Week of September 16th

The First grade travelers have traveled to Mexico this week!  To document our travels, I took pictures of the kiddos in a sombrero.  One of the kids was so excited about his picture that he walked back into the room saying, "I could wear that hat all day long.  I could have a dance party in it."  Mrs. Deleta asked, "Do you know what the name of the hat is?"  The student with excitement said, "Yes!  It's a burrito!!!!"  Oh, we absolutely LOVE our kids!

In observance of 9/11, I read a book titled September 12.  This book was written by first graders in Missouri.  The students wrote why and how they felt safe the day after the attacks.  After reading the book, I asked the students to think about the first graders who lived in New York on that day.  We went back through the book and discussed how their feelings were probably different than those kids in Missouri.  I literally had chill bumps during our conversation.  At the end of the class, all of my students were on their way out to music.  One of the boys came up to me with a very serious face and said, "Mrs. Tiffany, my grandma died."  I said, "Aw, I am so sorry.  Did she die in 9/11?"  He responded, "No, her time was up so she just died."  Trying to hold back the smile I said, "Her time was up?  Was she sick?" The child responded, "Yea, we visited her in the hospital and it was her time to go.  Her time was up."  I hugged him and told him that I was sorry.  He consoled me and told me it was okay because when your time is up, its up and he turned around with a smile on his face and went to music.

Deleta and I are truly enjoying our time with your children!

Here are a few reminders for the week:
-  P.E. on Monday.  Wear your jersey!
-  Don't forget to order script this month.  Free Dress is coming up on September 27.
-  October Lunch Menu and money is due this Friday!

Here is a peek at our week:

Language Arts:  The students have mastered common and proper nouns and will be moving on to learning about verbs this week!  I have several fun activities that will have the kiddos up and moving to learn that verbs are ACTION words.  We will also be working on writing sentences.

Spelling Words:  Thursday, animal, right, might, high, fight, bright, tight, before, after

Reading:  We will continue reading in our chapter book, Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne.  The kids are super excited to read what happens in the story.  We are using a story map to help us keep up with the major events in the story.  The students will also be participating in comprehension activities that will encourage writing.  We will be discussing the following vocabulary words:  expect, wade, scaly, and hurled.

Math:  We will be wrapping chapter two this Monday.  Please look for a Math review in the folders on Monday night.  I will be giving a formal assessment on Tuesday.  Wednesday, we will begin chapter 3.  In chapter 3, we will be learning different addition strategies to 20.  The kiddos will learn how to count on, use a number line, add doubles and near doubles, add in any order, and add three numbers.  I am moving really fast through the math curriculum because the kids are mastering the skills quickly.  Please let me know if your child is struggling with any of the homework that I send home.

Science:  In science, the students have been learning about the six types of animals.  They have also been creating a book to describe each one.  This week we will be discussing amphibians, fish, and birds.