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ABC COUNTDOWN CONTINUES

Another wonderful Mystery Reader came to our class and shared some classic FROG AND TOAD stories.  

  ABC Countdown continues as we quickly are coming to an end of our school year!!!   K- King Day - the First Grade boys made crowns and were very Kingly!!!  Of course for Q- Day the girls made Queen crowns and were regal throughout the day!!  We also had L-Lunch in the courtyard as we celebrated May, June, and July Birthdays, M-Memory Day the children made a First Grade  Memory Book, N- Newspaper Day - some children brought in newspaper articles that interested them,   O-Opposite Day has everyone turned around, including some of the children's clothing.    

Poetry - reading poems and writing poems is our Language Arts focus.  A Cinquain animal poem was fun to write and the animal discussion is helping prepare the children for our trip to Lincoln Park Zoo next week.  Our Poetry Doctor will be making one more classroom visit and the girls and boys will recite some of their poems for her and each other = preparing for our Author's Tea on June 6.  First Grade parents are cordially invited to the Tea which will be at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The girls and boys will read a sampling of their creative  poems and stories.

Math is doubly fun because we are working on double digit addition, next week we will tackle double digit subtraction.

Weekly Reader and a mini-book helped  us learn about nutrition, the food groups and keeping healthy.  Everyone should eat healthy foods, the First Graders said "so we can grow big and strong and we  won't get sick".

What is Memorial Day?  Why and what do we celebrate?  We celebrate our freedom, our country and our flag.  Our flag is a symbol for our country. Our flag stands for our country's 50 states.  Our flag's 13 stripes stand for our country's first 13 states.

FIRST GRADE FIELD TRIP  - Lincoln Park Zoo - Friday, June 1, 2012 - children bring a sack lunch - ALL parents are welcome to join us for all or part of the day.

FIRST GRADE AUTHOR'S TEA - Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.  Please join us. 

Along with our ABC Countdown during  the final weeks of school  we will be studying Rocks and Minerals.  First Graders have an assignment to find a "pet rock" over the Memorial Day weekend.  This rock should be one that is found outside of your home and should not be store bought.  We will measure, compare and weigh our "pet rocks".  The rock should be no larger than the size of a child's fist.  Students may bring in a special rock or fossil from a collection for sharing.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!!!

BONJOUR BUTTERFLY

Our Mystery Reader treated our class by reading FANCY NANCY,  BONJOUR BUTTERFLY and WORLD FAMOUS MURIEL!!   THE FIRST GRADERS LOVED BOTH BOOKS. 

The Gospel theme is:  God is Love.  The First Graders are following Jesus by being loving and kind to each other and their families and friends.  

Practicing addition and subtraction facts continues as we prepare for double digit addition and subtraction.  Double digit  problems are exciting  and  fun - no re-grouping in First Grade.

Poetry is our Language Arts focus.  SKY ABOVE CLOUDS,  a beautiful painting by Georgia O'Keeffe was the inspiration for one of the  poems each of the children wrote.  We are reading poems and writing poetry. The poetry boxes are darling and unique because of the personal items the chldren brought from home to decorate  their boxes.  Our poetry Doctor is teaching the children about many different types of poetry.  She also emphasized that "everyone is a poet"  and "there is no right or wrong way to write a poem".

The First Grade ABC Countdown to the final day of First Grade has had a spectacular  beginning.  A- Art Project Day,  B- Bubble Blow Day,  C- Compliment Day,   D- Dance Party,   E- Experiment Day,   G- Game Day,  H- Hopscotch Day,  and I- Insect Day have been filled with activities.  Our Insect Day became a few days.  The First Graders became entomologists -   scientists who study insects and try to learn about their habits, diet, growth, habitats , and relationships. A Weekly Reader issue  INSPECT INSECTS  and a movie,  THE FASCINATING WORLD OF INSECTS  were our guides.  The students went "buggy"  creating their own insects, which were colorful, scarey,  imaginary bugs in many shapes, colors, and sizes.

G- Game Day in the school courtyard was entertaining for all the girls and boys.  J - Joke Day - 'Why is 6 afraid of 7?   Because 7 8 9" !!!    First Grade humor!!!

REMINDERS:  May 18 - Dress Down Day for May, June, and July Birthdays!!!  Final Book Order Due!!!

                    June 1 - First Grade Field Trip to Lincoln Park Zoo.  Please join us!!!

                    June 6 - First Grade Author's Tea!!!

 

MARVELOUS MAY

First Friday in May was marvelous!! Our Mystery Reader read SAY PLEASE LOUISE, DON'T BE A BULLY, BILLY and GIVE THEM BACK, JACK  all humorous  stories with a different character development message for the First Graders. 

 

 Bring a toy Zoo animal was the theme for Show and Tell.   A  turtle, gliding squirrel, lizard, panda bear, giraffe, monkeys, hippopotamus and a bear came to our class which made for a very lively, fun recess. 

The Gospel theme is:  We belong to a Church family.  Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. The children explored the idea of family which  helps us recognize the family that is Church.  We are like branches because we are connected to Jesus by Baptism.  We are part of his family  just as we are part of our own families.  We need our families to love us and teach us how to love others.  We  need Jesus to love us and teach us how to love and serve God.  Mary is the Mother of the Church.  Our  St. Francis Xavier school family will honor May at a special Mass this  Friday.

What is a poet?  What is a poem?   One of our own First Grade Moms is a poet,  has a Doctorate in Poetry and has graciously volunteered to share her expertise with the First Graders.  Homework this week included a poem to get us started. We are all poets and will be practicing reading and writing poems all May.

Adding and subtracting numbers to 20, finding doubles and doubles plus one for sums through 20, and using parts and wholes to find different names for the same number are our Math strategies.   Flash cards, counters, work mats,  and work sheets help us practice.

Science;  How many water drops?  The children explored the surface tension of water as they predicted and tested how many water drops will fit on a coin.  Like true scientists the children recorded all of their information in a book. Mystery Crystals are growing in our class room.  The crystals look like solid ice but feel slimy!!!

Please remind your First Graders to wear a coat to school.  It is Spring and the weather is constantly changing. 

 

SPECIAL PERSON DAY!!

Our St. Francis Xavier First Graders welcomed their Special Friends with a full morning of activities.  Our guests were Grandparents, Relatives and friends. They  spent time in the class room, reading and writing together with the First Graders.  The First Graders were proud and confident as they led the All School Mass.  All the readers and singers were perfect.  After Mass,  the children presented a short singing program - sounding and looking angelic- and then concluded the morning with a delicious luncheon which was lovingly prepared by the First Grade families.  We are so grateful to be part of the St. Francis Xavier School family.  Fantastic families and children!!!

Our gospel theme this week is Jesus cares for us.  Jesus compares himself to the shepherd who cares for and protects the sheep.  Even though few people care for sheep in our society this image still has power.  Children often care for pets. and understand what it takes to keep a pet healthy and happy.  They can also recognize and appreciate the many people who care for them.  From these  experiences they can imagine Jesus as someone who loves and cares for them as their families and teachers do.

Factual Recall is our Language Arts strategy this week.   Word work is practicing the y ending sound, and the r-controlled vowels. Journal writing and writing about the four seasons  is fun.  First Graders are reading poetry to prepare for our guest poet. We love reading Spring themed books  RABBITS & RAINDROPS, WONDERFUL WORMS, WHOSE GARDEN IS IT? and THE EARTH AND I the First Graders recommend.

Fact Families, solving subtraction facts by counting back, and using parts and wholes to subtract helps the children relate addition and subtraction facts to solve problems. Math practice is all about subtraction this week. 

SHOW AND TELL is Friday, May 4, 2012.  The theme is bring a toy Zoo animal.

ABC COUNTDOWN BEGINS IN FIRST GRADE!!  We will be counting down to the last day of First Grade through the alphabet. 

THANK YOU to all of our First Grade parents who helped make The Spring Sing and Special Person Day so successful!!!

SPRING SING

The gospel theme this week is:  Jesus gives us peace.  Jesus returns to his friends on Easter to give them his gift of peace.  The Sign of Peace we exchange at Mass is a way of saying hello and wishing one's neighbors peace and friendship.  We are trying to promote peace in our class room by working through conflicts that may keep children quarreling. 

More Traveling Teddys have returned along with pictures and letters describing their adventures.

Our Reading strategy this week is is Accuracy.   We are studying  action words, verbs, as base words and addidng appropriate endings.  The Spelling words are Long Vowel e word.  Journal writing, handwriting practice and reading responses to read alouds and the  books the childen read in reading groups.

MEASUSRE, MEASURE, MEASURE  is our Math work.  Mr. Gallon Man is a fabuoous visual the girls and boys put together to measure capacity.  Our calendar work helps us measures time.  The First Graders love measusring by inches with rulers.  Our books, desks, and feet were measured

Earth Day is being celebrated this week.  We attended the Kindergarten play , enjoyed our Weekly Reader and worked on an Earth Day Packet that was filled with activities that encouraged us to REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE.   EARTH DAY - HOORAY,   OUR EARTH, and  RECYCLE EVERYDAY are a few books we enjoyed.

SPRING SING:   The Pre-school, Kindergarten, and First Grade classes will all be performing this Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 3:30 p.m.   First Graders come to Church at 3:15 and wear colorful Spring clothes. .

Special Person Day is  May 1, 2012.  The children have created beautiful flowers for their guests and they drew  Portraits of their guests. The Special Persons  portraits will be on display and our guests will take them home for a souvenir of the day.  The girls and boys have been very busy preparing for these events.

TRAVELING TEDDY

Our darling Traveling Teddy's are returning to St. Francis after visiting relatives and friends over our Spring Break. Some of theTeddy  Bears attended Easter Mass, toured offices, rode on scooters, played with pets, ate at restaurants, and one came back with a friend!!  The girls and boys are practicing their map skills.  Upon return to our class room, the children put a sticker on a class room map to mark the Traveling Teddy's destinations.  

The Gospel theme is Jesus is risen.  We are focusing on the joy of Jesus' return from death to new life and the Christian community's joy and happiness at Easter.  The children created Alleluia butterflies to express our joy that Jesus is risen.  We learned that Alleluia is a Hebrew word that means praise God.

Proofreading  - capitalization and end marks is our writing focus this week.  Handwriting practice, writing in Journals and reading responses keep the First Graders busy.  Our Spelling Words are  long vowel e words. Our strategy for our Guided Reading Groups is reading for fluency.  Read Read Read is our motto!! A read aloud was GROWING VEGETABLE SOUP.  How are your Nasturtium plants?  Hopefully about 6in. tall.  If you have forgotten to water your seeds - start now!!

Our class is learning and practicing addition and subtraction facts through 12.  We are also learning about measurement:  length,  weight, capacity and temperature. A  Brain Pop Jr. movie introduced us to the concept of  capacity.  A Shel Silverstein poem ONE INCH TALL helped us review addition and subtraction facts and the concept of length. The girls and boys will be using rulers to measure many  things around our class room, including themselves.   INCH BY INCH by Leo Lionni will inspire us to hunt for inch worms.

REMINDERS:  SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2012 - SPRING CONCERT 3:30 P.M. The First Graders make beautiful                          music together.                                                                  

                   The First Graders have  SPECIAL PERSON DAY TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2012.  The First Graders will                     be leading the All School Mass May 1, 2012 , which will be a special treat for our visitors.  

 

 

 

 

HAPPY EASTER!!

Another fabulous Mystery Reader visited.  He read CAPS FOR SALE and THE PIGEON WHO WANTED A PUPPY.  The First Graders loved both books.  Traveling Teddy Bears were created and mailed to friends and relatives across the world.  The children now are looking forward to the Bears returning to school with letters describing their visits.  Our money unit was concluded by calculating with coin combinations the children's age, date and month of birth, number of people in their family, and their favorite number.  First Graders went on a Scavenger Hunt - clip boards in hand - to find Easter Eggs which were filled with math problems.  A Brain Treat.  Our Lenten preparations were completed and we learned more about Holy Week.  Warm wishes for a safe, happy, fun filled Spring Bread and a Blessed Easter.

SEEDS AND PLANTS

The First Graders had a grand visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden.  The girls and boys were botanists for the day.  Upon arrival at the Garden we were led into the Learning Center, given a Field book journal, and got to work.  SURPRISING SEEDS was our workshop title. After some observation using microscopes and magnifying glasses, the children sketched the three parts of a seed. Each child was able to plant a Nasturtium seed to bring home.  If our plants grow,  the leaves can be used as a salad green.  The flowers are edible and can be added to a salad.  A tour of parts of the Garden was next on the agenda, we searched for seeds in the English Garden where we found a lovely purple Lenten bush, gorgeous tulips,  an apple tree in bloom and millions of plants sprouting. Finally, we  went inside to the  greenhouses which were beautiful.  We all loved the orchids, chocolate tree, cactus, pineapple plants, orange trees, and the gigantic banana tree. A great day at the Garden!!!

Our Gospel theme is "God gives us life and strength."  Religion classes followed the seed theme.  The children observed the growth of plants and flowers.  The lessons  linked the growth in nature to their own growth  as member of the human community of love and service. We are trying to be kind and loving to our classmates and families.  Writing in Lenten Journals reminds the children about their Lenten promises and prayers.

Writing practice focused on capitalization and end marks.  Using a Sight Word packet this week helped the First Graders learn their weekly spelling words. THE EMPTY POT is a read aloud which will explore character and story plot and  also teach a lesson on honesty. Journal writing and handwriting practice are a part of our Language Arts curriculum every  week.  The story of PADDINGTON is a kick off for our Traveling Teddy's.  The First Graders will create a Teddy Bear in class and send the paper bear to a friend or relative to spend the Easter Break. After vacation we will be waiting for our Traveling Teddy's to return with a note about their visits.

Math class is hands-on.  The children have learned the names and values of coins and are now counting mixed groups of SCHOOL MONEY.  It is fun to pretend to shop for school supplies, toys and clothes. 

REMINDERS:  Please return the envelope with the Name and Address for the Traveling Bears.  Please put a postage stamp on th envelope.

Please return the form for Special Person Day. The First Graders will write and send an invitation to their guests.  Our Room Parents will be coordinating the light lunch for Special Person Day.

Louisa earned 20 tickets and read her favorite book  MARTHA SPEAKS to our class!!  First Graders are earning tickets for Good Behavior.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED EARLY

An early spring has arrived like a lamb, and the First Graders are enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather.  Our Mystery Reader continued our St. Patrick's Day theme by reading THAT'S WHAT LEPRECHAUNS DO!! - they create mischief , of course.  She also read RANDY REILLY'S REALLY BIG HIT  and had us giggling with I WILL NOT READ THIS BOOK.  Our parents sure know how to engage the First Graders with their wide variety of literary selections.  

Lenten Journals are filling up with prayers and petitions.  The children are learning to recognize the need to forgive and be forgiven.  Saying "i'm sorry", "that's okay", "we are still friends", "come and play with me" and  'please forgive me" are some of the phrases the children practiced with each other.

In preparation for the First Grade Field Trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden  our class has been studying the parts of a plant and the the children made their own book PACKETS OF PLANTS.  Very interesting to learn that plant parts  are good to eat.  Our book  features: the root of a carrot plant, the stem of an asparagus plant, a leaf from a lettuce plant, and  the flower bud  from a cauliflower plant - all plant parts that are good to eat!!!    A few of the books we have read are TOPS AND BOTTOMS,  MUNCHA, MUNCHA, MUNCHA and  GROWING VEGETABLE SOUP.  The girls and boys will be searching for seeds at The Garden and sowing seeds to bring home.

Telling Time and reading a calendar has been fun - all the children LOVE the JUDY clocks.  Now we are developing and using math vocabulary relating to money.  Identifying coins, finding the value of coins and showing the different ways to show amount is our objective.  We will be counting, skip counting, adding and subtracting.

First Graders continue to write in their journals, practice handwriting skills, practice sight words, and spelling are all Language Arts objectives.  Comprehension skills such as identifying characters, the setting of a story, recognizing the  problem and how the problem is solved are  First Grade Language Arts objectives. 

REMINDERS:  Pack a Fruit Break, drink and lunch for Friday.  The children will eat lunch at school after our field Trip.  The forecast  for Friday is for cooler and wet weather.   Please  dress your First Grader for a wet, chilly morning!!!

We still need glue sticks, wipes and paper towels for our classroom.

HOMEWORK FOLDERS go home on Monday and should be returned on Friday.  Check your child's TAKE HOME FOLDER every day.

The First Graders are trying very hard to  behave in class and be kind to each other!!  They are doing very well at both.  Give them a hug and a pat on the back!!!!! 

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Our  creative, brave and bold First Graders constructed LEPRECHAUN TRAPS using items ranging from shoe boxes, to old cat carriers to large cardboard boxes.   Every trap used  a different angle for trapping the wee folk BUT  much to the First Graders surprise and dismay  - some leprechauns descended on our classroom one evening, wrecked the traps, scattered gold coins, dollar bills, and jellybeans and disappeared as quickly as they arrived.   No one caught a leprechaun but all of the children wrote a Leprechaun story and  heard many stories about shamrocks, fairies and the wear-in of the green.

SHOW AND TELL -  this month the theme was bring something whose name is a compound word.  The children brought:  superman, batman, notebooks, beanbags, keychains, a slingshot,  popcorn, a football, headphones, and Theodore brought himself!!                                                                                          

   During these special days of Lent we are trying to be loving to each other and to remember Jesus' love for us. The First Graders are learning the need of saying they are sorry to others.  The children continue writing in their Lenten Journal.

JUDY clocks have helped the First Graders practice telling time.   The  children are sequencing events, comparing time, and determining elapsed time.   A calendar shows the months, weeks, and days of a year, we are learning all about the calendar, that the months come in a specific order and that not  all months have the same number of days.

PLEASE NOTE:  FIELD TRIP TO THE BOTNIC GARDEN FRIDAY, MARCH 23  please send your $$ and                                    permission slip in Monday.  The First Graders will learn about seed parts and how                                    they work together to produce a plant.  Sturdents will pot a seed to take home.

                      HELP:  Our classroom still needs tissues, sanitizing wipies and glue sticks.

                      THANK YOU for coming to conferences.  We have terrific  children, parents and a lucky                           First Grade Teacher.                     

 

                      

   Our latest Mystery Reader captivated  our class  with HECKEDY PEG  and SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE both books have become class favorites.                  .