Fantastic First Grade

Smart board for our SMARTIES!

2012-01-24T17:10:00.001-08:00

I am so excited to announce that we were lucky enough to get a smart board. It was installed on Thursday. Our class would like to give a big thanks to our wonderful PTA who made this possible. Our class has had a lot of fun using this awesome learning tool in the classroom. They have been so patient with me as I work out all the kinks. They are so much smarter than me with technologies. We have been able to use our smart board in Math, spelling, phonics, science, and writing so far. Each day we are getting better and better. Thanks again PTA!

Welcome Back Everyone!!!!

2012-01-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

Welcome Back, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas Break. I had a lot of fun over the holidays, playing with my kiddos, in Disneyland, and our cabin... not to mention Santa wrecked at our house, leaving us a bunch of goodies.

Our first day back was wonderful.... and we all had a super day.... Feels good to be on a routine again....

Christmas came EaRly in room 3!!!!

2011-12-12T21:06:00.001-08:00

Christmas has come early in room 3!!!! I am so excited to share that we just got a new iPad in our classroom. I want to give a great big thanks to Mrs. Esplin, Mr. Moyle, Mrs. Topham, and The Iron County Foundation for making this possible. I can't wait to start using all the fun apps. I am also very excited to announce that we also will be getting a smart board too. I want to thank the PTA. We truly have the best PTA ever. I have so many ideas to use with the smart board and I can't wait until we can get it set up and start using it.

Christmas Presents

2011-12-08T10:31:00.001-08:00

With Christmas just around the corner, I just wanted to remind everyone that if you would like to give gifts to your friends at school. They need to be delivered to their house. It makes kids feel bad when they don't get a present, and someone else did. So please make sure you take care of this by delivering presents to their home. Thank you for your help with this.

AHHH the colors of the world...

2011-12-07T09:40:00.001-08:00

We have been learning about adjectives. Today we learned about different color words we can use in our writing. We made a gigantic color wheel using crayons. Each student colored at least two crayons and wrote the color on the crayon. This will be displayed in our classroom, so students can use these words to make their stories more colorful....

Expert Group Animal Reports

2011-12-07T09:33:00.001-08:00

We are doing group animal reports. We have been reading books about our animal to become an expert on our animal, so we teach the rest of the class about our animal. Today we got the opportunity to use some of the laptops from our laptop lab to watch a video about our animal. We will be studying our animal all week long and reporting on it next week. There are some fantastic websites out there, where students can learn about their animals. If you have a computer and internet access, it would be fun to let them find out some more info...
Here is a fun site
National Geographic

Happy learning:)

Thanks a bunch!

2011-12-02T08:47:00.001-08:00

I would like to thank all of the parents that helped donate for our gingerbread men. It is going to be so fun, and I can't wait... We had a change in our schedule, we are going to be decorating on Monday instead of Friday, because we have had several assemblies this week and our a tad behind with our gingerbread unit.

2011-11-14T14:26:00.001-08:00

We have been learning so much in the last couple of weeks. In Reading we have learned how chunk long words into smaller parts that we know. We have been practicing this in reading groups and during daily 5. We have also been practicing how to check for understanding. While we read a book we see if we are getting the "gist" of what is happening.

In writing, we are working on editing. We edit our story before we put it into the writers crate. We check for spaces, word wall words spelled correctly, title, and that our story makes sense. It is really hard work....

In Science we are learning about the water cycle, clouds, and weather. We even made a cloud in a bottle. It has been so much fun...

In phonics we are starting to learn about contractions. Today we learned all the not contractions. We will be practicing them tomorrow.

Happy MOnDaY!!!!

2011-11-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of reminders, that students need to practice their spelling words each night. The words are getting harder, and therefor more students are missing them. Please plan on practicing them each night. Would you please also make sure that the sight words are coming back and forth to school each day. I have parents helpers coming in to pass them off during the week. It is very frustrating when students don't have their sight words. We can't pass them off if the students don't have their cards. Please make sure that you help your child with this. Thanks!!!!

Halloween

2011-11-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween party was super fun! We made dirt cups, played Halloween bingo, and also made a spooky concoction in a jar. Our class would like to thank all of the parents who donated and came into help to make our Halloween party a success. Special shout out to our fantastic room mom Mackenzie for planning our party. She did a marvelous job. Thanks Kenzie!!!!

2011-10-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming up.... I am so excited. Can you guess what I am going to be for Halloween? Send me an email and there will be a prize for anyone who guesses my costume. Be sure to leave you name to kiddos. (Taytum you can't guess or tell anyone what I am going to be... that would be cheating. What can I say, ahhh, she is my niece and I already spilled the beans to her.)

Just wanted to lay down some guidelines for all of you if you decide to dress up.

No masks
No weapons (yes even fake ones)
No fake blood
No costumes that take up a lot of space or restrict movement
No costumes that would break the dress code in revealing too much of the body

Also don't forget that our super cool room mom needs some help on Halloween. Lets help her out as much as we can, so our party will ROCK!!!! Check you email for details or just shoot me an email if you have any questions.

Can't wait to see what you all come to school as, it is going to be a super funtastic day.

2011-10-25T20:49:00.001-07:00

It is drug free week, don't forget to have crazy hair tomorrow. Can't wait to see all of you crazies....

2011-10-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

In class we are learning what good readers do... We have learned that good readers use their schema to make connections to help better understand a book. We read the book OWEN. Then we brought to school our "thing" that reminded us of Owen's fuzzy blanket that he took everywhere. Here are some pics of the things that we thought of when reading OWEN. (If you are not here that is because I can't show your picture on our blog... Sorry:()

2011-10-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch. We all got to pick our own pumpkins to use in our pumpkin investigation. We did lots of fun activities....

We measured our pumpkins with linking cubes.

We weighed our pumpkins.

We measured the circumference.

We predicted if our pumpkin would float or sink, then we tried it to see if our prediction was correct.

Hopefully you have cut your pumpkin already and counted your seeds. DON't forget that it is due tomorrow. Happy Counting!!!

2011-10-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

We have our field trip tomorrow. Please make sure that your first grader dresses appropriately. We will be leaving at 1:00 tomorrow.

I also wanted to remind you that each first grader should be bringing something precious to them to school tomorrow. We are going to share our precious thing in class for our connection to the book Owen. Thanks!!!!

Web Of Understanding

2011-10-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

What do you know about spiders??? Today we practiced activating our schema. We thought hard about what we already knew about them. We knew lots of stuff already. Such as they have 8 legs, they are hairy, they have long legs, and they are poisonous. My favorite, they are scary... (which I think they totally are) After we activated our schema, we read a book about spiders. We learned lots of neat information. After we were done, we made a web of understanding. Each first grader had to say something they learned when they got the ball of string, then throw it to someone else. Presenting our web of understanding.

ScHema... What we already know...

2011-09-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

Today we learned about schema. Schema is all of the stuff we already know. Places we have been and experiences we have had, just to name a few... Schema is important, because it helps us understand books better. It is important to give our first graders as many experiences as we can.
See if you kiddo can tell you what schema is.

Read those baggie books...

2011-09-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the baggie books need to be read every night and come back every night. It is so important that they are reading these books, because this helps them practice reading. These books are supposed to be easy, they should get all the words or possibly miss one or two.

Shapes Around Our School

2011-09-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Create a picture slideshow

Just a little snippit...

2011-09-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Happy Friday... I just wanted to update you all our super awesome week. We finally know our procedures!!!!! Which is fantastic, because we get a lot more done and have a lot more fun. We also started reading groups this week too. Have a great weekend.

Apples, Apples, ApPles!!!

2011-09-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

We are studying about apples next week. It is gonna be lots of fun. Will you please have your student bring one apple to school, by September 29th. We will be using it to do an apple investigation. Thanks!!!

Community Helpers!!!

2011-09-20T14:26:00.001-07:00

We have been learning about community helpers this week. We are going to make a class book about all the community helpers we know. Your kiddo needs to find two adults to put in our community helper book. Be sure to ask you firstie about the community helper homework.

PArtY!!!

2011-09-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, we had a blast at our Domino's Pizza Party... We ate pizza and shook it to Alvin and The Chipmunks... Here is one of favorite pics:)

Walk-a-Thon

2011-09-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Just wanted to remind you that the walk-a-thon is tomorrow. It looks like it might be a drizzly day, so dress appropriately. We will probably still walk/run if it is sprinkling. It is going to be lots of fun. I heart you all for donating to our school. It helps us so much.:)

Oh, and stay tuned for pics...

Needs and Wants

2011-09-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today we started learning about needs and wants. We did a really fun activity in groups. Each group sorted what they thought was a need and what was a want. Here are some pics of our activity.

Domino's PIzzA!!!

2011-09-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to report that we won the Domino's Pizza party, for having the most kids in our class order Domino's Pizza. YAH!!!!
So thanks for ordering pizza and keep supporting our school...

Five Days...

2011-08-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give all you parents out there an update on how things are going in FIRST grade. We have started learning how to do Read to Self. We are doing fantastic!!!! I have never had a class build so much stamina so quickly. It is spectacular. We started phonics yesterday, we are reviewing blends and letters for two weeks, before we start new stuff. We have started Math also, it is pretty easy right now. We are just reviewing and getting down the Math routines, then it will start to get harder as time goes on...
Every first grader is doing really well, with their behavior. We have been practicing procedures a lot, so we know what to do... We are also working on being a bucket filler and controlling our own behavior and staying on level C.
We are almost through our first full week of school I can't believe how fast it is already flying by.

Message From Mr. Moyle...

2011-08-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Mr. Moyle wanted to remind all parents that students should not be arriving before 8:30 in the morning. Thank!!!

Wheew... 178 days to go...

2011-08-20T22:15:00.001-07:00

Our first two days at school went really well. We have a wonderful class this year. I want to thank everyone who came to back-to-school night. It was so nice to meet all of you and I look forward to working with all of you this year. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents who donated to our classroom too:) It is such a big help.

For all of those parents who signed up to volunteer... I just wanted to let you know that we won't be starting until around October. We need to finish all of our Daily 5 training. I will send out an email to those who signed up to let you know exactly when we will start.

Our New iPod Touch :)

2011-08-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

I wrote a grant at the end of the school year through Donors Choose. I am so excited to let you know that my project was funded last month and our classroom is going to get another iPod touch. We should be receiving it any day now. We use the iPod touches to listen to ebooks, play phonics games, math games, and practice our spelling and sight words.

Ahhhhh, The good LiFE!!!!

2011-06-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

No cute label yet, but I wanted all of you to know that I have been reading a lot this summer so far. I posted all the chapter books I have read so far this summer. I am loving it. I don't normally have this much time to devote to reading novels. So I am having an awesome summer curled up with a good book, well several good books. I hope that all of you are still reading... It is so important to keep reading... the more you read the better reader you will become. So find a good book and read, read, read!!!

Arts Night

2011-05-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that our Arts Night is on May 20th. Hope everyone can make it. It is going to be a lot of fun. Mark it on your calendars.

Calling ALL FirSt GraDeRs!!!

2011-04-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Calling all first graders to come to a fun filled day on the farm. Hope you didn't forget that our field trip is tomorrow. YAY!!! We will be outside all day long in sunny St George (we hope)!! So don't forget to put on sunscreen and wear the appropriate clothes for the weather. Also don't forget if you decided to bring a lunch from home that you don't forget it, that could leave you a little hungry...

LOok!!!

2011-04-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

We have been practicing our pig pen vowels. To practice the /oo/ sound we made these glasses and listed all the /oo/ words we could think of. It was a lot of fun.

Field Trip Lunches!!!

2011-04-18T10:13:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to remind everyone who has a child bringing their own lunch from home for the field trip, that if they forget it that day... WE WILL NOT HAVE a lunch for them. In the past the lunchroom has given us a few extras, but they will not be giving extras this year. I have more than half the class bringing lunches from home. So please make sure that you remember to send a lunch to school with your child that day. I don't always have time to check if every first grader brought their lunch and I don't want them to go hungry. Thanks!!!

FloWeR MyStEry!!!

2011-04-13T11:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday for our morning message we had a mystery flower. Each student had to read the clues and draw what they thought the flower would look like. Here is the poster they created. Wow, I think they did a great job at predicting and using their schema to guess. We will see in a couple of weeks when the plants start to bloom if they were right or not.

2011-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Since we have been learning about soil, it would not be complete without learning about earthworms and their important job. So ask your student what they have learned... We even watched a movie where the worms are so big, you can hear them under the ground. Are you grossed out yet??? Well your kiddos loved it!!! Here are some pics of them observing their worms.

SoiL and DiRt!

2011-04-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

We studied our soil that we brought to school using magnifying glasses. We also studied our partners soil also.

SOiL!!!

2011-04-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Before We Read!!!

After We Read!!!

Today we started our study on soil. As a class we looked at the poster and decided if the statement was true or false. We used a cool strategy called red card/green card. After making our predictions we read the soil book and confirmed whether we were right or wrong. As we read we made changes to the prediction guide so that all the statements are true. We are going to be taking a closer look at soil tomorrow. Stay tuned.....

DOn'T ForGet!!!

2011-04-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to bring back the fundraiser booklet. It earns our school $5.50 for every booklet. They need to be turned in by Wednesday, to be eligible for the drawing for the new razor. Thanks for all your support.

Butterfly Life Cycle!!!

2011-04-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today we finished learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. We posted each part of the life cycle on a paper plate and wrote the steps to go along with the pictures. It was a lot of fun.

Opposites

2011-04-01T07:53:00.001-07:00

Customize your own slideshow

Fundraiser!!!! Let's EaRn SomE MoNeY!

2011-03-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today I am sending home a little booklet with your student. Would you please fill out each page on the booklet so that we can earn some money for our school. Some teachers in our school have not gotten a technology cart yet. All the money that is earned will be used to buy those tech carts for the rest of the teachers. Please, Please Please fill it out so we can finish getting the technology we need to make learning a great experience for all our students.

Here is what you do... Open to the first page, at the top of the page are the instructions. First you check the box for the relation. Then you put your students name and grade in the box. Then you will put the name of the person you are sending it to and their address. Finally you put that persons name again at the top of the letter after dear and then from and P.S.

Just a little note that you must fill out all the pages like the one described above. You DO NOT however have to order a magazine or does the person you send it to. Our school gets the money just for filling out the booklet.

If the booklet is brought back tomorrow, your student gets 2 Prizes. If it is brought back after that your student will only get 1 prize. It must be filled out to be eligible for the prizes. All students who bring back a completed booklet will be entered in a drawing to win a new razor scooter. Good Luck!!!

AnY QuEsTions... Let me KNOW!!!

Any Helpers Out THeRe...

2011-03-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Does anyone want to help out our class, by cutting out some things for me. Let me know if you would be willing to help us out. I can just send it home with your child, you don't even have to come in to pick it up. Thanks!!!

2011-03-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

We are being great scientists. We have been keeping an observation log on our ducks and chicks. Here are some great examples of the students working. I also included a picture of our loner chick. The Fifth grade lent it to us for the day, because we have not had any chicks hatch yet. Thanks, Fifth Grade!!!

Our New Math WALL

2011-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have created a new electronic Math wall. We get to use the aver pens (which is like a wireless mouse) to answer and practice our important Math skills. The students love it. I think it makes it more interactive so more students are listening and participating. Here are a couple of pictures of our Math wall in action.

2011-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here are our ducks that hatched this week. We have had a lot of fun watching them hatch and grow. They are getting so big. We have even picked out names for them. We will miss them next week.

2011-03-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't guessed from the last post we have an incubator in our classroom. We got our eggs today and two of them hatched before our very eyes. We now have two ducks. They are so cute. Hopefully we will have more hatch tomorrow.

what IS this???

2011-03-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

2011-03-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today we started learning about the sun. We activated our schema first (what we already know). Then we read the book Hot and Cold, A book About the Moon. Then we wrote down some sun facts. Stay tuned for more of our learning...

2011-03-21T13:28:00.003-07:00

We did a mix and match to practice our adding nine facts today. Here are some pictures of us.

2011-03-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am still looking for some parents to help out with our shadow activity on Wednesday. We are going to be doing our activity at 9 for about an hour. You will be helping students take pictures of shadows with digital cameras. It is going to be a blast! (Hopefully the sun will be out).
Happy Snowy Monday...

2011-03-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

We have been watching a pair of eagles at their nest at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/decorah-eagles .They have 3 eggs. They are supposed to hatch about March 30th. I have been privileged to see the parents switch places. It has been fascinating to watch.
We have also been watching another pair of eagles in their nest. Today we say the parents feeding their babies.
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

Enjoy!!!!

Doners Choose!!

2011-03-09T14:24:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get another iPod touch in our classroom. Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to the UCET conference in SLC, which is a technology conference. I learned how to utilize the iPod touch in the classroom. It was AWESOME. I never realized how many apps you can get for free... to help your students practice essential core curriculum skills. It was amazing. I am going to try some of these great ideas out. I am in the process of writing several grants to get some more iPod touches for our class to use. I just applied for a grant at Doners Choose. This is a site where you can donate to a project, so a classroom can get neat, cool stuff they need. I would love it if you let your friends and family know. You can donate any amount you want from 5 bucks to 100. Any amount would be appreciated. It would be totally awesome to get another iPod touch for our kids to use.

Here is the link....
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html

Seussville

2011-03-03T12:50:00.001-08:00

Our class got to use the laptop lab today. We have been learning about Dr. Seuss and have been doing Dr. Seuss activities. So we went to Seussville and played some games. It was a lot of fun. We love being able to use the laptops. We have learned how to enter an address into the browser box. We have also learned how to log in and out all by ourselves. Here are some of the kiddos using the laptops.

2011-03-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

I grouped the students into pairs. I placedf the red dot/green dot pages all around the room. I set the timer for 20 seconds. The students read the word and then decided if it was spelled correct or not. If it was spelled correctly then the students drew a green dot, if it is spelled incorrectly then they drew a red dot. The students rotate around the room every 20 seconds and did 12 words. When we were finished the students took the last paper they were at to the document camera and explained to the class if it was correct or incorrect and why. They loved it. Not only do they get to get up and move, but they get to use the document camera to present and be the "teacher."

Here are 2 of the words we did. One is correct and the other is not. We are practicing the odd diagraphs. ph, kn, gn, ck, and wr.

The FOOt Book!

2011-03-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

I found this really cool idea on another teachers blog called First Grade Parade. We read The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss. Then the students did a think pair share and shared all the opposites they could think of. Then we wrote them on some chart paper. Next the students traced and cut out their feet and then wrote an opposite on each foot and drew a picture to match. Then we glued them on the big foot. They loved learning about opposites. See if they can name a few.

2011-03-01T09:53:00.001-08:00

Today We learned about spring. We watched a movie on seasons and then we read two Spring books. This is what we learned...

Mrs. Griffiths' AstRoNoMERs!!!

2011-02-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

This month we are going to be learning about the MOON!!! Each student will get a chance to take home the moon bag. Each student will draw the moon in the moon log and read the provided moon book. Students get to be an astronomer. Make sure you keep your eye out for it....

Daily Five!!

2011-02-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of some of the students doing Daily Five. They are doing such a great job at practicing their stamina. I am in the process of making a new choice board for daily five. I can't wait to try it out on your kiddos and see if they like it. With this new board they will be able to see what daily five activity they have chosen. Can't WAIT!!

Today we Learned ABOUT Spring

2011-02-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today we watched a movie about Seasons. Then we read two books about Spring. This is the graphic organizer we used to record all we learned.

Going To a CONferEnce!!!

2011-02-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know that I will be gone on Friday. I have the opportunity to go to Salt Lake City and attend the UCET conference with a couple of other teachers at our school. Don't worry though, I will be back in time for SEP's.

Book Orders!

2011-02-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

I am going to be sending home book orders today. I have to have at least 20 dollars in orders to be able to get the free shipping. There are some excellent books in the book orders. I would suggest buying some of the nonfiction books. I have noticed that the students are picking them a lot to read in class. We have learned about rocks this year. I noticed there were several rock books too. Some students are wanting to read chapter books. There are quite a few that students can read in these orders. If you have any question about what level the book is let me know OR put the title into the scholastic widget at the bottom of my blog.
You can order online!!! Just follow the instructions on my blog.
The orders are due back on MONDAY!!!

Valentines Day!!!

2011-02-13T19:45:00.001-08:00

Just a reminder that it is Valentines Day TOmoRRow!!!!

Don't forget to bring your valentines...

Valentine List

2011-01-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

Boys

Xavier

Carson

Jacob

Jayden

Colton F.

Jace

Elijah

Cooper

Alex

Tyson

Tayson

Carter

Cody

Coleton W.

Girls

Gwen

Nicole

Lydia

Kamryn

Julia

Megan

Malia

!00 Day!!!

2011-01-27T16:18:00.000-08:00

Monday is our hundreds day celebration. Each student needs to bring 100 items to class to participate in our 100 day activities. I will be sending home a bag tomorrow with your students name on it. Please help them find 100 items that are the same to bring to school for that day. They could bring 100 pennies, erasers, paperclips, fruitloops, ect. Their items must fit in the bag I send home tomorrow. Thanks!!!

Kids College!!

2011-01-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

We will be having kids college on February 18th. This is going to be very fun. Students rotate through different activities we have gotten from the University of Utah. Each student must pay Tuition to attend kids college. It is 25 dollars.

Several students have been losing mustang dollars for not returning their baggie book. I would be so sad if they did not have enough money to pay for kids college. So please help your student be responsible to bring back their baggie book every day.

I have also had several student moving their card lately. This means they do not get their daily dollar. If students are consistently moving their card they will also not have enough money to attend kids college. So please remind your student to follow our classroom and school rules. I will also be doing this at school.

Thanks for your help with this.

Reading Calendar

2011-01-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to remind you all that the reading Calendar is due on Tuesday. Our incentive activity for January is on Feb. 4th. So it is very important that the calendars are turned in to me on time, so your student can come to the incentive party. To reach the goal for January. Your student needed to read 20 minutes on every weekday. Just turning in a calendar does not allow your student to come to the incentive.

Each student needed to read 420 minutes for January.

Matter

2011-01-21T13:52:00.001-08:00

PLay DoUGh!

2011-01-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

We made play dough on Wednesday. Play dough is a solid. It holds it shape and does not change shape easily.

Instructions to make play dough.

In a medium bowl mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 1 cup hot water. Stir the solution and add a little food color to add some color. Knead the play dough, if it is too sticky add a little bit more flour.

GOO, GOO, Goo!!!

2011-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

We made goo today. Goo is a liquid, because it takes the shape of the container it is in. You can also pour a liquid.

Here is the instructions to make goo if you would like to make it.

In a medium sized bowl mix 4 tablespoons of Borax and 1 cup of warm water.

In another medium sized bowl mix 1 cup liquid glue and 1 cup water. Add a little food coloring to add color.

Slowly mix the glue solution into the borax solution. Swirl the solution 3 to 4 times. Remove the goo and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes and you have GOO!!!

Be carful not to get it on clothes or in carpet, it doesn't come out easily:)

Spelling

2011-01-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let all of you know that there is not a new list of spelling words next week. I will send home a review sheet on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, for students to review the spelling words we have learned so far this school year. Thanks!

Can you donate?

2011-01-11T19:47:00.000-08:00

We are learning about matter. We will be doing a series of experiments this week and next. I was wondering if any of you would like to donate some of the materials for our experiment. I need 2 packages of powdered sugar, 3 sticks of butter, 4 boxes of cream cheese, and 1 box of sandwich ziplock bags. We will be doing our experiment on Tuesday, but I will need all the materials by Monday, so I can put them together for the experiment. (I have to put a bag together for every student). If you would like to donate would you please email me and let me know, what you would like to donate. Thanks for all your help.

2011-01-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

This week we studied the season Winter. We learned about Snowflake Bentley the first person in history to photograph a snowflake. We also looked at his photographs and made our own snowflake. The kids thought it was the greatest activity EVER!!! We will keep one at school to showcase with our Winter poem.
Tomorrow is our incentive for December reading calendar. I sent a pink note home with all students who reached their reading goal. Students had to read every weekday to reach the goal. Students who made the goal, get to wear a hat tomorrow or do their hair CRAZY!!!
I just want to tell you how wonderful all the students are doing. We have been building stamina for our last daily 5, read to someone. All the students did excellent!! They all picked a partner and were on task, reading the whole time and checking for understanding. You kiddos rock!!! Keep up all the hard work!!
We also talked today about filling up buckets and not dipping into others buckets, by being mean. Please talk with your student and let them know how important it is to include everyone and to always be kind to each other. This makes our classroom a much funner place, and helps students feel safe and secure. Thanks for all your support!!!

Welcome Back!!

2011-01-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we go back to school tomorrow. I have had a great break. I just wanted to remind you of a couple of things. Make sure your student is dressed appropriately for the weather. It is supposed to be a cold one next week and everyone goes outside, unless of course it is snowing or raining. Students can get into the snow if they have snow boots on and snow pants. The reason for this rule, is so that the students don't get wet.

Don't forget that the reading calendars are due by the end of the week. In order to make the goal, you needed to read over the holiday. We are really going to start digging in with pushing reading. Please make sure that your student is reading 20 minutes every night and practicing the spelling words. Ask them question about what they read to gear them up for Dibels testing next week.

Welcome back!!!

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Please remember to keep reading. It is so important to read each day to practice. Practice will make us a better reader. Days over the holiday will be counted towards your December reading goal. So if you want to go to the activity you will need to have read 20 minutes each weekday.

Thanks!!!

Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Reminders reminders!!!

2010-12-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that our reading calendar is due tomorrow. We are going to walk to Canyon View High School on Monday to watch White Christmas. I want everyone to be able to come, so don't forget to turn in those calendars.

We are going to the Santa's Shop tomorrow, so please don't let your student forget to bring their money.

Santa's Secret Shop!!!

2010-11-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd our class will be going to Santa's Secret Shop. Your student can bring money to purchase a present for someone in their family. We will be going on Friday which is the last day. So if your student forgets their money they will not be able to buy anything. So please mark your calendars!!! Thanks!!!

First Grade Parents are AWESOME!!!

2010-11-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say thanks to all you great parents. We had the most students in our class order pizza on Thursday. So we will be getting a pizza party on Tuesday. YAAAA!!! This is so cool, because your money helps buy us technology that makes learning more fun and interactive for your student. We have had the chance to use the elmo, laptop, projector and the aver pens in our classroom. They have made learning exciting and fun. Thanks to Stacy, (Elijah's mom) we have a brand new IPOD touch we get to use for our listening center and we also can use it to listen to ebooks and play math games. SO THANKS SSOOO MUCH Stacy. Lets keep all the box tops and Lins receipts coming too. Every little bit helps.

Rocks!!!

2010-11-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

Word COllectiNG!!!

2010-11-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents, Today during writing workshop we read a story called Max's Words. In the book, Max collected words from magazines, newspapers, and other printed materials around his house. Please help your child find and cut out or write five to ten interesting words, try to select words that are in a large-sized print! Please return your child's word collection by Friday the 19th in a small zip-lock bag. Thanks!

Looking for an IPOD

2010-11-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

So our mp3 player for our listening center totally crashed and is not working. I am going to use my old IPOD for our listening center, but would really like another IPOD, so more students can listen to books on tape. SO..... I was wondering if you or anyone you know has an old IPOD that they would be willing to donate or sell to me. Thanks!!!

McDonald's Night

2010-11-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that tonight is McDonald's Night. If you come and buy food at McDonalds we get a percentage of that money to go towards our school. We are trying to purchase technology for all the classrooms in our school. We would love to see you there. Thanks!!!!

WEEK IN A PEEK!

2010-11-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try something new. I have posted my school calendar on the left hand side of my blog. This will be where you look for what we are doing in the classroom and for important dates. This will basically be the week in a peek. Thanks!!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the parents that helped and donated to make our classroom party a fun success. The students had a blast. Thanks!!!

I also wanted to apologize, I did not send home the sentence strips for the sentence homework. I totally forgot. I will send them home on Monday. I did sent home a note about rocks. I will give the students the bag on Monday. We will be going over the rules on how to pick a rock. So please don't send a rock until you have received the rock bag. Thanks You!

Reading Calenders

2010-10-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to turn in your reading calenders for October. You needed to read twenty minutes every school night to reach the reading goal. We will be walking to Arctic Circle to get ice cream for all those who turned in their calenders. I don't want to leave anyone behind. YOU CAN Make It!

SPELLING REView wEEk!

2010-10-18T07:43:00.001-07:00

I just updated the week in a peek. Just wanted to remind you that there is no school on Thursday, Friday and Monday. We will be reviewing spelling words this week so I sent home a spelling paper that was front to back so the students could Practice their spelling words. I also sent home all the spelling words that we have done so far. You can use them for practicing and you can use them for the sentences. They should be able to spell them correctly. If they can't please review them at home. Thanks~

Pumpkin Patch and Being Time

2010-10-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that our pumpkin patch field trip is tomorrow. Please have your first grader dress appropriately for the weather. We will be leaving at promptly at 9:00 and loading the bus at 8:50. Please have your child here on time.

Speaking of being on time. I have had quite a few students late these past weeks. (We had 10 students late yesterday). School starts at 8:45. We start right at 8:45, when your student is late they are missing out on PALs. PALs helps with fluency, word solving strategies, and comprehension. They do PALs in partners and when someone is late their partner is missing out on precious reading time. So PLEASE have your student here at 8:45. Thanks!!!

Pumpkin Estimation

2010-10-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our class guessed how many seeds we thought were in our pumpkin. Then we all helped clean out our pumpkin so we could count our seeds. Here are a couple of pictures of us scraping our pumpkin and searching for seeds.

SCHOLASDTIC BOOK ORDERS!!!

2010-10-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

I sent home book orders today. Everytime you order a book online our classroom gets a free book. The instructions are at the top of my blog. Click on Scholastic book orders. It will have you enter a username and password. There are some great books in the book order. Here are some books I think are good picks. The photographic nonfiction. My First Rookie Readers Pack. The Grow a Reader Collection. The sight words collection. Remember that if you order even one book online our classroom gets a free book. We need as many books as possible in our library, because during daily five the students get to pick their own books. Using the I PICK method. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

WeEk in A PEek!

2010-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

I just updated the week in a peek. I also wanted to remind you that we will be going to the pumpkin patch on Friday. Have your first grader dress appropriate for the weather. I am noticing that the spelling scores are going down. Please have your first grader practice their spelling words. They may need more practice than just the packet I send home. Don't forget to have them write a sentence every night also. Thanks for coming to SEP's. It was great to discuss the progress of your child. If you need anything drop me an email. Thanks for all the support!

Names on Spelling Homework!

2010-09-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks I have been getting a lot of spelling homework that doesn't have names. Please remember to check if your student has their name on their paper before they turn it in. Thanks!

Parent Helpers

2010-09-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

Since we have finally finished training the daily five. It is time to start fluency practice. So I need some parent helpers that can come from 1:15-2:00 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. It is a first come, first serve kind of thing. Just so it is fair.
I also need a parent that can come on Wednesday at 1:00 - 1:30 to do sight word pass offs. If any of you are interested please email the time and day you would like to come.
If you are unable to come at those times and would still like to help there is always field trips and classroom parties or I have loads of stuff that need to be cut out or put together for activities we do in school. Let me know if you would like me to send some home. Thanks so much for the support. It really helps me and the students out.

SEP's... It that time again!

2010-09-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

I sent home the SEP form with the students today. Please sign it and get it back to me. It is worth an extra mustang buck for those students who get it back to me by Friday. I have also posted my SEP schedule above on the link that says SEP Schedule. If you can't make your appointment you can see what other appointments I have available. Thanks!

Just A little reminder...

2010-09-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to get in your walk-a-thon money as soon as possible. The assembly will be on Friday. Thanks for helping out our school. It will be super awesome to get technology into every classroom. We have been able to use the projector and document camera in our classroom already and it makes learning so much fun. So thanks again for the support.

I put a link to the school calendar on the blog it is on the left of this post. This will keep you up to date on our school activities. So check it often. I also updated the week in a peek so you can check out what we will be doing this coming week. Have a great weekend!!!

Parent Night!!!

2010-09-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

There is a parent night for parents tonight in the gym from 6:00 to 7:00 if you would like to attend!

Walk-a-Thon!

2010-09-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the walk-a-thon. Don't forget to wear appropriate shoes and dress for the weather.

Reading Calendar

2010-09-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to have your child read for 20 minutes every school night. That is usually 400 minutes a month. Practicing reading at home is very important. It goes back to practice makes perfect and the more you read the better you are at reading. Students need to read books that they can read. You can still read to them, but this should be after they have read for 20 minutes to you. I have taught them in class how to pick a "good fit" book. We are still trying to perfect this strategy (it will take practice). I have put a book mark in their homework folder that you can keep at your house that explains the way we pick "good fit" books. We call it I PICK. If your child reads for the 20 minutes each school night, then they will be rewarded at the end of the month and be invited to the monthly reading incentive activity for completing the calendar. We also have a class chart that we are working on filling up. Everytime a calendar comes back we get to mark a box on our chart. We can mark two boxes if you have read a book from this months genre. Once our chart is full we get a class reward as well. So get your students reading. If you have any questions the directions for the reading calendar are on the back of the calendar or you can email me. Thanks!

Walk-A-Thon and Pizza!!!

2010-09-09T14:46:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that the walk-a-thon packets are due tomorrow. Please donate money so we can have up to date technology in our classrooms. Also don't forget to order pizza tonight. Some of the money from your pizza goes to our school technology fund. The class with the most orders will get a pizza party!!! So ORDER tonight. Thanks for all your support!

Lets make some moNey!!!

2010-09-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to bring back your walk-a-thon packets by Wednesday. If you bring them back you can get a free snack at PTA snack sales and your name is entered into the walk-a-thon drawing. Lets earn some money for our School.