We had a great field trip to the rodeo last week, and several students expressed an interest in learning how to do an event they saw there. Our class book about the Rodeo has now been published, so the next time you are in the classroom, be sure to ask to see it!
In science we are continuing our unit on Astronomy. This week your student will be taking home a Solar System mobile and maybe even a Star Gazer showing several constellations. We tried to find the most up to date information about space exploration, since new discoveries are being made every year, so your first grader may have some new info to share with you!
In History we are learning interesting facts about US presidents. The presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore are of special interest as well as the coins and bills representing them. Did you know that special pennies were minted in 2009 to show the periods of Abraham Lincoln's life? You are in for a treat…listen to your student share all he/she is learning about presidents.
Spelling Words for the Week:
always, because, been, penny, pennies, candy, candies, bunny, bunnies, dry, dries, dried
Synonym Pairs for the Week:
cry….weep friend……..companion freedom……emancipation
Happy Valentine's Day!
Mrs. E
Sunday, February 3, 2013
In two weeks we will be having our spring semester Parent/Teacher Conferences. I always enjoy these moments with the parents of my students, to share insights and compare notes about how our little ones are developing and growing right before our eyes. Please be on the lookout for an email from me to sign up for your conference times. Hope to see each of you on February 18, Presidents' Day.
February is National Children's Dental Health Month, so on Monday, February 4th, I will send home a chart for my students to log every time they brush their teeth during this month. Scientists tell us that it takes about three weeks to form a HABIT, so if your first grader does not yet have the habit of brushing without being reminded, maybe this month of "dental homework" will do the trick!
February is also National Black History Month. Throughout the month, we will be reading the biographies of various very courageous African-Americans who stood for what was right during their lifetimes. Hopefully, these lessons will initiate some good conversations at home about what it means to stand for righteousness when the majority of people around you are unwilling to. How to stand alone is a very important lesson that will serve our students all of their lives.
Play is the work of childhood. I have shared that statement with many parents over the years, since early childhood development has been a fascinating area of study for me for the last 25 years. I have found a twelve minute YouTube video that summarizes my philosophy on the benefits and importance of childhood play. Please take a few minutes to watch this video before our conference on the 18th, because I would like to discuss it with you.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=oiDV6uOY9QI&desktop_uri=%3Fv%3DoiDV6uOY9QI
Spelling Words for the Week:
their, now, angry, angrier, angriest, windy, windier, windiest, hay, gray, away, clay
Spelling Rule: When adding the endings -er and -est to words ending in "y," the "y" changes to "i" first, then the endings are added. The "i" will have the same sound the "y" does in the base word.
Review Week for 12 Synonym Pairs: (matching quiz on 2-8-13)
genesis…………...beginning smart…………....clever travel……..migrate
red………………..crimson forever……...…..eternal sleep………hibernate
warm-blooded……endothermic underwater….....submerged cold………frigid
cold-blooded……..exothermic trail…………….passage blue………azure
Blessings,
Mrs. E
February is National Children's Dental Health Month, so on Monday, February 4th, I will send home a chart for my students to log every time they brush their teeth during this month. Scientists tell us that it takes about three weeks to form a HABIT, so if your first grader does not yet have the habit of brushing without being reminded, maybe this month of "dental homework" will do the trick!
February is also National Black History Month. Throughout the month, we will be reading the biographies of various very courageous African-Americans who stood for what was right during their lifetimes. Hopefully, these lessons will initiate some good conversations at home about what it means to stand for righteousness when the majority of people around you are unwilling to. How to stand alone is a very important lesson that will serve our students all of their lives.
Play is the work of childhood. I have shared that statement with many parents over the years, since early childhood development has been a fascinating area of study for me for the last 25 years. I have found a twelve minute YouTube video that summarizes my philosophy on the benefits and importance of childhood play. Please take a few minutes to watch this video before our conference on the 18th, because I would like to discuss it with you.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=oiDV6uOY9QI&desktop_uri=%3Fv%3DoiDV6uOY9QI
Spelling Words for the Week:
their, now, angry, angrier, angriest, windy, windier, windiest, hay, gray, away, clay
Spelling Rule: When adding the endings -er and -est to words ending in "y," the "y" changes to "i" first, then the endings are added. The "i" will have the same sound the "y" does in the base word.
Review Week for 12 Synonym Pairs: (matching quiz on 2-8-13)
genesis…………...beginning smart…………....clever travel……..migrate
red………………..crimson forever……...…..eternal sleep………hibernate
warm-blooded……endothermic underwater….....submerged cold………frigid
cold-blooded……..exothermic trail…………….passage blue………azure
Blessings,
Mrs. E
Sunday, January 27, 2013
We enjoyed having our dads and other family members for Doughnuts for Dads last Friday! Don't forget to complete the Super Bowl assignment in their football books. Those books already went home and should be returned to school by next Friday, February 1st, when we'll have our Super Bowl celebration. On that day the students will share their family's team NAME, COLORS, and HELMET DESIGN with the rest of the class. We learned that every football team is named for a special reason, so each student should be able to explain the reason behind the mascot he chose for his family team. Family members can help with this presentation and make it as creative as they want. This week we will also be learning all about Roman Numerals, because the Super Bowls are always announced with these wonderful symbols. The students enjoy learning a "secret code" that others may not know or understand completely. Please ask your children about what they are learning about Super Bowl XLVII.
In preparation for the great TEXAS Unit we will have in March, please send any old blue jeans that are too worn out for Goodwill. We will be covering our Texas books with denim, and they will be more special if we reuse our old clothes. Any child or adult jeans that can be cut up will be wonderful. The deadline for these donations is Friday, February 15th.
Ash Wednesday is February 13th. Please notify me if your child will not participate in the ceremony in Chapel on that day.
SPELLING WORDS : January, down, too,work, many, first, by, try, fly, belly, jelly, smelly
Spelling Rule: Sometimes "y" can be a vowel and make the long i or long e sound.
Synonym Pairs:
endothermic…….warm-blooded trail……..passage blue…..azure
Note…On February 8, students will take a matching quiz on the 12 pairs of synonyms we have had so far.
Blessings,
Mrs. E
In preparation for the great TEXAS Unit we will have in March, please send any old blue jeans that are too worn out for Goodwill. We will be covering our Texas books with denim, and they will be more special if we reuse our old clothes. Any child or adult jeans that can be cut up will be wonderful. The deadline for these donations is Friday, February 15th.
Ash Wednesday is February 13th. Please notify me if your child will not participate in the ceremony in Chapel on that day.
SPELLING WORDS : January, down, too,work, many, first, by, try, fly, belly, jelly, smelly
Spelling Rule: Sometimes "y" can be a vowel and make the long i or long e sound.
Synonym Pairs:
endothermic…….warm-blooded trail……..passage blue…..azure
Note…On February 8, students will take a matching quiz on the 12 pairs of synonyms we have had so far.
Blessings,
Mrs. E
Saturday, January 19, 2013
First graders are enjoying the Winter Unit very much. We went "ice fishing" this past week, and we are enjoying the adventures of Jack London's White Fang.
In math we are slowly beginning to memorize subtraction facts. You would be so surprised to see how fast the students are with addition math facts, and they are eager to master the subtraction problems with the same accuracy and speed. Please see the Saxon Math Newsletter that just went home to see what is in store in the next few weeks in math. I am so proud of these first graders!
Our room mothers will be contacting each of you to let you know what is needed for our classroom in the next few months. I would appreciate your help in planning some interesting events for our students. Your involvement is crucial. The Gala is scheduled for February 22nd, and we still need to plan a class project. Please help us with suggestions and volunteer to make our contribution to the Gala memorable. The deadline for our class project is February 15th!
Spelling Words for the week:
one, new, didn't, isn't, aren't, cleaner, cleanest, longer, longest, cupcake, bathtub, weekend
Spelling Rules: - contractions - the apostrophe usually takes the place of the "o" in "not"
- compound words - combine two complete words to make a compound word
Synonym Pairs:
underwater…….submerged cold…….frigid warm-blooded……endothermic
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Blessings,
Mrs. E
In math we are slowly beginning to memorize subtraction facts. You would be so surprised to see how fast the students are with addition math facts, and they are eager to master the subtraction problems with the same accuracy and speed. Please see the Saxon Math Newsletter that just went home to see what is in store in the next few weeks in math. I am so proud of these first graders!
Our room mothers will be contacting each of you to let you know what is needed for our classroom in the next few months. I would appreciate your help in planning some interesting events for our students. Your involvement is crucial. The Gala is scheduled for February 22nd, and we still need to plan a class project. Please help us with suggestions and volunteer to make our contribution to the Gala memorable. The deadline for our class project is February 15th!
Spelling Words for the week:
one, new, didn't, isn't, aren't, cleaner, cleanest, longer, longest, cupcake, bathtub, weekend
Spelling Rules: - contractions - the apostrophe usually takes the place of the "o" in "not"
- compound words - combine two complete words to make a compound word
Synonym Pairs:
underwater…….submerged cold…….frigid warm-blooded……endothermic
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Blessings,
Mrs. E
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Since much of the world celebrates Christmas on January 6th, or Day of the Kings, first graders observed Epiphany last week by sharing a King's Cake. This delicious pastry is circular (like a crown), and a baby Jesus figurine is hidden inside. Traditionally, in Mexico, the person who finds the baby in his piece of dessert will invite the celebration to continue in his home on February 2nd, Dia de la Candelaria. Students enjoy learning about traditions from around the world, and next week CCS will set aside International Day to learn some new customs from another cultures. In our classroom this is a common practice all through the school year.
In our North America Unit this week, the focus will be on the Inuit Tribes of the North. Their adaptation to a hostile climate is an interesting study, especially since it will coincide with the science lessons of insulation and Arctic animals. We are erecting a large igloo in the classroom to set the mood for our winter units, so please send any empty plastic milk/water gallon jugs to add to this project. Come by the classroom to see what all the excitement is about!
Spelling words for this week: were, would, could, some, each, teach, beach, eat, treat, road, toad, load.
Reading Rule: CVVC Words…When a word has two vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent.
Synonyms: red………...crimson
forever…….eternal
sleep………hibernate
Blessings,
Mrs. E
In our North America Unit this week, the focus will be on the Inuit Tribes of the North. Their adaptation to a hostile climate is an interesting study, especially since it will coincide with the science lessons of insulation and Arctic animals. We are erecting a large igloo in the classroom to set the mood for our winter units, so please send any empty plastic milk/water gallon jugs to add to this project. Come by the classroom to see what all the excitement is about!
Spelling words for this week: were, would, could, some, each, teach, beach, eat, treat, road, toad, load.
Reading Rule: CVVC Words…When a word has two vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent.
Synonyms: red………...crimson
forever…….eternal
sleep………hibernate
Blessings,
Mrs. E
Monday, January 7, 2013
Some years my winter unit is not very convincing without a lot of imagination. Migration, hibernation, and insulation experiments require lengthy explanations which are not fully understood when the lowest temperatures don't fall below 60 degrees. With all that in mind, I am very grateful for this wintry spell that we have enjoyed for several weeks now, even though the near freezing temperatures make outdoor visits brief. Thank you, God, for winter!
We welcomed a new student to our class today! Clara has joined the first grade class, and we are so happy to add another girl to our class roster. Welcome, Clara! We are so glad God sent you to Texas.
The January calendar will be sent out asap. We are adjusting the calendar to include a new student to the chore list and show-n-tell schedule.
Spelling words for this week are…want, very, one, new, deep, keep, sleep, pain, rain, train, boat, coat.
SOMETHING NEW!
Synonym List:
beginning………genesis
travel……………migrate
smart……………clever
The synonym quiz at the end of the week will be a matching activity, so spelling is not an issue to learn new synonyms. Please try to use these words in conversation, so that first graders will have an opportunity to "show off" big words in their speech! We will start off with only three synonyms per week and then add more as the semester continues. Every five weeks the students will be assessed on all the synonyms from the previous four weeks.
Happy Winter!
Mrs. E
We welcomed a new student to our class today! Clara has joined the first grade class, and we are so happy to add another girl to our class roster. Welcome, Clara! We are so glad God sent you to Texas.
The January calendar will be sent out asap. We are adjusting the calendar to include a new student to the chore list and show-n-tell schedule.
Spelling words for this week are…want, very, one, new, deep, keep, sleep, pain, rain, train, boat, coat.
SOMETHING NEW!
Synonym List:
beginning………genesis
travel……………migrate
smart……………clever
The synonym quiz at the end of the week will be a matching activity, so spelling is not an issue to learn new synonyms. Please try to use these words in conversation, so that first graders will have an opportunity to "show off" big words in their speech! We will start off with only three synonyms per week and then add more as the semester continues. Every five weeks the students will be assessed on all the synonyms from the previous four weeks.
Happy Winter!
Mrs. E
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