Around the World - On our way to Antarctica...

First Graders take a plane trip to Antarctica!

First Graders are headed to Antarctica on TCS Airlines.

"Please prepare for take-off," our pilot announces.

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.

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!

First Grade 'Ticket Collector' made sure she collected

every ticket and made each passenger feel welcomed on

TCS Airlines!

The best part of flying are the snacks!!!

Passengers enjoyed some entertainment

as they watched a top-rated movie called

"Country School Carton Collaborators."

Thank you to our brave pilot and co-pilot,

who flew our plane to Antarctica!

While the First Graders are in Antarctica, they will be learning about the

continent, weather/temperature and Emperor penguins!

First Friday Share

FLIGHT  - OWL PELLETS - MAYFLOWER CHALLENGE...

   

 

      

   

   

CLASSROOM SHARING...

  

  

                           

                                

SEWING STORYTELLING POUCHES AND PLAYING MATH GAMES

Our days in First Grade...

         

   First Graders have been busy Mathematicians...

            *Learning about Number Sense

            *Working with Number Bonds (as you can see, 

                math pops up during all times in our day)

            *Learning addition and subtraction

            *Working on addition and subtraction number stories

            *Playing Math games for fun and reinforcement of skills 

         

  

First Graders have been 'Busy Spelling Bees'...
Every 2 weeks they get their 'new' 5 spelling 
words and various activities throughout the 2 
weeks help them learn to read and spell 
their words correctly... "they LOVE spelling!!"

          
                                              

                                        
First Graders have been busy readers. They 
have been learning about nonfiction 

(informational) books...
After learning all the parts of a nonfiction book
(table of contents, heading, bold words, diagram,
caption, and glossary) they are now working in
partnerships researching all about BATS!
Watch out for some "Batty" things in First Grade!   
   
                                                       
                                
STEAM - What busy workers...
First Graders are learning about Owls 
and after doing a 'virtual dissection' of
an owl pellet (on ipads)- not an easy task,
they are now dissecting real owl pellets using
many tools to help them locate a variety of 
bones. As they discover bones, they are learning
to identify them and if they are the bones of
a rodent, shrew or bird.
Mrs. Lariviere and I have been so impressed 
with their hard work and perseverance.
"Way to go First Graders!"
    

        

                              

   

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