Welcome Back!
I hope everyone enjoyed the long rodeo weekend! The kids were happy to be back and we started the week off great!
It's the last few days of Love of Reading Month. On Thursday, there is story night in the library with Mr. Eddie at 6:00 pm. Friday is dress up as your favorite Dr. Suess character day!
This week in science, guided reading and writing we are learning about beautiful bugs! Each day we will learn about a different category of insects. Today we learned about the characteristics of beetles. The rest of the week we will learn about butterflies and moths and their life cycles, bees and wasps and how to tell the difference between them and flies, gnats and mosquitoes. The kids are really excited for this unit!
In writing we are working on poetry. Today the kids wrote a beetle acrostic poem on a picture of a beetle. These turned out SO cute! The kids will also write a "How To Be a Bee" poem and a "What Am I?" poem about a fly, gnat or mosquito. The kids really enjoy poetry writing! The kids will also get practice using a picture to guide their writing.
The kids' writing has really taken off over the last few weeks and it is SO exciting to see! We have done a lot of work with word choice (specifically explicit nouns and strong verbs) and, as always, conventions. It is great to see the kids use what they have learned in their writing. We have several demands for writing at this point in the year. We review them several times each day.
Our demands for writing:
1. Start each sentence with a capital letter.
2. Write all names and proper nouns with a capital letter.
3. End statement sentences with a period.
4. End question sentences with a question mark.
5. Use quotation marks to show when someone is talking.
6. ALWAYS use a finger space between your words!
And of course: always write your NAME and DATE!
Kids - you are doing a great job of remembering to meet all our demands each time you write! Parents - when you watch your child write, you can help your writer by asking him/her if he/she met the demands. It's most helpful to ask your child what the demands are and then see if he/she can correct it independently.
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow. In making words we are working on tricky homophones. We are reviewing homophones we have already learned and learning some new ones too. This week (and for the rest of the year) there are 15 spelling words and a bonus word. In addition to the spelling test on Friday, there will also be a dictation test where the kids will have to write a sentence that is dictated to them. This is a great way to transfer their spelling/grammar skills to writing.
The kids enjoyed their creepy, crawly centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to Beautiful Bugs and then they made a Venn Diagram to compare Wood ants and Monarch butterflies.
2. Science - The kids looked at several dozen different (plastic!) bugs and categorized them. The kids made their own decisions about what categories to put the bugs in.
3. Writing - The kids looked at bug books. They picked their favorite bug from the book, drew a picture of it and then wrote an adventure about it.
4. Math - The kids made bugs out of pattern blocks. They are also practicing bug addition by adding 3 numbers.
5. Reading – The kids are reading bug books and sharing the facts with one another.
In math we are continuing to practice nonstandardized measurement. We will also learn how to use different tools to measure weight.
Have an A+ week!
Ms. Klein
February 25, 2013
February 18, 2013
Weekly Update February 18-20
Happy Rodeo Week!
There is no school this Thursday or Friday for Rodeo. Kids - have a great time and remember to keep reading.
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. Friday 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! 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.
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.
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 measurement. The kids are learning to use nonstandard units of measurement (such as paperclips) to measure items. They are having a lot of fun with this unit!
Have an A+ rodeo week!
Miss Klein
There is no school this Thursday or Friday for Rodeo. Kids - have a great time and remember to keep reading.
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. Friday 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! 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.
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.
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 measurement. The kids are learning to use nonstandard units of measurement (such as paperclips) to measure items. They are having a lot of fun with this unit!
Have an A+ rodeo week!
Miss Klein
February 11, 2013
Weekly Update February 11-15
♥ Happy Valentine's Day!!! ♥
We have a fun day planned for Thursday’s Valentine's Day Party! We have 4 fun centers planned: construction paper conversation heart wreaths, love bird valentines, dancing hearts and heart crowns. Thank you to all the volunteers who help to make our parties great!
Love of Reading month is in February. We can come to school in our pajamas on Friday February 15 and read all afternoon. Please be sure to bring your favorite books.
Happy Birthday Arizona! Thursday is also Arizona's 101st birthday! This week in social studies, guided reading and writing, we will learn all about our great state! We will learn about the state flag, tree, flower and bird. The kids will write a book page per day to go with each symbol and, at the end of the week, each child will have his/her own Arizona book!
This week in writing we are working more with word choice. The kids did such a great job with strong verbs last week! Tomorrow the kids will write strong verbs that describe Arizona. On Wednesday, the kids will learn and write about explicit nouns that describe Arizona. On Friday, the kids will use their lists of strong verbs and explicit nouns to write a short story about an Arizona adventure.
The kids had fun in their Valentine's Day centers! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to It's Valentine's Day by Jack Prelutsky. After they listened, they made a valentine for someone special.
2. Social Studies - The kids played a Valentine What's Missing? game. Several Valentine's Day items were placed on the table. The kids took turns covering the items and removing 1 or 2 items to test the rest of the group's memory. They really enjoy this!
3. Writing - The kids worked on a Valentine's Day crossword puzzle.
4. Math - The kids played a greater than/less than/equal to game with cupids and hearts. The kids opened a heart to reveal 2 numbers and they placed the appropriate symbol between the numbers to compare them.
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow.
In reading we are working on reading letters sounds v, x, y. We are also working on reading to learn what the author is trying to say and reading to learn the most important pieces of information.
In math we will start non-standard measurement. They will also work on estimation.
Our science fair project turned out great! The kids worked SO hard on it and each child in the class played a role in putting the tri-fold display board together. Kids - be sure to tell you parents about our neat science project!
We have a fun activity planned for computers.
Have an A+ week!
Ms. Klein
We have a fun day planned for Thursday’s Valentine's Day Party! We have 4 fun centers planned: construction paper conversation heart wreaths, love bird valentines, dancing hearts and heart crowns. Thank you to all the volunteers who help to make our parties great!
Love of Reading month is in February. We can come to school in our pajamas on Friday February 15 and read all afternoon. Please be sure to bring your favorite books.
Happy Birthday Arizona! Thursday is also Arizona's 101st birthday! This week in social studies, guided reading and writing, we will learn all about our great state! We will learn about the state flag, tree, flower and bird. The kids will write a book page per day to go with each symbol and, at the end of the week, each child will have his/her own Arizona book!
This week in writing we are working more with word choice. The kids did such a great job with strong verbs last week! Tomorrow the kids will write strong verbs that describe Arizona. On Wednesday, the kids will learn and write about explicit nouns that describe Arizona. On Friday, the kids will use their lists of strong verbs and explicit nouns to write a short story about an Arizona adventure.
The kids had fun in their Valentine's Day centers! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to It's Valentine's Day by Jack Prelutsky. After they listened, they made a valentine for someone special.
2. Social Studies - The kids played a Valentine What's Missing? game. Several Valentine's Day items were placed on the table. The kids took turns covering the items and removing 1 or 2 items to test the rest of the group's memory. They really enjoy this!
3. Writing - The kids worked on a Valentine's Day crossword puzzle.
4. Math - The kids played a greater than/less than/equal to game with cupids and hearts. The kids opened a heart to reveal 2 numbers and they placed the appropriate symbol between the numbers to compare them.
The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow.
In reading we are working on reading letters sounds v, x, y. We are also working on reading to learn what the author is trying to say and reading to learn the most important pieces of information.
In math we will start non-standard measurement. They will also work on estimation.
Our science fair project turned out great! The kids worked SO hard on it and each child in the class played a role in putting the tri-fold display board together. Kids - be sure to tell you parents about our neat science project!
We have a fun activity planned for computers.
Have an A+ week!
Ms. Klein
February 4, 2013
Weekly Update Febraury 4-8
Hello Awesome First Graders and Amazing First Grade Families!
Valentine's Day
* You can bring in your cards for your friends on Wednesday February 13. Remember to bring in a valentine card for each friend in the class.
* Our party is Tuesday, February 14. We will have 4 centers in the morning; it will be a great day!
We had a fun week of conducting our science experiment about blowing up balloons with baking soda and vinegar and causing a chemical reaction. The kids absolutely LOVED doing the experiments and they look forward to putting our project together. We have a tri-fold board and we will work collaboratively to construct it to display all the elements of our project. We learned a lot of great new scientific vocabulary. Kids - be sure to share what you learned with your parents.
After we finish our science fair project we will do a Presidents' Day study to learn about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We will learn about their lives, characteristics and why they are important.
In writing we are focusing on word choice and using explicit nouns and strong verbs. We will write about Abraham Lincoln to practice this kind of great, detailed writing.
In reading and making words we are working on recognizing words that end in y. We will also review words with the "bossy r." We are also learning about what letters make the “oo” and “ew” sounds.
Your child came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow.
The kids are doing a great job with their Abraham Lincoln/George Washington centers! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to "Let's Read About George Washington" and completed a story map to identify elements of the story.
2. Social Studies - The kids wrote 5 questions they would like to ask Abraham Lincoln. They colored and cut a picture of Lincoln and glued it to their questions.
3. Writing - The kids used the story starter, "One day I found a magic penny..." to write their own story.
4. Math - The kids practiced addition patterns with 2 and 3.
5. Reading – A shake and spill game that helps them identify sight words.
We are making great progress with our money study! We continue to practice doing math facts quickly and increasing doubles skills.
Have an A+ week!
Ms. Klein
Valentine's Day
* You can bring in your cards for your friends on Wednesday February 13. Remember to bring in a valentine card for each friend in the class.
* Our party is Tuesday, February 14. We will have 4 centers in the morning; it will be a great day!
We had a fun week of conducting our science experiment about blowing up balloons with baking soda and vinegar and causing a chemical reaction. The kids absolutely LOVED doing the experiments and they look forward to putting our project together. We have a tri-fold board and we will work collaboratively to construct it to display all the elements of our project. We learned a lot of great new scientific vocabulary. Kids - be sure to share what you learned with your parents.
After we finish our science fair project we will do a Presidents' Day study to learn about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. We will learn about their lives, characteristics and why they are important.
In writing we are focusing on word choice and using explicit nouns and strong verbs. We will write about Abraham Lincoln to practice this kind of great, detailed writing.
In reading and making words we are working on recognizing words that end in y. We will also review words with the "bossy r." We are also learning about what letters make the “oo” and “ew” sounds.
Your child came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow.
The kids are doing a great job with their Abraham Lincoln/George Washington centers! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The kids listened to "Let's Read About George Washington" and completed a story map to identify elements of the story.
2. Social Studies - The kids wrote 5 questions they would like to ask Abraham Lincoln. They colored and cut a picture of Lincoln and glued it to their questions.
3. Writing - The kids used the story starter, "One day I found a magic penny..." to write their own story.
4. Math - The kids practiced addition patterns with 2 and 3.
5. Reading – A shake and spill game that helps them identify sight words.
We are making great progress with our money study! We continue to practice doing math facts quickly and increasing doubles skills.
Have an A+ week!
Ms. Klein
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