April showers....

We had a busy week in first grade! The first graders got to be scientists and make observations about our mealworms, which are just now moving into the larvae stage of their life cycle. In addition to the excitement in science this week, students got to create a watercolor butterfly art project. Our butterflies are now cheering up the classroom in the midst of a rainy week!

This Friday, we focused largely on Earth Day. Students learned about different ways we can care for our environment and do our part to help the Earth. Students came up with wonderful ideas: carpooling, don't litter, conserve energy, and recycle. Ask them for other ideas we also discussed! We made a project which is now displayed on the door so we can show the school what we've learned! Overall, it was another colorful, learning-filled week. Until next time!

Spring is here!

Even though we had another week of some snow and cold weather, inside the classroom, spring was in full bloom. We learned about acrostic poems, and each student created their own acrostic about the season of spring. We also spent time learning about mosaics. The kids really enjoyed creating their own mosaics, and using their new knowledge about cold and warm colors on the color wheel to decorate their mosaics. Looking forward to warmer temperatures this coming week, and even more excitement: author Kate DiCamillo's visit, and starting our science unit on butterflies! Spring is here!

Mosaics

Mosaics

Finished with poem and mosaic

We've begun some literature circles, too!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Playing Connect 4 during indoor recess

We've made it to April! This week was pretty rainy, so we had a few indoor recess days. But we made the best of it! Students got to play games, work on writing books, draw and create new things. We had fun learning songs about greater than, less than, in math, and finally got to see the results of what sugar does to our teeth if we don't brush them! Students are reading up to 20 minutes for Read-to-Self time, which is a new record for our class. I am so impressed by how they are growing in their reading! We talked about what "setting" means in a story, and students wrote out the different settings they read about in their stories during Read-to-Self time. In writing, we started learning how to respond to writing prompts. Students wrote about their favorite season in the year, and we talked about how we can describe a season using our five senses. The students came up with some amazing connections.

Favorite Season: Summer

Another Summer writing piece

Read-to-Self time!

Finally, we had a blast dressing up for Hawaiian Day, and the kids are very excited for Family Fun Night! Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope everyone gets to enjoy the sunshine!