Friday, January 6, 2017

January 9-13, 2017

Specials
Monday - 1
Tuesday - 2
Wednesday - 3
Thursday - 4
Friday - 5

Save this image for a quick reference guide! (I promise it is easier to read once you've saved it!)


Upcoming Events & Reminders
Homework needs to come back in the blue folder every day.
January 12 - PTA Family Night at Moe's
January 13 - Report Cards go home
January 16 - MLK Day. No school
January 27 - Non-rotation day. STEM Day
February 3 - Tentative date for 2nd grading period awards
February 20 - President's Day. No School

Spelling List
Beginning in January, we will be increasing the number of words on each list and asking students to write a dictated sentence. This means that we will choose one of the spelling words and ask students to use it in a sentence that we dictate. I will not be assessing the spelling of all of the words in the sentence but will assess the sentenced based on Capitalization, Finger Spaces, punctuation, and spelling the word correctly. 

LIST A
coat
float
soap
toad
coach
grow
row

LIST B
roast
bowl
float
shown
coach
window
throat

Kid-Friendly Objectives
I can read, write, and identify words with the -oa and -ow spelling patterns.
I can write to tell my opinion and support it with at least 2 reasons.
I can measure objects using a nonstandard measurement.
I can tell how much longer an object is.
I can identify and use text features in a nonfiction text.
I can correctly use a verb in past, present, or future tense.

Week in Review
Turns out we got our 4 day week, after all! It was tough waking up on January 2nd but I sure made up for it by sleeping in on the 6th. :) 

Max and I are being worker bees on the couch at home...at least one of us is. 

And yes, my Christmas tree is still up because "ain't nobody got time for that" when you've got a room full of first graders to teach!

All jokes aside...this week was so nice to get back into our routines and jump into learning. I told the students over and over how parents must have snuck some 2nd grade juice into them over the break because these kids came back READY. Their reading has begun to soar and their speaking skills are taking off. Thank you for your commitment to continue working with them over those 2 weeks! 

We began our week with a reflection of 2016 and a look ahead into 2017. Our vocabulary word was resolution. We identified resolutions we had on our own as well as some class resolutions.

We also talked about how an important part of goal setting is not just say what you want, but write it down and make a plan. Of course, resolutions don't have to be all serious business so we made it into a fun craft.










In Language, we began to explore verbs...with probably the best song ever.



Be careful, it gets stuck in your head. I'm still singing it!

We got all of our wiggles out with the rap and then read this silly book:
Then we made a list of all of the silly verbs snowmen might do at night.

The next day, we read:
The kids had a blast coming up with the verbs they would do to catch the gingerbread kid. They thought of verbs like:
trap
sneak
grab
eat
trick
chase

On Thursday (perfectly fitting for our weather) we let the kids know that it was time to research PENGUINS!!! To get us started, I had to introduce penguins into our verb study. The kids watched this trailer:


And helped me list all of the verbs the penguins did!
We had fun drawing penguins and writing sentences about what our penguins are doing.










For Math, we began MEASUREMENT! I'm a little addicted to this unit. This week was all about comparing. 
In measuring, all objects must use the same starting line, just like in a race! You can't let another object cheat just to say its longer! So, we made sure to correct this brain burp and line our objects up the correct way.

Still not perfect but by the end of the week, we nailed it. :)




 We also discussed what it means when two objects are equal. We searched the room to find things that were equal in length.
 These two girls thought it was hysterical that their paintbrush was NOT equal to the chair.




Sunday, January 1, 2017

January 2-6, 2017

Specials
(Refer to your flipbook for a reference of what each day is)
Monday - 3
Tuesday - 4
Wednesday - 5
Thursday - 6
Friday - 1

Upcoming Events & Reminders
Homework needs to come back in the blue folder every day.
January 12 - PTA Family Night at Moe's
January 13 - Report Cards go home
January 16 - MLK Day. No school
January 27 - Non-rotation day. STEM Day
February 3 - Tentative date for 2nd grading period awards
February 20 - President's Day. No School

Spelling List
Beginning in January, we will be increasing the number of words on each list and asking students to write a dictated sentence. This means that we will choose one of the spelling words and ask students to use it in a sentence that we dictate. I will not be assessing the spelling of all of the words in the sentence but will assess the sentenced based on Capitalization, Finger Spaces, punctuation, and spelling the word correctly. 

LIST A
vote
hope
bone
rode
cove
stove
broke

LIST B
globe
stove
broke
froze
close
throne
remote

Kid-Friendly Objectives
I can read, write, and identify words with the o_e spelling pattern.
I can write to tell my opinion and support it with reasons.
I can compare the length of objects with the words "longer" and "shorter."
I can organize and sort objects by length.
I can use a third object to compare the length of two objects.
I can identify and use text features in a nonfiction text.
I can use and identify verbs.

Week in Review
I hope you have had a wonderfully restful winter break but I sure did have fun looking back over these pictures to prep me for the new year. :) Our last week in December was filled with SO much fun.

We kept things "strictly business" at the beginning of the week. We wrapped up our How-To Writing and actually traveled down the hallway to share our writing with the Kindergarteners. I smell a tradition in the works...the kids loved it and felt so smart!
I cannot share the pictures with the Kindergarteners so I'll just share the pictures of us practicing our reading :)





We got a package from Globetrot Scott all the way from Russia! He sent us a beautiful Matryoshka doll to keep in the classroom along with this book:

We also had fun decorating and making our own version of Matryoshka dolls.









Next, Globetrot Scott went to China! We learned how many kids in China do not celebrate Christmas but instead celebrate the Chinese New Year! Globetrot Scott sent us our very own Chinese Calendar and this book:
The book told a story of how a little girl got a very special fortune coin.
We learned that many kids get money in red envelopes so we made our own "fortune coins" for our friends and delivered them secretly to our friend's envelopes.



 We visited our 4th grade buddies and had fun "Elfing Ourselves." We made miniature elves of ourselves but they were not finished in time for us to take home :(
 Finally...it was time for our HOLIDAY MARKET!!!
We traveled to Korea and learned how to play a fun game and learned about the special clothes.
We traveled to Italy and made our own La Befana brooms and wrote more napkin notes.
We traveled to Germany and made our own Christmas Trees.
In Israel, we made Menorahs for Hanukkah.
In Uganda, we made our very own drums.
Finally, in Mexico we made special Poinsettia ornaments.
I hope you enjoy the pictures from our fun day!













 On Friday, we came to school in our jammies and had fun listening to Holiday music, painting and drawing snowmen, drinking hot chocolate, and watching a movie.















Can't wait to see you again! :)