Nutcracker Puppet Performance

The First Grade girls were thrilled to perform their Nutcracker Puppet Show for two audiences yesterday.  All of their hard work paid off, and both shows were fantastic.  Watch the videos below to see the girls' performance for yourself!

Happy Holidays!
The First Grade Team

Party Scene

Mouse King Fight Scene

Land of Sweets Scene

Art: Puppet Show Sets

First graders are creating the sets for the Nutcracker puppet show. In language arts they chose one of three scenes to sketch individually, then we used these sketches to draw each scene together, incorporating everyone's ideas. Girls collaborated as they painted the three scenes, competing big shapes first and adding details second. Ask your first grader which scene(s) she helped with.

 

The Hour of Code

This week, we participated in The Hour of Code "a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries."  The girls used The Foos app by codeSpark to continue learning the basic of programming.  We compared this app to Kodable and discussed the similarities and differences across apps.  Upon completion, each student was award a certificate of completion.    

We have also been busy working on our Brush Bots.  Brush Bots are made by attaching a battery and vibrating motor to a toothbrush head.  All Bots will be competing in the Brush Bots Winter Olympics next week!
 

Preparing for our Puppet Show!

The First Grade girls have been busy working on a Nutcracker themed unit in preparation for the upcoming fieldtrip to see the BSfA dance performance at the Lyric.  In Language Arts, the girls have worked to retell the story on their own using story elements including character, setting, problem and solution.  Now, the girls are busily designing puppets and scenery to go along with their Nutcracker Readers' Theater Script. Below are some photos of their work.  Check back next week for photos of the finished products!

Nutcracker Books!

Happy Puppet Maker

First Graders at work

7 Headed Mouse King

Mouse

Toy Soldier

Drosselmeyer

From the Library

Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader

by Dean Schneider and Robin Smith
originally printed in the March/April 2001 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

1. NEVER READ where your children can see you.

2. PUT A TV or COMPUTER in every room. Don't neglect the bedrooms and kitchen.

3. CORRECT YOUR CHILD every time she mispronounces a word.

4. SCHEDULE ACTIVITIES every day after school so your child will never be bored.

5. Once your child can read independently, THROW OUT the PICTURE BOOKS. They're for babies.

6. DON'T PLAY board games together. Too Dull.

7. Give little REWARDS for reading. STICKERS and plastic toys are nice. MONEY is even better.

8. Don't expect your children to enjoy reading. Kids' books are for TEACHING vocabulary, proper study habits, and good morals.

9. Buy only 40-watt bulbs for your lamps.

10. Under NO circumstances read your child the same book OVER and OVER. She heard it once, she should remember it.

11. Never allow your child to listen to BOOKS ON TAPE; that's cheating.

12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging". EASY books are a complete WASTE OF TIME. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.

13. Absolutely, positively NO READING IN BED.

French: Fun French Website

The girls have been working very hard in French this Fall as well as having a great time.  They have learned about school supplies, colors, animals, days of the week, months, family members, rooms in the house, and vehicles.  They have also learned several songs and have been having fun playing games in French.  As the weather is getting colder many people turn their attention towards giving and receiving gifts.  In French class we have been learning a song about lots of different gifts and we have also been learning the words for many different types of gifts.  Today we looked at a French website that is great for practicing French vocabulary.  One of their favorite parts of this website reviews numbers and colors while showing what exciting gifts Bisou gets for his birthday.  Here is a link if you would like to take a look at home.

Le Grenier de Bisou

Code Talk

This month, each girl continued to work at her own pace in  Kodable.  Everyone learned how to use a color condition block and some even began learning how to use loops!  But we are not finished with our coding.  In December we will participate in the Hour of Code.  To learn more about the Hour of Code click here!

The girls have also continued to work on a holiday journal in Scribble Press.  We wrote about what our families do to celebrate Thanksgiving.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

One last picture to commemorate the season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving!

In First Grade the girls are very busy in all of their subjects getting ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  They have been learning information about the First Thanksgiving and what it was like to live in that era.  Ask your daughter about some of the facts she has learned.  Some are quite funny! The girls have also been talking and writing about their Thanksgiving traditions and special foods.  This is a favorite unit by all!

From the Library

First graders started off the year sampling from Cynthia Rylant's beloved books in series. We read one each from these: Mr. Putter and Tabby, Poppleton, Henry and Mudge, and Annie and Snowball. (Annie and Snowball is a newer series. Annie is Henry's cousin and next-door neighbor. Snowball is her pet rabbit.) If your daughter enjoyed these books she can find an endless supply in our library. Next we tackled Tomie DePaola's Bill and Pete series. Ask your daughter about the adventures of William Everett and his toothbrush (who is also his best friend).

Art: Monochromatic Habitats

After creating bugs based on themselves, first graders began making habitats for their creatures. They began by looking at paintings to figure out possible definitions for the word "monochromatic." They noticed that monochromatic paintings were all one color, but if you looked closely sometimes the color could be a darker, lighter, or just a little bit different. Each girl used cut tissue paper, tempera cakes, and colored pencil to create a monochromatic environment. They had the additional challenge of choosing one shape that would communicate something about the type of habitat they chose. First graders will place their bugs in their monochromatic paintings using 3D sticky dots in order to pop them out. 

Here is what demonstrations look like in first grade art: 

First Grade Happenings

This week we say good bye to our spiders, Charlotte and Octavia!  They have been a great addition to our classrooms and the girls have learned many facts about them.  Look forward to seeing your daughters' spider folder next week.

This week we celebrated Fall Birthdays and enjoyed an especially yummy treat!!  Happy Birthday to our new seven year olds.

Tonight is game night in First grade.  We are enjoying playing games in the classroom, too!  Have fun tonight.