Last Day!

Our school has a tradition of having a 5th Grade Walk at the end of the last day of school. All of the students line the hallways to cheer for the 5th graders as they leave the school for the last time. Here are some pictures of the first graders as they waited for the 5th graders and for the bell to ring at the end of their first grade year.

I'm Blown Away!

I am truly blown away by how far this group of first graders came in their reading this year. To celebrate, we went outside on the last day of school to blow bubbles!

Letters to Kindergarten

First Graders wrote letters to Kindergarten last week to tell them what to expect next year. They wrote about their favorite lessons, activities, and more. They then visited Mrs. Huggin's Kindergarten class to read their letters and answer questions. It was a great opportunity for them to be leaders and role models. It was also a great opportunity for them to work on public speaking.

Ice Cream in a Bag

First grade decided to make ice cream in a bag as a special treat. Using half and half cream, sugar, and vanilla in one bag, with rock salt and ice in another bag around it, they shook their bags until the ice cream formed. They then enjoyed their homemade snack!

End of Year Picnic

Today we had our end of year picnic. Our last day of school is next Thursday but we celebrated a little early. The students played various ball games, hula hooped, blew bubbles, and more. They then huddled up in the shade for lunch.

See You Later, Alligator!

As a fun craft project, the students created these little alligators at the end of the school year.

Autograph Session

The students completed First Grade Memory booklets to share some of their favorite things about the year. Included in the booklet were two autograph pages. All of first grade joined together in our common area to have an autograph session. As they autographed one another's pages, we emphasized asking questions when you need something rather than just staring or telling someone to do something.

 

Making Ice Cream

We had quite the adventure making ice cream during the last week of school. Using a recipe from Pinterest, the students combined Half and Half cream, vanilla, and sugar in a plastic baggy. They then added the baggy to a larger baggy filled with ice and rock salt. They then shook the bags continually until the cream mixture hardened. The kids loved it and they said it tasted great. And, thankfully, our awesome custodian didn't get the least bit upset when we had water and ice everywhere from the leaking bags. It is all about the experience anyway, right?

Shaving Cream Fun

To have a little fun and clean off their desks, we played in shaving cream during the last week of school. The students practiced writing their word wall words, solve addition and subtraction problems, and drew pictures in the shaving cream.

Watch Out World...

On the last day of school, one of the things we did was to discuss the students' future goals. Those goals included going to college and their dream jobs. So, we took these pictures (Pinterest inspired) to showcase their dream jobs.

Fingerprint Trees

During the last week of school the students created collaborative art projects to take home as a keepsake from first grade. Each student had a photocopy of a tree trunk. They then added their thumbprints in paint to one another's trees.

End of Year Readers' Theater

As a way to demonstrate their reading accomplishments at the end of the year, we always hold an End of Year Readers' Theater. Each class learned a Readers' Theater from You Read to Me, I'll Read to You by Mary Ann Hoberman which they read for their families and available staff. The entire grade also read a readers' theater together followed by one with their families. Readers' Theaters are a great way for students to practice and showcase their reading.

Friendly Letters to Kindergarten

In writing the students have been learning to write friendly letters. Using the Letter Generator from ReadWriteThink, the students wrote a class letter to Kindergarten about all of the things they learned and enjoyed in first grade. After modeling how to write a friendly letter, the students wrote letters to Kindergarten on their own. After editing the letters in writing workshop, they wrote their final drafts. Last Thursday the students visited Mrs. Munoz's Kindergarten class to read their letters to her students.

Year in Review

Happy New Year! We've had an exciting first half of the school year and I look forward to all of the milestones the students will acheive over the next several months. As a look back at all we've done, I created a Wordle from the key words of our year. Wordle is a fun and creative way to help your children with their spelling.

Year in Review

It has been a great year in first grade! This year came and went very quickly. Enjoy a slideshow of the year in review - its amazing to see how much they have grown!

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