How To Books

We started our new writing unit today. We will be writing non-fiction how-to books. The topic was introduced with a fun activity of using grapes and toothpicks to make squares. We wrote the steps together as a class to practice. Then students got to build their own squares with the grapes and toothpicks.

A Week in Review

We had a very productive week. We learned about silent E, good citizens, new year goals, All About Books, patterns, word problems, and shapes. Woooooo, what a week. Here are some pictures.

Silent E word Hunt

More Silent E word hunt

Votes for our classroom president nominations

Story we read to learn about the election process. 

Making patterns and pattern units

More practice with patterns

Setting Goals for the New Year

We have been writing goals this week in our writing center. The students were encouraged to pick a goal for something they have never done and would like to do in 2012. Here are a few of those goals.

"I want to go to Romania to see my grandparents"

"I want to do gymnastics with my friends"

"Read everything that I see"

"Read a chapter book on my own. When I am finished I get a new book"

"I want to learn more things in 2nd grade"

"I want to go to Seattle in Washington to see Dustin Ackley"

"My new year goal is to become a black belt"

A Skype Call with China

Our classmate Cindy took a trip to China just before winter break. We were very excited to get a call from Cindy all the way from China!!

Marbles Field Trip

We had a great day at Marbles! Here are a few pictures from our day.

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Poinsettia Painting

We painted poinsettias on Friday to go with our Mexico Holiday Traditions lesson. We got to use water colors and black crayons. The students were very excited, and their paintings turned out great!

Holidays Around the World

Our class has been very busy learning about holidays around the world. Last week we learned about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. We read many books including this cute book:

We also had a chance to hear some traditional songs and play the dreidel game. 

This week we have learned about holidays in Italy and Mexico. Did you know in Italy there is a story of La Befana who delivers candy to well behaved children? In Mexico, they celebrate "Navidad"with fireworks and pinatas! We have also been reading books about Ramadan, Holi, Kwanzaa, and the Chinese New Year!

Tens and Ones

This week we are learning all about tens and ones. This is a very important concept because of our base 10 number system. Here are some pictures of the hands on activities we are using this week.

Family Share

We are looking for families and friends of our first graders to share their family traditions. We are in the process of learning about different holidays around the world and would love to hear how your family celebrates holidays. It can be any holiday from any time of the year. If you have any questions before you want to sign up, feel free to send me an e-mail. Thanks for all your help with this fun event!

Holiday Share Flyer