In reading, students paid close attention to the characters, setting, problem, and solution in fiction stories. Students practiced this skill after reading Half-Chick and Olivia.

In spelling, students studied the "-oo-" pattern (as in "book"). The class went outside to practice their spelling words. In grammar, students learned about the parts of a sentence: subject and predicate. Students went on a scavenger hunt to find matching subjects and predicates around the room. 

In Writer's Workshop, students learned about fact vs. opinion and persuasive writing. Students categorized statements that were facts and opinions, and developed arguments for which food they would rather eat for one year, fruit or veggies. 

In math, students continued to become familiar with place value. Students examined different representations of numbers (dice, dimes and pennies, base-ten blocks) and determined which value was greater or less. 

In science, students learned even more about our mealworms. We studied the life cycle of a mealworm, and students added this information to their KWL charts. Students also planted their own green beans! We will observe these plants in the coming weeks to learn about plant life cycles. 

Zoie was our Can-Do Kid this week! We loved learning about all the things Zoie can do. Zoie wants to be a gym teacher when she grows up, and she also loves to cook with her mom. 

On Wednesday we visited the DuPage Children's Museum! Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to chaperone. The kids had a great time exploring the different exhibits, and many students got to bring home a souvenir from the woodworking station. 

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

In reading, students made connections between two ideas in a nonfiction text. Students practiced this skill after reading What are Living Things? and What Scientists Do.

 

In spelling and grammar, students studied the "-oi-, -oy" pattern and prepositions. Students did a word hunt and played Planet Hop to study their spelling words. To learn prepositions, students created clues to describe the location of Rocky Raccoon. 

 

For Writer's Workshop, students wrote responses to From Caterpillar to Butterfly. Students also created their own invented words inspired by the book Frindle!

 

In math, students continued to study the relationship between tens and ones in the base-ten system. Students practiced representing two-digit numbers both in pictures and using number bonds. 

 

This week we began a new science unit: Insects! We now have a container of mealworms in our class which students will observe over the next few weeks. Students wrote down their initial observations about the mealworms on a KWL chart, and also learned about the parts of an insect. 

 

Gloria was our Can-Do Kid this week! Gloria loves macaroni and cheese, and her favorite subject is math. She also love the movie Frozen!  

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

 

 

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!