Just a quick update about a few things before vacation!
Hygiene
We have been giving out lots of reminders about proper hygiene in class. Topics have included handwashing after using the bathroom, using tissues instead of fingers and keeping hands out of pants. Please reinforce proper hygiene at home- we appreciate it!
Dismissal
Please have dismissal plans finalized in the morning before your child comes to school. Of course, there are emergencies and plans need to be changed. However, we are getting numerous phone calls a day which is disruptive to Mrs. Guy and our classroom. Many children are becoming anxious and distracted when their plans are changed. Thanks for your cooperation!
Kind Words & Tone of Voice
We continue to work with the children regarding using kind words and a kind tone of voice when there is a disagreement or when they are frustrated with each other. We have been addressing topics such as name calling, hurtful insults and problem solving. This is an area where all of the children are needing support at this time.
Upcoming Dates:
February 14- Valentine's Day! We will be exchanging Valentines in the afternoon. I am sending home an updated class list. There was a mistake on the first copy so please look for the new list!
February 17-21 School Vacation
I will post pictures and an update on academics soon!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
American Hero Unit
We just began a new unit in Social Studies: American Heroes! We will be studying a new famous American each week for the next 12 weeks. The kids will learn about important people such as: Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Graham Bell and more! The kids love learning about the past and I know they will enjoy learning about these important people, their character traits and their contributions to our country. We will be making a timeline on the back wall of our classroom to support our learning.
This week, we learned about our first American Hero: Martin Luther King Jr.! We sang, read poems and songs, watched short movies, wrote and made a craft as we learned all about this Civil Rights leader and his message of peace and equality. The kids were very engaged.....hopefully they have been sharing some of what they have learned at home. Here is a photo of the hallway display we made:
Science
We also finished up our science unit on weather by learning about the water cycle. We learned a great song to help us remember the 3 major parts of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation and precipitation. We watch some information on BrainPop Jr. and the kids each 'took notes' on the parts of the water cycle book after labeling a diagram. They were very patient and focused when we made Water Cycle Bracelets with string and pony beads. Don't they look so proud?
We talked a little bit more about clouds after reading Tomie dePaola's Cloud Book and made stratus, cumulus and cirrus clouds out of cotton balls. Our next unit will be focused on learning about solids and liquids. This is very hands on and is my favorite science unit. I know the kids will love it!
This week, we learned about our first American Hero: Martin Luther King Jr.! We sang, read poems and songs, watched short movies, wrote and made a craft as we learned all about this Civil Rights leader and his message of peace and equality. The kids were very engaged.....hopefully they have been sharing some of what they have learned at home. Here is a photo of the hallway display we made:
Science
We also finished up our science unit on weather by learning about the water cycle. We learned a great song to help us remember the 3 major parts of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation and precipitation. We watch some information on BrainPop Jr. and the kids each 'took notes' on the parts of the water cycle book after labeling a diagram. They were very patient and focused when we made Water Cycle Bracelets with string and pony beads. Don't they look so proud?
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a restful and fun vacation with your families! I hope that you are enjoying your family calendar that your child made. This was a project that took the whole month of December to do and was quite labor intensive. The kids were very proud of their end product and enjoyed wrapping them with me and picking out the perfect bow.
My family had a fantastic vacation together- we went to the Aquarium, saw lots of family & friends, celebrated my grandmother's 95th birthday, my cousin announced she is having a baby and I attended beautiful wedding in New Hampshire. I also got engaged on Christmas Day!!! There was lots of happiness and excitement this holiday season!
Hopes and Dreams/Goals
At our Parent/Teacher conference in December, I shared your child's self assessment with you and gave you a copy to take home and discuss with your child. At the bottom, your child identified something they would like to work on in first grade. This has become your child's new goal for the second trimester. Your child drew a picture of themselves achieving their goal and have hung it in the classroom. We will be holding them accountable here in our classroom! Does your child remember what their goal is?
Animal Reports
As a final project for our literacy unit on animals, students worked in pairs to write an animal report. They needed to read a book to gather their information, take notes and then write a report that included a table of contents, headings, illustrations and a cover. This was a big undertaking for a mid year project but they all worked very hard on this and they came out wonderfully! I will be hanging them up in the hallway soon.
My family had a fantastic vacation together- we went to the Aquarium, saw lots of family & friends, celebrated my grandmother's 95th birthday, my cousin announced she is having a baby and I attended beautiful wedding in New Hampshire. I also got engaged on Christmas Day!!! There was lots of happiness and excitement this holiday season!
Hopes and Dreams/Goals
At our Parent/Teacher conference in December, I shared your child's self assessment with you and gave you a copy to take home and discuss with your child. At the bottom, your child identified something they would like to work on in first grade. This has become your child's new goal for the second trimester. Your child drew a picture of themselves achieving their goal and have hung it in the classroom. We will be holding them accountable here in our classroom! Does your child remember what their goal is?
Animal Reports
As a final project for our literacy unit on animals, students worked in pairs to write an animal report. They needed to read a book to gather their information, take notes and then write a report that included a table of contents, headings, illustrations and a cover. This was a big undertaking for a mid year project but they all worked very hard on this and they came out wonderfully! I will be hanging them up in the hallway soon.
Julia and Ashley taking notes on pandas
Timothy, Hunter and Mary working on their illustrations
Saul, Ashley and Sophia's final report (sorry about the upside down picture...technical difficulties!)
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