Week of December 21-23

During this short week, we will be as busy as the elves at the North Pole! On Monday, the therapy dogs will visit. We are sure they will be dressed for Christmas. We made holiday cards for them that we can't wait to share. On Tuesday, we will be making Gingerbread Houses with the 8th graders. Please remember to bring in graham crackers, icing, and things for decorating the houses. We will share the decorations.
On Wednesday, please remember to send in a board game or card game to be played at our holiday party. We are still in need of drinks and cookies. If your child is ordering Chinese food, the cost is $3.50.
$2.50 is also needed for the field trip in May.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Enjoy time with family and friends, and time to rest. See you in 2010!

Week of December 14-18

There are many exciting things happening in our classroom this week! We will be making calendars for all of the offices in the building as our traditional gift. We will be making special crafts to give as gifts on Tuesday, with the help of some 8th graders. On Friday, we will be riding the Polar Express, in our pajamas!
We will have a math test on Wednesday on Unit 4. Please continue to practice math facts a little each day.
Enjoy all of the magic December brings!

We are WRITERS!

How to decorate a tree
By Zachary
First, you get a magazine.
Next, you get your tree.
Then you decorate your tree.
After that, decorate your tree more.
Last, you're done.
Finally, you're done for Christmas.

Christmas
By Carley
Christmas is fun! It is about Christmas trees and presents and sharing Christmas joy!

Christmas is...
By Gavin
Christmas is
Santa Claus carrying toys.
Christmas is
beautiful Christmas trees.
Christmas is
polar bears living at the North Pole.
Christmas is
the best!

Christmas is...
By Jacob and Damian
Christmas is
baking spectacular cookies.
Christmas is
colorful lights blinking.
Christmas is
beautiful snowflakes flying.
Christmas is
the most wonderful time of the year!

Week of November 24-26

Happy Thanksgiving!
This week we will be reading some great stories about Thanksgiving. We will continue our work in writing, focusing on using verbs to make our writing come alive. In math, we will be using nonstandard and standard units to measure things.
The therapy dogs will be visiting us on Monday. We always look forward to reading to them.
There is a 12:30 dismissal on Wednesday. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Week of November 16-20

We have so many exciting things going on this week! In Writing Workshop, we will be improving our small moment stories by adding feelings and verbs. The students are really putting some thought into their writing and doing a super job during sharing time. Our room is truly humming during writing time!
We will be engaging in an author study of Mo Willems. We will read his Pigeon stories, and partners will read Piggie and Gerald stories. Look for these to come home in the book in a bag. These stories are at a perfect reading level for many of our first graders.
On Friday, we will make Friendship Soup and share it with Mrs. Esposito's class! A note will come home asking for each student to bring something in for our soup, as well as pumpkin bread or paper products. We will also make butter!
We will have a math test on Tuesday on Unit 3. Our next math unit is on Measurement and Basic Facts. This is the last week on my Teacher Action Research Plan. I can't believe it has passed by so quickly! It was a great experience for me and the students!

Week of November 9-13

This week we will be busy learning about the Pilgrims, their voyage on the Mayflower, their life in the New World, and how they celebrated the first Thanksgiving. We will also begin "small moment" writing, during which we choose an event from our lives and write a story about it. In Math, we will be learning about the dime, working with calculators, and playing a variety of games to improve our addition skills. We will continue to meet in guided reading groups and read stories to help improve our reading strategies. We are looking forward to a great week!

Week of October 26-30

It's Red Ribbon Week here at OCS! Each day our school will do something special to learn about making healthy choices. We will even have a scavenger hunt to find a specially decorated pumpkin!
This week we will work hard on writing. We will write about Halloween and we will do some non-fiction writing about bats, spiders, bears, or other topics of our choice. In math, we are working on many different ways to solve math problems. The students are working very hard!
On Friday we will have the Halloween Parade at 1:30, and then our party at 1:45. All are welcome to attend!

Week of October 19-23

We have completed our first unit in our Scott Foresman reading series! We will begin reading from our anthologies this week, and we will begin with spelling words this week. The spelling words and word wall words will come home on Monday. We will have our spelling tests on Fridays.
In math, we have finished Unit 2. This week will be the second week of my teacher action research plan. We have many activities this week to help us learn our math facts! The students are doing a terrific job.
We are so excited this week to have author/illustrator Dar Hosta visit us on Wednesday! We have been enjoying her books all month. We teamed up with Mrs. Nemeth to recreate her book "I Love the Night". Check out our bulletin board if you get a chance.
On Friday we are looking forward to a visit from the local fire department. We can't wait to see all the fire equipment they will bring.
Have a great week!

Week of October 13-16

This week we will be studying the books of Dar Hosta. She will be visiting our school on October 21. We will be working with Mrs. Nemeth to create our own version of her book I Love the Night. Look for them on the bulletin board!
I am starting my Teacher Action Research Plan study this week. A letter will come home on Tuesday to explain it to you. We will be focusing on various math facts, letters will come home about that too. Be sure to check the folder!
In Writing Workshop, we will be writing informational text about Christopher Columbus.
Have a terrific week!

Week of October 5-9

This week we will be learning about Fire Safety. We will make a fire safety picture in tech lab. We will begin a new author study of Eric Carle. In math, we will learn about coins and counting money. We will work on short vowel sounds in language arts. In writing, we will continue writing how to stories.
Progress reports will come home on Thursday. Please sign the bottom part and return it to school.
Picture Day is Tuesday! Dress your best!
We will soon be studying Dar Hosta. She will be visiting our school on Oct. 21. Her website is listed on our school's homepage. Check it out! Her books are wonderful, and she will autograph one for your child! You can order them. If you need another order form, please let me know.
Have a great week!

Week of September 28-October 2

It's the last week of September already! We can't believe have fast the star on our number line is moving! We will soon have two bundles of ten in our counting cups.
This week we will conclude our author/illustrator study of Kevin Henkes. We have enjoyed reading his stories and meeting his characters. We will be reading books about families this week. Our challenge assignment is to make a family tree!
In Writing Workshop, we will move on to how to write a how to paragraph. We will write one together as a shared writing activity on Tuesday and then the students will work on their own. We will conference as we go.
In math, we will make our own little abacus to help us add and subtract numbers through ten. We are also working on telling time.
Enjoy the week!

Week of September 21-25, 2009

This week we will explore apples! On Wednesday, students should bring in an apple. We will measure the circumference of each apple and compare weights using a balance scale. Then we will do the fun part, which is tasting the apples. We will dip the apple slices in peanut butter, cinnamon, and caramel. Then we will make a graph to show our favorites. We will also learn about how apples grow and make a comparison picture of apple trees.
Our Character Education theme for this month is Courage. We will read the book Courage by Bernard Waber, and then make our own class book about courage. Look for it on the bulletin board by the office.
We will go to the Book Fair on Monday. Please send money in an envelope with your child if they will be buying books.
Have a great week!

Week of September 14-18, 2009

We are well on our way into first grade! This week we will be starting Guided Reading! I will be meeting with four reading groups. Look for the book in a bag to come home, along with a letter explaining what you need to do with it. On Thursday, we will celebrate Constitution Day. I look forward to meeting all of you at Back to School Night on Tuesday, the 15th.

Week of September 8, 2009

Welcome to my blog! This week in first grade we will be starting our Scott Foresman reading series. We will also be launching Writing Workshop. We will be practicing our handwriting and reviewing Project READ. In math, we will compare numbers and use terms like more or less. Look for a parent letter to come home explaining our first unit in math. Homework will start this week too. Please remember to check the homework folder each night and return it each day. I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!

Week of June 8-12

We have so many special events this week! On Monday, we will enjoy the delicious homework breakfast provided by the PTO. On Tuesday, we will cheer on our classmates in the first grade talent show. Wednesday we will have the Luau Lunch, another fun PTO event. On Thursday, we will have Aquarium Day and Ocean Night. And Friday is Field Day at the Oxford Furnace Lake. Wow, what a week!
Parents are encouraged to join us as we walk to Oxford Furnace Lake for field day. Students will be dismissed from the lake at 12:30 on this day. Ocean Night will be from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM. We will be singing some songs on the stage and there will be many displays and activities to enjoy. Hope to see you then!

Week of June 1-5

WOW! We made it to June!
Since we have finished our math series, we will be having some tests this week to see how much we learned. We will finish our reading series this week. We are very busy learning about the tidepools and the rocky shore. This week we will perform our plays "A House for Hermit Crab" and "Rainbow Fish" for other classes. We will also make our own rainbow fish.
On Wednesday, we will enjoy an assembly sponsored by the PTO. It is called "Reptiles are Cool." Thanks PTO!
Have a great week!

Week of May 26-29

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.
This week we will be finishing our Everyday Math book! We will review geometry, temperature, and place value.
For MARE, we will be learning more about animals that live in the tidepools. We will play a game called "Seashore Bingo." I hope you have started on your project!
For reading, we are working on plays about the ocean. These plays will be done in reading group.
On Thursday, we will watch a DVD of a Talent Show to get ideas for our class talent show, which will be held in our classroom on June 9.
Have a wonderful week!

Week of May 18-22

This is testing week for first grade. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we will take the Language Arts portion of the test. We should be done by 10:00 AM each day. On Thursday and Friday, we will take the Math portion of the test. Please be sure students have a good breakfast each morning and get enough sleep each night. Because of the testing, we will not have homework this week.
On Tuesday, we will go to the Book Fair. It is the "Buy One, Get One Free" event, so stock up for summer reading. You can send money in with your child in an envelope marked Book Fair, or you can shop with your child at the Spring Concert on Wednesday evening.
We have started our MARE study of the ocean. First grade learns about the tidepools and rocky seashore. Look for a project notice to come home this week.
Have a good week!

Week of May 11-15

We will wrap up our study of bugs this week and have a test on Wednesday. Our next unit will be our MARE unit (Marine Activities and Resources in Education). First grade studies the rocky seashore. We will learn about tidepools and all of the creatures that make tidepools their home.
Our Spring Concert is on May 20. We will have a rehearsal this week.
Next week we will be completing our first grade test. We will be testing every morning until about 10:00. Please be sure your child has a good breakfast and gets enough rest each night.
The students are working diligently to collect tickets for our class Tricky Tray!
Our prize for coming in second place for the school wide Tricky Tray is an ice cream party with Mr. Magnuson. Hooray! Thanks for helping our class basket be so wonderful!

Week of May 4-8

Our study of insects continues. This week we will learn about ants, bees and wasps, and ladybugs and beetles.
On Tuesday, we will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a fiesta! We will learn the Mexican Hat Dance and a song called "Guacamole". We will make guacamole and have it at the fiesta with chips and salsa. The kindergarten classes will join us as a mariachi band.
I hope everyone has a terrific Mother's Day this weekend! Enjoy the time with your wonderful children.

Week of April 27-May 1

We will begin our study of BUGS this week! We will learn about bug safety first, then go on an insect hunt around the grounds of the school. We will also learn about the differences in various insects as we play "BUG-O". Students are encouraged to bring in insects, dead or alive, and insect photos to add to our classroom display.
We are beginning our last anthology in our Scott Foresman reading series! We will complete the skills test for Unit 5 this week. The anthology needs to be returned by Friday. Enjoy reading the stories with your child.
In Math, we are continuing to learn about place value and adding and subtracting two digit numbers.
Friday, the whole school will kick off MARE, which stands for Marine Activities and Resources in Education. First grade learns about the rocky seashore and tidepools.
I hope everyone has a very nice week!

Week of April 20-24

Welcome back from Spring Break! I can't wait to hear all about your vacation activities! I'm sure we will have a lot to share and write about.
This week we will be thinking a lot about Earth Day. We will read many related stories and discuss them. We will talk about reducing, reusing, and recycling. We will finish Unit 5 in our Scott Foresman reading series. Only one more unit to go! In math, we are beginning Unit 9 and we will learn about place value and measurement.
Wednesday we will go to the State Theater in Easton, PA to see the play "If You Give a Pig a Pancake." This is a live theater version of the book by Laura Numeroff. We are very excited about our field trip!
On Friday, Mrs. DiRenzo's daughter, Gina, will be coming to spend the day with our class for "Bring Your Child to Work Day." Gina will probably be teaching the first graders how to do origami.
Looking forward to another exciting week!

Week of March 30-April 3

This week we will be focusing on the use of powerful verbs in our Writer's Workshop stories. We will also work on writing to a poetry prompt.
We will continue exploring long vowel sounds created by "vowel teams." We will be working on the long i sound this week.
We are almost finished with the Science unit on Balance and Motion. This week our study will focus on rolling. We will also do some of our favorite experiments again.
In math, we will begin to explore fractions. We will read a big book about fractions and we will make our own fraction "pizza" out of paper plates.
Have a wonderful week!

Week of March 23-27

This week we will be starting Unit 8 in Everyday Math. This unit returns to money. We will also be working on fractions. A parent letter went home last week.
We have finished our first piece of writing in writing workshop. The students did a fantastic job and got to share their finished pieces with the Therapy Dogs on Monday! They are posted on our bulletin board for everyone's reading pleasure.
We are continuing our author study of Peggy Parish. We all love the Amelia Bedelia stories!
Please remember to send in a plastic gallon container with a lid and a large bag of cotton balls. We will use these to make a special Easter project.
Have a fantastic week!

Week of March 16-20

We will begin a new author study this week. We will be reading Amelia Bedelia stories by Peggy Parish. First graders love how silly Amelia Bedelia is! We always have a good laugh with these stories.
In math, we will finish our unit on Geometry. Students will complete a Geometry Tic-Tac-Toe assessment, as well as a traditional assessment. Our next unit will be on Money and Fractions. Look for a parent letter to come home.
We are moving along in Writing Workshop. We are working on organizing our stories and having our voice come through. This week we should be able to share completed stories.
Our Science unit will focus on rotational motion this week. We will be making tops and zoomers.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Pennies for Patients. We collected (and counted!) over $45.00 in coins! Thanks for the contributions for the Math-a-Thon too. The students feel very good about helping others.
Have a good week!

Week of March 9-13

This will be an action packed week for us! We will begin Writing Workshop this week! We will start the process by making a life map, which will be used as an idea generator for our stories. Our stories will be personal narratives. We will talk about the six traits of writing as we develop our stories. As they are finished, we will share them with each other, and then share them at home. This is a very exciting time for first graders!
Our Science unit on Balance and Motion is "moving" along nicely. The students really enjoy the experiments. Last week, we learned how to balance a variety of objects. We learned about the importance of counterweights and how to make a stable position. This week, we will study the concept of spinning and twirling.
Geometry is so much fun in math! We will continue studying polygons and 3D shapes. We will use straws and twist ties to make shapes. We will make polygons using geoboards and we will even make shapes out of playdough!
Our read alouds will continue to be different versions of fairy tales. We are almost finished studying this genre.
Please remember that Math-a-thon envelopes and pledges are due on March 10. Book orders are due on Friday, March 13. Have a great week!

Week of March 2-6

It's time to celebrate! Monday is Read Across America Day! We will be celebrating with a pajama party! We will read with buddies, to other classes, chorally, silently, we will play games and do activities, and we will have fun! Hopefully, some guest readers will join us.
This week we will be continuing our study of geometry in math. We will be learning more about the characteristics of shapes. We will make shapes out of straws and twist ties. The students enjoy the Library of Virtual Manipulatives on our homepage. Check it out!
We have finished our author study of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We had such a great time last week learning about her life and comparing it to ours. The students really enjoyed playing games from her time period and dressing in sunbonnets, aprons, and "fur" hats.
This week we will focus on a Science unit all about Balance and Motion. We will be using the FOSS kit to help us conduct many hands on experiments. This will be a great time of exploration and learning.
Don't forget about Math-a-thon! The collection envelopes are due on March 11. I know that many of the students have already finished their booklets. Great job!

Week of February 23

It will be another busy week of learning in first grade! This week, we will begin an author study of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We will compare life of children during her time to our lives today. We will also discuss Black History Month, and learn about John Henry and other famous African-Americans. We will continue reading fairy tales, focusing on The Three Bears and Jack and the Beanstalk.
We will finish Unit 6 in Math. Unit 7 is about Geometry and Attributes.
Every day, we practice counting our Pennies for Patients. So far, we have collected almost $30.00! We are hoping to win the prize.
We have almost 100% participation in the Math-a-thon in our class! The collection envelopes are due on March 11. Good luck working on the math booklets!

Week of February 17

This week we will continue our study of fairy tales. We will read different versions of The Three Pigs. We will also perform readers theater style versions of four fairy tales. In math, we are developing fluency in solving addition and subtraction problems. We will also revisit money and time this week.
Thank you for all of the soup cans! We reached our goal and the soup has been delivered to the local food pantry.
For Kindness Month, we will write poems. The top three poems will be submitted to the judges for the Kindness Poetry Contest.

Week of February 9-13

This week we will be starting a unit study about fairy tales. We will be reading different versions and comparing them. We will celebrate the 100th day of school on Thursday by doing a variety of activities to celebrate and reinforce the number 100. On Friday, we will have a Valentine's Day party at 2:00 in the afternoon. All are welcome to attend. Children may send in Valentines cards on Friday to pass out to friends. We are also celebrating kindness this month and have started writing letters to our "Kind Kid of the Day."

Week of February 2

Happy Groundhog Day! On Monday, we will learn about the legend of Punxsatawny Phil and make our own groundhogs. This week, we will spend a lot of time researching arctic animals. Each student will write his/her own animal report and share it with the class. We will begin Unit 6 in math, which focuses on addition and subtraction facts. Remember to practice these at home. We need to be able to solve addition and subtraction facts up to 18 quickly to be ready for second grade.
Don't forget, the Hundredth Day of school is coming up soon! The Hundred Day projects are due on February 9th.
Keep those soup cans coming! So far, we have collected 14 cans of soup.
Tuesday is Spirit Day. The students should bring in a stuffed animal to keep them company on that day.
Have a great week!

Week of January 26th

On Monday we will celebrate the Chinese New Year! We will have a dragon parade, set off "firecrackers", share our knowledge with other classes through informal presentations, and play the "Chopstick Challenge" game. Gung Hay Fat Choy! We will also enjoy a visit from the therapy dogs on Monday.
Tuesday we will read "Grandfather Tang's Story" and learn about how tangrams can be used to make pictures.
During the rest of the week, we will begin to do research about polar animals and how they live. We will learn about what they eat, how they find shelter, and where and how they live.
It will be another busy week in first grade!

Week of January 20-23

This week we will be learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. We will also be preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year. On Tuesday, the therapy dogs will visit our class.

Welcome Parents!

Welcome to the blog page. You can look on here to find out about things that are happening in our classroom.