St. Patrick’s day was this week. To celebrate, the students drew shamrocks. They listened while I gave them step-by-step directions to draw the shamrocks. Once the children finish their shamrocks, they painted them green. Before the shamrock art project, we discussed and learned information about St. Patrick. One thing that we discovered is that St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach others about the Holy Trinity. The Shamrock is the national flower of Ireland, and they grow in abundance there. So it’s not surprising that St. Patrick had access to the flower and it was a great tool in his endeavor to teach others about Christianity. The children enjoyed drawing, painting, and learning about shamrocks. 

We ended the week with math games and reading! The National Junior Honor Society and the math club visited first grade for some mentoring and fun learning. Such a great way to wrap up the week! I love that we can safely partner up with the middle school students for learning opportunities. 

Mrs. Gordon

First grade has just wrapped up a fun project - Animal Cereal Boxes. To begin the project the children randomly choose a piece of paper with an animal written on it. All of the animals are from our current language arts unit. I sent home an animal fact sheet for the children to complete as research homework with their parents. Once the sheet is returned and the child brings an empty cereal box back to class, it is 100% their own project. Each child has to wrap their box in construction paper, neatly copy the research information onto the project paper, draw a realistic picture of the animal in its habitat, create and illustrate the cereal name and artwork, as well as describe characteristics of the animal on both sides of the box. It is a lot of work and the children dedicated a lot of time to compose the final product. These projects are special because they capture the children’s personalities, it is evident in the finished project. After all of the work: coloring, cutting, writing, reading, researching, memorizing, and gluing, the children have to stand in front of the class and present their projects. The children did an outstanding job teaching the class about their animals. I could not be more proud of each of the first graders and the tremendous amount of work they put forth.

—Mrs. Gordon

First grade is a busy place! Last week, the middle school Math Club visited first grade to play math bingo. The children, young and old, had so much fun practicing addition and subtraction in the form of a game. It is so beneficial for everyone involved. My students love anything that requires the “big” kids and it gives those older students the chance to show leadership, patience, and their own math skills. This experience gave my children some extra motivation to practice math. In my experience, first graders, and all children, love to play games and get very excited when they are able to excel and win. This activity was a win for everyone!

When I began teaching first grade I wanted to start a new tradition with Valentine’s Day. Instead of having the students make boxes or bags with hearts and stickers, I choose to have every student write a compliment on one another’s bags. Even though it can be difficult to read their sweet handwriting, the look on their faces when they see all of the kind statements from their classmates is so heartwarming. This is great because it encourages the children to think about others and focus on kindness. 

 Typically, tomorrow would be Grandparents’ Day at St. James Day School. As with everything this year, covid has altered plans. Even though the beloved tradition couldn’t take place in the traditional way, the children still learned and recorded their song, made keepsakes to send to their grandparents, and participated in some of the fun Grandparents' Day activities. We are all looking to the future with the hope to have these fun traditions back on campus. Right now, the priority is safety to all. 

Have a wonderful winter break!

Mrs. Gordon

It has been difficult to partner with the middle school students for projects this year due to covid. However, when the opportunity arose to work with the middle school National Junior Honor Society students, I did not want to pass it up. So, to ensure the children’s safety, everyone wore masks and the children worked in pairs, to keep numbers low. My first graders paired with an NJHS student to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The middle school students read to the first graders and then together they completed a 5W (who, what, when, where, why) worksheet that the middle school student created. 

The week’s weather started off rainy, but the sun came out and it made for a beautiful day on Tuesday. The class enjoyed a nice recess outside. Then we went back outside for science. We’ve been studying the seasons and day and night. Today the children wrote about his or her favorite season and had to explain why they picked that season.

Have a beautiful day!

Mrs. Claire

In our math module we are studying units of measurement, with the main focus on centimeters. To begin the module the children measured items with non-standard units of measurement. The children used linking cubes, pipe cleaners, and string to measure objects in their desk and around the classroom. For one lesson the children were paired up and had to compare their measurements. Taking note that when you use non-standard units of measurement the measurements can vary. This leads to using a standard unit of measurement, like centimeter cubes, to have a more accurate measurement and one that is universally used and understood. This module really focuses on the correct way to measure an object. By starting at the endpoint, making sure there are no gaps between what you’re using to measure, and to stop where the object stops. The class really has enjoyed measuring different objects every day. It’s been fun to safely incorporate workstations in the classroom.

Show and tell is a classroom event that all of the students look forward to participating in and watching. It is always so much fun for everyone! It is a great opportunity for the students to practice speaking in front of a group of their peers. It is easier to speak in front of others when it is about something you love, like a new toy or experience.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Claire