Hello to All!

Welcome to the First Grade! I would like to apologize for not having the blog updated on Friday. I am sure your child told you but I got engaged on Friday! Better yet, my fiance' proposed to me at school! We left right after school, and though I put up a fight, he just wouldn't let me stay to upload the blog ;)

The proposal was so special. Earlier that day, Mrs. Graves told me that we would be having a guest speaker come to the school and read each class a book at 2:15. Completely clueless, I settled the children down and we talked about how to behave when a guest speaker enters the classroom. To much of my surprise, in comes my boyfriend at the time, Anthony, with a bouquet of flowers for me and 2 boxes of cupcakes for the children. Still clueless, we had a great time enjoying our special time with Anthony. He is a banker, so all the children were interested that he worked with money and numbers, just like them! He then asked Andrew to hold the video camera and record what was about to happen. Sure enough, Anthony walked over to me, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him.

The children's reactions were priceless, it made it that much more special. Jordan and Alexis were covering their eyes laughing, and Marlo was clapping over her head. They thought I had just gotten married, but then I explained to them what happened. I then asked them if they wanted Anthony or Miss Leslie to read them a book, and they shouted "Anthony!!" They acted like he was a movie star. It was such a fun celebration. I will upload the video of the proposal on the blog later tonight, for the camera is at my home. Anthony sure does know me well to know to propose to me in front of some of the most people in my life. The day was perfect.

Back to the First Grade though...

The children came back to school and did not put their curiosity to waste. Within the first 3 days, the students were digging deep in books and laptops learning about frogs and butterflies. We found a frog out in the garden and they became instantly attached. They wanted to keep him, but they had to do research first on the habitat we needed to provide for the frog as well as how to care for a pet. We will see if their interest in frogs continues. Butterflies became an interest because Bella Ake and her family brought in caterpillars in their chrysalis for us to observe.

Sophia wondered: "How did caterpillars make their cocoons
Melania wondering: "How does it get out of it's cocoon?"
Kaydence wondered: "How does it get all of its pretty colors?"

Watching the butterflies come out of their cocoons was so amazing to watch! The children loved every minute of it. Did you know that if the cocoons are disturbed in any way, they start to shake? I learned that fact with the children. We researched what the butterflies needed to eat, and after a couple of days, we let the butterflies free near our garden.

We have been learning the basics of the scientific process, such as what it means to observe, predict, communicate, and experiment. We conducted an experiment on Friday to help with our prediction skills. Remember, a prediction is not a guess! It is an educated guess based on previous knowledge and experiences.

Below pictures: 
Right: Sophia and Alexis predicting what color yellow and orange make.
Left: The children watching the butterfly as it hatched from its cocoon!

The students and I have been talking a lot about the purpose of a calendar, the days of the week, and the 12 months. It is a bit of a struggle for them, because many of them get confused with the calendar vocabulary (difference between months, years, days, etc...) Why not show your child a calendar that you use at home? This could reinforce the idea that learning extends beyond the classroom. We also have been talking a lot about the skills you need to be successful at working independently as well as with a partner.

As far as our literacy block, the children have started Daily 5, and have been introduced to read to self and Work on Writing. They also have a block of time set called Writer's Workshop, where they pick a topic of their chose and free-write independently, using the writing skills introduced to them previously. Writing Workshop is one of our favorite times of the day!

Please let me remind you that their will be an online homework assignment for the children to complete every Wednesday. The homework assignment can be found on the blog, and will tell you and your child what to do.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments so far. My door is always open for you!
Above Pictures:
Left: Alexis, Kaydence, Claire, Sophia and Michael working hard on their nature portraits.
Right: Healthy habits are incorporated into the curriculum daily. This chart emphasizes what "sometimes" foods are and what "always" foods are. The children love to evaluate their snacks and lunches for the day, and are taught to always eat their "always" foods first!