Grade One Rap!

Journey to Antarctica

We had a very busy week last week.  We began our Bridges Math study of penguins by making "penguin passports."  The children loved using their imaginations while learning about the location and climate in Antarctica and then writing about what they would need to take along on our trip there.  To give the children a sense of just how cold 30 degree water is (the average ocean temperature in Antarctica in the winter) and also to practice reading a thermometer, we conducted a science experiment involving water, ice, and many cold fingers!  Your children all agreed that they would not want to swim on our trip!  As we move forward in our studies, we are researching all of the different adaptations of penguins that make it possible for them to survive in this icy, rocky land.  We will also compare penguins heights and weights to our own, while we continue to practice computation through our travel games.

Another highlight of our week was meeting our fifth grade reading buddies!  Each first grader was matched up with one or two fifth graders.  We will be meeting with Mr. Rochleau's class about once or twice every two weeks.  During this time, students will share reading and other activities.

Getting back to the topic of winter weather...thank you for helping your child remember to bring boots, hats, mittens, and snowpants.  We do go outside for recess everyday to get fresh air and exercise and this week's forecast is predicted to be cold, indeed!

Thank you for sharing your first grader with me and as always, please contact me with with questions or concerns.

Wearing Stripes!

Our class wore stripes today to help us remember to bring in food for the food shelf. We had fun and look at how much food we collected! Thank you!

Happy New Year!

We are off to a great start. It seems that your children have come back from break adjusted to our change and are ready to go! They are soaking up information and taking off in reading, writing, and math!

In writing, we have spent some time looking at mentor authors like Kevin Henkes. We have recognized and discussed qualities of their work and tried to use some of their strategies in our own writing. Ask your child to tell you about some of the strategies Kevin Henkes uses in some of his stories like Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick, Kitten's First Full Moon, and Chester's Way.

In reading, we are continuing to discuss what readers do to make them successful such as making predictions, and thinking about the meaning in a story when we come to tricky words. We think, "What would make sense here?"

We enjoyed learning all about our student of the week! Here is a fabulous picture of her sharing one of her many talents with us!

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for sharing your first graders with me - I truly enjoy each and every one of them!