HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Reminder:
Please remember to bring your penny to school on Monday!
What a fun week we had! Mrs. Hicks had a great time in our busy beehive and she said she would love to be our guest teacher again. The kids got a great report from Mrs. Hicks. I am happy but I am not surprised! :)
The kids loved learning about pumpkins! On Tuesday the kids did a combination science/math experiment. They learned about pumpkin seeds and then estimated and graphed their guesses for the number of seeds in a pumpkin. After the estimation it was time for the fun and messy part! Each table worked together to count the number of seeds in groups of 10. There were 477 seeds all together! On Wednesday the kids learned about the uses of pumpkin seeds. After that, the kids used the seeds from Tuesday to plant their own pumpkin seeds to begin the pumpkin life cycle. Kids - be sure to tell your parents what will help your pumpkin seed grow! On Thursday the kids learned about the history of Jack - O - Lanterns and they got to make their own Jack - O - Lantern!
The kids did a great job in math and they made a lot of progress with adding and patterning. We even had time for some math races and the kids loved that!
Our Halloween Party was a blast! THANK YOU so much to all the parents who donated their time and supplies to make the party great! We had 5 Halloween centers at our party and the kids got to do all 5. The centers for the party were:
1. Spider Glyph - The kids make a spooky spider glyph. They turned out so cute!
2. Grapefruit Carving - The kids carved grapefruits with plastic knives to turn them into Jack - O - Grapefruits.
3. Owl Puppet - The kids colored an owl pattern, cut it out and glued it on a paper bag to make a cute puppet.
4. Mini Pumpkin Decorating - The kids decorated mini pumpkins with googly eyes, gems, colored cotton balls and markers.
5. Cookie Decorating - Yum!
The Halloween parade was so much fun! Everyone looked so great in costume! The kids had such a great time with this!
Get excited for next week...we are learning about brilliant bats!
Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween!
Mrs. Johnston
October 29, 2010
October 25, 2010
Weekly Update, October 25 - 29
Hello Spooky First Graders and Ghoulish First Grade Parents!
Reminders and Updates:
* Our Halloween party is this Friday in the morning. We will have our normal activities for the first hour and then the party is from 9:30 - 11:20. The Halloween parade is from 2:15 - 2:45. Kids will wear their costumes all day. Parents are invited to the party and the parade!
* I will not be at school this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; I will be at an off-site training with teachers from many different school districts in Tucson. Our guest teacher this week will be Mrs. Hicks. The kids and I have discussed the importance of treating our guest teacher with respect. Please join me in reminding your children to be respectful, patient and helpful when Mrs. Hicks is here.
It's Halloween week and the kids are SO excited for our party on Friday! This week is going to be such a fun week learning all about pumpkins, doing Halloween centers and Halloween math activities!
This week we are doing a science unit on pumpkins! Today we learned the characteristics of pumpkins. Many of the kids were surprised to know that a pumpkin is a fruit. Kids - be sure to tell your parents why a pumpkin is a fruit! We also learned the 6 stages in the life cycle of a pumpkin. Kids - do you remember them all? After the guided reading lesson we began our fact pumpkin. The kids made a pumpkin out of orange construction paper and divided it into 4 sections. Today they wrote something they learned about pumpkins. Each day this week we will do a guided reading lesson to learn something different about pumpkins, add more to the fact pumpkins and then we will follow it up with a fun pumpkin science experiment!
The kids had a great time in centers today! The kids went through 2 centers today so that everyone will get to do all the centers before our Halloween party on Friday. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to the story "Alice and Greta," a story about 2 witches. They made a broom out of construction paper and wrote their favorite part of the story and what it would be like to be a witch.
2. Science - Apple Bobbing! The kids made prediction about what kind of tub would be best to apple bob in, and what kind of apples would be the easiest to get. After they made their predictions, they got to bob for apples! This center was a big hit and all the kids are looking forward to this one!
3. Writing - The kids are writing about the 5 Ws of Halloween:
Who - is going with you?
What - are you going to be?
Where - are you going trick or treating?
When - are you going trick or treating?
Why - did you pick your costume?
This center got the kids thinking about Halloween and it got them really excited!
4. Math - Pumpkin Measuring: Estimate and check. The kids estimated the height, weight, circumference and number of creases on a pumpkin. After they recorded their prediction, they checked.
5. Reading - The kids read 1:1 with me to work on reading strategies.
We have new spelling words this week. The kids have Rainbow Words for homework and they are due tomorrow. This week we are doing Halloween words instead of a word family.
In math today we did a Jack - O - Lantern glyph. We haven't done a glyph in a few weeks and the kids had a great time with this! They turned out very cute and they are hanging up in the room. We began chapter 6 today, a unit on counting up and patterning. We will continue to review counting on and doubles, and these skills will be a big help with patterning in counting up.
In computers today we learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin. If you'd like to see what the kids did in computers today, click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 10/25."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Reminders and Updates:
* Our Halloween party is this Friday in the morning. We will have our normal activities for the first hour and then the party is from 9:30 - 11:20. The Halloween parade is from 2:15 - 2:45. Kids will wear their costumes all day. Parents are invited to the party and the parade!
* I will not be at school this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; I will be at an off-site training with teachers from many different school districts in Tucson. Our guest teacher this week will be Mrs. Hicks. The kids and I have discussed the importance of treating our guest teacher with respect. Please join me in reminding your children to be respectful, patient and helpful when Mrs. Hicks is here.
It's Halloween week and the kids are SO excited for our party on Friday! This week is going to be such a fun week learning all about pumpkins, doing Halloween centers and Halloween math activities!
This week we are doing a science unit on pumpkins! Today we learned the characteristics of pumpkins. Many of the kids were surprised to know that a pumpkin is a fruit. Kids - be sure to tell your parents why a pumpkin is a fruit! We also learned the 6 stages in the life cycle of a pumpkin. Kids - do you remember them all? After the guided reading lesson we began our fact pumpkin. The kids made a pumpkin out of orange construction paper and divided it into 4 sections. Today they wrote something they learned about pumpkins. Each day this week we will do a guided reading lesson to learn something different about pumpkins, add more to the fact pumpkins and then we will follow it up with a fun pumpkin science experiment!
The kids had a great time in centers today! The kids went through 2 centers today so that everyone will get to do all the centers before our Halloween party on Friday. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to the story "Alice and Greta," a story about 2 witches. They made a broom out of construction paper and wrote their favorite part of the story and what it would be like to be a witch.
2. Science - Apple Bobbing! The kids made prediction about what kind of tub would be best to apple bob in, and what kind of apples would be the easiest to get. After they made their predictions, they got to bob for apples! This center was a big hit and all the kids are looking forward to this one!
3. Writing - The kids are writing about the 5 Ws of Halloween:
Who - is going with you?
What - are you going to be?
Where - are you going trick or treating?
When - are you going trick or treating?
Why - did you pick your costume?
This center got the kids thinking about Halloween and it got them really excited!
4. Math - Pumpkin Measuring: Estimate and check. The kids estimated the height, weight, circumference and number of creases on a pumpkin. After they recorded their prediction, they checked.
5. Reading - The kids read 1:1 with me to work on reading strategies.
We have new spelling words this week. The kids have Rainbow Words for homework and they are due tomorrow. This week we are doing Halloween words instead of a word family.
In math today we did a Jack - O - Lantern glyph. We haven't done a glyph in a few weeks and the kids had a great time with this! They turned out very cute and they are hanging up in the room. We began chapter 6 today, a unit on counting up and patterning. We will continue to review counting on and doubles, and these skills will be a big help with patterning in counting up.
In computers today we learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin. If you'd like to see what the kids did in computers today, click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 10/25."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 10/25
Watch a Pumpkin Grow!
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, please come to the floor in front of the Smart Board to learn about today's activity.
It was fun learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin today! Today you get to watch two videos about the life cycle of a pumpkin.
FIRST, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvbUPySKNI4&feature=related
and watch a neat story about how a pumpkin seed becomes a pumpkin.
SECOND, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5b90tspJCo&feature=related
and watch a really cool video that shows a pumpkin growing. This video is a lot of pictures put together; it's kind of like animation with real pictures! Make sure you watch the whole thing because there's a surprise at the end!
When you're all done, you may go to 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 to learn about today's activity.
It was fun learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin today! Today you get to watch two videos about the life cycle of a pumpkin.
FIRST, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvbUPySKNI4&feature=related
and watch a neat story about how a pumpkin seed becomes a pumpkin.
SECOND, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5b90tspJCo&feature=related
and watch a really cool video that shows a pumpkin growing. This video is a lot of pictures put together; it's kind of like animation with real pictures! Make sure you watch the whole thing because there's a surprise at the end!
When you're all done, you may go to the links on my website.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
October 22, 2010
Week in Review
TGIF!
Our owl week was outstanding! The kids are owl experts now! In addition to the barn owl, we learned about burrowing, pygmy, elf and snowy owls. The kids were very engaged with these lessons; they loved reading about and seeing pictures of owls up on the board. We pretended to fly, burrow, hunt and call like owls and this was so much fun! The owl books turned out great! Kids - be sure to share all the neat owl facts you learned with your parents.
The kids made a lot of progress in math. Counting on (counting up) can be a tricky concept and the kids started to really make progress with added practice. It was so neat to watch them work through the problems; there were a lot of "a-ha" moments when the kids realized that counting on is just counting! We also explored doubles and doubles plus one. The kids had a test today and they did a really excellent job with these tough concepts!
The kids are getting SO excited for Halloween week next week! We read one Halloween story each day this week to get in the spirit. We'll do the same next week and we'll learn all about pumpkins. It's going to be a fun and messy week!
Kids - be sure to check the questions for the week. Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how smart you are!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
Our owl week was outstanding! The kids are owl experts now! In addition to the barn owl, we learned about burrowing, pygmy, elf and snowy owls. The kids were very engaged with these lessons; they loved reading about and seeing pictures of owls up on the board. We pretended to fly, burrow, hunt and call like owls and this was so much fun! The owl books turned out great! Kids - be sure to share all the neat owl facts you learned with your parents.
The kids made a lot of progress in math. Counting on (counting up) can be a tricky concept and the kids started to really make progress with added practice. It was so neat to watch them work through the problems; there were a lot of "a-ha" moments when the kids realized that counting on is just counting! We also explored doubles and doubles plus one. The kids had a test today and they did a really excellent job with these tough concepts!
The kids are getting SO excited for Halloween week next week! We read one Halloween story each day this week to get in the spirit. We'll do the same next week and we'll learn all about pumpkins. It's going to be a fun and messy week!
Kids - be sure to check the questions for the week. Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how smart you are!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
October 18, 2010
Weekly Update, October 18 - 22
Welcome Back!!!
It's great to be back at Harelson! I hope everyone had a wonderful time during Fall Break. The kids were happy to be back in the routine of school and they enjoyed sharing their stories with their friends. The kids did a wonderful job working hard and staying focused after the week long break. I was so impressed with everyone!
This week we are doing a science unit on owls! Each day we will learn about a different type of owl. Today we learned about the characteristics and life cycle of a barn owl. The kids loved learning about the barn owl! The kids learned what wingspan is and they even practiced making their own wingspan and flying like an owl. They learned that a barn owl makes a different sound than most owls. Kids - be sure to show your parents what a barn owl sounds like! We are making a neat book. It is in the shape of an owl, and each day the kids will write owl facts on one of the owl's "feathers." The books are off to a great start already! The kids had a lot of fun with this activity.
The kids had a great time in centers today. I switched the center groups so the kids will work with different friends over the next few weeks. The kids enjoyed working with and getting to know new friends. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids watched two National Geographic Kids videos, Snowy Owls and Vampire Bats, on the computer. After that, they wrote characteristics specific to each animal and characteristics shared by both animals.
2. Science - The kids sequenced the 4 stages in the life cycle of a barn owl. They made a neat book in the shape of an owl egg that shows each stage.
3. Writing - We learned that most owls are nocturnal. The kids used white crayons and they wrote on black paper. They wrote about what it would be like to be nocturnal.
4. Math - We are learning about measurement and different tools that can be used to measure. Today the kids measured various items in our classroom with unifix cubes.
5. Reading - The kids conference 1:1 with me.
We are back with spelling words this week! The kids received Rainbow Words for homework and it is due tomorrow, Tuesday, 10.19. This week we are working on the "ing" family. There are also two tricky homophones: aunt and ant.
In math we practiced skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. We did this with math races. The kids LOVE these! In math races each table group works together. They pass around a white board and count by 2s, 5s or 10s. Each child has to write the correct number before passing it on. The first table to count correctly to the designated number wins a prize. The prize is different every time and the kids have so much fun with this! This is a great way to practice skip counting and it is something you can do at home. We began chapter 5 in our math book, a unit about adding on, counting up and doubles. Your child came home with a parent letter and an activity. This paper does not need to be turned in. Today we focused specifically on counting up. This was a bit of a challenging concept for the kids, and they worked hard to understand the material and stay focused. We'll have a lot of practice with this concept over the next few days.
In computers today we learned all about owls! If you'd like to see what the kids did in computers today, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 10/18."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
It's great to be back at Harelson! I hope everyone had a wonderful time during Fall Break. The kids were happy to be back in the routine of school and they enjoyed sharing their stories with their friends. The kids did a wonderful job working hard and staying focused after the week long break. I was so impressed with everyone!
This week we are doing a science unit on owls! Each day we will learn about a different type of owl. Today we learned about the characteristics and life cycle of a barn owl. The kids loved learning about the barn owl! The kids learned what wingspan is and they even practiced making their own wingspan and flying like an owl. They learned that a barn owl makes a different sound than most owls. Kids - be sure to show your parents what a barn owl sounds like! We are making a neat book. It is in the shape of an owl, and each day the kids will write owl facts on one of the owl's "feathers." The books are off to a great start already! The kids had a lot of fun with this activity.
The kids had a great time in centers today. I switched the center groups so the kids will work with different friends over the next few weeks. The kids enjoyed working with and getting to know new friends. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids watched two National Geographic Kids videos, Snowy Owls and Vampire Bats, on the computer. After that, they wrote characteristics specific to each animal and characteristics shared by both animals.
2. Science - The kids sequenced the 4 stages in the life cycle of a barn owl. They made a neat book in the shape of an owl egg that shows each stage.
3. Writing - We learned that most owls are nocturnal. The kids used white crayons and they wrote on black paper. They wrote about what it would be like to be nocturnal.
4. Math - We are learning about measurement and different tools that can be used to measure. Today the kids measured various items in our classroom with unifix cubes.
5. Reading - The kids conference 1:1 with me.
We are back with spelling words this week! The kids received Rainbow Words for homework and it is due tomorrow, Tuesday, 10.19. This week we are working on the "ing" family. There are also two tricky homophones: aunt and ant.
In math we practiced skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s. We did this with math races. The kids LOVE these! In math races each table group works together. They pass around a white board and count by 2s, 5s or 10s. Each child has to write the correct number before passing it on. The first table to count correctly to the designated number wins a prize. The prize is different every time and the kids have so much fun with this! This is a great way to practice skip counting and it is something you can do at home. We began chapter 5 in our math book, a unit about adding on, counting up and doubles. Your child came home with a parent letter and an activity. This paper does not need to be turned in. Today we focused specifically on counting up. This was a bit of a challenging concept for the kids, and they worked hard to understand the material and stay focused. We'll have a lot of practice with this concept over the next few days.
In computers today we learned all about owls! If you'd like to see what the kids did in computers today, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 10/18."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 10/18
Night Owls!
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about this week's activity.
I hope you had fun learning about barn owls today! Now that we've read about owls, let's watch a video to learn more about owls. Go to http://video.kids.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/wild-detectives-kids/wd-ep2-owls.html to watch the owls fly and learn facts about them!
Do you remember how to comment on the blog??? After you watch the video, please comment on this blog:
* One thing you learned about owls.
* One thing you want to learn about owls.
Let's practice together! Watch and we'll review how to comment on the blog.
After you have watched the video and commented on the blog, you may go to the links on my website.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. After you vote, come to the floor in front of the SMART Board and we'll learn about this week's activity.
I hope you had fun learning about barn owls today! Now that we've read about owls, let's watch a video to learn more about owls. Go to http://video.kids.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/wild-detectives-kids/wd-ep2-owls.html to watch the owls fly and learn facts about them!
Do you remember how to comment on the blog??? After you watch the video, please comment on this blog:
* One thing you learned about owls.
* One thing you want to learn about owls.
Let's practice together! Watch and we'll review how to comment on the blog.
After you have watched the video and commented on the blog, you may go to the links on my website.
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
October 8, 2010
Week in Review
Happy Friday! Happy Fall Break!
Reminders:
* Kids - Please remember to take Flat Stanley with you during Fall Break! You can even take pictures of Flat Stanley on his Fall Break adventure! Your Flat Stanley and your activity page are due back to school by Friday, October 22.
This was such a fun and busy week! The kids LOVED learning about Flat Stanley and getting even more information about Johnny Appleseed!
The kids waited anxiously each day to hear about Flat Stanley's adventures! They were so excited to read a chapter book! On Tuesday we read about how Flat Stanley gets mailed across the country, so the kids wrote friendly letters to Flat Stanley to introduce themselves. On Wednesday we read about how Flat Stanley gets flown like a kite so the kids made their own Flat Stanley kites! It was a nice windy day so the kids flew their kites outside! This activity was definitely a class favorite!! On Thursday we read about Flat Stanley and the museum thieves and how being flat helped Stanley. The kids explored their surroundings to find flat things in our class and decide how they are helpful. On Friday we read about Arthur's (Flat Stanley's brother) good idea and so the kids wrote about all the good ideas that had for taking Flat Stanley on adventures over Fall Break. This was such a fun study for the kids! They are all very excited to take their own Flat Stanley on an adventure!
The kids are making so much progress in math! We moved quickly through both subtraction chapters because the kids were doing such a great job. When we come back from Fall Break we will begin more challenging concepts, such as adding on, doubles and doubles + 1.
Kids - be sure to check the questions for the week! Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how smart you are!
Have a wonderful Fall Break! I'll see you on the 18th!
Mrs. Johnston
Reminders:
* Kids - Please remember to take Flat Stanley with you during Fall Break! You can even take pictures of Flat Stanley on his Fall Break adventure! Your Flat Stanley and your activity page are due back to school by Friday, October 22.
This was such a fun and busy week! The kids LOVED learning about Flat Stanley and getting even more information about Johnny Appleseed!
The kids waited anxiously each day to hear about Flat Stanley's adventures! They were so excited to read a chapter book! On Tuesday we read about how Flat Stanley gets mailed across the country, so the kids wrote friendly letters to Flat Stanley to introduce themselves. On Wednesday we read about how Flat Stanley gets flown like a kite so the kids made their own Flat Stanley kites! It was a nice windy day so the kids flew their kites outside! This activity was definitely a class favorite!! On Thursday we read about Flat Stanley and the museum thieves and how being flat helped Stanley. The kids explored their surroundings to find flat things in our class and decide how they are helpful. On Friday we read about Arthur's (Flat Stanley's brother) good idea and so the kids wrote about all the good ideas that had for taking Flat Stanley on adventures over Fall Break. This was such a fun study for the kids! They are all very excited to take their own Flat Stanley on an adventure!
The kids are making so much progress in math! We moved quickly through both subtraction chapters because the kids were doing such a great job. When we come back from Fall Break we will begin more challenging concepts, such as adding on, doubles and doubles + 1.
Kids - be sure to check the questions for the week! Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how smart you are!
Have a wonderful Fall Break! I'll see you on the 18th!
Mrs. Johnston
October 4, 2010
Weekly Update, October 4 - 8
Hello Awesome First Graders and Amazing First Grade Families!
Reminders:
* Conferences are this week.
* We have early release days Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Updates:
We do NOT have new spelling words for the week.
This week we are doing a social studies unit on Flat Stanley! We are also continuing our study of Johnny Appleseed in our center activities. Flat Stanley is a chapter book and the kids are so excited to read a chapter book. I will read one chapter to the kids each day and then we will do a Flat Stanley activity. Today we read chapter 1 and we learned how Stanley became Flat Stanley! After we read, the kids made their own Flat Stanleys. They turned out so great! The kids will take their own Flat Stanley with them on Fall Break and write about their adventures! Please stay tuned for more information!
The kids had a great time in centers and they worked so hard! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids watched a story about Johnny Appleseed on the computer. It is a neat video where a narrator tells the story of Johnny Appleseed and he draws an illustration as he talks. After the video, the kids write about Johnny Appleseed using Johnny Appleseed specific vocabulary.
2. Science - The kids loved practicing the scientific method to complete a science experiment! The kids did an experiment to see what would happen when you put a carrot and an apple in water. They hypothesized, performed the experiment, recorded their results and made their conclusions. They even got to draw a picture! They were excited to learn a lot of great science vocabulary and they loved doing the experiment!
3. Writing - The kids learned and wrote about Johnny Appleseed while reviewing their mapping skills from a few weeks ago. The kids followed directions and used their mapping knowledge to learn where Johnny Appleseed planted his apples. After they were done they wrote 3 facts about Johnny Appleseed and they also wrote what they liked about him.
4. Math - The kids did two activities: sequencing and patterning. In the sequencing activity, they sequenced the steps that Johnny Appleseed would take to plant his apple trees. In the patterning activity, they looked at patterns and decided what would come next. After that, they created their own pattern.
5. Reading - The kids read leveled books in the Bee Quiet corner.
In writing we wrote thank you letters to our friends at Walgreens. Walgreens generously donated school supplies to Harelson. The kids did a great job writing thank you notes to show their appreciation!
In math we began Chapter 3, a subtraction unit. The kids had a lot of great practice writing addition sentences and their addition skills really carried over to subtraction today! I was so impressed with how well the kids transitioned from addition to subtraction. They are doing a great job! Your child came home with a parent letter with some information and a subtraction activity. This paper does not need to be returned. The kids finished Chapter 2, an addition unit on Friday with a test. The test will be shared at conferences.
In computers today we learned all about Flat Stanley! If you'd like to see what the kids did in computers today, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 10/4." Kids - the Flat Stanley websites are on the links section of my website if you would like to explore them.
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Reminders:
* Conferences are this week.
* We have early release days Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Updates:
We do NOT have new spelling words for the week.
This week we are doing a social studies unit on Flat Stanley! We are also continuing our study of Johnny Appleseed in our center activities. Flat Stanley is a chapter book and the kids are so excited to read a chapter book. I will read one chapter to the kids each day and then we will do a Flat Stanley activity. Today we read chapter 1 and we learned how Stanley became Flat Stanley! After we read, the kids made their own Flat Stanleys. They turned out so great! The kids will take their own Flat Stanley with them on Fall Break and write about their adventures! Please stay tuned for more information!
The kids had a great time in centers and they worked so hard! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids watched a story about Johnny Appleseed on the computer. It is a neat video where a narrator tells the story of Johnny Appleseed and he draws an illustration as he talks. After the video, the kids write about Johnny Appleseed using Johnny Appleseed specific vocabulary.
2. Science - The kids loved practicing the scientific method to complete a science experiment! The kids did an experiment to see what would happen when you put a carrot and an apple in water. They hypothesized, performed the experiment, recorded their results and made their conclusions. They even got to draw a picture! They were excited to learn a lot of great science vocabulary and they loved doing the experiment!
3. Writing - The kids learned and wrote about Johnny Appleseed while reviewing their mapping skills from a few weeks ago. The kids followed directions and used their mapping knowledge to learn where Johnny Appleseed planted his apples. After they were done they wrote 3 facts about Johnny Appleseed and they also wrote what they liked about him.
4. Math - The kids did two activities: sequencing and patterning. In the sequencing activity, they sequenced the steps that Johnny Appleseed would take to plant his apple trees. In the patterning activity, they looked at patterns and decided what would come next. After that, they created their own pattern.
5. Reading - The kids read leveled books in the Bee Quiet corner.
In writing we wrote thank you letters to our friends at Walgreens. Walgreens generously donated school supplies to Harelson. The kids did a great job writing thank you notes to show their appreciation!
In math we began Chapter 3, a subtraction unit. The kids had a lot of great practice writing addition sentences and their addition skills really carried over to subtraction today! I was so impressed with how well the kids transitioned from addition to subtraction. They are doing a great job! Your child came home with a parent letter with some information and a subtraction activity. This paper does not need to be returned. The kids finished Chapter 2, an addition unit on Friday with a test. The test will be shared at conferences.
In computers today we learned all about Flat Stanley! If you'd like to see what the kids did in computers today, please click on the link directly below this one, "Computers, 10/4." Kids - the Flat Stanley websites are on the links section of my website if you would like to explore them.
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 10/4
Fun with Flat Stanley!
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 had fun learning about Flat Stanley and reading the 1st chapter of the book today! Let's see how much you remember and understood from what you read! Go to http://www.flatstanley.koolkidssign.com/FSquiz.html to test your Flat Stanley understanding! Take the quiz on Chapter 1 of Flat Stanley.
After you take the quiz, go to http://www.flatstanleybooks.com/kids.aspx to learn all about Flat Stanley! Click on the yellow push pins to meet Flat Stanley and his friends and send him on adventures! There are lots of fun Flat Stanley facts to learn and explore. Have fun!
Have lots of fantastic Flat Stanley 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 this week's activity.
I hope you had fun learning about Flat Stanley and reading the 1st chapter of the book today! Let's see how much you remember and understood from what you read! Go to http://www.flatstanley.koolkidssign.com/FSquiz.html to test your Flat Stanley understanding! Take the quiz on Chapter 1 of Flat Stanley.
After you take the quiz, go to http://www.flatstanleybooks.com/kids.aspx to learn all about Flat Stanley! Click on the yellow push pins to meet Flat Stanley and his friends and send him on adventures! There are lots of fun Flat Stanley facts to learn and explore. Have fun!
Have lots of fantastic Flat Stanley fun!
Mrs. Johnston
October 1, 2010
Week In Review
Happy Friday, First Grade!
Wow! What a fun and busy week we had in first grade! The kids did a wonderful job with our Johnny Appleseed unit! They brought home a lot of great work and our room has new work hanging up!
After our fun tasting on Monday, we learned more about Johnny Appleseed and how trees grow on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, we split into two groups. The first group heard a story called, "The Big Red Apple." This story tells us how apples begin to grow. After the story, the kids worked together to paint an apple tree. The other group watched a video about Johnny Appleseed on the computer. They buddy buzzed to talk about his life and then they took a comprehension quiz. On Wednesday, the groups switched, so everyone could have a chance to do both activities. On Thursday, we learned about the life cycle of an apple tree and we learned about the changes that happen to trees during the different seasons. Each table group took a different season and the children worked together to represent an apple tree for their season. The kids had a lot of fun painting and gluing! The apple trees look wonderful! Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped on this day! On Friday the kids read a book about the life cycle of an apple tree. They sequenced the apple tree's life cycle. The kids all really liked this unit!
This week marks the end of our daily Special Person! The kids did such a great job with this and they are now friendly letter writing experts! We had a little practice with thank you note writing and that will be our next writing focus.
We completed our math study on chapter 2. The kids are really enjoying working on number sentences and addition. We completed the chapter 2 test. Next week we will begin our subtraction unit.
Kids - be sure to check the questions for the week! Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how smart you are!
Get ready for an adventurous week! We are reading Flat Stanley and learning about travel!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
Wow! What a fun and busy week we had in first grade! The kids did a wonderful job with our Johnny Appleseed unit! They brought home a lot of great work and our room has new work hanging up!
After our fun tasting on Monday, we learned more about Johnny Appleseed and how trees grow on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, we split into two groups. The first group heard a story called, "The Big Red Apple." This story tells us how apples begin to grow. After the story, the kids worked together to paint an apple tree. The other group watched a video about Johnny Appleseed on the computer. They buddy buzzed to talk about his life and then they took a comprehension quiz. On Wednesday, the groups switched, so everyone could have a chance to do both activities. On Thursday, we learned about the life cycle of an apple tree and we learned about the changes that happen to trees during the different seasons. Each table group took a different season and the children worked together to represent an apple tree for their season. The kids had a lot of fun painting and gluing! The apple trees look wonderful! Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped on this day! On Friday the kids read a book about the life cycle of an apple tree. They sequenced the apple tree's life cycle. The kids all really liked this unit!
This week marks the end of our daily Special Person! The kids did such a great job with this and they are now friendly letter writing experts! We had a little practice with thank you note writing and that will be our next writing focus.
We completed our math study on chapter 2. The kids are really enjoying working on number sentences and addition. We completed the chapter 2 test. Next week we will begin our subtraction unit.
Kids - be sure to check the questions for the week! Can you answer them all? You can answer the questions to show your parents how smart you are!
Get ready for an adventurous week! We are reading Flat Stanley and learning about travel!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Johnston
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