We had indoor recess several days this week which makes for a very "busy" afternoon! And kiddos are coming to school with big, red bug bites! Nurse Shelley has something miraculous that she puts on that seems to make the itching go away!
On June 9th our class will travel to the Audubon Center in Huntington for a program called Wetland Explorations. Our class, along with Mrs. McGuire's class, will leave school at 8:30 and return by 11:30 which means the kids will be having lunch here at school. As the name implies, we'll be outside in the WETlands! If your child has rubber rain boots (or can borrow a pair from a friend) that would be best! If not, an extra pair of sneakers with dry socks would work. They will likely need bug spray and possibly sunscreen...keep your fingers crossed that it isn't raining because we go rain or shine! (Anyone want to volunteer for this trip?) I'll send you more details next week so you'll know exactly what to pack. We really would love volunteers, so if you'd like to spend a few hours out by the pond with a bunch of curious first graders, please let me know!
Our farm unit is drawing to a close and the kids are dying to bring the farms home. We have a few more farm activities and I'll begin by sending home a folder with all of their payment sheets (I know you'll be surprised to hear that farm land in "Hinesville" only costs $10 a square!) Please ask your child all about the farm and the animals they learned about...cows, chickens, goats, horses, sheep and pigs. It's been a really fun unit and I'm sad to see it come to an end!
Have a great weekend!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
What a Whirlwind!
It's already May and the end of the year is in sight! Luckily, first graders have a very different sense of time and they don't realize how quickly the end is coming! We'll keep having math and reading and writing and spelling right up to the very end. By keeping the schedule as normal as possible, the class will continue to be kind and productive and learning!
Our farm unit in math is in full swing! The farms are taking shape and have barns, farmhouses, silos, sheep, cows, chickens, goats, pigs...the farmers here are very busy! You'll be happy to know that a house in "Hinesville" costs only $30! The kids are so excited and most days kids spend extra time in the morning working on their farms. We've read many great books about farms and farm animals. They really do have a better understanding of how much work it is to farm and what a dangerous job it can be. More importantly, perhaps, they have worked really hard to "pay" for everything on their farm. There were days where I'd planned some extra time to help them count out (for example) $27 to pay for the barn. I was certain that using two tens, a five and two ones would be really tricky...the entire class whizzed through that activity and surprised me! It's even more motivating than I thought! We had a special visit this week...Nathan Brown (from Mrs. McGuire's class) invited his grandmother to bring her lamb to show and share with our classes. Each child had the chance to pet the lamb, named Blanca. Very sweet!
I've been working on the end of the year reading assessments. I know...it's early to begin the END of year assessments, but our supervisory union collects data and most of it needs to be in by June 1st or not long after. On a positive note, children are doing REALLY well and showing great growth!
As the end of year activities draw closer (Move Up day, field days, school picnic, etc.) I'll be sure to send reminders. Field days usually has a water activity which requires a bathing suit and/or change of clothes...sunscreen...etc.
Have a great weekend!
Michelle
Our farm unit in math is in full swing! The farms are taking shape and have barns, farmhouses, silos, sheep, cows, chickens, goats, pigs...the farmers here are very busy! You'll be happy to know that a house in "Hinesville" costs only $30! The kids are so excited and most days kids spend extra time in the morning working on their farms. We've read many great books about farms and farm animals. They really do have a better understanding of how much work it is to farm and what a dangerous job it can be. More importantly, perhaps, they have worked really hard to "pay" for everything on their farm. There were days where I'd planned some extra time to help them count out (for example) $27 to pay for the barn. I was certain that using two tens, a five and two ones would be really tricky...the entire class whizzed through that activity and surprised me! It's even more motivating than I thought! We had a special visit this week...Nathan Brown (from Mrs. McGuire's class) invited his grandmother to bring her lamb to show and share with our classes. Each child had the chance to pet the lamb, named Blanca. Very sweet!
I've been working on the end of the year reading assessments. I know...it's early to begin the END of year assessments, but our supervisory union collects data and most of it needs to be in by June 1st or not long after. On a positive note, children are doing REALLY well and showing great growth!
As the end of year activities draw closer (Move Up day, field days, school picnic, etc.) I'll be sure to send reminders. Field days usually has a water activity which requires a bathing suit and/or change of clothes...sunscreen...etc.
Have a great weekend!
Michelle
Friday, March 25, 2011
I'm Back!
It felt great to be back to school this week! The kids kept asking if they could hug me! I feel like I'm good as new!
This week we began the first of several science units for this year. As an introduction, we discussed some of the "rules" of being a scientist. I began by explaining that many of the objects and materials in science may appear to be something other than what they really are and so scientists NEVER put things in their mouths! We also talked about how scientists are very curious and ask lots of questions and wonder a lot about the world around. This is a very curious bunch, so I think we've got that part covered! Our unit is about Properties. This week they examined many different materials (buttons, styrofoam, feathers, rubber bands, wooden blocks, rocks, sandpaper, marbles, etc.) and we made a chart of words describing the properties of the objects. We'll be examining the properties of more objects and then water in its various states.
We finished our math penguin unit this week. The next unit is a geometry unit. The class has been learning the names of 3-D shapes during our calendar routine and sorting shapes by properties (nice connection, eh?). Because the focus is less on math facts and more so on geometry, some future homework will have math fact practice to keep up those skills.
On Tuesday, I sent home (via email) a sign up sheet for parent/teacher conferences. Conferences are being held on April 7th and 8th. I've included several 7:30am times for those of you who can't make it in the afternoon. If you'd like to schedule a conference, please let me know...you can send an email or paper note!
Have a great weekend!
This week we began the first of several science units for this year. As an introduction, we discussed some of the "rules" of being a scientist. I began by explaining that many of the objects and materials in science may appear to be something other than what they really are and so scientists NEVER put things in their mouths! We also talked about how scientists are very curious and ask lots of questions and wonder a lot about the world around. This is a very curious bunch, so I think we've got that part covered! Our unit is about Properties. This week they examined many different materials (buttons, styrofoam, feathers, rubber bands, wooden blocks, rocks, sandpaper, marbles, etc.) and we made a chart of words describing the properties of the objects. We'll be examining the properties of more objects and then water in its various states.
We finished our math penguin unit this week. The next unit is a geometry unit. The class has been learning the names of 3-D shapes during our calendar routine and sorting shapes by properties (nice connection, eh?). Because the focus is less on math facts and more so on geometry, some future homework will have math fact practice to keep up those skills.
On Tuesday, I sent home (via email) a sign up sheet for parent/teacher conferences. Conferences are being held on April 7th and 8th. I've included several 7:30am times for those of you who can't make it in the afternoon. If you'd like to schedule a conference, please let me know...you can send an email or paper note!
Have a great weekend!
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