Polar Express Day

Last Friday the students were treated to a special story time in the library with our principal, Mrs. Oliver. Mrs. Oliver read The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. The students were very comfy as they listened because it was also pajama day. Following the reading, the students enjoyed hot chocolate.

Santa Study

Our multi-talented Instructional Media Specialist, Mrs. Thornton, taught all of the first graders a lesson on the role of Santa Claus around the world. This was a part of our Holidays Around the World unit. Mrs. Thornton used a variety of online and print media to help the students compare and contrast Santa's role in the following countries: The United States, Germany, Mexico, France, and Russia. They learned what he is called in each country (Father Christmas, Pere Noel, etc.), what he wears, how he travels, what he brings children, and where those gifts are left. She engaged the students with familiar songs, videos depicting customs and traditions around the world, and facts found through library research. We are lucky to have such a talented person at our school who is willing to share her expertise!

Classroom Library Organization and Seating

When I first started teaching I knew I wanted the students to have a comfortable place to relax and read. The problem, as with most new teachers, is there is so much I wanted and needed to buy for my class that I could not afford to buy anything fancy. But, I came up with a solution that has worked just as well. In the former school I worked in, two of the teachers had taken an old gymnastics mat, folded it up, and covered it in a sheet to create a "couch" of sorts. With that idea in mind, I bought a cheap infant crib mattress and covered it in a primary colored polka-dot sheet with the matching pillows from Target. For the back of the "couch" I used a long body pillow also from Target. As an added bonus, the "couch" is super easy to clean - throw the sheets and pillows in the washer and the crib mattress is bleachable. The colors of the "couch" match perfectly to my favorite library boxes that I purchased from Steps to Literacy. I love the boxes because I can sort the library books by theme and into fiction and non-fiction categories. It helps teach the students responsibility and organization skills as they are responsible for ensuring the books go back to the right box. Because the boxes are labeled, they also add to the print-rich environment I mentioned in my post about shoeboxes and labeling everything.

Ocean Animal Research

The students went to the library in small groups to research with our librarian, Mrs. Jepsen. Each group had a different ocean animal to research. After researching and taking notes, the students turned their notes into sentences using sentence stems which they then used to write a research paper. The students made ocean report covers for their research papers. They also created a scuba diver face to go with their scuba diver which holds and displays their great writing.

The Polar Express

The week before the holiday break was filled with a lot of fun and exciting lessons. One of our favorites was the school-wide Polar Express Day. Each grade level visited the library to hear our principal, Mrs. Oliver, read The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. After hearing the story, the students were treated to hot chocolate. Later in the day, the children played "Place Value Train" where they raced to be the first to build a number with Base Ten Blocks. The first team to build the number correctly received a piece of their train. The first team to build their train to spell "Place Value" won. They then used Tens and Ones charts to estimate the number of bells in a jar and then built ten rods and ones out of the bells to check their estimations. At the end of the day the students each received a bell necklace. Click below to see a few pictures from our special day.

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Santa Study

Yesterday our librarian, Mrs. Jepsen, taught a lesson to all of the first graders about the role of Santa Around the World. We learned that in the United States he is Santa Claus, in France he is Pere Noel, in Germany he is Saint Nicholas, and in Russia he is Grandfather Frost. They also learned that in Mexico they have The Three Kings. The students learned how they traveled, what they brought to boys and girls, and where they lived. After completing the Santa study, the students used the chart to help them write sentences about what they learned in their Santa book.

Jetting to Success: Read Just for Fun

As your child reads a book at home just for fun, have them write down the book on their Jet to Success Reading log. We are having a contest amongst the first grade classes to see who reads the most books just for fun. The purpose of the contest is to motivate the students to read more often. Reading logs are available in class and on the first grade page of the Moseley website.

A few of you asked about when we visit the library. We visit the library each Friday but the students may visit the library independently on any other day during Reading Workshop. The students may get up to five books at a time.

Open House: Ocean Adventures

This is a little late coming, but thank you to all of the families who came to Open House. We had a great time. Over this last six weeks the students explored the Ocean Habitat in cross-curricular lessons. The students began by researching about a specific ocean animal in the library with Ms. Tricoli. They then used their research notes to write, edit, and revise research papers. Using their research papers, the students created slides on the computer about their animals. After creating their slides, the students typed and recorded themselves reading one fact about their ocean animal. The slides were compiled into an ocean video. (The video will be posted at a later time after modifications are made.) The students also read numerous books about the ocean, created math word problems with fish, and reviewed the parts of a plant with a study of Kelp. Students were able to experiment with the ocean habitat by making an "ocean in a bottle." Below is a quick video of the students' hard work.

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Storyteller: Toni Simmons

The students were priveleged today to hear from an amazing storyteller and author, Toni Simmons. Ms. Tricoli, the school's librarian, arranged for Ms. Simmons to tell her stories to all of the Moseley students. The storytime was filled with singing, dancing, and more. To find out more about Toni Simmons and her books you can visit her webpage.

Groundhog Day Read Aloud

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit the library for a great read aloud time with Ms. Tricoli. In honor of Groundhod Day she read Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub. The students had a great time listening to the story, comparing real groundhogs to the groundhogs in the story, and learning some interesting facts about how groundhogs live. Questions you could ask your children about groundhogs include: Do they live in Texas? How many feet do they dig per day? Do they live in one room in their tunnel? They really enjoyed the story including the Groundhog Weather School quiz at the end!

The Polar Express: All Aboard!

The Polar Express arrived at Moseley this morning for all of the students to enjoy. As soon as we heard the train whistle, we jumped on board to be the first ones to experience the magic of the Polar Express. We enjoyed a special story time in the library with Mrs. Oliver. After listening to The Polar Express, we enjoyed a special treat of hot chocolate prepared for us by Mrs. Cato and Mrs. Fredd. In class, we graphed pictures from the story and answered questions. We also sang along to the music from the motion picture version of the book as we worked like busy little elves.

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