Need more practice?

Working on our language skills... online!

What is your favorite language skills game available online?

What Is a Contraction?

A contraction is two words, put them together ...

... leave out a letter (or letters) then put an apostrophe in its place to form a new word.

Here are some first graders playing a contraction matching game available online:

Check out the matching contraction game under the 'Language Skills Review & Game' section. Can you match the contractions?

Save the Turkeys

After reading Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano, we designed turkey disguises to help Turkey escape becoming Thanksgiving Dinner.

Turkey wants to escape becoming part of the Thanksgiving feast. What do you suggest as a disguise?

Happy or Sad?

On Mondays, we look forward to doing "Happy or Sad?" We get to pick one thing from our weekend and briefly share with the class.

How was your day?

Pow Wow 2010

Watching 'farm-tastic' kindergarten tribes commemorate Native American Powwows

"Writing Time! Writing Time!"

"It is so much fun!
We write each day and do our BEST until our work is done."

"Stretch our words. Write the sound. This is what we do."

"We tell great stories with pictures and words and you can do it too!"

Do you know the elements needed in a good story?

Any Connections?

Making connections is one way a good reader reveals he/she is thinking about the story. This also helps the reader better understand what was just read. See what some first graders thought about Possum's Harvest Moon by Anne Hunter:

What did the story make you think about?

How Many of Each?

"I have 9 toys. Some are blocks. Some are marbles.

How many of each can I have?"

Working with a partner to write equation and show thinking using pictures.
Can you find any other combinations?

Resource - Art 2

Wow! The work first graders get to do during one of their art resource class. They learn about organic shapes, overlapping elements, and primary colors. Today's focus with their art teacher, Miss Kristy, was to finish their work with organic shapes (leaves) and use primary colors (red, blue, yellow) to make secondary colors (orange, green, purple). Take a peak of the little artists...

Do you know what primary colors to use in order to make these secondary colors (orange, green and purple)?

Reviewing High Frequency Words

Young readers encounter some words often in many children's books. Being able to read these words fluently (in a 'snap') helps our young readers to become better readers. Here's an option to help young readers review high frequency words using technology:

First Grade High Frequency Words (Qtr 1)

View more presentations from Patricia.

High Frequency Words - Kindergarten

View more presentations from Patricia.

Writing the words onto flashcards then shuffling is another option. Reading books 'just right' everyday helps reinforce skills and put into practice words discovered and learned.

Does your first grader have a preferred method? I would love to read about it.

A Way to Honor our Soldiers

It was quite moving for me to hear my principal read to us the story America’s White Table by Margot Theis Raven. Two other faculty members ceremonially were setting up a small white table as she continued to read Ms. Raven’s words. It inspired me to try to find a way to replicate this for my first graders.

On very short notice, it would be difficult to gather all the needed materials. So, technology came to the rescue. I took a picture sequencing the events of setting up the little white table, placed the pictures in a slideshow, and read the story to my students. They were captivated by the touching words and visualization.

Americas White Table

View more presentations from Patricia.

This book is a great story to read on Veteran’s Day. What do you do to honor our American soldiers for their sacrifices?

Honoring American Veterans

Today, we had a special flag raising in honor of Veteran's Day.

Do You Have the 'Power of One'?

Today, we had an assembly reminding us how we all had the power to help stop bullying.

Do you have the power of one?

Synonyms Song

Working on words that mean the same...

Synonyms!

Ask your child

to sing to you

their 'Synonym Song'

(to the tune of Hush Little Baby).

Responsibilities

Was your child a responsible first grade farmer this week?

Completed homework inside the yellow homework folder and a completed book log inside their Book-In-A-Bag were both due today. Ask your child if he/she was a 'farm-tastic' farmer this morning.

Decomposing Shapes Using Fewest/Most Pattern Blocks

Ways to Make a Pattern-Block Shape

Math Game - Fill the Hexagons

Students working in pairs to fill the hexagons on the gameboard by rolling the pattern block cube and working together.

Interactive High-Frequency Word Game

How quickly can you 'splat the word'? Students went head-to-head, cheering each other on, to be the first to 'splat the word' called out by the teacher.