see all of their excitement!
The kids loved centers today! The children went to 2 centers today to make sure we get though all of our centers before Friday's field trip. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children listen to "Going to the Zoo." They have a monkey match to complete and then they write their favorite part of the story.
2. Science - The children learn about the names of different animals by completing an animal word search. After the word search, they write about their favorite animal in their science journal.
3. Writing - The children write about their favorite zoo animal. They are using lots of great detail to describe why it is the favorite.
4. Math - The children are preparing for our upcoming assessments by completing addition practice. They are also working on number formation.
5. Reading - The children read with me. We focus on fluency, comprehension and strategies.
This week we are doing a science unit on animals to get ready for our zoo trip. Today we learned all about zebras and how they are unique! Kids - be sure to tell your parents what the word unique means and why zebras are unique! The other animals that we will learn about this week are: lions, polar bears and monkeys. It's going to be a wild week!
We practiced our spelling words. The children came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week we are working on the "in" family. We got in some more homophone practice and we have 3 very tricky homophones this week: are, our and hour.
Today in math we did a zebra glyph. Kids - tell your parents how many stripes are on your zebra! What do the different stripes mean? Tomorrow we will work in our table groups to collect data on our zebras.
Everyone was happy to go to computers this week (we missed it last week due to the Labor Day holiday). The kids had a great time reading and listening to information about zebras. If you'd like to see today's activity, please click on the blog entry directly below this one, "Computers, 9/13."
Reminders for the week:
1. Our zoo field trip is on Friday!
2. Picture day is next Wednesday, September 22. Order forms went home today.
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
New This Week: Reading Logs
Your child brought home a weekly (Monday - Thursday) reading log. The log includes an A-Z reading book borrowed from our wonderful Harelson Reading Room. Please help your child to remember to bring back the log each day with your signature and comments. The final log and the books are due back on Friday. It is very important that the books are returned each Friday! Thank you for your help with this!
What a fun day we had learning about zebras and getting ready for our zoo field trip! The children were so focused during our science guided reading and they can't wait until Friday's field trip! It is so great to see all of their excitement!
The kids loved centers today! The children went to 2 centers today to make sure we get though all of our centers before Friday's field trip. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children listen to "Going to the Zoo." They have a monkey match to complete and then they write their favorite part of the story.
2. Science - The children learn about the names of different animals by completing an animal word search. After the word search, they write about their favorite animal in their science journal.
3. Writing - The children write about their favorite zoo animal. They are using lots of great detail to describe why it is the favorite.
4. Math - The children are preparing for our upcoming assessments by completing addition practice. They are also working on number formation.
5. Reading - The children read with me. We focus on fluency, comprehension and strategies.
This week we are doing a science unit on animals to get ready for our zoo trip. Today we learned all about zebras and how they are unique! Kids - be sure to tell your parents what the word unique means and why zebras are unique! The other animals that we will learn about this week are: lions, polar bears and monkeys. It's going to be a wild week!
We practiced our spelling words. The children came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week we are working on the "in" family. We got in some more homophone practice and we have 3 very tricky homophones this week: are, our and hour.
Today in math we did a zebra glyph. Kids - tell your parents how many stripes are on your zebra! What do the different stripes mean? Tomorrow we will work in our table groups to collect data on our zebras.
Everyone was happy to go to computers this week (we missed it last week due to the Labor Day holiday). The kids had a great time reading and listening to information about zebras. If you'd like to see today's activity, please click on the blog entry directly below this one, "Computers, 9/13."
Reminders for the week:
1. Our zoo field trip is on Friday!
2. Picture day is next Wednesday, September 22. Order forms went home today.
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
September 12, 2010
Computers, 9/13!
Zebra Fever!
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about our activity for today.
Today we began our science study on animals. It was so neat to see pictures of zebras and to learn how they are unique. No two zebras' stripes are alike!
Today we will read and practice our listening skills while we learn about zebras. Please double click on the link:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/zebra/
Click through the different tabs to learn about zebras.
1. Start with the "Facts and Photos" tab. Read through the pictures and look at the neat pictures!
2. Click on the "Video and Sound" tab. Put your headphones on and watch the video to learn about unique zebras!
3. Click on the "Map" tab to see where zebras live.
***Challenge Activity***
Click on the "Email" tab. Can you figure out how to email the zebra card to me?? It's worth a bee buck! Good luck!!! You must send the email during computer class!!!
When you're done, you may go to one of the links on my website.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about our activity for today.
Today we began our science study on animals. It was so neat to see pictures of zebras and to learn how they are unique. No two zebras' stripes are alike!
Today we will read and practice our listening skills while we learn about zebras. Please double click on the link:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/zebra/
Click through the different tabs to learn about zebras.
1. Start with the "Facts and Photos" tab. Read through the pictures and look at the neat pictures!
2. Click on the "Video and Sound" tab. Put your headphones on and watch the video to learn about unique zebras!
3. Click on the "Map" tab to see where zebras live.
***Challenge Activity***
Click on the "Email" tab. Can you figure out how to email the zebra card to me?? It's worth a bee buck! Good luck!!! You must send the email during computer class!!!
When you're done, you may go to one of the links on my website.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
September 9, 2010
Week in Review
Happy Friday, First Grade!
What a busy week we had! We learned so much and we got a lot accomplished in just 4 days! The kids really enjoyed our social studies unit on mapping.
Looking ahead:
Our zoo field trip is Friday, September 17. Children will need to bring a completely disposable lunch.
Picture day is Wednesday, September 22. Your children will come home with picture forms on Monday.
Each day we built upon our previous mapping knowledge. On Tuesday we made a Know - Want to Know - Learned chart (KWL). We completed the Know and Want to Know Section. On Wednesday we learned 3 parts of a map: title, compass rose and legend. The kids did an excellent job with their mapping homework! It was very challenging and I am so proud of the kids for working so hard on this! On Wednesday we began a map of our classroom and we started with the title, compass rose and legend. On Thursday we finished the map of our classroom. It looks great! We learned what it means to work collaboratively and we completed the map as a whole group. Each child completed some element of the map. On Friday we learned a little bit more about maps and how they are made and we completed the Learned section of our KWL chart. The kids really enjoyed this unit.
In math we learned about combinations. The kids learned how to make a math pizza! Kids - "bee" sure to tell your parents what you learned! We had a math test on Friday on combinations and the children are really starting to grasp the concept. Well done, first graders!
Our reading groups and SSR are in full swing. We are working on reading strategies during reading time so you may hear your children talking about things like stretchy snake, chunky monkey, lips of the fish and eagle eye. The kids are learning the procedures for SSR time and they are doing great! Each day a few children are able to snuggle up to the bee pillow pets and the yellow bean bag and read in the Bee Quiet Corner. They love this! Beginning next week your child will receive a weekly reading log in addition to other homework. Children need to read at least 10 minutes a night.
Get ready for a wild week next week; we are learning about animals to get ready for our zoo field trip!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
What a busy week we had! We learned so much and we got a lot accomplished in just 4 days! The kids really enjoyed our social studies unit on mapping.
Looking ahead:
Our zoo field trip is Friday, September 17. Children will need to bring a completely disposable lunch.
Picture day is Wednesday, September 22. Your children will come home with picture forms on Monday.
Each day we built upon our previous mapping knowledge. On Tuesday we made a Know - Want to Know - Learned chart (KWL). We completed the Know and Want to Know Section. On Wednesday we learned 3 parts of a map: title, compass rose and legend. The kids did an excellent job with their mapping homework! It was very challenging and I am so proud of the kids for working so hard on this! On Wednesday we began a map of our classroom and we started with the title, compass rose and legend. On Thursday we finished the map of our classroom. It looks great! We learned what it means to work collaboratively and we completed the map as a whole group. Each child completed some element of the map. On Friday we learned a little bit more about maps and how they are made and we completed the Learned section of our KWL chart. The kids really enjoyed this unit.
In math we learned about combinations. The kids learned how to make a math pizza! Kids - "bee" sure to tell your parents what you learned! We had a math test on Friday on combinations and the children are really starting to grasp the concept. Well done, first graders!
Our reading groups and SSR are in full swing. We are working on reading strategies during reading time so you may hear your children talking about things like stretchy snake, chunky monkey, lips of the fish and eagle eye. The kids are learning the procedures for SSR time and they are doing great! Each day a few children are able to snuggle up to the bee pillow pets and the yellow bean bag and read in the Bee Quiet Corner. They love this! Beginning next week your child will receive a weekly reading log in addition to other homework. Children need to read at least 10 minutes a night.
Get ready for a wild week next week; we are learning about animals to get ready for our zoo field trip!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
September 7, 2010
Weekly Update, September 7 - 10
Hello Spectacular First Graders and Super 1st Grade Families!
Welcome back from the long weekend! I hope everyone had a great time and enjoyed the extra day off. I was SO impressed with what a wonderful job the children did today (especially after being gone an extra day!). The kids were so focused and worked so hard. Way to go!!!
The children are really doing well working in centers. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children are listening to "That's Good! That's Bad!" They have a piece of paper and on the front they write GOOD and write things that are good from the story. On the back they write BAD and write things that are bad from the story.
2. Science - The children are working with texture words. There are eight cards with texture words (bumpy, smooth, rough, etc.) and the children need to find items in our room that match those textures.
3. Writing - The children are writing about the best birthday party ever. They get to pretend that they can plan their perfect birthday party; they write all the details down for their special party.
4. Math - The children are working with unifix cubes. They explore different ways to make 5 and then write the computations down for their findings.
5. Reading - The children read with me in small groups. We focus on reading strategies and comprehension.
This week we are doing a social studies unit on mapping. Today we learned what maps are and how they help us. We went on a search of the room to find the map in our room! Kids - see if you can find a map at home! Tell someone at home how maps help us. Tomorrow we will be learning about the elements of a map and on Thursday we will be creating a class map.
We practiced our new spelling words. The children came home with Rainbow Words for homework and they are due tomorrow. This week we are working on the "ap" family. The children learned about homophones and what it means for words to be homophones (two or more words that sound the same, the words are spelled differently and the words mean different things). This week's "ap" family words include the homophones rap and wrap.
Today in math we did a house glyph. The kids are really getting great at following multi-step directions and correctly completing their glyphs. Today the children practiced collecting data from the glyphs in small groups. They did a great job working collaboratively!
Starting this week, your child will bring home additional reading homework. This week, the children will bring the homework home as I read with their small groups (so not every day). There is a form to fill out; this is a great way for you parents to communicate with me to let me know how your child is doing with reading at home.
Reminders for the week:
1. Kids - please bring your homework folder to school every day. Remembering to bring your homework folder helps you follow our class rule of being responsible.
2. Library is on Friday. If you forgot your books last week, please make sure to bring them this week.
3. Our zoo field trip is Friday, September 17. Thank you so much to the parents who have offered to help on the trip! I need 3 more volunteers. If you would like to help, please let me know.
4. If you have not filled out the yellow class directory form, please do that and have your child bring it in to school tomorrow. Thank you for your participation in the directory!
Have a sensational week!
Mrs. Johnston
Welcome back from the long weekend! I hope everyone had a great time and enjoyed the extra day off. I was SO impressed with what a wonderful job the children did today (especially after being gone an extra day!). The kids were so focused and worked so hard. Way to go!!!
The children are really doing well working in centers. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children are listening to "That's Good! That's Bad!" They have a piece of paper and on the front they write GOOD and write things that are good from the story. On the back they write BAD and write things that are bad from the story.
2. Science - The children are working with texture words. There are eight cards with texture words (bumpy, smooth, rough, etc.) and the children need to find items in our room that match those textures.
3. Writing - The children are writing about the best birthday party ever. They get to pretend that they can plan their perfect birthday party; they write all the details down for their special party.
4. Math - The children are working with unifix cubes. They explore different ways to make 5 and then write the computations down for their findings.
5. Reading - The children read with me in small groups. We focus on reading strategies and comprehension.
This week we are doing a social studies unit on mapping. Today we learned what maps are and how they help us. We went on a search of the room to find the map in our room! Kids - see if you can find a map at home! Tell someone at home how maps help us. Tomorrow we will be learning about the elements of a map and on Thursday we will be creating a class map.
We practiced our new spelling words. The children came home with Rainbow Words for homework and they are due tomorrow. This week we are working on the "ap" family. The children learned about homophones and what it means for words to be homophones (two or more words that sound the same, the words are spelled differently and the words mean different things). This week's "ap" family words include the homophones rap and wrap.
Today in math we did a house glyph. The kids are really getting great at following multi-step directions and correctly completing their glyphs. Today the children practiced collecting data from the glyphs in small groups. They did a great job working collaboratively!
Starting this week, your child will bring home additional reading homework. This week, the children will bring the homework home as I read with their small groups (so not every day). There is a form to fill out; this is a great way for you parents to communicate with me to let me know how your child is doing with reading at home.
Reminders for the week:
1. Kids - please bring your homework folder to school every day. Remembering to bring your homework folder helps you follow our class rule of being responsible.
2. Library is on Friday. If you forgot your books last week, please make sure to bring them this week.
3. Our zoo field trip is Friday, September 17. Thank you so much to the parents who have offered to help on the trip! I need 3 more volunteers. If you would like to help, please let me know.
4. If you have not filled out the yellow class directory form, please do that and have your child bring it in to school tomorrow. Thank you for your participation in the directory!
Have a sensational week!
Mrs. Johnston
September 2, 2010
Week in Review
Happy Friday, First Grade!
We had a fun week in first grade! Our science unit on the five senses was very exciting! Each day we sang a neat five senses song and then we did a different experiment to focus on a specific sense.
Monday - Drawing with our eyes closed!
Tuesday - Children worked in partners. One partner closed his/her eyes while the other partner broke carrots, crackers, lettuce and uncooked spaghetti near his/her partners ears. The children relied on their sense only their sense of sound to identify objects.
Wednesday - Children worked with their table groups. They felt applesauce and apples with their eyes closed. The children relied only on their sense of touch to identify objects.
Thursday - The children sat in a circle and closed their eyes and plugged their noses. I gave them a small bite of apple and carrot. The children relied only on their sense of taste to identify objects.
Friday - The children smelled 4 envelopes and each envelope had a different scent (almond, cinnamon, vanilla, vinegar). The children relied only on their sense of smell to identify objects.
We voted on our favorite science experiment and Thursday's taste test was the class favorite!
This week in math we have furthered our study with glyphs. Be on the lookout each week for a new and more challenging glyph! The children are learning to count by tens, starting at any number. We have a rhyming math rap to help us! Kids - be sure to sing the rap for your parents & be sure to tell them that you know that when we move up and down the number grid, we count by tens. When we move left and right, we count by ones!
Our first week of centers was great! The kids are doing well adjusting to the routine and working in reading groups. Your children have all been assessed on reading; they now have a book bag in their cubbie that contains "just right" books for them. Beginning next week, books will come home with children as additional homework. The kids are enjoying choosing their books and reading in the Bee Quiet Corner!
Get ready for a fun week next week; we are learning all about mapping and exploration!
Have a great long weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
We had a fun week in first grade! Our science unit on the five senses was very exciting! Each day we sang a neat five senses song and then we did a different experiment to focus on a specific sense.
Monday - Drawing with our eyes closed!
Tuesday - Children worked in partners. One partner closed his/her eyes while the other partner broke carrots, crackers, lettuce and uncooked spaghetti near his/her partners ears. The children relied on their sense only their sense of sound to identify objects.
Wednesday - Children worked with their table groups. They felt applesauce and apples with their eyes closed. The children relied only on their sense of touch to identify objects.
Thursday - The children sat in a circle and closed their eyes and plugged their noses. I gave them a small bite of apple and carrot. The children relied only on their sense of taste to identify objects.
Friday - The children smelled 4 envelopes and each envelope had a different scent (almond, cinnamon, vanilla, vinegar). The children relied only on their sense of smell to identify objects.
We voted on our favorite science experiment and Thursday's taste test was the class favorite!
This week in math we have furthered our study with glyphs. Be on the lookout each week for a new and more challenging glyph! The children are learning to count by tens, starting at any number. We have a rhyming math rap to help us! Kids - be sure to sing the rap for your parents & be sure to tell them that you know that when we move up and down the number grid, we count by tens. When we move left and right, we count by ones!
Our first week of centers was great! The kids are doing well adjusting to the routine and working in reading groups. Your children have all been assessed on reading; they now have a book bag in their cubbie that contains "just right" books for them. Beginning next week, books will come home with children as additional homework. The kids are enjoying choosing their books and reading in the Bee Quiet Corner!
Get ready for a fun week next week; we are learning all about mapping and exploration!
Have a great long weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
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