Weekly Wrap Up & Field Day Info

It was a shortened week here in first grade, which still saw us get to a lot of material. The year-end assessments are in full swing and I have been amazed at the progress these kids have shown in the last 9 months! It has been such a privilege to come to work every day and spend my time with such fabulous people. You all have done such wonderful jobs with your kids and I thank you for all your hard work. 

On Friday, June 5th, Bryant will be holding our annual Field Day. Please dress your child in clothing that could possibly get wet or grass stained. If your child risks getting sunburned, remember the sunblock. Sunblock needs to be applied at home before school. Please send your child to school on June 5th with a water bottle with your child's name on it, or with a refillable sports bottle with their name on it. It can get really hot out there. 

 Let us see what else we were up to this week on to the highlights!!!



Math:
In math this week we took more time to examine two digit number stories. The kids are really starting to grasp this topic and I have been thrilled at their progress. We also took some time to do a bit of exploration with the calculators. This included constructed and writing several math problem. The kids really enjoyed it. We also touched more on time, fractions and shapes. We also took some time later in the week for some review and catch-up.



Writing:
All About books has been the focus in writing this week with a bit of time spent on sentence conventions. The All About books are focusing on our class research project involving Orca whales. The sentence conventions have also been a real push as well.



Science:
We caught up with our weather data collection this week, which was terrific. We also took time to examine the body of the Orca whale and how that form helps it thrive in its natural habitat.



Social Studies:
We finished up our unit on neighborhoods this week in social studies. This included the class working in small groups to create good neighbor puzzles. The kids even got to write down how they can be good neighbors in their social studies journals.




This was a quick snapshot of the mischief we got into this week in first grade. Only two fabulous, fun-filled weeks left until this first grade adventure sadly comes to a close. Until next week….all told.

Spelling Words for the Week

Here are our spelling words for the week folks. Please let me know if you have any questions.

• simple
• picked
• finished
• mind
• return
• either
• someone
• temperature

Weekly Wrap Up

What a lightning quick week it was here in first grade. We had a field trip, a Spring Sing and a Harambee all rolled into one week! Wow, can you tell it is the end of the year yet? I was so pleased with how the class acted this week. We were able to get to a lot of material and the class did a wonderful job showing me that second grade behavior I have been looking for, so terrific work kids! I want to thank Husian, John, Elizabeth, Kelly, Dana and Anna for volunteering to chaperone our final field trip of the school year. The Botanical Gardens was a terrific experience and the learning/fun the kids experienced would not have been possible without the six of you volunteering to chaperone. Thank you again; I really appreciate your efforts. Also, a special shout out to Mrs. Krohn and Mrs. Sullivan for all the fabulous work they did for the Spring Sing and Art Show. I loved having the art displayed outside the classroom and the kids sounded simply heavenly last night. Thank you parents for attending last night as well.

Let us take a look at what else we were up to this week…on to the highlights!!!

Math:

We spent some time in review mode this week in math. This included reviewing measurement and data. The kids had opportunities to work hands on with both of these concepts. We also touched on solving two-digit number stories, which went very well. Finally, toward the end of the week we tackled an open response problem that dealt with number stories. This lesson began on Wednesday and was finished today as we had a long Spring Sing practice on Thursday and were unable to get to math.

Writing:

In writing this week we discussed and practiced several concepts. We continued our research on the Orca whale, which the class seems to really enjoy. We also spent a lot of time with sentence conventions. The kids worked on correct capitalization and making sentences of varying lengths to entice readers.

Science:

In science this week we spent time creating some wind instruments, aka wind socks. The kids had a blast with this activity. We also did a lot of research on our class project.

Phonics:

In phonics the kids had opportunities to create new words and include them in sentences. This was a nice activity for them and they enjoyed heading to this center during the morning work time.

Well, we are really counting down to the end of the year now. Only a few fabulous, fun-filled weeks left here on planet first grade. I will be putting up a post about our end-of-the-year plans next week. Enjoy your holiday weekend and I will see you all back on Tuesday.

Spring Sing

Reminder that the Spring Sing is tonight.  It will begin at 7:00pm and Ms. Krohn would like students to be here by 6:40pm.  I look forward to seeing you all!

Spelling Words

My apologies for not getting these up yesterday.  Here are our spelling words for this week:

- round
- square
- game
- force
- common
- special
BONUS
- everything
- everyone

Field Trip Reminder

REMINDERS FOR THE BOTANICAL GARDEN!

FIELD TRIP TUESDAY

BRING A SACK LUNCH AND DRINK.

Disposable bag is best. No nuts please.

APPROPRIATE SHOES AND CLOTHES FOR OUTDOORS.

Please make sure your child is prepared for the weather. If it is raining lightly we will still tour the trails. Wear closed-toe shoes. Otherwise we will tour the Conservatory and do an indoor activity.

SUNSCREEN/BUGSPRAY

Apply as you see fit in the morning, before school.

COST FOR ADULTS IS $6

If you are attending as a chaperone, the cost is $6. There are parking fees if you drive on your own and meet us there.

U OF M BOTANICAL GARDENS

WHEN

TUESDAY, MAY 19TH, 9:30AM

WHERE

1800 NORTH DIXBORO ROAD

ANN ARBOR, MI

Get Directions

Weekly Wrap Up

It was a bit of rocky week here in the classroom. It seems the kids are very ready for summer to hit. The blast of cold weather and rain forced a lot of indoor recess. Also, unfortunately, the class’ behavior did not warrant recess much early in the week either. Luckily, they recovered slightly toward the back-end, though, so I was pleased about that. We had an assembly on Monday from the Ann Arbor District Library’s summer reading program. Those of you new to Ann Arbor should certainly take advantage of that program. I attached a link at the end of this post. We also had the NWEA assessment on Friday, which went much smoother than last week. I am looking forward to seeing these scores when they are released. In general, it was a big week for assessments as we took a lot of time in math to finish up some unit 8 tests. Again, I was pleased with how the class performed and I made sure to give them plenty of time to recharge outside at the conclusion. We have a field trip next week along with a Spring Sing, so I am looking forward to both of these fabulously important events.  Now that the housekeeping matters have been dispatched, on to the HIGHLIGHTS!!!


Math:

In math this week we worked on mentally adding and subtracting 10 from a number. We also worked with number puzzles.  I also took time to review several subjects including defining and non-defining attributes of shapes and using shapes to make new shapes. Data was also a big push this week during centers. Finally, as I stated above, we took time to assess our progress with unit 8 material.


Writing

We have had several focuses with our writing this week. We are continuing work with How To books. Also, we are working a lot with proper sentence structure techniques. Additionally, we have begun our official class research project on Orcas/Killer Whales. The kids selected this topic and I really look forward to seeing how this research project will shake out. I have included a fact sheet for your child to complete for homework this weekend. Please send this research back in next week. If you have any questions about this project please drop me an email.




Phonics:

We took time in phonics this week to work on synonyms. This tied in nicely to our work with sentences as well. We also reviewed several phonics concepts in preparation for the end of the year.


Science:

In science this week we returned to our collecting and examining life unit. What was the topic of focus? Seeds. This included looking at diagrams of different fruits and their seeds. We made scientific drawings of what we saw as well. We also started our sprouting seeds projects. Right now we have 17 little bags with lima beans sitting in our window waiting to be sprouted. Let’s just hope they cooperate.



This was a brief look at the goings on of the week. Until next week…all told.

Message From Ms. Sullivan

Dear parents,


The Bryant Art Show will be taking place on 5-19 and 5-21 from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. This event is the same night as the Spring Sing concerts, so please come early and enjoy all of the artwork displayed around the school. Each student will have one artwork on display.

Ms. Sullivan

Spelling Words for the Week

Thank you to Aspen for reminding me to put these words up on the blog.


- inside
- correct
- away
- study
- shown
- contain
- attribute
- defining

Thank You

I would like to thank everyone for all that you did this week.  The notes, flowers, desserts, everything was just terrific.  Teacher Appreciation week is always a special time, but you all made it a truly wonderful week.  I cannot express how much I have enjoyed teaching your children this year.  You have all done a wonderful job raising some fantastic kids.  I would like to thank you for the privilege of teaching them these past eight months.

A  very happy Mother's Day as well to all you fabulous moms.




Sincerely,

Michael

Weekly Wrap-Up

It was another fantastic week here on planet first grade. We had NWEA testing and Teacher Appreciation Week and a host of other endeavors. We also were able to get to a lot of curriculum, which was terrific. Let’s delve more into the week…on to the highlights!!!



Math:

We worked a lot with shapes this week in math. We practiced dividing shapes in half and making equal shares. We also had an exploration lesson that included sorting fact triangles based on strategies to solve them. Included in this lesson were some opportunities to make new 3-D shapes by combining several different 3-D shapes.

Phonics:

We reviewed a lot in phonics this week. This included suffixes: es, ed. We also worked more with changing letters of a word to make a new word. We also worked more with our spelling words.

Science:

We collected and analyzed our April weather data this week in science. We also began our unit dealing with sprouting seeds. The kids really enjoyed these lessons.

Social Studies:

We continued our neighborhood unit this week in social studies. The kids learned about how to be good neighbors.

Writing:

We worked on How To books this week in writing. We even worked on a How To book detailing the steps of the NWEA test. We will look to finish up our How To book writing over the next week or so.



Well, it was a busy and lightning fast week here in first grade. A quick reminder that we have a field trip coming up on May 19th to the Botanical Gardens. Please let me know if your child will need a sack lunch from school. Until our next week of adventures….all told!

Spelling Words for the Week

Here are our spelling words for the week:

-half
-decided
-system
-known
-bring
-produce

Bonus:

-nothing
-quarter

Spring NWEA Schedule

Parents,

Here is the schedule for our final round of testing for the NWEA.

Wednesday, May 6th : 9:00-10:00---Reading
Friday, May 15th: 10:10-11:10

Weekly Wrap-Up (On Time)

It was a big week here in first grade yet again. This included field trips, day of service, raptors and a PBIS fun day…oh my! The field trip to Little Mermaid was a smashing success, minus a lot of “ EWWWWW’s” when Ariel had her final kiss at the end. I would like to thank Ruth for volunteering to chaperone this trip. The kids had a blast. Wednesday saw us making up our day of service from that impromptu blizzard last week. The class did a great job of cleaning up the grassy median between the parking lots. Thursday was the first day in quite a while where we did not have ANYTHING going on in the building. It was a nice change of pace to be in the classroom and get to a lot of curriculum. Friday included a visit from the Leslie Science Center and their raptors. The kids enjoyed seeing these magnificent animals up close and personal. Finally, on Friday we had our annual PBIS Fun Day. This is a great event where we celebrate all the fabulous work the kids have done this year exhibiting the PBIS principles of safety, responsibility and respect.



Next week we have our NWEA testing beginning again. We also have a upcoming field trip to the Botantical Gardens in a few weeks. If you would like to chaperone please let me know. Also take note that you will need to send in a lunch with your child, or indicate to me that you would like a sack lunch from school. If you have any questions about any of these events please do not hesitate to drop me a line. Now that the housekeeping issues are over let us get to the HIGHLGIHTS!!!





Math:

In math this week we tackled the beginning stages of fractions. This included dividing items in half and into quarters. We also spent several days working on an open response problem that also included equal shares. I loved how the class responded to both days of the open-response problem. Finally, on Friday we worked on taking existing shapes to create new shapes. This involved a lot of cutting and pasting, so the kids were thrilled. I cannot wait to see what next week will bring us.



Phonics:

In phonics this week we pretty much focused on review. We have gone through most of our phonics curriculum for the year, so we will spend time working on reviewing and reinforcing concepts that were already taught. This week saw us work more with diagraphs and clusters. We also worked on our spelling words for the week.



Science:

We were able to catch up with our weather journals this week, which was a positive. We also discussed wind and its effect on items. I look forward to revisiting this topic next week. Also, next week we will dive back into our Collecting and Examining Life unit, which promises to be a whole lot of fun.



Social Studies:

We began a new unit in social studies this week that deals with neighborhoods. The class had an opportunity early in the week to sketch out some neighborhood characteristics in their journals.




As always this was merely the highlights of what we got to this week. It is so difficult to encompass 35 hours of classroom time into one wrap-up, but if you have any questions please let me know. It was a great week in the classroom and I look forward to next week and the adventures it will bring…..until then…all told.

Belated Weekly Wrap-Up

In all the hustle and bustle of last week I realize I did not get this up on the blog.  My deepest apologies.

It was a very, very, very busy week here on planet first grade. Let’s run down the week. Monday saw us practice our lockdown procedure. Tuesday morning had us at Hands on Museum. Thank you so much to Anna and Keith for chaperoning that fabulous trip. The kids would not have had nearly as much fun without your volunteering efforts. Tuesday afternoon had us in the earth dome presentation in the gym. This was a great event where the kids got to see a 20 foot tall model of the earth. We even got to go inside! The kids had an absolute blast and on top of the field trip that morning my guess is you have some tired kids that evening. Wednesday was supposed to be day of service, but an impromptu blizzard called that off. I mean seriously…a blizzard in late April!?! Thursday was the International Festival and the fashion show, which was terrific. Friday had us practice a fire drill. I mean this was one busy week. I am going to keep the weekly wrap up short this week because a lot of our work revolved around International Festival preparation. I look forward to diving back into everything next week. International Festival is such a wonderful event that comes about every two years her at Bryant. This one went off great and I was thrilled with how well the class did during all of our work. Thank you to everyone for supporting this wonderful event. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please let me know and until next week…all told.