Saturday, December 5, 2009

Let it Snow?

The day began with high hopes for snow, and a birthday book for Joseph.
We searched and waited for snow all day.
Recess was a pretty cold affair.
We bundled up and huddled together.
Lots of fun in spite of the cold biting our noses.
Creative ways to keep warm.
I think that any weatherman who incorrectly predicts snow should have to come and teach inside a classroom of six year olds!

But, wait...what is that stuff falling from the sky? Why it is SNOW!
We grabbed our coats and raced outside.












And a good time was had by all! (And the teacher is going home to take a loooooong winter's nap. Your turn now, parents!)

Friday, December 4, 2009

Future Goals from the Class of 2021

In Social Studies, we have been studying careers. While doing our report on Lance Armstrong, we found that he knew he wanted to be a cyclist at age six or seven. Mrs. O'Brien said that she knew she wanted to be a teacher at age six. We are talking about what we like to do, what we are good at and what abilities we can develop as we grow up. To explore our future career options, we interviewed our mom or dad about the job they have. We presented our information to the class, and then told our friends what we would like to do when we grow up. Here are our observations.
Connor interviewed his baby sitter. She is a counselor. Connor would like to be a paleontologist.
Joseph interviewed his dad who is a software engineer. Joseph would like to be a movie maker.
Luca interviewed his dad who is an animator. Luca would like to be president.
Romi interviewed her dad who is an engineer. Romi would like to be a different kind of engineer: one that designs video games.
Cade interviewed his dad who is a website developer. Cade is not sure what he would like to be yet.
Erik interviewed his mom who is an architect. Erik would like to be an astronaut.
Liam interviewed his mom who is a vice teacher. Liam would like to be a professional soccer playr.
Gracie interviewed her dad who is a systems administrator. Gracie would like to be a veterinarian.
Jake interviewed his dad who is a program manager at Apple. Jake would like to design cars.
Emma interviewed her mom who is an acolyte. Emma would like to be a veterinarian.
Ian interviewed his dad who is an investigator. Ian would like to be an inventor.
Elliot interviewed his dad who is a doctor. Elliot would like to be a doctor or an investigator.
Emma Kate interviewed her dad who is an underwriter. Emma Kate would like to be a police woman.
Jacob interviewed his mom who is a waiter. Jacob would like to be a bike racer.
Eliana interviewed her mom who is an insurance medical examiner. Eliana would like to be the same thing!
Alena interviewed her mother who is a medical assistant. Alena would like to fix cars.
Olivia interviewed her dad who is a small business manager. Olivia would like to be a veterinarian.
Bella interviewed her mom who is a surgery coordinator. Bella would like to be a veterinarian.
Thomas interviewed his dad who helps people get jobs. Thomas would like to be a policeman.

Mrs. O'Brien would like to be a first grade teacher with a room full of students who love to learn and who make coming to work a joy. Oh wait...that is what I am already doing!
(Thanks, parents, for all your help with this assignment. It was a real hit in the first grade!)


Thursday, December 3, 2009

Important Updates...

Today, my ancient classroom eMac's have decided to accept pictures on the blog. Here are the pictures of our Lance Armstrong Museum. We will finish our reports this week, and sometime next week I will send them home for the parents to write a review! (I told my students that when they gave the reports to you they needed to give you a fan and a cold glass of water for when you fainted. The work is that good!)

Important information that has recently come my way:

FIELD TRIP Monday. Students need to have a completely disposable lunch. We will be attending a Christmas play at Zachary Scott Theater, and will be transported by bus.

CHRISTMAS MUSICAL: We will perform for the school on Monday at 2:00 pm.
We will perform for parents and families on Tuesday. Children should be on stage in the cafeteria by 6:15 pm. They should wear their best holiday clothes. The program will begin at 6:30 and should be over by 7:00 pm. The book fair will be open this night between 5:30-8:00 pm.

The final performance will be at Barnes and Noble in the Arboretum on Wednesday, December 16 at 6:00. Meet up stairs in the audio department. (Optional)

GIFT: We have a high school aide who comes in and works in our room every Thursday. If you can send a small gift for Haley before next Thursday, it would be so appreciated! We want to thank her for all her hard work.

SNOW: (!) I am in a classroom with 19 students who are expecting the Blizzard of 2009 tomorrow. As you can imagine, excitement is running high. Watch your news for updates regarding road conditions or school plans. (Please send warm clothes tomorrow: if there is a flurry, I do want to take them out for a little while since it only snows around here once in a blue moon!)

Thanks again for lending me your little blessings!



Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Due to Technical Difficulties...

Parents:
For some reason, blogger is not allowing me to post pictures from my eMacs at school.
I will take the camera home and attempt to post there.
Imagine if you will, reports being written by hometown hero, Lance Armstrong.
We also have a Lance Armstrong museum in our room!
You will not believe the writing these students are turning out.
I have already told the students they will need to have a fan and cold cloth ready when they show you their work: you may pass out it is so good.

Cade brought in a book with some Lance Armstrong web sites you may enjoy looking at:

Lance Armstrong: The Official Site
www.lancearmstrong.com
(Lances' official site includes news updates, a biography, fan club information and links to his cancer foundation.

The Unofficial Lance Armstrong Fan Club
www.lancearmstrongfanclub.com
this fan site includes news updates, links to past stories about Lance, and a photogallery.

Cycling News
www.cyclingnews.com
This site is the internet center for cycling news, updates, and inside information.

Tour de France
www.letour.fr/indexus.html
The official site of the Tour de France includes detailed coverage of past Tours and previews of the next year's race.

Monday, November 30, 2009

November Reading Celebration!

Today, we held our November Reading Celebration. Our theme was "Read 'Big' With Clifford", and we really did some "big" reading! Our total for the month was (drum roll, please!) 17,038 minutes, or 284 hours or 12 days! Way to read, first grade!

The top 5 readers got to choose a prize.

Everyone received a book called "The Crayon Box That Talked"....
...and a bag with cookies shaped like Clifford and his bone! (We are taking them home and asking our parents if it is OK to eat them.)
Top five readers for this month were Emma, Liam, Cade, Elliot and Gracie.
Guess what starts tomorrow? Our December Reading Contest, "Cuddle Up With a Good Book".
(And the weather outside is frightful
And the fire is so delightful,
And since we've nowhere to go,
LET'S READ!!!)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Cuddling Up With a Good Book

Are you loving this cooler weather? What a great excuse to cuddle up with a good book!
Our November Reading Contest ends on Monday. Please record the minutes read over the holidays because they will count on the reading charts! The Reading Celebration will be on Monday.

We'll begin our December Reading Contest on Tuesday. We LOVE to read in the first grade!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.




















Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday...one more day until Thanksgiving Break!

I love teaching, but can I let you in on a secret? (Lean close.)
The days before a holiday are VERY HIGH ENERGY!
Let's take a look into today's activities...
Elliot illustrated this Thanksgiving card for me with our friend, Albuquerque the Turkey.
We made pilgrim quilts using holiday colors.
Everyone contributed one block for the quilt.
We worked hard to do our very best work for this class project.
Next, we used attribute blocks to make quilt patterns on our tables.
We all came up with very different patterns.
Can you count all the different shapes that are available?
We worked together as teams.
Below is the finished product: Our Pilgrim Holiday Quilts!
Cade brought this stuffed animal, and then showed us how he could look just like it!
Thomas shared his Pokeman cards with us.
Alena brought some CDs her grandmother sent her in the mail.
Olivia brought a miniature book about the holidays.
Romi brought a book about "The Very First Thanksgiving", which we read and enjoyed. It told the story backwards and then forwards!
Here is our Thanksgiving joke:

Q: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
A: PILGRIMS! (Get it?)

Tuesday blue folders go home today since many of you will not be here tomorrow. Remember to look in the red agenda. I am including the words to the Thanksgiving songs we have learned in class. Let your child read/sing them to you.

No homework this week, but we will be counting our reading minutes over the holidays. On Monday, November 30, we will have our Reading Celebration and prizes will be awarded for reading minutes.