We love our room and our core subjects, but there is a lot more to first grade. Art is fun and lets us express our hidden talents. Computer lets us show off our technological expertise. We love recess. We get to socialize, pretend and invent great fantasies, and build lasting friendships.
First grade has been a busy place this past week. We've learned classroom rules and procedures, practiced fire and tornado drills, and even had a real fire drill on Friday. We responded like pros! Our highlights this week were breaking into pairs and playing "Shake Those Disks" in math and studying matter in science. We loved classifying solids, liquids, and gases. I think science might be our favorite subject!
Taken the first week of 1st Grade.
First grade is coming to a close, and it has been a remarkable year for all of us! As I think back over the school year and talk to students about what was most memorable this year, a entire list of events, activities, and experiences come to mind. The first graders have done BIG things this year. The fall semester was jammed packed with helping others, programs, and a lot of interactive science experiments. When I asked one student what his favorite part of the fall was, he replied, “The balance and motion unit in science!” The children loved this unit - they were able to find new ways to balance, use counterweights, and make zoomers. Using different techniques to test their theories on why and how things balance and move was so much fun. The weather unit and making kites was brought up often when I spoke to them about their favorite memories in science. The class dressed as their favorite book character, visited Cornerstone for a community outreach project, built Mayan temples, sang in their first Candlelight program, presented on Christmas tradition from around the world, sent letters to Veterans, had a precious Thanksgiving program, and so many other fabulous things.
The spring semester has been no different in regards to being full of adventure and learning. This semester the children have traveled to an aquarium in Shreveport and Historic Washington State Park, performed for their grandparents in front of the entire school, built community building with their family, supported our fellow St. James students when they presented their programs (Colonial, Science and Engineering, Roman Carnival) to name a few things. Soon they will participate in their first field day. When talking about social studies, one student spoke up about how she loved learning about the American flag and early American history; especially about Paul Revere and his warning about the Red Coats.
Taken on the last Friday of school, Field Day!!
Day in and day out these amazing children have shown up and given it their all. First grade isn’t for the faint of heart. On top of all of these extraordinary events, activities, and experiences these children pushed themselves to learn how to read and advance in math, science, social studies, spelling, writing, and all of their specials (PE, music, technology, art, Spanish). It has been so special to experience all of their first with them this year as we have progressed through first grade; a new building, higher expectations on campus, Candlelight, Field Day, and so many more little things that have brought us together as a team. I am so excited for these children to move forward and grow, I am thankful that I get to watch them along their path.
Have an amazing summer!!
Claire
First grade went on our first out of town field trip to Historic Washington State Park. The children toured homes that were built in the 1800s and witnessed how people lived in the frontier time period. Entering homes that old was fascinating. The children noticed how the homes were built in a way to benefit the residents; since there was no electricity the homes needed breezeways to stay cool and large windows for light. In one home we toured, the children saw what type of bathroom was easily accessible and also the type of toothbrush commonly used. Everyone agreed they did not want the chore of taking the chamber pot out! It was interesting to learn that toothbrush bristles were made from pig hair, they weren’t excited about using that type of toothbrush either. One part of the trip that was really intriguing to all the students was the weapons museum, they all had questions about the guns and knives. The weapons dated back to the revolutionary war! One thing they noticed was how intricate the artwork was on some of the weapons. Besides seeing the original dishes from one of the homes, what the homes frame were made from, and lifestyle items (clothes, bathtub, furniture), the class saw the oldest magnolia tree in the state. Much fun was had dipping candles into colors, I think we (adults and children) would say it was one of our favorite activities of the day. Although, the surrey carriage was very memorable, too. It was an amazing day full of memories and learning! The class has been looking forward to this trip for months and I know it did not disappoint!
Have a blessed day!
Claire Gordon
The weather has been beautiful this week! It has been the perfect time to plants seeds for our science unit. The students will get to nurture, observe, and enjoy the plant growing process. The class was so excited to get their hands in the soil and plant their seeds. I put the students into groups. They took turns putting soil in their cup, making room for the seed and watering the plants once we had finished. I cannot wait to see their faces in the plant start to sprout! This activity not only teaches about the plant life cycle, but it teaches the students to be responsible and how to take care of something.
It has been so gorgeous outside that we even ventured outside during language arts to do a little reading. The students read our assigned stories in pairs in the amphitheater. Everyone enjoyed the fresh air and the beauty of our campus. In fact, the students enjoyed it so much, we did it again after music! This time they chose a book from our class library to take with them outside.
Happy Spring!
Claire