Hello Everyone!

What a great week it was in first grade! Our math objectives for the week were learning about the features of a calendar as well the routine of tracking the weather everyday. We spend time together as class practicing the basics of a calendar as well as recording the weather on the Smart Board. Temperature and the thermometer will be introduced to them next week. If anyone has an extra outside thermometer hidden deep in their garage, we would love to borrow it  and put it outside our window! The students are slowly starting to understand how we put our math materials away in the correct bins. I stress to them everyday how important it is to put materials and tools we use away in the correct places so that we can find it easily next time we go to use them.

Frogs, frogs, frogs! The children have really been diving head first into various resources to find more about frogs. This interest came about when we were out in the garden and we saw a frog hopping around.  The students have been learning through both non-fiction and fiction books, Ipads, and the laptops. The Ipads are their favorites, but they get really excited when I get new frog books at the library for them to explore with! With this project, the main objective, among others, is for them to understand that all living things have basic needs to survive. What are the basic needs of a frog? What are the basics needs of humans? Are they the same or different? They are interested in comparing the needs of different animals and plants. The children are learning to communicate with one another to share information and research that they find.

On Tuesday, we spent some time out in the garden thinking about what recipes we could come up with using the vegetables from all the gardens. Thought I would share a few:

• Kaydence: Vegetable soup
• Michael: Spaghetti with tomato sauce (making sure I was aware that we would need to buy the spaghetti at the store)
• Isabella A: A salad
• Melania: Pumpkin seeds

We sure did get a plethora of ideas! The children decided they were going to make spaghetti sauce because we have so many tomatoes in the garden. Our chefs will be making this on Friday, September 21st.

Also, today we had our first Chinese class! Wow... I still can't get over how engaged the student's were. They were asking Jing, the Chinese teacher, so many thoughtful and serious questions. I just had to sit back and enjoy! The students today learned how to say hello, eyes, nose, and mouth in chinese. Next week, they will be learning their Chinese names.


Thank you to Mrs. Neel for donating 4 amazing "I wonder why..." books to our school library! I just know the children will be so excited for these!

Starting Monday, I will be sending home reading folders for your child to work on throughout the week. The children will choose one good-fit book, as well as the guided reading book they will be working on in class with myself and a small group. The purpose of the reading folders is for your child to build fluency by reading the same book numerous times, as well as for you to sit and listen to your child read at their independent reading level.  Just like last year, there will be a log included that has different suggestions on ways you can enhance this reading time. The directions will be in the folder, so be on the lookout!

Have a terrific week! Looking forward to next week!

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!

Happy summer everyone! I don't know about you, but this year flew by for me! In case you didn't read the newsletter that was sent out, I wanted to repeat something that I said in it:
" It was Monday, August 29^th, 2011. I couldn't believe I was as nervous as I was to meet and work with fifteen curious and questioning minds, helping them wonder and create with the blank slate they brought with them. Because I was a first-year teacher, it was surreal for me to be in the classroom, greeting each child and their families, making them feel as comfortable and welcomed as I could. Looking back on that day, I realize that was the start to the busiest, most accomplished and fulfilled year, speaking about myself, but more about the children."
I really do feel that this year the children and I have accomplished so much, and we couldn't have done it without eachother. A lot of people think that as a teacher, you are the one to help children be the best they can be, and design each day so they leave with a smile on their face. Well, I think a bit differently. Yes, I did my best to do exactly that, but it was the children that helped me be the best I could be, with every morning greeting and smile, with every lightbulb that went off in their heads, with the countless number of notes, with "this was the best day ever!" kind of days, with every healing of a boo-boo, and with every lost tooth. I couldn't have aske for a better Kindergarten class.
 I have been reflecting lately on both the trials and triumphs of teaching and learning in a new world of challenges and opportunities. As I reflect, I smile. I smile because this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing with my life. I smile because I am happy. Thank you for all your support throughout the year! Have a safe, fun, and healthy summer!


Here is a slideshow of the year for you to enjoy with your child:

Photo slideshow customized with Smilebox

Greetings! Only 2 1/2 weeks left of school.... where did the time go? As we are winding down the school year, the students have been spending a lot of time out in the garden. Last week, they worked hard weeding the garden and spreading compost and mulch throughout, preparing a healthy environment for our vegetables to thrive in. We are sharing our garden with the other Kindergarten class, teaching them about team work and helping others. The focus for the garden is fairy tales and nursery rhymes. This interest sparked around the time the students were going to the Akron Civic Theater to watch the Under the Sea ballet, a fairy tale classic. My class spent a lot of time studying the different elements of fairy tales, and they always wanted me to read more of the enchanting stories. Thus, the idea was brought up to incorporate fairy tales into our garden and POOF.... it was started. The students love putting gloves on and using a shovel or rake to do their gardening, though some preferred to use their hands. Jordan and Patrick especially loved to push and pull the wheel barrow, for they said it was a "boy's job." With the help of our kind parent volunteers, our garden is ready for vegetables! The students have already started thinking about adding their personal touches to the garden, such as making stepping stones to act as a pathway. The other Kindergarten class thought of building a wall that Humpty Dumpty could sit on. On Thursday, the students will be transferring the vegetables that they have been growing and watching since before Spring Break. If you would like to help out with this process, please let me know! We will be going outside at about 1:15 pm. teamwork, teamwork, teamwork During our time out in the garden, there is also a small group activity if the children choose to take a break from the garden and need a small rest. Last week's activity was a sensory activity, where the children took a gummy worm and burrowed through mud. Some made tunnels for their worms, others burrowed all around their papers going in all directions! The ending product? Beautiful mud art that will look great above your mantel! On Monday, a master gardener came to our school to share her wisdom on worm composting. Worm composting in the classroom is a school-wide initiative that all classrooms are going to either start or continue in order to teach the students more about recycling and caring for the Earth. The students loved listening to her speak about the characteristics of worms and how they are our friends, holding worms, and building a compost system that would be suitable for a classroom. Andrew, Isabella and Aidan pick out recycled vegetables to feed the worms. There are so many distractions in today's world that some children might never see the sun come up except by watching it on television. National surveys say most children spend very little or no time observing or interacting in their natural environment and surroundings. My hope is that an outdoor classroom such as the one we have will help the children understand at a young age about natural resources and what their job is in the environment.

Hello All!

Goodness, what a beautiful week it has been! The children are loving the sunshine. As the days get warmer, please feel free to send a water bottle with your children to keep in their locker so they stay hydrated. That is extremely important with active children like the ones we have!
In math, the children have been practicing sequencing numbers and size, using a bar graph to represent data, and "bundling" sticks to  start thinking about place value. I was working with Marlo and I was teaching her how to "bundle" 10 popsicle sticks and place it in the tens container. She confidently looked at me and said "Oh, like bundling your car and home insurance!" If that wasn't making a home to school connection, I don't know what is! The children are doing great with sequencing numbers and size, and leads right into many discussions on putting stories into correct order The students are very excited to read and explore Pete the Cat and his Four  Groovy Buttons by the dynamic duo Eric Litwin and James Dean. The book came out on Wednesday, and next week we will take a deeper look into Mr. Eric's writing and the illustrations in the third book.  The children just love Pete the Cat, so I know this book will be  hit with them and I cannot wait to dive right in! Learning about birds has been so fun for both myself and the children.We were able to go outside right after a rainfall to seek out worms. Luckily, the rain did bring out many worms, and the children were able to answer the question "Is rain helpful or harmful to birds?" It is helpful, of course! It gives them water to drink and brings worms above the ground to eat. We learned that the feathers on birds protect themselves during a rainfall. Pretty cool! Incorporating Pete the Cat into our bird studies, the students were wondering what the bird in all the illustrations was thinking when Pete continued to step into messy things. The children also explored different bird beaks by using different tools (clothespin, toothpick, and large spoon) to represent the beaks of different birds. They became very frustrated when they couldn't pick up much food with just a toothpick. Jordan exclaimed, "Yeah! This is exactly how a hummingbird feels!" We took a nature walk today, focusing on things we found out in nature that weren't supposed to be there. How do you think they got there? What does this do for the animals and other humans? Some of the things we found were: litter, 2 old tires, wood, broken fench, an old tennis court, and a soccer ball. It was interesting to hear their thoughts on how the items got to be outside in nature. They are very concerned about the litter, and I just know this will develop into an ongoing project.



Isabella M. is working on representing the point of view of the bird from Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes







Jordan working very hard on grabbing as much food as he could with a clothespin, representing a cardinal he has been studying about.






Nathan, Patrick, and Andrew checking for worms to put in their worm environment they had made. We started off with a mason jar and a little dirt for our worm environment, and after lots of research and investigation, we found all the right materials to keep the worms happy and healthy! Well I am predicting, just as we do ever morning, that a big storm is rolling in. Everyone keep safe and dry!

Hello All! I hope this post finds everyone happy and healthy. The kindergartners have been soaring while exploring different birds and their habitats. This interest came from the question "Is rain helpful or harmful for birds?" Many of the children have a misconception that rain is harmful because the rain will harm the babies and they wanted to investigate more. The projects the children are creating are incredible! Everything from clay crabs and fish (what bald eagles eat) to a cylinder-shaped tree that holds the nest, the students can't stop creating and exploring as they learn new facts about birds. They all rolled their sleeves up and got a little messy when we mixed water and dirt to create the base for our bird nests. Andrew, Sophia, Isabella M., and Marlo have started on creating their bird houses. The fact that most birds enjoy worms and other insects is fascinating to many of them, and they are starting to find information on the different insects that they find in their yard at home or school yard. Here are a few pictures for you to see the little investigators in action:

Marlo, Sophia, and Isabella are working together to fill their bird houses.

Marlo and Andrew and busy painting a bird house and working on constructing a branch for a tree.

Alexis just couldn't get her black-capped chickadee to look how she wanted, but she finally did it!

Miss Leslie, Nathan, and Aidan are looking at website designed specially for children research.

The children and I took a beautiful nature walk today, observing the outdoors and listening to the sounds that could be heard. Before we went out, we predicted what we would see and hear. They came up with cars on the street, the wind, children talking, and birds chirping. They also said they would see lots of trees, bushes, dirt, birds, and rocks. They got their binoculars and clipboards and they were ready to go. Here are some things the children stumbled upon: an old tire, dandelions, a pile of sticks, animal holes, and most importantly, a pond! The children's discovery of a small pond was the highlight of their afternoon and will continue to be embedded into our weekly explorations. Here are is what some of the children said about their nature walk:

"I'm going to ask my dad to come back after school to explore more." (Aidan)

"Litter makes the Earth sad." (Nathan)

"I like trees and the smell of it." (Sophia)

"I liked seeing the tire because it looks like my dad's." (Alexis)

"Shhh... we will scare the birds!" (Isabella M.)

"I didn't like it as much because I don't like bugs." (J'Lyn)

"I don't want to go back inside!" (Aaliyah)

"I'm going to take a nature walk at the park by my house!" (Jordan)

In math, a major focus for the children has been addition, subtraction, and learning about money. The children are identifying the name and value of the coin, and are beginning to understand the exchange process. They are being introduced place value next week, specifically the ones and tens column. The children love that Daily 5 Math has been added to their day, because they love the hands-on learning approach! The children are also understanding that words are made up of parts, and these parts can help us read and write. We are working on the word pattern -and right now, and found it very exciting that Andrew has the word pattern in his own name! I have been helping the children put stories in the correct sequence starting from the beginning. Being able to re-tell a story from the beginning, middle, to end is a very important comprehension skill that you can practice at home as well!

I could go on and on about our days here in kindergarten, but no blog post will ever capture how lucky we all are for our ability to learn and wonder. Have a restful weekend!

Hi Families!

Thank you for all who came to this year's student-led conference in Kindergarten. The children were very excited to how you their classroom and celebrate their learning. If anyone would like an additional conference, please let me know and we can set up a time that works for you.

Last week, COSI visited our school and provided the children with engaging, hands-on experiences. COSI On Wheels is the traveling outreach program of COSI that engages the students with a dynamic opening assembly and fun, hands-on science activities aligned with the Ohio Academic Content Standards and the National Science Education Standards. There were 10 stations set up with different activities, encouraging the children to explore with different concepts of chemistry. They were able to create light, test objects to see if they would float or sink, write secret messages to each other using invisible ink, testing liquids to see if they were acids or bases, and so much more. The most popular activity with the children was the making of ooey, gooey, slime, which is not surprising to me at all! Aidan came up to me with a giant smile on his face and said "this is the best day of my life!" It was such a fun day. Thank you to Shelly Penrod and Jenny Neel for helping out with the stations! Here is a slide show of their learning:

A free slideshow by Smilebox

For our project time, the students have been investigating birds and whether or not rain is harmful or helpful for birds. This question was developed after the student's made their own rain gauges and measured how much rain they had collected. They just weren't sure what animals, especially birds, do when it rains. The students are choosing what bird they want to investigate, and are in the middle of creating the bird. Some students chose to use recycled materials to build their bird, and others are sewing a bird using felt and a needle. Kaydence really enjoys taking that time to write in her journal about birds and how "pretty" they can be. Jordan and Andrew like to go to the observation window and use the binoculars to see if there are any birds they can identify using a guide for reference. Because of their interest in water and birds, I see this investigation going far!






Jordan and Andrew identifying the birds in their own school yard.


I would also like to give a BIG thank you to Mr. Capoun, Marlo's dad, for he rototilled the Kindergarten garden soil to prepare for the growth of seeds. The garden is going to be a "fairy tale" garden, incorporating many plants and vegetables that are seen in popular fairy tales. We are so fortunate for his willingness and time! Thank you!

Everyone have a safe and relaxing spring break!