Nouns -- Parts of Speech for 1st Grade

This week students were introduced to the term "noun" and what it means as a part of speech. They were invited to draw a person, place or thing to put on our "Noun Town" chart. This beginning lesson  is the first step in helping children learn what a sentence actually contains. Knowing the parts of speech will also aid in punctuation, writing and speaking.
The Common Core Standard in Language CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.1b Use common, proper, and possessive nouns.

Our next stop in "Noun Town" will be learning more about common, proper, and possessive nouns, in particular. But for now, we're just be driving by and enjoying the scenery!!

Field Trip - Diamond D Ranch

We went on our first field trip of the year to Diamond D Ranch. The children loved seeing the animals and learning about them. They went on a nature walk, fed cattle, fish, and goats, and had fun in a bounce house and spin ride. It was a great day to be in first grade!

Planting Veggies in the Garden

 On Friday, we visited our own Chets Creek garden in back of the school. Students from every grade level learn about gardening, plant seeds, check on their growth and get to pick them when ready. We planted lettuce and it will take about 45 days to grow.  We are lucky to have a great parent volunteer, Dr. Zenk, who tends the garden and teaches then children how to care for the plants.

 Students had fun digging for sweet potatoes.

 It was like finding a treasure when they found a sweet potato.

Another one was found and put into the basket!

Kevin Henkes Puppets & Celebration

It is going to be sad to say goodbye to all of the Kevin Henkes characters we learned about during our author study: Owen who took his blanket everywhere; Sheila Rae who was very brave; Wendell who learned how to make a friend; and of course Lilly  who is everyone's favorite. This week students brought in the puppets they made for homework. Each child retold his/her favorite story using these puppets as props. On Friday, we celebrated by going from room to room for center activities. They made purple purses and artistic ties. They ate cheesy snacks and played Kevin Henkes bingo. It was wonderful way to cap off a great author study!

Fractions in First Grade - Common Core Standard

 This month our bulletin board features fractions for the first time in First Grade. The Common Core Standard for Geometry - Reason with Shapes and Their Attributes was addressed.
       1.G.3. Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using     the    words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares.
These lessons taught the children how to divide their "pizza" in half and make 'half of" it one topping and the other half another topping. Students labeled each side with 1/2 noting that each side had equal shares. They also designed "rugs". These rugs used two halves - triangles or rectangles - to make half of the square also understanding that these decomposed into smaller equal shares. We are "dividing and conquering" the common core standards...pizza anyone?

October 31st is Here!!

There have been a lot of celebrations going on in our classroom as of late. We had the Literary Character Parade, The Fifties Party (for the 50th day of school), and now it is the day that we love as much as the kids do, Halloween!  They came in all excited in the morning telling each other what they were going to be for this Trick or Treat night. After the initial buzz, we were able to keep them focused for Reading, Writing and Math. However, in the afternoon, they played a pumpkin game, drew the above art project, and then, because it was "Cooking Wednesday" we made our traditional "Witchy Poo Brew". First we labelled all of the ingredients and then one by one everything went into the pot. Afterward it made a delicious snack mix for all to enjoy! Thank you to James and Brody for the ingredients. See below for the recipe:

1.  Butterfly wings - Fritos
2. Owl's eyes -M&Ms
3. Witches toenails - Bugels
4. Ghoul Stomachs - Mini marshmallows
5. Worms - Gummy worms
6. Lizard blood - Red hots
7. Cob webs- Triscuits
8. Chicken toe nails - candy corn
9. Bugs - Chocolate chip morsels
10. Bones - Pretzel sticks

Surprise Guest Reader!

We had a surprise guest reader this week and it was Mrs. Alvarado (Shalyn's mom). During her resource time, she read the children two books, "The Cow That Laid an Egg" by Andy Cutbill and "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud. The first book was about an insecure cow who wished she had a special talent. The children found out what that talent was by the end of the book! The second book was more serious. This book told how each of us carry an invisible bucket and with everyday kindness, respect and generosity toward one another, we can fill each others buckets. That make us all feel good inside.Thank you to Mrs. Alvarado for filling our buckets with your time and great life lessons for our class.