The Week of April 14th

Mr. Martin talking with 1S & 1N about how to care for our Earth

Birding At Brockway

On Friday, May 9th we went to Brockway Nature Preserve to observe birds. We split into 2 groups. One group learned about making bird nests. Some nests are different than others'.  Robin's nests are larger than black-capped chickadee's nests. Some were very fragile while other nests seemed unbreakable. There were some made out of hair. Some were made out of moss and lichen. An oriole's nest is shaped like a teardrop and hangs from a tree while other nests are shaped like circles and ovals and sit on top of a branch. After we learned about bird nests, we got to build our own nests. The test was to see if our nest would hold jellybeans. The nests that were shaped like circles could hold jellybeans.
While this group learned about nests, the other group went to a look-out over a wetland and used binoculars to watch ducks and birds. We saw 2 mallards, 2 geese, 2 wood ducks and 2 hooded mergansers. We saw a beaver dam too.
We liked going to Brockway to learn about birds. We want to go there again!

Leave It to Beavers!
On Friday, May 16th we watched a PBS movie called Leave It to Beavers. It taught us how beavers live in the wild. Sometimes they walk on two feet while they carry mud to make their lodge. Travis says, "If you want to see something funny, watch this movie."
Nolan learned that the beavers can live with their family from birth to two years. Then they go out to find a mate and make their own lodge so they can survive. Malcolm adds, "Or they find an empty lodge and build onto it."
Jake learned that beavers chop down trees within minutes. Joey learned that beavers like to eat the sugar under the bark of trees. Cassidy learned that beavers don't hibernate. They store trees for food and burry it in the mud so they have something to eat during the winter. Cody learned that beavers can scare away predators like bear and wolves and they can keep moose away from their food by splashing water with their tail.
This movie was terrific. It was real. It was a very good non-fiction movie. Take a look on the right side bar if you'd like to watch Leave It to Beavers. 

Upcoming Field Trips
On Monday you'll see a notice about our two spring field trips. We'll be heading to The Capital Center for the Arts on Tuesday, June 3rd and then to Odiorne State Park on Thursday, June 5th. We'll need chaperones for the Odiorne trip. Keep an eye out for the notice on Monday!

Growing Up WILD
Mrs. Surrette will be running a summer nature camp for the month of July. If you're interested in coming and you're willing to travel to Chester, NH, here is the link to the WILD CHILD blog.
growupwild.blogspot.com

The Week of March 31st

Seed Spitting on Opening Day!

This blog was written by the students of 1S (with very little help by Mrs. Surrette)

Red Sox Opening Day

On opening day for the Red Sox we did a lot of fun things like a math baseball game on the IWB (Interactive Whiteboard). It was fun doing the baseball games. We also did a seed spitting contest with two people on a team. You took the seed, put it in your mouth, and tried to spit it really far. You had to measure how far the seed went. Then you had to graph how far the seed went on a piece of paper. It was really fun. Did you like it when the Red Sox came back to play?

Digital Citizenship

We're going to tell you about Digital Citizens. Digital citizens don't tell anybody their password. They limit time on their devices and they are safe on the internet. We know that if something pops up on the computer and asks for your password, DON'T type it in because that is your private information. If someone emails you a mean message, go tell an adult. That is what a good digital citizen does.

Scoot

Last week our class played SCOOT! Scoot is a game where you walk around the classroom and find little task cards. Each card is numbered and has a different problem. Every student solves the problem and writes their answer in the number on their recording sheet that corresponds to the number on the task card. Click here to see an example of Contraction SCOOT! 
Our SCOOT game last week was about Facts vs. Opinions. Scoot is a fantastic game because you get to move around the classroom. It helps you practice reading and learn the difference between facts and opinions. We hope you get the chance to play a SCOOT game one day. 

Creative Doodles

Jake and Travis taught our class a fun hand-eye coordination activity. 

The Week of March 24th

Taffy on Snow!

Maple Snow
Sap time, sap time, coming around....
That's one of our songs we're learning by Steve Schuch. We've been talking about how maple syrup is made.
On Thursday Mrs. Damour and her daughter made us a special treat. They boiled the syrup to 236 degrees and then poured it over the snow. Sophia, Sydney and Abigail wrote about their experience:

"Hey Guys! We are going to learn about Taffy on Snow. Here is what we needed. We needed to boil maple syrup. Then we dropped the maple syrup on snow. Then we took a popsicle stick and spun it around. Then we ate it. Yum! Mmmmm!

Red Sox Opening Day
Red Sox Opening day at Fenway Park is on Friday, April 4th, but the season starter is Monday, March 31st! Wear your Red Sox or sports attire on Monday and we'll spend the day celebrating baseball and warmer weather. We'll be playing math baseball, spitting sunflower seeds and measuring the distance and having fun with other baseball themed activities.

The Week of March 17th

This blog was written in teams. Each team had the choice to write a narrative or informative paper. We hope you enjoy our blog this week!

Leprechauns By: Cole, Sydney, Cassidy, Will & Joey
On St. Patrick's Day we set traps to trap a leprechaun. They were fun to make. That night a leprechaun came.
He trashed our classroom. The leprechaun even wrote on the world wall! He left footprints everywhere (even the door)! He knocked the books off the bookshelf! It spilled our paint (green of course)!
That naughty leprechaun. He should be sorry.

Binoculars & Birds By: Paige & Brianna, Malcolm & Cody

On Wednesday Mrs Chapman came into our classroom to teach us about birds. 

First, Mrs. Chapman showed us a game. It was a matching game. We had to match a bird picture to its bird name. 

Next, she put us into groups. One group learned how to use binoculars. The other group was working on their bird guides. When you use binoculars you first put the strap around your neck. Then you hold them up to your eyes. If there is black on the lens, you need to hold on tighter. If it's blurry, you twist the knob on the top. 

Binoculars are good for watching birds. We liked using them. We are going to use them to see what kinds of birds come to our feeders. We hope we see birds.

On Wednesday we also had a mischievous squirrel eating our bird food! We tried to scare it away, but it wouldn't go away. So...Malcolm knocked on the window, but it still kept eating. The squirrel was staring right at Paige. Paige thought that the squirrel was in love with her. 

Celebrating Spring By: Nolan

The snow is melting... Birds are coming our way.... WHAT'S HAPPENING!!!?

"Spring is coming."

"Who? I've never heard of him. Let's go find him!"

"Spring is not a person. It's a season."

We know Spring is coming when snow melts, grass grows, weather is warmer, and we can see the buds on trees and plants. More birds come like robins, ducks, and red-winged blackbirds. Daylight is longer. It's light out until 7:00 p.m. Bears come out and other animals like chipmunks and skunks. Flowers like daffodils, tulips and crocus pop out of the ground. 

Spring is a fun season because the snow goes away and we can actually run around. Spring sounds a lot better too. Birds chirp, mourning doves coo and if you're an athlete you can mountain bike easier. I hope you get the chance to enjoy the spring.

How to Make a Flower Pencil By: Sophia & Abigail

1. Get white paper.

2. Color the front and back.

3. Make sure that you have no white spaces.

4. Fold the paper.

5. Cut half way up to the fold.

6. Tape the paper to a pencil.

7. If you want to curl the paper, you have to take another pencil and curl it up and hold it for 7 seconds.

Making flower pencils are fun. At the end they look really cool. We hope you have time to make one.

The Week of March 10th

This blog was written by 4 teams of writers. Each team was given a choice to write a narrative or informative story. We hope you enjoy our blog this week!

Cinderella Caterpillar By: Nolan, Sydney, Cassidy & Paige

On Friday we went on a field trip to St. Paul's school to see Cinderella Caterpillar! It was fun! First, we got on the bus. We were put into partners. Next, we watched the show. It was about following your dreams and being kind to people. The show was sooooo funny, especially when the cockroach ran around with bags on its head. We liked the whole entire play. Then when the play was over, we got to high-five the characters. Finally, we got back on the bus and went back to school.

Park Ranger Presentation By: Travis, Abigail & Brianna

On Wednesday, March 12th we went to Mrs. Pepper's room. The Elm Brook Park Rangers told us about animals and what they do in winter. They also brought mounted animals to show us. Here are some things we learned. They told us about coyotes. They have guard hair which keeps them dry. Underneath, they have insulating hair that keeps them warm.
We saw an otter. They eat fish and they can slide on snow. They live in tunnels in the side of riverbanks.
We saw an owl. Owls have really good hearing and good eyesight. They have sharp talons just like an osprey. The osprey can live in Hopkinton, but in the winter they might migrate to warm places like Florida. They also eat a lot of fish.
The bear mount they brought in was named Lulu. It died from a car crash. Bears can hibernate underground or in caves in winter. At the end, we got to touch all of the animals. We were excited. It was very fun.

Bird Feeders By: Will, Cole, Malcolm & Joey

On Thursday Mrs. Chapman came into the classroom to talk about birds and what they eat. First, we played a True or False game. She would say a sentence about birds and if we thought it was true we jumped up into the air. If we thought it was false we laid down on the floor. We learned that not all birds can fly, but all birds do have wings and feathers. 

Next, we split into 2 groups. One of the groups made a pine cone bird feeder. We spread peanut butter on the pine cone and rolled it in birdseed. The other group made a bird guide. We colored the birds the right colors. Some of the birds were a mourning dove, a black-capped chickadee, a blue jay and a cardinal. Then the groups switched so everyone got to do the same thing. 

Finally, we got to make one more feeder. We put peanuts in a slinky to see if anymore birds would come to our feeders. We liked making the bird feeders. It was fun doing these projects. We hope these bird feeders will finally attract the birds to our class feeder.

Snowshoeing By: Jake, Cody, Sophia & Joey

The class went snowshoeing on Thursday. First, we went to the MPR. We put on the snowshoes. It was hard to put them on. It was cold outside. You have to pull as hard as you can so the straps get tight so your foot doesn't slip out. Some of our feet slipped out!
Next, we walked beside the school and hung up the pine cone bird feeders on some trees and outside our classroom window. Then we walked back to the MPR.
Finally, we took the snowshoes off and put them back where they belong. It was time for lunch, we were so hungry and our faces were freezing. It felt like we had icicles hanging from our noses.
Even though putting on the snowshoes was hard we still had fun. Hopefully next time we can go out in the woods, stay longer and look for tracks.

The Very Full Weeks of February 10th & 17th

I guess we'll be tired and sore when we're 100...

100th Day by Joey Simpson
On the 100th day of school we got to dress up as old people and pretend we were 100 years old. We did 100 activities too. We named 100 animals. We counted and wrote numbers up to 100. We danced for 100 seconds. We counted collections that were up to 100 and we counted them by 2s and put them in groups of 10 to count more efficiently.

Points to Ponder
I often come across great websites, blogs, posts and videos which help me reflect as an educator, parent and citizen. Here is a blog called Creative Kids: The artful Joy of Parenting. In this post, the author writes about 100 Ways to be Kind to Your Child which is now a poster for sale on Etsy!
Alissa states, "...they are basically a reminder to myself of the simple ways I can connect with and be there for my children.  Many of them will remind you of ways you already are showing your love to your kids."
Enjoy!

PBS DUCKumentary
PBS has been showing their Emmy award winning An Original DUCKumentary over the last few weekends.  This 50 minute film displays duck behavior, habitat and life cycle. Students are amazed by the 2 day old wood ducks jumping out of the 70 foot high tree to go find their mother. If you have a chance, this film is worth watching. Click here to view the video on pbs.org or you can view it on our right sidebar.

Math In Focus Chapter 6: Ordinal Numbers and Position Words
As children continue to build their knowledge of number relationships, ordering numbers is an important skill. Children have learned in Kindergarten to order cardinal or counting numbers such as 1, 2, 3, 4. Numbers such as first, second third and fourth are ordinal or positional numbers.

Children need practice in identifying ordinal positions as well as the words (written and oral) associated with the positions. They have learned to use ordinal numbers in their full (first, second, ... tenth) and abbreviated forms (1st, 2nd, ...10th) to describe the positions of specific objects or persons in a row. Children also integrate their understanding of spatial relationships in the real world, and the concept of order and position. Relevant vocabulary that is essential for understanding relative positions in a row includes left, right, in front of, and behind. Practice with these words at home are helpful as we reinforce these skills in the classroom.


Have a safe and happy winter vacation!

The Week of Jan 27th-Feb 3rd

Sydney is back! We missed you!

Nonfiction Writing: Diagrams
First graders have spent most of the fall writing narrative stories. These stories are telling stories that include a beginning, middle and end using temporal words like, first, next, then, and finally. Writer's in 1S have created stories about birthday parties, holidays, vacation trips and other neat experiences. 

Since the New Year, we've turned our focus to Informative/Nonfiction writing-specifically research writing. We have learned several ways to use resources to help us gather important information. Did you know you can gather and identify facts about a topic just by looking at a picture? You don't need to read words, but you do need to know the difference between a fact and an opinion. When looking at a photograph of a sea turtle our class was able to create terrific sentences that describe what the picture shows. Here's what we wrote: 

Sea Turtles

A sea turtle has a black face with white and yellow spots in it. A sea turtle has bumps and designs on its shell. Some sea turtles might have scratches and spikes on their shell. Sea turtles have 4 flippers. They are used for swimming. 

As we began to read from multiple resources, we used an alphabox to locate the important words and phrases from books. These key words will help us remember to write descriptive sentences and draw informative diagrams.

These learners have proven to be natural researchers! I've had so much joy watching your children transform into scientists and investigators. Next week, each child will select their own topic to write about and research for facts and interesting information. 

New Classroom Games
Mrs. Surrette and Mrs. Damour have purchased new games for our class. Each game helps reinforce a different academic skill. 


Pop to Win is a math game that targets our state and national standards in building number sense & geometry skills, increases understanding of time & measurement and identifying coin values.



Camp is a fun way to educate us about the outdoors (something Mrs. Surrette LOVES). This game challenges you and all of your family members from ages 4-64 years of age. The object of this game is to be the first person to move around the board by answering CAMP questions and finish back at the campfire. Oh what fun!






Boggle is a hidden word game. The object is to list as many words as you can find among random assorted letters within 3 minutes. The words are formed from adjoining letters and they must join in the proper sequence to spell a word. After the timer runs out each player reads aloud his or her words. Any word that appears on more than one player's list must be crossed off all lists. 

Bird Feeder Program
Check out our first grade friends with Mrs. Chapman! On Tuesday Mrs. Chapman introduced our new bird feeder station. For the next several weeks first graders will be able to study and observe bird characteristics and behaviors. Mrs. Chapman has hung 4 feeders outside our windows in hopes to draw more birds into our schoolyard. 

This week we learned that different birds have different features. For example, a raptor has a sharp, hooked beak that's used for tearing meat. A duck's webbed feet is used for swimming, but not good for grabbing fish and flying away with them.

We're excited to keep notes in our observation notebook. So far we've seen a male and female cardinal as well as a female goldfinch. I wonder how many different birds we'll see outside our window.

Chp 5 Shapes & Patterns
Children have learned to identify, name, describe and compare a variety of plane shapes such as circles, squares, triangles and rectangles as well as recognize solid shapes including spheres, cubes, and pyramids. We continue to extend their knowledge by describing their geometric attributes and properties and determining how these shapes are alike and different. 

Geometry can relate to objects in the real world so be on the lookout for these basic shapes in our environment. Take a nature walk or a drive and see how many solid figure or shapes you can find. 

WIN
First graders are back into WIN (what I need). On Monday and Wednesday mornings we flex all 50+ learners into small groups based on what they need for hearing sounds in words. Some groups are working on short vowel sounds. Other groups are working on long vowel patterns or digraphs & blends. Instructors include all of the first grade teachers (Ms. Nichols, Mrs. Pepper, Mrs. Forgiel and Mrs. Surrette) as well as Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Codd & Mrs. Cannon. Ask your child which group he or she is in and what they're working on this cycle.