Weekly Update ~ 2/5/12

We had another busy week in first grade! 

- In Language Arts, we enjoyed reading various stories about different types of art.  The children especially enjoyed our introduction story, Elephants Can Paint Too!, a nonfiction selection about training elephants to paint.  We concentrated on rereading information to determine the main idea and supporting details.  Ask your child the most astonishing fact they learned about elephants!  Our main selection story, Masks! Masks! Masks! was equally informative and interesting!  We learned about masks from all over the world, including Japan, Peru, and Africa.  Which was your favorite mask?  Why?    

For more fun, check out these websites:

http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/media/repository/protected_content/COMPOUND/50000020/31/63/comprehension_launch.html?defaultSkill=7&stateCode=PA&defaultGrade=1

http://www.mhschool.com/vocab_games/mmh_games/content/Grade1/Unit3/w3v1/index.html

http://americanart.si.edu/education/insights/cappy/index.html

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/students/explore_by_topic/everything_art.html

-In Spelling, we worked with wh-, -tch, and -ch digraphs.  For additional practice with consonant digraphs, please check out the following links:

http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/media/repository/protected_content/COMPOUND/50000024/78/21/phonics_launch.html?defaultSkill=33&stateCode=PA&defaultGrade=1

http://www.mhschool.com/mmh_games/content/reading/gr1/unit03/week3/s1/index.html

http://www.literactive.com/Download/live.asp?swf=story_files/Crab_Catcher_US.swf

http://www.ictgames.com/dinosaurEggs_phonics/index.html

http://www.literactive.com/Download/live.asp?swf=story_files/Save_The_Whales_US.swf

-We continued to learn about verbs through our grammar lessons.  This week we learned about past tense and future tense verbs.  The students practiced identifying verbs and verb tense in sentences.  We also generated our own sentences using past tense verbs!

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2literacy.html#word-link

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/verbs.htm

-In Math, we began Chapter 11, Comparing and Ordering Numbers.  The students used greater than and less than symbols to compare numbers.  We also identified numbers before, after, and between one another.  For more practice, click on the following links:

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/penny_prizes1/

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/comparing-numbers-up-to-100

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/hundred-chart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5bEcjYBepU&feature=related

-We also had a lot of fun making predictions about whether Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow this year.  The majority of our class was accurate; the groundhog saw his shadow.  We will have 6 more weeks of winter! 
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/punxsutawney-phils-groundhog-day-prediction-15497076

*BONUS CHALLENGE*:  Write a short story about a winter activity. 
                                            Please include a problem and a solution in your story! 

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

*Thursday, February 9th is our 100th day of school!  Don't forget to bring your 100th day poster to share with our classmates!  (These will be put on display around the school building!)

*Friday, February 10th is Hat Day!  What kind of hat will you wear? 

*Our Valentine's Day celebration will be held on Tuesday, February 14th.  Please be sure to send in a valentine for each classmate.  We have 18 students in our class. 

Weekly Update ~ 1/29/12

-This week in Language Arts, we had a blast reading, Smile, Mike! , a play about a baby who would not stop crying!  The children enjoyed practicing their scripts, and performing the play, while improving their oral expression.  How many different ways did the family try to make Mike smile?  Were you surprised by the ending?  Ask your child how the family finally made Mike stop crying? 

        Practice makes perfect!  The students are reading their scripts in small  groups.

                          We had fun using different voices for each character!

 ACTION!  The children enjoyed decorating scenery for the theater. 

They are ready to present their play to a real audience!

BRAVO!  ENCORE!

-We also talked about making predictions.  Sometimes, when you read a story, you have to use what your already know, as well as story clues to determine what will happen next.  For more practice making predictions, click on the following links.

http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/makingpredictionsl.cfm

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity_collections_preview/predict_outcomes/3_predict.html

-In Spelling, we continued to work with the Magic E, while making long i words.  Our spelling word families included:  -ike, -ide, and –ine. 



For more spelling practice, visit the following websites:

http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/long-i/play.htm?f

http://www.literactive.com/Download/live.asp?swf=story_files/Magic_E_Machine_US.swf

http://www.starfall.com/n/long-i/li/play.htm?f

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/picturematch/

  

-Our Grammar lessons continued to focus on verbs this week.  We discussed present tense verbs.  You can add –ing, and –s to verbs to show present tense.  For example:  She runs up the hill.  He is running to the park.  Click on the following links for additional practice.   

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2literacy.html#word-link

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/verbs.htm

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2literacy.html#word-link

-We also created persuasive posters this week.  The students used adjectives to describe pets, included illustrations, and used their best persuasion techniques to create “Pets For Sale” posters. 

-In Math, we completed Chapter 10 – Place Value to 100.  We also completed our Mid-Year Benchmark Assessment.  We will begin Chapter 11, Comparing and Ordering Numbers. 

http://www.ictgames.com/sharknumbers.html

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/counting-up-to-100

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/math_models2/English/04/gr1ch11_2.html

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/math_models2/English/04/gr1ch11_3.html

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/dive_treasure/







We are super spellers!

Weekly Update ~ 1/22/12

-We began our 3^rd Unit in Language Arts.  The students read a rhyming fantasy story, On My Way to School, about a boy who tells his teacher a bizarre story about why he is late for school.  Ask your child to retell the story.  What animal made him late in the beginning, middle, and end of the story?  If you could add one more animal to the story, what would it be?

-In Spelling, we introduced the Magic E, which is used with the /vcv/ pattern, while making long a words.  We had tons of fun as we practiced building words in the –ake, -ate, and –ame word families.  For more practice, visit the following websites:

http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/silent-e/load.htm

http://www.starfall.com/n/long-a/la/load.htm?f

http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/silent-e/load.htm?f

http://www.literactive.com/Download/live.asp?swf=story_files/Magic_E_Machine_US.swf

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade_k_1/longa.htm

http://www.starfall.com/n/picture-hunt/long-a/load.htm?f

http://www.thinkfinity.org/prankster-cam-manny-silent-e-video

-In our Grammar lessons, we learned about verbs this week.  A verb is an action word, such as jump, play, and go.  We played verb charades, identified action words in text, and used verbs to complete sentences.  We practiced adding –ed,-ing, and -s endings to verbs.

-We also read and wrote letters paying attention to accurately adding commas in our greeting and closing.  The students had a wonderful time writing letters of appreciation to various staff members in the school while practicing this new skill! 

*BONUS CHALLENGE*:  Write a letter to Mrs. Swisher.  Include 2 statement sentences telling about things you like.  Write 1 question sentence.  Don’t forget to include commas in your greeting and closing!   J

Check out the following websites for additional practice:

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/flip/

http://www.funbrain.com/brain/ReadingBrain/Games/Game.html?GameName=MadLibsOnceUponA&Brain=reading&GameNumber=2&Color=FFFFFF

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/verbs.htm

http://pbskids.org/lions/games/wordplay.html

http://www.abcya.com/friendly_letter_maker.htm

-In Math, we continued to work on Chapter 10 – Place Value to 100.  We learned how to write numbers in different ways.  The children are now able to write numbers 1-100 in standard form, using base-ten blocks, and in expanded form.  As a new addition to our Candy Land Adventures hallway, we completed a sweet project showing numbers in different way using different kinds of candy.  Ask your child what number they showed, and which kind of candy they used to represent tens and ones. 

For more math fun, click on these links:

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/match2_4/

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/numbers_to_100_b/

http://www.ictgames.com/partition.html

http://www.ictgames.com/sharknumbers.html

http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers_v2.html

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/count-tens-and-ones-up-to-30

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/counting-up-to-100

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/counting-tens-and-ones-up-to-99

-We began a new unit in Social Studies called Work! Work! Work!  Throughout the unit, the students will learn about different jobs, services, and goods.  This week we discussed needs and wants, and also identified how toys have changed from past to present.

 

Weekly Update ~ 1-16-12

Weekly Update ~ 1/16/12

-We had a review week in Language Arts.  The students participated in various review games and activities based on Unit 2 skills, and completed the Unit 2 Assessment.  Mrs. Swisher administered the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Mid-Year Benchmark Assessment to the students as well.  This assessment included phoneme segmentation, nonsense word fluency, and oral reading fluency.

-We also had a chance to work with our 5th grade buddies this week!  The first graders independently completed the first draft of their "how-to" reports.  We met with our 5th grade buddies to discuss the specific steps, and worked on editing and revising our writing.  Finally, we met in the computer lab to type the final draft of our "How-To" paragraphs and added illustrations using KidPix.   

-Additionally, we had an opportunity to read several books written by Laura Numeroff, our January Author of the Month.  Some of her most famous books include, If you Take a Mouse to School, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, If you Give a Cat a Cupcake, and If you Give a Moose a Muffin.  To learn more about Laura Numeroff, check out her website:  http://lauranumeroff.com/

http://www.lauranumeroff.com/cgi-bin/postcard.cgi?code=1326757105bswisher@moonarea.net

-Your first grader will soon be taking part in our pen pal partnership with first graders from Allard Elementary School!  Moon Senior, Toni Zusinas, will be leading the pen pal writing activities as part of her senior project.  Miss Toni has visited our classroom several times, and will soon kick-off the exciting pen pal writing project! 

  

-In Math, we completed Chapter 9, Graphs and Tables.  We also began our new chapter, Chapter 10 – Place Value to 100.  With the use of base-10 blocks and connecting cubes, the children quickly grasped the concept of making numbers using tens and ones as well as writing the numbers in standard form. 

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/match2_4/

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/numbers_to_100_b/

-In Science, we wrapped up our unit on Magnets.  The students enjoyed our Magnet Maze culminating activity!  Ask your child about the results of the magnet maze.  Were they able to complete the maze?  Which object did they use to complete the course?  Did the results differ when using a different magnet?

Weekly Update ~ 1/7/12

Happy New Year!  I sincerely hope that you all had a wonderful winter break with family and friends!  It’s hard to believe it is January already! 

I would like to extend a special “Thank You” to the PTC for planning a fabulous Holiday Extravaganza for the students and staff at McCormick Elementary School.  We all enjoyed our visit from Santa, a special picture frame decorating craft, and the magic show performance by Christina Kringle.  Thank you to our homeroom head, Mrs. Maritato, for organizing our holiday party.  Thank you to Mrs. Gomez, Mrs. LaRue, Mrs. Lunz, Mrs. Polster, and Mrs. Spezialetti for assisting with the games, snacks, and activities.  We had a joyous time!  Check out highlights from our special day! 

Happy 2012! 

The students had no trouble getting back into our busy school routine this week!

-In Language Arts, we worked on summarizing and sequencing story events from beginning, middle, and end.  The students enjoyed reading Beth and the Band, a story about kids who make instruments and play in a band.
*Ask your child to retell the story.  
*Which instrument would you play if you could perform in a band? 

http://activities.macmillanmh.com/OralLanguageActivities/main1.php?activityID=409

http://activities.macmillanmh.com/OralLanguageActivities/main1.php?activityID=408

Thank you for your participation in the first Book Review of the school year.  It is my goal to help the children gain a love for reading, and with that, work towards building writing and communication skills.

-In Spelling, we worked on digraphs (th) and (sh).  The students practiced annunciating words throughout the week to practice reading and making these sounds.  Here are a few websites for further practice. 

http://www.mhschool.com/vocab_games/mmh_games/content/Grade1/Unit2/w5s1/index.html

http://www.mhschool.com/vocab_games/mmh_games/content/Grade1/Unit2/w5v1/index.html

http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/sh/load.htm?f

http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/th/load.htm?f

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_128/begin_dia.htm

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade2_3/pg_128/final_dia.htm

http://watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=159

-Our Grammar lessons focused on proper nouns.  We talked about the importance of using a capital letter when writing the names of holidays, days of the week, and months of the year. 

*Mrs. Swisher wrote a note to her students.  Oh no!  This was her first draft, which has 5 mistakes.  CHALLENGE:  Help Mrs. Swisher by correctly writing the 5 proper nouns on a sheet of paper.  Please turn in this challenge assignment by Friday, January 13th.

Dear First Grader, I am proud of your hard work in class!  Did you have fun in december?  Did you celebrate on new year’s eve?  january will be a fun-filled month of learning!  Next week is a review week.  We will not have a spelling test on friday.   Have a great weekend.  See you on monday!                                                                        Love,                                                                           Mrs. Swisher

-In Math, we continued to practice making graphs and interpreting information from graphs and charts.  The students have enjoyed collecting data by using interviewing skills, marking tallies, and creating and presenting picture graphs and bar graphs!  Here are some samples of our most recent work:   

 

Math Practice:

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx   (We created the graph below using this fun website!) 

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/calculator_tally_table/

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/dino/build.html

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/record-data-with-tally-charts-picture-graphs-tables

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/interpret-data-in-tally-charts-picture-graphs-tables

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/interpret-bar-graphs

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1/which-bar-graph-is-correct

-In Science, we have had a magnificent time exploring magnets!  The children enjoyed experimenting with magnets, while searching for objects made of iron, steel, and nickel, which would cause the magnet to attract.   

              

                                       

Book Review

This week, we will be completing our first Book Review of the school year! 
A Book Review is basically an old-fashioned book report.  It is my hope that each student will be able to:

1.  Pick a book of their choice and read it!
2.  Complete the Book Review packet. 
3.  Return to school to tell our class about the book they read.  (Be careful not to tell too much information!  You do not want to tell the ending of the story.)

I plan to record each student presenting the book review so everyone can hear about the book and decide if they would like to read the book, too!

This assignment is meant to be fun!  Please encourage your child to do their best!
Thank you for your support!

Click below for sample Book Reviews:

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=112764&title=Reading_Rainbow_Book_Review_Example

Happy Reading!

Weekly Update ~ 12/18/11

We continue to stay busy as our holiday break quickly approaches! 

-In Language Arts, we worked on identifying the main characters, setting, and plot of stories.  The children enjoyed reading a variety of fantasy stories based on the famous story, The Three Little Pigs.  Each story was based on the three little pigs, but the plot varied.  Here is a summary of our weekly story, The Pigs, The Wolf, and The Mud, which had an interesting twist! 

We also enjoyed reading, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!, which was told by the Big Bad Wolf.  Ask your child to tell you the wolf’s side of the story! 

-In Spelling, we have been working on short u words, and spelling rhyming words.  Follow the links for additional practice:

http://www.mhschool.com/mmh_games/content/reading/gr1/unit02/week4/s1/index.html

http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/ug/load.htm?f

http://www.starfall.com/n/short-u/su/load.htm?f

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-u/load.htm?f

http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/samoset/RESOURCES/shortuprac.htm

-Our Grammar lessons focused on proper nouns.  We talked about the importance of using a capital letter when naming a specific person, place, or thing.  Practice using proper nouns to name these common nouns.  The first few have been done for you.  (Don’t forget to begin with a capital letter!)

Noun	Proper Noun
teacher	Mrs. Swisher
dog	Clifford
day	Friday
month
holiday
restaurant
game
toy
friend
animal

Here are some sites for practicing proper nouns:

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/basketball/index.html

http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/g/capitalizationp3.cfm

-We also learned about contractions.  Contractions are like taking shortcuts with words. Instead of saying:  "Let us go now."  You can say:  "Let's go now."  Instead of saying:  "I am hot."  You can say: "I'm hot."

Here are some websites for contraction practice: 

http://www.quia.com/mc/86241.html

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/flyby/flyby1.htm

http://www.primarygames.com/contractions/question1.htm

http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/samoset/RESOURCES/klcontractions.htm

-In Math, we continued to practice using strategies to solve subtraction problems.  We completed chapter 8, and began chapter 9, Graphs and Tables.  We discussed ways to sort and classify items, and will move into collecting data to create our own graphs.  Check out our students as they worked in small groups to sort buttons in multiple ways. 

  

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/dino/ques.html

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/calculator_tally_table/

-In Science, we wrapped up our unit on Earth, Land, and Water.  We will be learning about Magnets in our next unit. 

-We finished off our week with a guest reader!  Retired Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Passarello, visited us for the day, reading Tomie dePaola’s, Merry Christmas, Strega Nona.  The children loved learning about Italian traditions on Christmas Eve.  Ask your child if they can tell you anything special about the story, or the award-winning author.

-Talented members of the Moon Area High School chorus and band also joined us today!  The choral concert included many familiar holiday songs, such as Up on the Housetop, Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel and Jingle Bells, as well as new favorites!  Thank you for a wonderful concert!