Growing and Changing in First Grade

                                  First Graders... growing and changing...  

                

Each morning, First Graders greet each other during our daily 

Morning Meeting gathering. They are growing and changing as they 

learn the importance of making 

eye contact with the person they are greeting, 

use a friendly voice, 

and be aware of their body language.

We have several ways of greeting each other...

*basic handshake greeting, *knock, knock greeting

*high/low greeting and *"What's the News" greeting (a favorite)

Ask your child to share the greetings with you.

       

                   First Graders are growing and changing as READERS!

        Learning to shop for books each Monday, take responsibility for their 

             book box and our classroom books, learning the routines and 

        expectations of Reading Workshop, building their stamina, and learning 

                       how independent reading time in first grade looks.

              Word Study and Word Work are also part of our Literacy time, 

                         as first graders work on learning digraphs and 

                             work in partnerships doing word sorts.

               

                                     Author Study... Kevin Henkes

                        First Graders have been enjoying learning about

                       Kevin Henkes and listening to many of his stories.

             After reading, we talk about the stories, identifying similarities

              and differences, the main idea, the characters and we end with 

                              a written response (and illustration).

     

First Graders grow and change as they explore, play, learn and challenge their 

abilities on the playground.

           What a GREAT beginning to a year full of much growing and changing.

                                     

   

All Aboard The RiverQuest!

First graders have been hard at work studying the CT River, so last week they traveled to Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam, where they enjoyed a picnic lunch and a boat ride on the RiverQuest. Captain Mark took us on a voyage down the CT River, where the students searched for osprey, hawks, egrets, and eagles. First Graders also saw many amazing sights along the river, such as Gillette's Castle, and learned how important it is to recycle and keep the river clean. It was an amazing day! Mrs. Lariviere, our STEAM teacher, came along with us, and on the boat we all sang a song she helped create about the CT River (see lyrics below)!

 Students used binoculars to look for osprey nests, perched high atop poles and landings

 

First Graders brought along their CT River Journals, where they sketched and recorded wildlife they spotted, as well as other things they noticed on their journey.

Students learned how to watch the "Fish Finder" to see what 

was underneath the boat!

The First Graders had an amazing day!

The Connecticut River

adapted co-written by Shari Lariviere

Chorus

So sang the river

As its waters glided low

So sang the river

I have a long long way to go

I am the Connecticut

I travel on down

From the Canadian border

To Long Island Sound

I span five of the six of the New England states

New Hampshire, Massachusetts

Vermont, Connecticut and Maine

Chorus

So sang the river

As its waters glided low

So sang the river

I have a long long way to go

410 miles I travel along

130 feet is the deepest they found

Some parts of me are only a few inches deep

I’m a large ecosystem a treasure to keep

Chorus

So sang the river

As its waters glided low

So sang the river

I have a long long way to go

'AROUND THE WORLD' AND BOOK CLUBS...in First Grade

You Are Now Free To Move About The Iceberg:

The First Graders Take a Plane Trip To Antarctica!

Fasten your seat belts. Please return your penguins to their full and upright locked positions. First Graders are about to land in Antarctica!  Our recent plane ride had the First Graders loading a plane bound for Antarctica, the continent they are currently studying. Our fearless pilot and co-pilot led the way, reminding their first grade passengers to buckle up for safety.

Thank you to our brave pilot and co-pilot, who flew our plane to Antarctica!

First Grade Ticket Takers made sure they
collected every ticket, and the First Grade
Flight Attendants had a job to make sure
every passenger was as comfortable as
they could be.
This involved passing out snacks and water.
After all, it takes a long time to get to
ANTARCTICA!

While the First Graders are in Antarctica, they will be learning about the
continent, weather/temperature and emperor penguins!

First Grade Book Clubs

In March, First Graders also participated in Book Clubs. Each Book Club spent a

week reading their book together with a teacher, focusing on the story elements

of characters, setting, problem, and solution. As a culmination, students then

brainstormed ideas for a Book Club special project. Each group decided on an

idea, made lists of items needed and gathered materials to complete their project.

Book Clubs helped bring books "alive" through a puppet show, a play, diorama, a

pop-up book, advertisement poster and special art projects.

                  

            

The First Graders loved participating in book Clubs

and presenting their projects!

Literacy Stations in First Grade

Tune Into The Literacy Station In First Grade!

by Charly Weiss and Kate Treat

A first grader's favorite station isn't Nick Jr. or Disney Jr.  It's a station right in their own classroom!

The new year brought several new things in first grade, including the start of Literacy Stations!

Literacy Stations are activities and lessons that provide focus on a particular literacy skill.  

Each day the students spend time at one station, and then rotate through 5 stations over

the course of 5 days. Here are some examples of Literacy Stations in First Grade:

       

• Fluency Station
• Sight Word Bingo Station
• Handwriting Station
• Word Sort Station
• Working With Words Station (students work directly with Mrs. Hornyak)
• Teacher Station (students work directly with Mrs. Treat and Mrs. Weiss)
• Lexia station (students work with the reading program Lexia)

       

2 First Graders practicing fluency by reading a story together. 

The story they are practicing has 2 alternating character parts.

Word Sorts are great practice to reinforce concepts learned in class like

blends and digraphs.

The First Graders always love to work with Mrs. Hornyak!

Sight Words make reading easier. Sight Word Bingo is a great way to practice!

The Lexia station allows students to work with the reading program Lexia, where they

can work independently at their own pace.

The Handwriting Station is a great place to practice letter formation.

2 First Graders, at a teacher station practicing reading "Just Right Books," and

making (or as we like to say 'baking') words with the 'vowel - consonant - silent e'

pattern with magnetic letters and baking sheets.

Literacy Stations provide the opportunity for First Graders to grow as readers and

writers every day!

Ask your First Grader how they're enjoying tuning into reading at the Literacy Station!

1st Grade Research Project: Hibernation, Migration, and Adaptation

The Secret Life of Bears: Hibernation, Migration, and Adaptation

Have you ever wondered what happens to animals in winter? Where are all the bees, hummingbirds, frogs, and turtles? In first grade at TCS, the first graders have embarked on a research project, and are studying how animals adapt to colder conditions when food is scarce by entering into a state of hibernation. The students are learning how these hibernating animals’ hearts and breathing rates slow down and body temperatures drop. Hibernation offers these animals a special adaptation that helps them conserve their energy. Another way animals respond to changes in temperatures and seasons is by migrating or adapting in some way. Some animals that are “true hibernators” are bees, snakes, bats, and woodchucks. Surprisingly, bears are not “true hibernators!” They do go into a deep sleep, but occasionally they might wake up to have a snack or take a walk on a sunny day!

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To kick off our big research project about these animals, the first graders each picked an animal they were interested in learning more about and chose a book to use for their research. Off we went to the library, where Mr. Robertson helped us find books about our animals. The first graders used their books and other online resources to find out information about their animals, such as what it eats, where it lives, interesting facts about their animal, and what it looks like. Of course, the big question they had to find out was, “Does my animal hibernate, migrate, or adapt?” 

These first graders are proudly displaying the animals they chose: 

The first graders were hard at work finding out information about their animals. The students learned how to use a “Table Of Contents” to find information they were looking for. They also used graphic organizers to help keep track of the information they found. Sometimes research requires us to work together:

Sometimes information we are looking for can’t be found in our books, so we turn to online resources to try to answer the questions we have:

The first graders will use this research project as a springboard for our study on emperor penguins and Antarctica. Soon we will be packing our bags for our trip to Antarctica to study these amazing birds, who survive the Antarctic ice and its waters by relying on many clever adaptations!