Pictures from first grade in 2014

Here are a few snapshots of our first half of first grade.

The last day before break was pajama day.  I gave my students scarves made by my mom.

 Visitors came to our classroom and talked to us about agriculture in the classroom.  This year we learned how to a sheep's wool get turned into yarn.  Above she is showing us how they dye the wool.

 Crazy sock day to add to our reading stamina minutes.  Our whole team (Mrs. Bieber, our class, Mrs. Rodemeyer, and Ms. Heddinger) all wore crazy socks so we got extra time added to our scores.  Way to go team!!

 A guest reader came to our classroom and read Gingerbread Baby to us and then gave us gingerbread cookies.  

 Caroling at the nursing homes before our Christmas concert.  Students sang beautifully!

 Mrs. Saxton was a guest reader in our class and read some Christmas stories to us.

 Mrs. Patton came and extended our learning about habitats in Iowa.  Students placed animals in appropriate places around the mural.  

 Mrs. Beving was a guest reader in our class and read a Thanksgiving book to us.

 Mrs. Patton came and extended our learning about the animal groups.  She brought with her a snake and salamander for students to touch.

 She also brought in wing of a bird for us to learn about how birds move.

 Mr. Carter was a guest reader in our class in a national challenge: Hunting for a Good Book, sponsored by Book It.

 Mrs. Shimon was a guest reader in our class for one of our DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) days.

 Students enjoyed listening to a Pete the Cat book from a guest reader in our class. 

 Mrs. B, our student teacher, had a fantastic last day.  Lucky for us her next placement was in an older grade in the building so we still got to see her.

 A class picture with our super star, Nick, who was part of the homecoming court.

 Student's enjoyed having high school students from the fall sports come around and sign their pennants.  

Week of Dec. 8

Events:

-Dec. 17 1 hr. early out

-Dec. 19 1 hr. early out

-Jan. 6 (1^st day back after winter break)

Notes:

-Thank you to all the students who attended our Christmas concert.  They all sang beautifully.

-I have been busy assessing for the end of the quarter and am pleased with how much we have grown.  Thanks for all your support at home with homework and reading.

-There are lots of lost and found items.  If you think you are missing an item please have your child check the lost and found at school.

Week in Review:

-We have been working hard in math to learn how to add on from two digit numbers.  We have reviewed trading in money to use fewer coins.  Example: Instead of eight pennies you could have one nickel and three pennies.

-We read books by Jan Brett this week.  We the story Annie and the Wild Animals we worked on visualizing the book and predicting what the pictures would before seeing them.  We also read The Mitten and practiced sequencing the animals that went into the mitten.

-In science we finished learning about magnets and simple machines.  We have started to learn about energy and electricity.

Week of Dec. 1

Events:

-Dec 10 1 hr. early out

-Dec. 11 7pm K-1 Holiday Concert

-Dec. 17 1 hr. early out

-Dec. 19 1 hr. early out

 BUILD

(B) Buddy Games- Students are working with greater than, less than, and equal to.

(U) Using Manipulatives- Students are rolling two dice, adding them together, and covering the answer on a tree.

(I) Independently Working- Students are completing a graph and answering questions in response to the graph.

(L) Learning About Numbers- Students are working in a small group with the teacher completing story problems.

(D) Doing Math- Students work with math on funbrain.com.

Week in Review:

-We have continued our learning of place value with adding tens and ones.  Example: 20+30=50. 

-Our mini lessons at the beginning of the week focused on checking for understanding.  We read a couple pages from a nonfiction book and then students shared what was the main idea.  Later in the week we read the book Little Polar Bear and Brave Little Hare.  This was a longer book so our story map was a bit more challenging for us.  With this book we learned the vocabulary words: embarrassed, warn, concerned, thumped, steep, and frigid.

-We have started a new science unit on motion and energy.  We have learned about how to describe an items position, pull, push, and friction.

Notes:

- May 22 will be our snow-make up day from Nov. 26.

-A reminder we go outside if the temperature and wind chill is above 0.  Please send your child with all their winter gear so they are warm enough at recess.

-Students may start arriving at 6:30 for the Christmas concert on the 11^th.  Students need to report to the band room at the high school.  Please pick them up from the band room when the concert is over.