Our classroom turned into a tiny Halloween kitchen as our 1st graders mixed up their very own Witches’ Brew. With big smiles and even bigger imaginations, students took on the role of little chefs—stirring, scooping, and sprinkling their spooky snack creations.

Each child took turns adding ingredients to a big class cauldron, then mixed the brew with excitement (and lots of giggles). Finally, everyone scooped a little portion into their own bag to enjoy.

Book Character Day is one of the most fun days of the school year! First graders came to school bursting with excitement, imagination, and some seriously adorable costumes. They presented on their books and costumes at the SJDS amphitheater and the weather was perfect.

Another fun activity for students on Book Character Day was getting to Trick-or-Treat the trail. Middle school students decorated the nature trail on campus and were stationed throughout to pass out candy to lower school students. As students walked along the path, they spotted pumpkins, silly signs, decorated trees, and even a few pretend “forest creatures” peeking through the leaves.

Fall is here and what better way to celebrate the nice weather than planting flowers? First and second grade students partnered up to help a local non-profit in Texarkana that helps families before, during and after foster care. For the Sake of One is located downtown and was in need of some landscaping love. Students picked weeds, planted flowers and spread mulch to give this wonderful place a fresh look.

We are always looking for fun ways to build our phonics skills and spooky spelling definitely fit the bill. Students used monster teeth mats to spell worlds then gave them a good cleaning with toothbrush erasers. First grade is so fun!

STEM Fridays are always fun in first grade. Students learned all about the phases of the moon and put their knowledge to the test with a tasty lunar model. Students demonstrated a new moon, quarter moon, crescent moon and full moon by scraping away (and eating) cookie icing. Who knew science could be so delicious!

Wow! Our school library was upgraded over the summer and the first visit of the school year did not disappoint. Students were welcomed into the updated library by colorful seating and an interactive hopscotch pad to enter and exit the reading area. The library also has many new and exciting books to choose from and students cannot wait for their next visit.

In a recent study of ancient Egypt first graders learned about The Great Pyramid, The Great Sphinx and one famous Egyptian pharaoh: King Tutankhamen. Students created their own pyramids with golden tops like The Great Pyramid’s original design.

First graders practice reading decodable books multiple times throughout the day. One fun way to read independently is with Whisper Phones! Students can hear themselves read and this also keeps the classroom volume down. Whisper phones are also used in class to hear the sounds in words.

Last week, students wrote about how they have fun with their friends and gave details about what games they play and activities they do with friends. Afterwards, students read their sentences aloud and participated in a “Compliment Circle” where they gave positive feedback to each other about writing and illustrations. Each student practiced speaking in complete sentences and looking one other in the eyes when they spoke.

First graders are also learning about the Sun, Earth, and Moon and created models to demonstrate differences in daytime and nighttime.

Playtime still remains to be students’ favorite activity as they come to school. They love to start the day with social interaction, movement and playing before beginning more structured learning.

WOW! How has it already been four weeks of school? Students have recently practiced their knowledge of fact families within 10. They quiz each other using fluency cards and creating math mystery stories for their partner to solve. Students are mastering the skill of subatizing: quickly and accurately recognizing the number of items in a set without counting. They use “5-group cards” to practice this skill.

First graders participate in small group learning every day. Small groups consist of literacy and math activities that reinforce what they have already learned. Students also participate in a small group with the teacher where they are introduced to new concepts and also build upon mastered skills.

Recently, students explored different ways to have fun with apples. They created an apple boat and tested its ability to float, painted apple trees with apples cut in half, and even tried to balance them on their heads. Did you know there is a hidden star inside of apples? Students also enjoyed taste-testing different types of apples.