In reading, students learned how to use nonfiction text features such as a table of contents and picture captions. Students practiced this skill after reading Warm Spring and Growing Strawberries. Students also studied various types of poetry this week including acrostic poems and haiku.

Students also continued to work on their economics research projects. The goal for students this week was to complete their rough draft and begin finalizing their book page. Our class should have an All About Jobs book put together by the end of next week!

For Earth Day, students listened to Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” Each student drew a picture to accompany one song lyric. Check out our book below!


In math, students learned about place value and the base ten system. Students learned about visual representations of tens and ones and how these are connected to two-digit numbers.

We wrapped up our Economics unit with a classroom marketplace! Each student created a product to sell and decided on a price. Students then created signs for their “store” which convinced other students to buy their products. Finally, half of the class shopped while the other half opened their stores, and then they switched roles.

Brendan was out Can-Do Kid this week! Brendan wants to be a racecar driver when he grows up, and he also loves hot dogs. Brendan read his favorite book, Today I Will Fly! to the class.

This week students had the opportunity to participate in the Academic Fair and Egg Drop. The Academic Fair projects were so unique, and I was really impressed with all of the participants’ hard work. The Egg Drop contraptions were also very creative, and many of our eggs remained intact!

To celebrate the end of Earth Week, students each planted a seed in soil. These plants will germinate in the new greenhouse, and will then be planted in the Irving garden.

Check out the Photo Gallery for more pictures from this week!

In reading, students identified the main idea and key details in nonfiction texts. Students practiced this skill by reading Earth Day and Stormy Weather.

In grammar, students learned about synonyms and antonyms. Students created synonyms flowers and played antonym baseball!

Students continued their research on jobs this week. Students continued to take notes on their chosen job and used word banks to scaffold their understanding. Students also learned how to complete a self-evaluation rubric for their notes. Next week students will learn how to compose writing from their notes. 

In math, students learned how to collect and organize data. Students created charts and asked their classmates questions to collect information.

On Thursday our Book Buddies came to visit! Mrs. Browning taught the students how to create beautiful painted flower cards using bunches of celery as a stamp. Some students even write acrostic spring poems!

Have a wonderful weekend!

In reading, students compared and contrasted two nonfiction books on the same topic. Students practiced this skill after reading Sylvia Earle, Scientist of the Sea and Meet Mae Jamison. Students also began a new interdisciplinary unit this week: Research! Students began by selecting their favorite jobs from a list, and then reading books on their chosen job. Next week students will learn how to take and organize notes before starting their writing.

In phonics, students studied the -ar pattern during Pirate Week. Students went on a word hunt, played Pirate Spin-and-Say, and learned the Pirate Yell. In grammar, students learned about comparative and superlative adjectives. 

In math, students continued their study of measurement. Students used centimeter cubes and two sizes of paper clips to measure different objects. Students also played Race to 20 and Race to Zero to practice their addition and subtraction skills. 

To wrap up our unit on economics, students created Economics flip books which defined important terms. We were also lucky enough to have a local banker come and speak to the entire first grade about saving money!

This week Raul was our Can-Do Kid! Raul's favorite subject is math, and he loves vanilla ice cream. Raul read Why I Love My Mommy and also showed the class an awesome slideshow. 

Friday was an exciting day! Our class watched students from Hatch School perform on the steel drums. It was also Pirate Day, so we went on a school-wide scavenger hunt using the iPad. 

Make sure to check out the Photo Gallery for more pictures from this week!

In reading, students identified the key details that they learned from the pictures versus the text in nonfiction books. Students practiced this skill after reading A Rock is Lively and How Money is Made. We also invited our book buddies to the class to show them what we learned about nonfiction texts.

In phonics and grammar, students learned about the Bossy "R" and descriptive adjectives. Students practiced listening for words with the Bossy "R" sound while playing Bingo, and the also played Adjective Musical Chairs. All week long, students focused on adding descriptive adjectives to their writing. 

In math, students learned about measurement. Students used strips of paper and yarn to compare objects, and they also studied paths on a map to determine which path was the most efficient. 

This week marked the beginning of our economics unit! Students learned about the difference between needs and wants, and also how people have to make choices with their careers and money based on what they want. Students also played Wants and Needs Pictionary. 

Mrs. Diehl visited our class on Friday to help students write their blogs. I am really impressed with how quickly the students have learned to log on and edit their blogs!

There are lots of extra pictures this week, so make sure to check out the Photo Gallery to see all the things the kids have done!