Thank You, Tim Allen

Last fall I was unexpectedly hospitalized twice, resulting in a three and a half month absence from work. I needed a difficult surgery which was followed by a long recovery time.  None of my doctors had seen a case like mine in twenty years of practice.  

Shortly after my first hospital stay I also found out that my cat was dying.  Spending time with her was a huge blessing while I was sick, but caring for her and keeping her comfortable was also an added challenge because I had to quarantine while I was waiting for my surgery.

These were the biggest challenges I had faced since the passing of both my parents.  

During that period watching Last Man Standing  gave me much needed opportunities to laugh.  Two of  my favorite episodes were the first and the last.  Seeing Mike readjust to life at home in the beginning, and seeing how Mike's family supported him at the end made me laugh so hard I cried.  I was able to forget my frustration and pain and stop mourning the loss of missed time with my family and friends and the students I teach.  I quickly learned the only thing I had control over was my attitude. Your efforts and the efforts of all the people who worked with you gave me a much appreciated rest from my fear.  Watching the Baxters and all their people navigate their lives gave me great joy.  

It wasn't until six months after I returned to work that it fully hit me how serious my situation had been.  Now that it has been almost a year since I got sick, I am profoundly grateful for the people God used to get me through this challenge.  Thank you for being one of those people.

Recently I discovered that the Roku Channel now has Home Improvement.  I am grateful for the many memories I have of watching that show with my Mom after my Dad passed away.  One of our favorite episodes was the one where Brad babysat the goldfish.  If I close my eyes I can see my Mom and me laughing uncontrollably at Brad and Randy's "problem solving" strategies in that episode.  I'm looking forward to revisiting more of these episodes in the coming months. 

For the past 30 years Mike Baxter and Tim Taylor have given me more laughter and more joy than any other characters currently on television.  I will never be able to adequately thank you for the time and effort you put into bringing these characters to life.  I am grateful to your family for supporting you while you were away working on these projects.  I am grateful to the cast and crew of both Home Improvement and Last Man Standing for all the time, talent, and energy that they gave to both of these shows as well.

Thank you for the laughter and memories both of these shows have brought to my life.  May God bless you and your family and any future projects you pursue.

Keep Me in THIS Moment...

 Keep Me in This Moment…

Driving home from church today I was reflecting on our first three weeks of school.  What have I learned?  What went well?  What can I improve on?

While I was driving a song came on the radio.  Keep Me in The Moment by Jeremy Camp.  I love when music answers my thoughts...it felt like the Holy Spirit was responding in real time to my questions.  

How do I stay in the moment when my list of things to do keeps getting bigger every day, and the new safety protocols and added responsibilities take up most of my time not teaching?  How do I enjoy my students when I know that I will have to respond to email, plan lessons, and grade after school?  How do I give my students time to create, explore, and inquire when we have to stick to our schedule?

Many teachers around the world are asking themselves similar questions.  Knowing that I’m not alone in this helps.  Being able to openly discuss my faith with my students is priceless to me.

Years ago when I made the decision to take out loans, go back to school and pursue my teaching credentials most friends and family didn’t understand why I wanted to leave my job and take out more loans to pursue a different direction in education.  I was working in student activities at a college at the time.  The only thing I knew for sure at this time was that I wanted to some day teach in an elementary classroom where I could openly acknowledge my faith.  My Mom understood and did whatever she could to help me through this transition.

Fast forward to the middle of my fifteenth year at St. Matthew, and Covid-19 forces the whole world to pause and go in a different direction.

One of the biggest challenges I faced last spring when we went remote was how to best meet the needs of my students and their families.  It felt like every week despite my best efforts I wasn’t helping and guiding as much as I thought I was.  There were many days I struggled to sleep and felt overwhelmed by what I was being called to do.  I learned quickly to be flexible and let go of my expectations and to keep tweaking my plans.  Most importantly, I learned to listen to my students and their families.  The world had changed overnight, and we were all figuring this out together.

Many people continue to remind me since our return to the classroom to focus on the positives and the “we cans”, not the “we can’ts”.  While we were remote, my students got to know my cat Cassie very well.  She became an instant celebrity with them, and she was often the reason they would work harder in our small groups. If we finished our small group work a minute or two early, I would let them see what Cassie was up to that day.  I also learned to embrace Cassie’s cameos when I was recording stories for my first graders because those cameos made my first graders want to listen to more stories.  It was more important that they love the stories than it was for my videos to be perfect.  My students wouldn’t have gotten to know Cassie this well if I had been teaching at school.  Cassie gave all of us joy in an impossible situation.

Returning to school this year was one of the most challenging tasks I’ve ever faced and also the most rewarding.  After months of only connecting with last year’s students on Zoom, I was actually getting to spend my days with first graders again.  

There is absolutely no substitute for being in the same room with your students.  Hearing their stories of lost teeth, their detailed adventures with their pets, and their amusing anecdotes about who they got to have a playdate with gives me great joy.  Their enthusiasm for wiggle breaks behind their desks makes me want to work harder.  Their questions and desire to make good choices inspire me.  Their tears when we’re having a heart to heart remind me of my constant need for Jesus’ guidance.  They remind me on a minute by minute basis to stay in the moment.  Their first grade perspective helps me to leave my own concerns in God’s hands when I walk in our classroom.

What is better in our classroom since the pandemic?  

I’m finally better at using music more consistently in my classroom because my students need me to give them movement breaks.  I’m more aware of what books I have in my personal library and how best to use them. I’ve rediscovered my love for reading and learning new strategies to work around the challenges we’re facing.  They are enjoying their homework more because I gave them a design challenge as part of their spelling and sight word practice.  

My office and our classroom are better organized because we knew we had to make more room to socially distance ourselves.  I have learned a lot from the educators who have done webinars for Simple K12.  I have learned to give myself grace when I’m too tired to finish what I had planned and to choose to rest instead.  Most importantly, I’m protecting my quiet time with God at the end of each day.

My opportunities to grow as a professional have become more meaningful to me since the pandemic.  I am beyond grateful to Craig Kemp for the opportunity to periodically co-moderate his global educator chat on Twitter with Mark Weston.  I have never been in the same room with either of these educators, but their voices impact me, encourage me, and challenge me on a daily basis.  If you are an educator new to Twitter, I encourage you to check out #whatisschool on Thursday evenings at 7pm. EDT and Thursday evenings at 6pm EST when Daylight Savings ends.

Learning a new math and reading curriculum in the context of the coronavirus felt a little like speed reading an Olympic training manual, but I am forever grateful that we were given an extra two weeks to dig into it before our students arrived..  Each day I figure out another aspect of these tools, and I’m excited to use them with my class.  Learning Google Classroom has reignited my love for technology, and I’m getting better at communicating with my students’ parents every day. 

The pandemic has also made me more aware of the little things.  At the beginning of the pandemic I decided to buy some plants.  It had been years since I had attempted to have a few potted plants on my patio, and I really love hibiscus.  I thought it would be a great way for me to take care of myself, too, by making time for something I love.  

I bought three plants.  My red hibiscus bloomed the most, but then dropped all its leaves and died.  My peach hibiscus has only bloomed a couple times.  I have done my best to battle the bugs that keep trying to eat it.  Currently its leaves are healthy, but it has no buds.  My yellowish pink hibiscus has surprised me this week.  Normally flowers are only alive on my hibiscus plants for one day.  This past week after several buds had also fallen off this plant, it bloomed.  Not only did it bloom, but the flower has been open for four days.  I keep taking pictures of it because I’m amazed by this little miracle happening on my patio.  Before the pandemic I always thought “I’m too busy to worry about planting flowers.”  I would have missed this miracle if I hadn’t planted those three plants.

Somewhere around day ten this year things started to bloom in our classroom, too.  We started to get more comfortable with our cleaning and safety routines, and I was able to focus more on teaching and making things fun for our first graders.  We watched the French film The Red Balloon and talked about the power of kindness.  The children started to recognize how hard all their teachers are working and kept expressing their appreciation in unexpected ways.  I watched my students make Forky during their first LEAP class.  They’ve become fans of MercyMe because we dance to their song Happy Dance as one of our movement breaks.

I started to see that what I had perceived as almost impossible in August was becoming possible.  I realized I was living Matthew 19:26:

What am I looking forward to this week?  Introducing my students to our service project  The Kula Project, making paper bag puppets, and listening to whatever wonderful stories they bring to the classroom:)  Mostly, I’m looking forward to each and every moment I am given with them.

Thank You, Murph!

"I don't know how you do it, Ellen."  

People have often made comments like this to me in regards to teaching.  

Since the pandemic started even more people have asked me where I get the strength to do my job. 

Today when a friend asked me about school I said, "I don't do it.  God does.  I couldn’t teach without Him.”

I've learned to focus on today and to give myself grace.  I try really hard to focus on my blessings and the things that bring me joy and to ask God to help me not let the "mountain" overwhelm me.  Teaching in the context of the coronavirus presents challenges daily that I can't anticipate.  My faith in God is my strength.  I am so grateful to be able to teach at a Catholic school.  It's important to me to be able to walk into my classroom refreshed and ready to learn with my first graders.  My prayer every morning is that God will help me to leave my own concerns in His hands as I walk into our classroom.

I’ve been reflecting a lot on the joys that bring balance to my life.  One joy that has always helped me handle the challenging times of the school year is baseball.  

Those who know me well know that my love of the Phillies and baseball started when I was nine years old.  

When the Phillies were down 13-2 against my Dad's Cubs, and my Dad asked me who I thought was going to win that day. I told my Dad I thought the Phillies were going to win. 

Amazingly, the Phillies did win that day, and I've been a Phillies phan ever since.  

For more information about that historic game, please read Rich D'Ambrosio's article:

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-17-1976-phillies-slugger-mike-schmidt-hits-four-home-runs-at-wrigley-field/

Fast forward to Ellen, the first grade teacher.  

I have had the privilege of seeing my Phillies in person many times in the past eight years.  The first and only time I saw Roy Halladay pitch in person was in Atlanta in 2012.  That was a rough game for Doc and the Phillies, but something pretty cool happened on that chilly rainy afternoon.  

I met the Phillies' broadcaster Gregg Murphy "Murph" for the first time.  What I remember most about that day was enjoying my niece and nephew's first major league game with my brother, and getting to talk baseball with Murph.  I'm pretty sure Chase Utley had a home run that day, too.

Over the next eight years I would occasionally have the privilege of running into Murph again.  He understood how the presence of my favorite player or the world's best team mascot could turn this usually well spoken teacher into her tongue tied nine-year-old self.  What amazed me most was Murph always remembered my name.  I don't know how Murph remembers the names of so many Phillies phans, but he does.

I'm grateful for the time in Pittsburgh Murph introduced me to Tom McCarthy "T-Mac" (the Phillies play by play broadcaster) when my friend and I ran into them after a game. 

I'm grateful for all the Spring Training games I was able to watch while grading papers.  I'm grateful for all the Minutes with Murph I was able to catch every March which is one of the busiest months in a teacher's school year.  I'm grateful for Murph's postgame interviews, especially the few I was able to watch live from the field.

I'm grateful for all the time, hard work, and preparation Murph has put into bringing the Phillies home to all of us.  

I know I'm one of countless Phillies phans who is feeling both gratitude and loss today.

Thank you, Gregg Murphy, for being the eyes, ears, and voice of Phillies fans.  We're all praying for you and pulling for you in your next adventure.

We're grateful for all our minutes with Murph. 

As always, thank you for reading,

Ellen

Monday is Fun Day!

Monday is Fun Day!

Get ready for 1-Delightful Summer of Fun!

I'll be adding resources as I find them this summer.  

Dice Games:

https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/dice-games-for-kids/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=631447170_24365230_179518

Summer Literacy Ideas:

https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/summer-literacy-ideas-for-kids/

Writing Prompt:

One of the things my Mom did for me every summer was to give me pictures from magazines and ask me to tell her the story behind the picture.  I remember loving this activity because she chose pictures of things I loved.  Nature, animals, and dolls were some of my childhood passions.  I found this video yesterday, and I thought it would be an incredible writing prompt.

Meet Duck the Cat:

How to Draw Snoopy:  

Check out this wonderful book by Peter H. Reynolds:

Wonderful Websites for Exploring Your Wonders about Science and More:

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

https://www.tweentribune.com/category/junior/

Peanuts themed lesson ideas:

https://ymiclassroom.com/lesson-plans/peanutsfamily/

Learning with Frog and Toad

May 18 - May 22, 2020

Please remember to check RenWeb for Specials Assignments.

Things to Turn in/Complete:

• Spelling choices
• Math 10.3 and 10.4
• Frog and Toad writing
• First grade memory writing
• Adverb sheet
• Read at least 2 books on RAZ Kids and take the quizzes
• Continue working on your mailbox in Epic

Reading:

Please continue to read at least two books on RAZ Kids in your Level Up assignment and take the quizzes.  

Please continue to work on your mailbox assignments in Epic.

Please listen to these two selections from Journeys Lesson 28.

The Kite from Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Measuring Weather:  Informational Text and Grammar Pages

Please listen to the rest of the sections from Frog and Toad

Tomorrow from Days with Frog and Toad

Shivers from Days with Frog and Toad

The Hat from Days with Frog and Toad

Alone from Days with Frog and Toad

Frog and Toad Together part one

Frog and Toad Together part two

Frog and Toad Are Friends part one

Frog and Toad Are Friends part two

Sight Words:

• across
• ball
• cried
• head
• heard
• large
• second
• should

Please practice your sight words each day.

Spelling Words:

• my
• try
• sky
• fly
• by
• dry
• pie
• cried
• night
• light
• myself
• brighter

Please complete 3 Spelling Choices from the May Spelling Menu on One Drive and turn in by Sunday, May 24, 2020.

Writing:

Write about your favorite Frog and Toad selection.  Give me 4 to 5 reasons why that part is your favorite.  

Please turn in this writing by Sunday, May 24, 2020.

Write about your favorite memory of first grade.  Please remember to use describing words and write at least 4 sentences.

Please turn in this writing by Sunday, May 24, 2020.

Grammar:

Here are two videos which explain adverbs.

Here are some fun ways to practice adverbs at home.

https://playablo.com/Blog/make-adverbs-easy-for-first-graders-with-these-6-simple-activities/

Please complete the adverb sheet in One Drive and turn in by Sunday, May 24, 2020.

Math:

Please complete the PDFs 10.3 and 10.4 and turn in by Sunday, May 24, 2020.

Note to Parents:

I've also included the test, vocabulary test, and fluency practice for Chapter 10.  I've added those same files for Chapters 8 and 9.  These worksheets are optional practice and do not need to be turned in to One Drive.  These would be helpful if you would like to see what material your child has mastered from these chapters while distance learning.

Social Studies:

We will be talking about community changes during Table Talks this week.  We will also touch on some facts about North and South America.  If you would like to learn more about these continents here are some good links.

https://www.ducksters.com/geography/northamerica.php

https://www.ducksters.com/geography/southamerica.php

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/search-results/?q=north%20america

Here's a great link to learn about the changes that have happened in Charlotte:

https://www.cmstory.org/history-timeline

IXL: These are good review objectives to complete by the end of June.  They do not need to be completed by the end of this week.

Math:

 A 6 - A 12, A 17 - A18, F 1 - F7, G 1 - G 10, Q 1 - Q11

https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1

Language Arts:

DD1 - DD2, EE 7 - EE 11, FF 4 - FF 11, HH 1 - HH3, 
LL 1 - LL 3

https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-1

First Graders,

We are so proud of how hard you are working!!! 

Friday, May 22 is our last day of lessons.  We will have a special call on Tuesday, May 26 at 9 a.m. to celebrate the last day of school.

Mrs. Heiser, Mrs. Woeste, and I miss you very much and wish you a wonderful summer full of fun and adventures.

Miss Deem

Down Under with Mem Fox

Down Under with Mem Fox

May 11 - May 15, 2020

Please check RenWeb for Specials assignments each week.

Things to Turn in/Complete Checklist:

• Spelling Choices
• Math 10.1, 10.2, and Check My Progress
• Writing: What You Do Well, Opinion Choice, Mem Fox
• Science Photo Collage
• Complete Your IXL.
• Read at least two RAZ Kids books and take the quizzes on your Level Up assignment.
• Keep working on your mailbox assignments in Epic.
• Keep practicing your math facts.

Reading:

Please listen to these stories.  There is a writing assignment to go with the Mem Fox books.  The Journeys videos will give you practice with your sight words.  There is also a writing assignment to go with the Journeys story What Can You Do?

Journeys Story 27:  

What Can You Do? 

The Wind and The Sun: an Aesop's Fable

Mem Fox's books:

Possum Magic

Koala Lou

Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild!

Tough Boris

Time for Bed

Hello, Baby!

Sight Words:

• always
• different
• enough
• happy
• high
• near
• once 
• stories

Spelling Words:

• hard
• harder
• hardest
• fast
• faster
• fastest
• slow
• slower
• slowest
• sooner
• shorter
• shortest

Please complete 3 Spelling choices from the May Spelling Menu to practice your spelling words.  Please turn these in by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Grammar:

Please watch this read aloud by Steve Jenkins that uses a lot of -est words.

Please complete the -er -est worksheet in the Grammar folder on One Drive.  Please turn in by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

For the syllable 'le there is a Bingo game in the One Drive folder.

Here are some games to practice suffixes that we used this past week in Table Talks.  The children really liked them and asked me to post them this week.

http://www.bigbrownbear.co.uk/demo/suffix.htm

https://www.fun4thebrain.com/English/basewordBaseball.html

Writing:  

Please write 5 sentences about something you do well.  Please add illustrations to your writing and turn it in by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Please choose one of the two opinion writing activities in the Writing folder on One Drive.  Please turn it in by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Please write an opinion piece about which Mem Fox book you like the best and why. Four to five sentences listing at least four details from your favorite book will be perfect.  Please turn in your writing by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Math:

Please continue to practice your math facts.  Our Math Minute practice papers are in our One Drive folder.  We will be working with 3D shapes.  Please watch the following videos about 3D shapes.

Please complete 10.1, 10.2,  and Check My Progress in Our One Drive folder.  Please turn these in by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Science and Math:

For fun find some recyclable 3D shapes around your house and create something out of them.  In the past we've done this to make robots or the Kingdom of Didd from the Bartholomew Cubbins books by Dr. Seuss.  I recorded the Bartholomew Cubbins books.  They are long so each book has 3 parts.  Here are the videos.

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

Bartholomew and the Oobleck

If you would like to make Oobleck at home all you need is cornstarch, green food coloring, water, and a container to mix it in.  This is a fun but messy thing to make so you will want to make it outside.  The cornstarch washes away with water when you are done.

Social Studies:

Please watch these videos on wants and needs and goods and services.

Wants and Needs

Producers and Consumers

Goods and Services

Goods and Services

We will be talking about wants and needs, producers and consumers, and goods and services during Table Talks this week.  Please complete one activity from the Wants and Needs and Goods and Services folders in the Economics Folder on One Drive.  You do not have to turn in these worksheets.

Our continents this week are Australia and Antarctica.  We will explore both in Table Talks.  Here are some articles on Pebble Go as well.

https://site.pebblego.com/modules/5/categories/9712/articles/9743

https://site.pebblego.com/modules/5/categories/9712/articles/9749

Here is a link to some activities on Australia.

https://www.ducksters.com/geography/oceania.php

IXL:

Language Arts:

Please complete these language arts objectives.  

F 3, LL 5, MM 1 - MM 2, NN 1 - NN 2

https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-1

Math:

Please complete these math objectives.

W 1- W 10, X Bonus (New ways to make halves, thirds, fourths)

https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1

Science:

Go on a photo scavenger hunt.  Take pictures of plants, animals, bugs, rocks, stars, magnets, things you can push and pull, the moon.  Try to find pictures of all the things we've talked about in science this year and make a photo collage.

Please turn in your photo collage by Sunday, May 17, 2020.

Mrs. Heiser, Mrs. Woeste, and I cannot thank you enough for being so incredibly kind and generous to us for Teacher Appreciation Week!  We are so blessed to know each and every one of you and miss you all very much!

Miss Deem

  

Make Your Mark Week with Peter H. Reynolds

Make Your Mark Week with Books by Peter H. Reynolds

May 4-May 8, 2020

Please remember to check RenWeb for your Specials assignments each week.

Reading:

Please listen to The Dot.

Please make a Dot picture for your Mom.  Write her a letter with the picture to thank her for ways that she encourages you to try hard things every day.  Please tell her why you love her.  Please turn in a photo of your picture and letter by Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Please listen to Ish which is the sequel to The Dot.  

Please listen to Going Places.

Please listen to Sky Color.

Please listen to The Word Collector.

Please listen to Say Something!

Please listen to the following videos about/with idioms.

If Idioms Were Literal/Just Jake

Idioms with Cassie

Amelia Bedelia Hits the Trail by Herman Parish

Amelia Bedelia Bakes Off by Herman Parish

Please pick four idioms from these videos to illustrate.  Please write a sentence using each idiom.  Please turn in your sentences and illustrations by Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Sight Words:

• above
• bear
• even
• pushed
• studied
• surprised
• teacher
• toward

Please practice your sight words each day.

Spelling:

• mix
• mixed
• hop
• hopped
• hope
• hoping
• run
• running
• use
• used
• writing
• grabbed

Please complete three choices on the Spelling Menu for May.  Please turn your spelling practice in by Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Phonics:

We are working on long e spelling patterns with y and ie.  We are also working on words that end in ed and ing.

Please complete the long e worksheets from both folders. There are six between the two folders.  

Please turn in one example of each pattern of your long e practice by Sunday, May 10, 2020.  

Please complete the worksheet on exclamations in our One Drive folder.

Please watch these videos on -ed and -ing.

Please complete the inflectional ending worksheet in our One Drive folder and turn in by Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Math:

Please practice your math facts each day.  I've moved our math minute practice sheets to this week's folder on One Drive.  You can also practice your math facts by playing games.  This website has a lot of fun ways to practice your facts.  

https://www.abcya.com/grades/1/numbers

Please watch the following books about fractions and equal shares.

Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta

The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat

The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

Here's a great way to practice halves, thirds, and fourths.

https://classace.io/learn/math/1stgrade/equal-parts-halves-thirds-fourths/practice

Please watch this BrainPop about Basic Parts of a Whole.

https://jr.brainpop.com/math/fractions/basicpartsofawhole/

I've posted the sign in information on RenWeb in case you need it.

Please complete the pdfs labeled 9.8, 9.9, and 9.10.  

Note to Parents:  I've also added another folder called Equal Shares.  There are a lot of resources in it.  Please pick and choose which will be best for your child.  If we were in the classroom I would also teach this concept by dividing things into halves, thirds, and fourths.  I have used a paper plate to make a pizza model and had the children cut it into halves or fourths.  I've also used counters to separate things into equal groups.  The Cookie Fiasco and Apple Fractions both illustrate the concept of equal groups.

Drawing 2D shapes and dividing them into halves, thirds and fourths is also another great way to practice equal parts.

Please turn in the pdfs 9.8, 9.9, and 9.10 by Sunday, May 10, 2020.  If time allows I would also love to see any photos of you practicing fractions with objects.  

Social Studies:

Mothers' Day:  Besides the writing assignment for The Dot story, I've included some optional Mothers' Day activities that Mrs. Veit forwarded to me in a folder on One Drive.  

Continent: Europe

Please visit this website for ways to learn about Europe.

https://www.ducksters.com/geography/europe.php  

Please read this article on Pebble Go about Europe.

https://site.pebblego.com/modules/5/categories/9712/articles/9738

The sign in information is posted on RenWeb if you need it.

Please write down four to five facts about Europe and illustrate one of those facts.  Please turn this writing in by Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Note to Parents:  We will be reading books about countries in Europe during small groups next week.  If your child misses his or her small group call please feel free to contact me to find out what books we read.

Science:

Night Sky:

Please watch these videos about the Night Sky.

Please create your own constellation art.  Here are some ideas on how to do that.  

https://playgroundparkbench.com/constellation-activities-for-kids/

Note to Parents:  If we were in school I would give the children black construction paper, white crayons, and toothpicks to make their own constellations.  I would allow them to draw any combination of stars they wanted.  We would then use the toothpicks to poke holes in their stars.  Then we would hang their art on the windows.

Please turn in your constellation art by Sunday, May 10, 2020.

Animal Habitats:  Please write 4-5 sentences about why you love the animal you chose for your animal project.

Please turn in this writing by Sunday, May 10, 2020.


IXL:

Language Arts:

https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-1

Please complete these objectives for language arts.

EE 3-EE 6, JJ 9, JJ 11, KK 1- KK 2.

Math:

https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1

X 1- X 7, H 1-14

Just for Fun:

I've included a graphic novel activity in this week's folder for you if you finish your work early.  This activity is just for fun.

First Graders, I'm so proud of how hard you are working. Please keep up the great job you are doing for your parents.  

Remember to make sure you read at least 2 books on RAZ Kids each week and take the quizzes.  Please keep working your way with your Epic mailbox.  

I hope you enjoy the books we're reading this week.  I had a ball recording them for you!

Miss Deem