Lots of Updates and Pictures!

WOW! That's the first word that comes to mind when I think about what these First Graders have been up to lately! We've been VERY busy in Room 11 so I apologize for the amount of time since the last blog update.

Last week our Animal Projects were due and all I have to say is AWESOME! Every single student did a FANTASTIC job and went ABOVE AND BEYOND with their research. A big thank you to each and every parent for working with your child to complete the project. Home involvement is a CRUCIAL factor in your child's learning so it is amazing to see so many dedicated parents. We took time to present our Animal Projects to the class so check out the pictures below!

In preparation for the MAP test in April, Concord is practicing two MAP words each week - a literacy MAP word and a math MAP word. Even though we won't be taking the MAP quite yet, it is still important for First Graders to know and understand these words. Last Wednesday we met with our buddies in Miss Rauschenbach's class who taught us about the Math MAP word - congruent. We learned that congruent means SAME SIZE, SAME SHAPE. We practiced drawing examples of congruent shapes and incongruent shapes. Check out the pictures below!

THANK YOU to everyone who sent in Valentine's Day treats last Thursday for our celebration in Room 11 - it was a great time!

We've transitioned into Geometry in Math. We are working with plane shapes and solid figures, and learning about sides, vertices, and faces. We know that shapes have DEFINING ATTRIBUTES and NON-DEFINING ATTRIBUTES. Defining attributes are IMPORTANT things about shapes such as number of sides, line size, number of vertices, straight or curvy lines, and if it is a closed or open shape. Non-defining attributes are UNIMPORTANT things about shapes such as size, color, slides, flips, and turns.

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week - stay warm!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday Fantastic First Grade Families! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and had fun watching the Super Bowl!

Today was a great (FAST!) day! We spent all morning at the Botanical Garden learning about different kinds of plants. Thank you to our WONDERFUL mom volunteers who helped supervise our field trip. We were split up into several small groups and the groups led by those moms were given AWESOME reports. Thanks to the First Graders for making good choices, being respectful and responsible, and having FUN! Ask your child to tell you about our field trip - we saw some very interesting plants that they'd love to share with you. We even planted lettuce seeds! Each child brought home a small pot full of soil and seeds. Keep me updated on your plant's progress!

In your child's backpack you will find information about our ANIMAL PROJECT! This is an AT HOME project your child will complete using their library book plus additional research (other books, Internet, etc.) if they would like. An outline of the project, grading rubric, and template were sent home in your child's Take Home Folder. This project is due next WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13. We made sure each animal group (mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, and insect) was represented so we have a wide range of animals! Check out the list below to see which animals we chose! If you have any questions or need clarification, please send me an email. I am happy to help!
Ally - whale
Tyler - polar bear
Thomas - lizard
Kamal - owl
Emma - sea turtle
Ty - sea snake
Mollie - penguin
Jack - salamander
Peter - ant
Carrie - clownfish
Claire - butterfly
Kavan - boa constrictor
Sam - badger
Brenden - gecko
Mila - seal
Alex - barn owl
Riley - parrot
Levi - frog

This year we will NOT have a school-wide, parent organized Valentine's Day party. However, we will still be celebrating in Room 11! At the end of the day on Valentine's Day we will have a small celebration and time to pass out Valentines. If your child chooses to bring in Valentines, I ask that there is one for each child. We have 19 students in our class - 12 boys and 7 girls. If you would like to send in Valentine's Day treats such as candy, pretzels, cookies, cheese its, etc. I would greatly appreciate it. Please send me an an email letting me know what exactly you will be sending in to avoid duplicates or too much of one thing.

I hope everyone has a great week!