Weekly Update, February 20 - 22

Happy Rodeo Week!

There is no school this Thursday or Friday for Rodeo. Kids - have a great time and remember to keep reading and fill out the hearts! We are well on our way to meeting our class goal of 500 books. Kids - I am SO proud of you!

Storybook Character Day
The kids had a blast on Friday!  Our class had the highest percentage of participation at school.  Way to go, first graders!  We spent the afternoon sharing books that the kids brought in.  This was so much fun!

This week in social studies, guided reading and writing we are studying the Tucson Rodeo and George Washington. Today we learned the definition of the word rodeo and the history of the Tucson Rodeo. On Tuesday we will learn the events of the Tucson Rodeo. The kids will look at pictures of the different events and use their schema about the rodeo to decide what the events are. Wednesday is George Washington's birthday. We will learn about the Father of our Country and compare him to Abraham Lincoln.

This week in writing we are working on word choice and questioning. The kids are doing a wonderful job using strong verbs in their writing! Today the kids made a list of strong verbs that describe the rodeo. On Wednesday they will write an acrostic poem about an animal in the rodeo. On Tuesday the kids will write a list of questions they would like to ask George Washington.

The kids are very excited about centers this week! There are 6 centers so the kids will visit 2 each day. The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listen to The Gingerbread Cowboy and complete a story map.
2. Science - The kids are learning about why the cactus is important in the desert and then they are making their own cactus with clay!
3. Writing - The kids are writing their own page for our class book about what event they would like to be in for the rodeo.
4. Social Studies - The kids are playing the traditional game of Memory. This is a rodeo version with different rodeo pictures.
5. Art - The kids are making a large cowboy with his very own horse!
6. Reading - The kids are reading different books about the rodeo and sharing 3 facts with their reading group.

The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. This week's spelling words are words that we use often in class so they are review. We are reviewing them because I have noticed that they are often misspelled! There are a few rodeo words too!

In reading we are working on reading informational text to compare and contrast items.  We are also working on reading words with qu sounds.


In math we are working on chatper 23, a chapter on measurement.  The kids are learning to use nonstandard units of measurement (such as paperclips) to measure itmes as well as standard units (inches and centimeters) to measure items.  They are having a lot of fun with this chapter!

Have an A+ rodeo week!
Mrs. Johnston