This Week in First Grade (11-11-13)

What did we do at school this week?

We had no school on Monday in honor of Veterans Day. Thank you veterans!

We have been talking about what we are thankful for, since Thanksgiving is getting close! Bring in a photo or clippings from magazines to contribute to our bulletin board next week!

Writer's Workshop:

• On Tuesday, we finished our class book that we started last week, inspired by Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Dog a Donut. Check out the photopeach version of our book! 
If You Give a First Grader an Animal... on PhotoPeach
• Wednesday, for Wow Word Wednesday, we read One Winter's Day, by M. Christina Butler, which had some great examples of interesting words describing weather. Then we each made lists of "Wow Weather Words" in our writer's notebooks. When we shared our ideas, some favorites were:
• stormy
• gust of wind
• the wind howled
• burning hot
• the wind whistled
• blizzard
• snowstorm
• hailing
• foggy
• On Friday, we discussed and wrote about why we are thankful... for our moms.

Math:

• We introduced some probability vocabulary last week, and went a little more in depth this week. Check out this week's homework padlet page where we wrote sentences using one of the probability words we learned about: certain, impossible, likely, and unlikely.
• Every child got a ruler to keep in his or her desk, after we learned how to measure in inches. It makes much more sense to measure things using inches than using sticky notes or paperclips!
• We continue to practice addition and subtraction, telling time by the hour, counting coins (pennies, nickels, and dimes), and of course, doing these things independently!

Social Studies/Science:

• Last week we learned about the tawny owl, and this week we learned about a new animal... the hedgehog! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Just for fun, say one of our new signal words to your child this weekend, and see what happens!
• Nocturnal
• Woodland
• Carnivores
• Adaptation
• These are the chants we are doing each day!
• As a class, we completed a Sentence Patterning Chart for the animal we are studying, hedgehogs. The kids came up with the words for each category themselves! Choose 3 adjectives, 1 verb, and one prepositional phrase, and ask your child to sing the song to you! 
  
  
  

PE:

In addition to doing yoga with a parent from Mrs. Luhrsen's class on Monday and Friday, we learned some new speed and agility moves this week, high knees, power skips, and squat jumps, and practiced some old exercises, like line hops and long-armed planks. We even got to listen to music during PE this week, because we did such a great job of following directions!

Fun Friday:

• First grade had a guest speaker, Sensei Wong from Kovars Karate Academy, talk to us about respect and discipline! He was so funny, too! What did the first graders learn at the mini-assembly and during the discussion afterwards?
• Teachers in Japan are called "sensei."
• Focus and the "focus clap!" Focus takes discipline and practice!
• Focus, peace, and humility
• Part of humility is "keeping your karate covered," or only using it when you need to protect yourself or someone else from danger.
• Do as your parent or teacher/sensei asks the first time (or without even being asked)!
• Just because there is no sign at the grocery store that says "Please do not throw grapes onto the floor and stomp on them," does not mean that you should. :)

  

  Playing "Sensei Says..." 

  

  We learned the symbol for peace.

  

  We learned how to do a "focus clap!"

• We played "Signal Word Basketball" to practice all of the signal words we have learned this year. 
  
  
  
  All in all, another fun-filled week of learning and smiles in first grade... I am so thankful for my students and all of the things they are teaching ME this year! Have a great weekend!

Families, ask your first graders to tell you about their favorite experience at school this week and leave a comment below!