Worker Bees!

We continue to have a ton of fun while we learn! I have been blessed with the sweetest class. They are simply delightful each day---full of smiles, laughter, and stories about sweet successes in reading and math are already filling the air!

It sounds like many of you are doing Raz-Kids at home, and your children are LOVING it!! It is awesome that you can utilize this tool at home, and be a part of your child's learning and reading experience. You will see your child grow by leaps and bounds this year! It is a HUGE year of reading growth.

We've been working on a ton of writing already---and I'm excited to share some of your child's work with you at conferences in October. (Stay tuned for more info. about conferences---read the weekly newsletter for important dates!) I can't wait to see what our budding authors/illustrators produce as we work on all of the traits of good writing!

Want to see pictures of your little learners this week? Of course you do!! Here they are!

This is our first caterpillar---our timing was perfect....we came into the classroom one morning, and he had just begun to spin into his chrysalis! A miracle of life....so amazing to see first hand! 

Has your child told you about our caterpillars? We are patiently waiting....we have about 5 of them! 

Here's Stephanie working diligently on her Life Cycle of a Butterfly poster. 

Notice the attention to detail and the time she is spending coloring?! 

We will all work on spending time to do nice, neat work this school year. Your child might often hear me say, "hold your work close to your heart. That's where you keep all your love. It is important to love the work you do, and always do your best so that you can be proud of what you do". 

Damien is working hard also! Notice the "kid spelling" on his poster. 

We are learning how to label our drawings! 

 Here, Nolan is working on a very fun math station called "Whoooo can order numbers?"

Can you see the excitement on Gabe's face?! Too cute! 

Math stations provide opportunities for students to practice what has been taught in math. So much better than worksheets and plain old paper and pencil! During stations students are actively engaged, often up and moving around while they work, and are able to use a variety of materials. 

The game you see here reinforces what we have been doing in math---ordering numbers 1-100.

Students are given work that is at their readiness level and they work to identify a number, write it, and then write the number that comes before, between or after. 

Here is another math station activity called "Fun Fall 10 Frame Practice". 

Destiny is working to count how many pictures are on the 10 frame. 

She will make a 10 frame just like it, write the numeral, tally it, and write a number sentence that matches the 10-frame in front of her. 

SO many skills in one little game!! 

Hunter

These friends are working hard on yet another one of our math stations called "Write the Room to 120". Again, tailored to students' readiness levels, children practice identifying numbers, and determining what comes before, after, or between---depending on the card they are working on! 

This game is a hit for any first grader for 2 reasons:

1.  You get to carry a clip board and that automatically qualifies you as important, official, and highly intellectual.
2. There's no sitting down! They have to HUNT for their cards around the room, and Mrs. Powell is great at making this game a little challenging! They get to walk, talk, AND work! 

Additionally - this game is loved by ME because it is 25 action packed minutes of children walking, talking about MATH, and working all at the same time! What a great combo, don't you think?

Savannah, Mairyn, Emily

Allison

And of course, our friends, no matter how scholarly, are still just little people! (Shhh, don't tell them I called them little. I spend countless breaths telling them how big and independent they are!) Between you and me, we know how much play time they still need. Recess and brain breaks are a must! 

Sometimes just hanging out with your friends, and digging in the dirt offer plenty of learning opportunities, too! 

Evelyn said it best today when she said she was excited for recess so she could sit on the monkey bars to rest and just enjoy the view! I almost wanted to crawl up on the monkey bars too....just to see what she sees! 

 

(Prize Code: Forest View2012)

Nicole

With that said, take some time and relax and enjoy a calm moment with your child! 

They work hard ALL day---a little R&R with mom and dad is probably necessary as we have been in full swing for more than 15 days now! 

Diggin' In!

We are really starting to dig into First Grade! Routines are falling in place, students are sharing their interests with me and all of their friends, and our little "school family" is really taking shape! For the beginning of the year, we are off to a great start!! It is such a joy coming to school each day and working with these adorable, talented, intelligent, and fun little people! Thank you for sharing your child with me---I love being a part of their first grade adventure! 

Check out some highlights from last week!

Here, Nolan is reading his "football words". 

These are the sight words that we must learn by sight---no sounding out, no hesitation....just know them automatically! As students progress through the levels, they go on to the next set of "ball words". We have lots of games and activities to practice our ball words at school.

Have you heard about this? If not, be sure to ask your child!!  

Evan LOVES our science area in the classroom! 

The fish, hermit crabs, frogs, and caterpillars really benefit from all his TLC! 

Evan was our pet caretaker this week---and can easily be considered our little expert in that department. 

His friends have learned that if they have a critter questions---Evan usually knows the answer! 

He brought his cray fish in for us to see!

SO INTERESTING! 

Here, Gage and Hunter play a game called Monster War! 

Comparing numbers to 120, pairs of students determine which number is larger in the cards they flipped over. Hopefully you have heard some "math talk" at home....greater than, less than, more, less, fewer, in between, before, after.....lots of math vocabulary! 

We are SO LUCKY to have a classroom set of lap top computers at school this year! 

This is new to the school building, and is a great technology upgrade!!

Time is set aside each day for students to get onto Raz-Kids.

Have you tried Raz-Kids at home? 

What a fun way for students to read and grow! 

During our Math Stations, we also introduced Froggy Roll and Cover math game. 

Students work in pairs or a small group to work on addition! 

Destiny enjoys working with pattern blocks! 

Reina and Allison are playing a math game called One More & One Less. 

This game works on addition and subtraction.

Emily is working on a 100's number puzzle! 

She is diligently counting and writing...way to go, Emily! 

More Monster War! 

We just can't get enough of this game! 

Stay tuned....more fun photos and First Grade fun coming soon!!!! 

Thank you for checking in on us! 

Fun in First!

Welcome to our blog, first grade families! What a fun week, and what a GREAT group of students in our classroom!!

Much of this week was spent going over school routines, emergency procedures, rules and expectations. We've begun to review Kindergarten skills/concepts, and will be jumping into the first grade curriculum on Monday! Please know that this blog does not cover everything that is in the newsletter each week. Our blog is an informal communication tool----one more important venue for parents to stay connected with their child's education!

This blog is meant to be light hearted, heart warming, and visual in nature. Here, you will find lots of pictures with learning in action and tidbits about how it all ties to our curriculum. Everything we do (no matter how fun, messy & silly it looks) will be valuable and relevant to your child's first grade education. As you see pictures of your child having lots of fun at school, please keep in mind that learning IS fun in our classroom! Through a variety of hands on activities and lessons geared towards all types of learners----we are mastering required standards and objectives!

But enough of the reassurance. The proof will be in your child's growth and development throughout the year. You came here to see your little cutie's first week of school! So here's it is!.....

We read First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. 

After we figured out what jitters were, and who had the jitters in the story, we made text-to-self connections by talking about our own first day jitters. 

To wash those worries away, we read a magical poem and made Jitter Juice to drink! 

It was YUMMY and worked like a charm. No jitters in this classroom! 

Then, we completed a book about first day jitters....

As part of our Daily 5 literacy block, students are learning one area: "Read to Self". Our goal is to read up to 20 minutes un-interrupted! We are currently at 8 minutes and working hard! 

Students are able to choose anywhere in the room they want for this time.

 We also read Froggy goes to School, by Jonathan London. 

After reading it three times, students were able to sequence the events in the story! 

 In small groups, students are playing "Who Am I?"---a get to know you game! 

Working their way around the game board, they are learning interesting facts about their new classmates. 

We also read...

And completed a back to school craftivity! 

We are "Steppin' into First Grade!"

 Tweet! Tweet! 

At the end of the day, our students "Tweet" about their day. 

They tell me one thing they learned - with the goal being reflection on the day and focusing on content that helps "make our brains smarter". As the year progresses, the tweets will become more focused and detailed. 

It has been a really great first week! We are off to a great start!! 

Cheers to the 2012-2013 school year! 

Welcome & THANK YOU!

The open house last night was a tremendous success! Almost everyone in our class came to meet me, see the classroom, and reunite with their friends from Kindergarten. I am VERY excited for a fun and productive school year!! In just a few short days, I will begin getting to know your children and the learning process will be in full effect. The amount of growth in children never ceases to amaze me. I hope you will be amazed at your first grader as his/her skills in all academic and social areas grow, grow, GROW!

I cannot THANK YOU enough for all of the school supplies that you brought in. I am truly thankful that we have a plentiful supply of all the basics to keep our classroom learning practical and engaging. It is a load off of my mind when I do not have to worry about how to get basic materials, and frees me up to ensure that I create fun, engaging, creative lessons tailored to your child's interests and needs! 

It looks like we have a very caring, involved group of parents in our classroom - which means that student learning will be at its best. Again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for sending your child with the necessary supplies. I appreciate it more than you can imagine! 

Again, it is my pleasure to be able to work with you and your child. Thank you for welcoming me to my new building, and sharing your child with me in the days to come. Remember, if you are reading this blog, please become a follower on here by clicking "join this site". You can register anonymously if you'd like. In years past, I had a lot of great feedback from grandparents and extended family that followed along to be an involved participant in their grandchild's education. Go ahead and invite them, too! It helps me keep track of the effectiveness of my classroom communication, and how many families are reading about our classroom happenings. Any positive comments are appreciated on any of the blog posts, too! It lets me know that you really enjoyed reading it, or seeing a picture of our learning in action.

When I know I have readers out there, I know it is worth my time invested utilizing amazing technology!! You never have to be a parent that does not know what your child has learned each week! Join me in following your child's first grade journey---it is going to be sweet success for all!!! 

Have a great Labor Day Weekend, and I will see you Sept. 4th! 

Great Summer Activities!

Click HERE for some wonderful summer activities. The ideas listed are for sight words, but you can use letters of the alphabet or numbers for your littles ones who are not yet reading. While you are there, take a look around. This site is by Julie VanAlst, a teacher consultant in our area, and she is phenomenal! She has quality resources for parents---you might find something that your child needs! 

Hope you are have a great summer!! What have all my ittle friends up to?!

Follow by E-mail!

You can now follow this blog by E-mail!

To easily keep up on summer posts and activities for your child, all updates will be sent to your E-mail so you will know when new articles have been added.

Sheet Painting!

Photo credit: http://www.familyfun.go.com/

Children absolutely LOVE painting outdoors!

 Here's a great way to put an old sheet to use, and tend to your little artist.

Materials Needed

1. Tempra Paint (washable paint found in children's art supplies @ Walmart, Michael's, & sometimes Dollar Stores)

2. Old Sheet

3. Spray water bottles (found in the toiletries travel aisle @ Walmart...$1/each) (or try a water gun/super soaker)

4. Water

What to do

Fill the water bottle with 1/2 water and 1/2 (or less) paint. Shake well.

Hang sheet up on a clothesline or over a fence

Children can stand on one side and spray paint anything onto the large canvas!!

Why is this educational?

* Art is a subject matter in education and evokes creativity, imagination, and independent thinking!

* Art tends to the visual and kinesthetic (hands-on) learner

* Outside activitities are more interesting to the naturalist learner (someone who enjoys and learns from nature)

* Color recognition skills

* Science: color mixing

* Fine motor (squeezing the water bottle builds hand/finger muscles) that are important for writing, buttonsing, zipping, pouring, and a multititide of other fine motor and self-help skills!

....AND, it's FUN!

Visit http://www.familyfun.go.com/ for a TON of other great summer activities!