Hello Awesome Pre-Second Graders and Amazing Pre-Second Grade Families!
We have an exciting week in first grade this week with Funfest on Friday! The kids are SO excited for Funfest! Volunteers are still needed to help at Funfest.
Funfest Parent Volunteer Info
Our class both is a castle/slide combo on the field. The kids are so excited about our class both and this will be a lot of fun for them! Parents are needed to help in 45 minute shifts. Both paper and electronic sign ups went home today. Thank you for your help with this!
Upcoming Dates
* Book Fair: April 25 - 20. The library is all set up and ready for the book fair! It is open all day each day for shopping. There is a special day on Thursday, April 28 when the book fair will be open at 7:30. Happy reading!
* Funfest: Friday, April 29. There are also 50th birthday celebrations all weekend. There is more information about these events on the Harelson website.
* Career Week: May 2 - 6. All interested parents are invited to come in and share your career experience with the kids. They love having visitors in class! We still need several parents, so please let me know if you would like to come in.
This week in social studies and guided reading we are doing an author study on Eric Carle. Each day we will read to learn about Eric Carle and then we will read a different book. The kids really enjoyed this today! Today we learned about visualization and I read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to the kids without showing the pictures so they had to visualize the story in their heads. This helped them learn the importance of word choice. Tomorrow we will read "The Very Clumsy Click Beetle" to learn how different elements (in addition to simply words and illustrations) can strengthen a story. On Wednesday we will read "The Mixed Up Chameleon" to practice making text to self connections. On Thursday we will read "The Grouchy Ladybug" to practice making text to text connections with the characters from "The Grouchy Ladybug." On Friday we will read "Do You Want To Be My Friend?" to learn the power of images in stories.
This week in writing we are working on writing our first research paper! The kids are writing about Eric Carle and each day they will add a paragraph to the paper. This will give the kids great practice in note taking, paragraph writing and editing. This is challenging, but I know that my pre-second graders are up to the challenge! Kids - be sure to tell your parents about the steps for writing a research paper!
We received letters from our pen pals and today the kids wrote back to them. They loved reading the letters and they had fun writing back. They told their new friends all about our Eric Carle author study. Kids - be sure to show the letter from your pen pal to your parents!
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are reviewing words with the "ight" chunk. We are also adding to our contraction study by reviewing "are" contractions and learning about "is" contractions (it's, that's, what's). We will also work on using environmental resources to correctly spell words.
The kids enjoyed their Eric Carle centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids watched a video of Eric Carle making his art. They wrote three facts and their favorite part of the video. They drew an Eric Carle - style picture on the back.
2. Art - The kids used tissue paper and paint to practice making pictures the way that Eric Carle does. They loved this!!!
3. Writing - The kids wrote a friendly letter to Eric Carle.
4. Math - The kids practiced place value and writing 3 and 4 digit numbers using number clues and riddles.
5. Reading - The kids read a variety of Eric Carle's books. They were surprised to know there are so many books! They shared their favorites with their reading group.
The kids are really doing a nice job learning place value and writing large numbers. We will continue to work on this during the week. Making combinations of three numbers that add to six was very challenging for the kids; we will spend more time with this during the week. We will also continue to work on automaticity in addition and subtraction math facts.
The kids enjoyed computers today. If you'd like to see what we did, please click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/25."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
April 25, 2011
Computers, 4/25
Eric Carle!
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 lesson.
It was fun learning about Eric Carle today to begin our author study! Today you will have a chance to practice taking notes while you read. You will also get to learn more about Eric Carle! Go here: http://ericcarle.com/ to visit Eric Carle's website. You can explore all the neat things on the website. We'll practice together.
While you're exploring, be sure to take notes about what you read. We'll have 30 minutes to explore, read and take notes and then we will get to share what we learned with the class!
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 lesson.
It was fun learning about Eric Carle today to begin our author study! Today you will have a chance to practice taking notes while you read. You will also get to learn more about Eric Carle! Go here: http://ericcarle.com/ to visit Eric Carle's website. You can explore all the neat things on the website. We'll practice together.
While you're exploring, be sure to take notes about what you read. We'll have 30 minutes to explore, read and take notes and then we will get to share what we learned with the class!
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
April 18, 2011
Weekly Update, April 18 - 22
Hello Super Pre-Second Graders and Stupendous Pre-Second Grade Parents!
They kids LOVED our spider study last week! I have a class full of 22 spider experts! They are already excited to learn about plants and seeds this week!
Upcoming Dates and Important Information
* Our class is creating a health and fitness basket for the Funfest. If you would like to donate an item or money to be used for the gift card, please send it in by this Friday, April 22.
* The Funfest is Friday, April 29th. I hope everyone can attend; it will be a lot of FUN!
* We will study careers for an upcoming social studies unit (May 2 - May 6). I would like to invite all parents who would like to teach students about their careers to come visit our classroom. The best time to visit would be in the morning, between 8:30 - 10:00. If you would like to participate in career week, please let me know. The kids absolutely love having visitors in our class!
This week in science and guided reading we are learning all about plants and seeds and Easter. Today we learned super seed facts (parts and functions). Tomorrow we will learn about the life cycle of a peanut seed. On Wednesday we will read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. Miss Hochuli, our UCAT, will present a lesson on observing stems. On Thursday we will learn about types of bulbs. On Friday we will learn about the history and symbols of Easter.
The kids continue to be wonderful writers! We finished a district writing assessment. Last week the kids wrote their first draft and began to edit it and today they completed the revision process. We will also write a fiction story on what it would be like to be a seed. The kids will get some practice in scientific non-fiction writing by describing the life cycle of a peanut seed. The rest of the writing will have to be kept secret. Parents, your children will bring home some treasures for you in the coming days!
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are reviewing problematic sight words (they, was), reviewing the "ou" chunk and introducing the "they're" contraction. I am so impressed with how the kids have tackled the contractions we learned thus far (it's, can't, don't, you're, we're) and I LOVE seeing them in their writing. Way to go, kids!
The kids enjoyed their plant and Easter centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to "I'm A Seed" and they made a pop-up baby plant and labeled its parts.
2. Science - The kids predicted where seeds would be and what they would look like in eight different fruits. The fruits were cut open for the kids to study. They counted the seeds in each fruit and compared them.
3. Writing - The kids made an Easter book called "Where Is The Egg?" and they also completed an Easter-theme word scramble.
4. Math - The kids sorted a cup of seeds by type. They graphed the seeds and answered questions about the different seeds.
5. Reading - The kids read plant books and shared different facts with their reading groups.
The kids did a super job with our calendar math chapter last week. There were lots of A+ test scores! This week we are working on place value and writing 3, 4 and 5 digit numbers. We are practicing making different combinations of three numbers that add to six.
The kids enjoyed computers. If you'd like to see what we did today, please click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/18."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
They kids LOVED our spider study last week! I have a class full of 22 spider experts! They are already excited to learn about plants and seeds this week!
Upcoming Dates and Important Information
* Our class is creating a health and fitness basket for the Funfest. If you would like to donate an item or money to be used for the gift card, please send it in by this Friday, April 22.
* The Funfest is Friday, April 29th. I hope everyone can attend; it will be a lot of FUN!
* We will study careers for an upcoming social studies unit (May 2 - May 6). I would like to invite all parents who would like to teach students about their careers to come visit our classroom. The best time to visit would be in the morning, between 8:30 - 10:00. If you would like to participate in career week, please let me know. The kids absolutely love having visitors in our class!
This week in science and guided reading we are learning all about plants and seeds and Easter. Today we learned super seed facts (parts and functions). Tomorrow we will learn about the life cycle of a peanut seed. On Wednesday we will read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. Miss Hochuli, our UCAT, will present a lesson on observing stems. On Thursday we will learn about types of bulbs. On Friday we will learn about the history and symbols of Easter.
The kids continue to be wonderful writers! We finished a district writing assessment. Last week the kids wrote their first draft and began to edit it and today they completed the revision process. We will also write a fiction story on what it would be like to be a seed. The kids will get some practice in scientific non-fiction writing by describing the life cycle of a peanut seed. The rest of the writing will have to be kept secret. Parents, your children will bring home some treasures for you in the coming days!
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are reviewing problematic sight words (they, was), reviewing the "ou" chunk and introducing the "they're" contraction. I am so impressed with how the kids have tackled the contractions we learned thus far (it's, can't, don't, you're, we're) and I LOVE seeing them in their writing. Way to go, kids!
The kids enjoyed their plant and Easter centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to "I'm A Seed" and they made a pop-up baby plant and labeled its parts.
2. Science - The kids predicted where seeds would be and what they would look like in eight different fruits. The fruits were cut open for the kids to study. They counted the seeds in each fruit and compared them.
3. Writing - The kids made an Easter book called "Where Is The Egg?" and they also completed an Easter-theme word scramble.
4. Math - The kids sorted a cup of seeds by type. They graphed the seeds and answered questions about the different seeds.
5. Reading - The kids read plant books and shared different facts with their reading groups.
The kids did a super job with our calendar math chapter last week. There were lots of A+ test scores! This week we are working on place value and writing 3, 4 and 5 digit numbers. We are practicing making different combinations of three numbers that add to six.
The kids enjoyed computers. If you'd like to see what we did today, please click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/18."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 4/18
Plants and Seeds!
Please vote on the poll to get started. When you're done, please come to the floor in front of the Smart Board to learn about today's lesson.
It was fun learning about plants and seeds today! This afternoon you're going to read more about them and share what you know with a friend! You will have 20 minutes to explore different plant and seed websites. Write down what you learn in your journal as you read it.
Go to these different websites:
http://kids.discovery.com/tell-me/earth/why-do-we-need-trees
http://www.sproutpeople.com/kids/seedpower.html
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/grow.html
http://gardeninglaunchpad.com/kids.html
http://www.primarygames.com/science/flowers/facts.htm
When the 20 minutes is done, you will share 5 things you learned with your partner.
Work hard!
Mrs. Johnston
Please vote on the poll to get started. When you're done, please come to the floor in front of the Smart Board to learn about today's lesson.
It was fun learning about plants and seeds today! This afternoon you're going to read more about them and share what you know with a friend! You will have 20 minutes to explore different plant and seed websites. Write down what you learn in your journal as you read it.
Go to these different websites:
http://kids.discovery.com/tell-me/earth/why-do-we-need-trees
http://www.sproutpeople.com/kids/seedpower.html
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/grow.html
http://gardeninglaunchpad.com/kids.html
http://www.primarygames.com/science/flowers/facts.htm
When the 20 minutes is done, you will share 5 things you learned with your partner.
Work hard!
Mrs. Johnston
April 11, 2011
Weekly Update, April 11 - 15
Hello Super First Graders and Stupendous First Grade Families!
Our field trip to The Desert Museum on Thursday was so much fun! The animals were very active and the kids loved seeing them. Kids - be sure to tell your parents about our great trip. Thank you so much to the parent volunteers for the trip!
The Funfest and Silent Auction are on April 29, as we celebrate Harelson's 50th birthday! Our class is creating a Health and Fitness Basket for the silent auction (your child brought a purple flier home about this). If you would like to contribute, please bring your items in by April 20. Today your child brought another purple flier with information about the Funfest. It's going to be a great celebration!
This week in science and guided reading we are learning all about creepy, crawly spiders! Today we learned the characteristics of spiders. The kids made a paper plate spider, complete with 8 googly eyes! Tomorrow the kids will learn how a spider web is made and they will even get to see a short video clip of a spider spinning its web! On Wednesday we will learn about the life cycle of a spider. On Thursday we will read about spiders to learn if they are helpful or harmful. On Friday we will learn about tarantulas and we will even have a visit from Lucas' pet tarantula Bruce!
The kids are doing SO well in writing! I have seen so much progress over the last few weeks and it makes writers' workshop so much fun! The kids are able to accomplish so much and they love sharing at the end of writers' workshop. This week in writers' workshop we are working on fact writing, using a picture to guide writing and story writing. Today the kids wrote 8 spider facts. Tomorrow they will write an acrostic poem about a spider web. On Wednesday they will look at pictures of the stages of a spider's life cycle and describe each stage. On Thursday they will use their thumb prints to make a spider picture and then write about how they would be helpful spiders. On Friday they will make their page to our class book about what they like best about spiders.
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are working more on writing words with the "are" contraction. Last week we learned "you're" and this week we will focus on "you're" and "we're." Parents - you can look for this in your child's writing and see if your child can point it out in his/her reading.
The kids enjoyed their spider centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to "I Love Spiders" and they wrote 10 things they love/facts about spiders.
2. Science - The kids read "The Very Busy Spider" and they make their own spider web with glue and glitter on black paper. They colored and cut spiders to go with the web.
3. Writing - The kids read "Spider Names." They received a picture of a spider and they named it and wrote a story about it.
4. Math - The kids put a spider puzzle together and compared and identified spider and ant body parts.
5. Reading - The kids read books from the Bee Quiet Corner played sight word bingo.
The kids did a wonderful job with our measurement chapter last week! This week we are working on days of the week and months of the year. We will also review place value and practice writing 3 and 4 digit numbers.
The kids had fun in computers today. If you'd like to see what they did, please click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/11."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Our field trip to The Desert Museum on Thursday was so much fun! The animals were very active and the kids loved seeing them. Kids - be sure to tell your parents about our great trip. Thank you so much to the parent volunteers for the trip!
The Funfest and Silent Auction are on April 29, as we celebrate Harelson's 50th birthday! Our class is creating a Health and Fitness Basket for the silent auction (your child brought a purple flier home about this). If you would like to contribute, please bring your items in by April 20. Today your child brought another purple flier with information about the Funfest. It's going to be a great celebration!
This week in science and guided reading we are learning all about creepy, crawly spiders! Today we learned the characteristics of spiders. The kids made a paper plate spider, complete with 8 googly eyes! Tomorrow the kids will learn how a spider web is made and they will even get to see a short video clip of a spider spinning its web! On Wednesday we will learn about the life cycle of a spider. On Thursday we will read about spiders to learn if they are helpful or harmful. On Friday we will learn about tarantulas and we will even have a visit from Lucas' pet tarantula Bruce!
The kids are doing SO well in writing! I have seen so much progress over the last few weeks and it makes writers' workshop so much fun! The kids are able to accomplish so much and they love sharing at the end of writers' workshop. This week in writers' workshop we are working on fact writing, using a picture to guide writing and story writing. Today the kids wrote 8 spider facts. Tomorrow they will write an acrostic poem about a spider web. On Wednesday they will look at pictures of the stages of a spider's life cycle and describe each stage. On Thursday they will use their thumb prints to make a spider picture and then write about how they would be helpful spiders. On Friday they will make their page to our class book about what they like best about spiders.
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are working more on writing words with the "are" contraction. Last week we learned "you're" and this week we will focus on "you're" and "we're." Parents - you can look for this in your child's writing and see if your child can point it out in his/her reading.
The kids enjoyed their spider centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to "I Love Spiders" and they wrote 10 things they love/facts about spiders.
2. Science - The kids read "The Very Busy Spider" and they make their own spider web with glue and glitter on black paper. They colored and cut spiders to go with the web.
3. Writing - The kids read "Spider Names." They received a picture of a spider and they named it and wrote a story about it.
4. Math - The kids put a spider puzzle together and compared and identified spider and ant body parts.
5. Reading - The kids read books from the Bee Quiet Corner played sight word bingo.
The kids did a wonderful job with our measurement chapter last week! This week we are working on days of the week and months of the year. We will also review place value and practice writing 3 and 4 digit numbers.
The kids had fun in computers today. If you'd like to see what they did, please click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/11."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 4/11
Same or Different?
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. Once you vote, please come to the floor in front of the Smart Board to learn about today's activity.
Who remembers what an antonym is? Who remembers what a synonym is?
Antonyms are words that mean the OPPOSITE thing. For example: light and heavy are antonyms because they mean the opposite thing. Synonyms are words that mean the SAME thing. Who can tell an easy way to remember this? For example: shout and yell are synonyms because they mean the same thing.
Today we are going to practice finding synonyms and antonyms. To play, go to the links section of my blog and look for "Antonym Game" and "Synonym Game."
Work hard and have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
Let's start by voting on this week's poll. Once you vote, please come to the floor in front of the Smart Board to learn about today's activity.
Who remembers what an antonym is? Who remembers what a synonym is?
Antonyms are words that mean the OPPOSITE thing. For example: light and heavy are antonyms because they mean the opposite thing. Synonyms are words that mean the SAME thing. Who can tell an easy way to remember this? For example: shout and yell are synonyms because they mean the same thing.
Today we are going to practice finding synonyms and antonyms. To play, go to the links section of my blog and look for "Antonym Game" and "Synonym Game."
Work hard and have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
April 4, 2011
Weekly Update, April 4 - 8
It's Field Trip Time!
The kids have had so much fun learning about desert animals and they can't wait for our trip! Our field trip is this Thursday, April 7. Please send your child to school on Thursday with a completely disposable lunch, comfortable clothes and lots of sunblock; it's going to be a hot day!
This week in science, guided reading and writing we are learning about the desert and Native American desert folklore. Today the kids learned about the Sonoran Desert. They received a really neat and detailed picture of the desert to color. They wrote an acrostic poem on the back.
In writing, we are working on folk tales, thinking beyond the text and using text to text connections in writing. After we read a desert folk tale each day, the kids will re-write the folk tale to their own specifications. This should be a fun exercise for the kids!
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are working on using environmental print independently. We will continue to examine the tricky, or silent "r" and we will introduce "are" contractions.
The kids enjoyed the desert centers this week! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to a neat cd, Sounds of the Desert, and then they completed a desert crossword puzzle.
2. Social Studies - The kids played "Monsoon Mischief," a desert dice game. Each child took a turn rolling the dice with desert pictures. They had to share 3 facts with the group about the picture they rolled.
3. Writing - The kids practiced their folk tale writing by writing a story about how the coyote got its tail. They wrote their story on special coyote paper.
4. Math - The kids practiced their math facts automaticity with addition and subtraction pages.
5. Reading - The kids chose books to read from the bee quiet corner.
In math we are working on measurement. We will learn about weight and capacity and the kids will also have more practice with linear measurement. The kids will practice estimation and accurate measurement.
The kids had fun in computers today. If you'd like to see what we did today, click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/4."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
The kids have had so much fun learning about desert animals and they can't wait for our trip! Our field trip is this Thursday, April 7. Please send your child to school on Thursday with a completely disposable lunch, comfortable clothes and lots of sunblock; it's going to be a hot day!
This week in science, guided reading and writing we are learning about the desert and Native American desert folklore. Today the kids learned about the Sonoran Desert. They received a really neat and detailed picture of the desert to color. They wrote an acrostic poem on the back.
In writing, we are working on folk tales, thinking beyond the text and using text to text connections in writing. After we read a desert folk tale each day, the kids will re-write the folk tale to their own specifications. This should be a fun exercise for the kids!
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week in making words we are working on using environmental print independently. We will continue to examine the tricky, or silent "r" and we will introduce "are" contractions.
The kids enjoyed the desert centers this week! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to a neat cd, Sounds of the Desert, and then they completed a desert crossword puzzle.
2. Social Studies - The kids played "Monsoon Mischief," a desert dice game. Each child took a turn rolling the dice with desert pictures. They had to share 3 facts with the group about the picture they rolled.
3. Writing - The kids practiced their folk tale writing by writing a story about how the coyote got its tail. They wrote their story on special coyote paper.
4. Math - The kids practiced their math facts automaticity with addition and subtraction pages.
5. Reading - The kids chose books to read from the bee quiet corner.
In math we are working on measurement. We will learn about weight and capacity and the kids will also have more practice with linear measurement. The kids will practice estimation and accurate measurement.
The kids had fun in computers today. If you'd like to see what we did today, click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/4."
Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston
Computers, 4/4
The Desert Museum!
It was fun learning about the Sonoran Desert today! 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 lesson.
Who's excited for our field trip??? What animal do you most want to see? When you visit on Thursday, you'll be doing your own research about a Sonoran Desert animal! Go here: http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/ and look at all the animal fact sheets.
You can read about the animals, see pictures of them and listen to the sounds they make! After you look at the animals, decide which one is your favorite and why it is your favorite. Once you decide on the animal like, comment on the blog. Please write your name, the name of the animal and why it's your favorite. We'll practice commenting on the blog together and then it will be your turn to read the fact sheets!
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
It was fun learning about the Sonoran Desert today! 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 lesson.
Who's excited for our field trip??? What animal do you most want to see? When you visit on Thursday, you'll be doing your own research about a Sonoran Desert animal! Go here: http://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/ and look at all the animal fact sheets.
You can read about the animals, see pictures of them and listen to the sounds they make! After you look at the animals, decide which one is your favorite and why it is your favorite. Once you decide on the animal like, comment on the blog. Please write your name, the name of the animal and why it's your favorite. We'll practice commenting on the blog together and then it will be your turn to read the fact sheets!
Have fun!
Mrs. Johnston
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