Week 16: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their families. 
Here are some pictures from our holiday week:


Morning Message

 

Elfy

Santa Visit



Book Exchange

Polar Express Day

Letters From Santa and His Elves

 

 

Christmas Party

 

 

A big thank you to Mrs. Brink and Mrs. Timmers for another awesome party!  I wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 



Week 15: Weather

This month, we are learning all about weather in Science.  We compared and contrasted the four seasons, discussed four types of clouds and even tried an experiment called:  Rain in a Bag.

The experiment didn't go quite as planned, but that's what Science is all about.   This experiment was supposed to show the students the process of the water cycle.  The water was supposed to evaporate and create condensation.  It took until Friday for that to happen.  We are blaming it on the lack of sun and the screens that are on the outside of our windows. 

Rain in a Bag

You can try this experiment as home!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WQBtAJxMbY

 

Finally, we drew winter weather and holiday pictures and Mrs. Cady mailed them into Channel 24 News Station.  If you are up for the 6:00 a.m, and 6:30 a.m. broadcast, keep an eye out for your child's picture during the PICTURE PERFECT WEATHER PICTURE segment.  You can also see all of the pictures if you click on this link:  http://www.yourerie.com/weather/picture-perfect

Week 14: How To Make Hot Chocolate

December is here...and it is going to be over before we know it!

In Writer's Workshop this month, we are learning how to write "How-To" books.  These are non-fiction books that the children write that teach their reader how to do something. 

We started a book together called, "How To Make Hot Chocolate." 

Once the children learn the features of a How-To book, they can start writing their own.

They will be able to choose from a list of Holiday How-To topics such as; How to Decorate a Christmas Tree or How to Build or Snowman.  They can also think of their own How-To topics based on what they know!

Week 13: Guided Reading

We love to read in First Grade!  My students are always reading books in the classroom and now they are learning how to take A.R. tests!

One way I help my students become successful readers is by meeting with guided reading groups each week.  We read books that are on the students' instructional reading level (a little bit harder than what they can read independently.  We read a book two times before we start a new book.  We alternate between fiction and non-fiction books. 

The first time we read the book (we call it a 'cold' read) we talk about the main idea, the author's purpose and discuss any words that are new or unusual.   

The second time we read the book (a 'hot' read) we dig deeper and answer questions about the book while reading.  We also focus on a specific text-dependent question that we write in our journals in a complete sentence after we are done reading the book. 

While I meet with my guided reading groups, the other children are completing important reading activities in their reading choice packets.  This is also a time where they can work on their writing, read books, or take A.R. tests!

Week 12: Where We Live!

This week in Social Studies, the children learned where we live!  We talked about our neighborhood and how we live in Harborcreek.  But then we discussed our city, state, county and continent. 

We made these really neat flip books to help us remember where we live!

We also learned about the 7 continents.  You can practice at home with this song! 

7 Continents Song

Week 11: Subtraction Bowling

During the month of November, we are learning how to subtract in math. 


We thought of subtraction words, we made a subtraction anchor chart, and we played subtraction bowling!

Bowling is a great game to show students how to take away!

You can practice subtracting at home too! 

Week 10: Happy Halloween

A big thanks to our two room parents for organizing a super fun Halloween Party and decorating our room! 

Thank you Mrs. Brink and Mrs. Timmers. 

Also, thank you to all the parents who contributed to this fun event in our classroom!

Here are some pictures!

Week 9: Frozen Pumpkins

In Science, we are learning about matter and the three stages of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. 

We decided to try an experiment to see how long it would take to freeze juice in pumpkin-shaped ice cube trays.  We used the scientific method to help us think of the process of turning a liquid into a solid. 

Mrs. Cady put popsicle sticks in them when they were getting slushy. 

It took 2 hours for our pumpkin popsicles to freeze!  The students wrote down this information in their science journals.

The frozen juice took the shape of the pumpkin.

We enjoyed eating our experiment! 

We even saw what happened once the frozen pumpkins were exposed to heat.  They turned back into a liquid!