Meet Our Super Heroes

Untitled from Michelle Ellis on Vimeo.

First Day of School

Wow! What a great day we had today. Everyone came in knowing our routines just like we never left. That is one of the reasons why looping up with a class is so fantastic. Our new friends, quickly learned the routines and made friends with others. We walked through the day with Skills Block, and Reader's Workshop. We also saw "Omegaman" who encouraged us to work hard and be a dream maker! We finished our morning with Writer's Workshop. During lunch we loved being close to the stage. After lunch we went outside. Boy was it hot. After recess we came in for Math Workshop and learned geometry.

Dismissal was interesting. The students loved being independent. We are looking forward to tomorrow.

Superhero Wanted

We are so excited to start this school year. On Friday we will welcome our class from last year back from summer vacation. We do have 4 new friends joining our 1st grade class. We have vowed to do a better job of blogging this year. Our goal is one post a week.

Our school theme this year is all about Heroes. We are all heroes in some way and this year we will explore what makes us a hero.

"Bossy E"

Today during Skills Block we learned one of the most important reading strategies an early reader can learn. The "Bossy E". If you don't have an older child at Chets, you might be wondering what is a "Bossy E". When a word ends with a vowel, consonant, then an "e", the vowel is long and the "e" is silent. We tell the students that the "e" is so bossy that it tells the vowel to say its name but he doesn't say anything. Some examples of "Bossy E" words are: like, cake, ape, lime, Jane, bike, hope, etc. Each night when your child is reading their Book in a Bag have them look for "Bossy E" words. Encourage them to tell you the rule after they read the word.

Pumpkin Exploration

We had a great time this past week exploring a large pumpkin. The students predicted what they thought the inside of a pumpkin would look like. Next, we cut one open. The students loved looking, feeling, and smelling the pumpkin. They even predicted how many seeds would be in their slice. Then they counted how many were actually there.

Farm Field Trip

WOW! What a fantastic field trip. We began the day with an hour long bus ride. It was all worth it though when we got there. We learned how cows are a part of our every day life. We rode pony's and went on a hayride. We got to feed goats and cows. Boy do they have long tongues!!! We also ate lunch. After lunch we spent time in the bounce house. We also saw Grandma Ellis ride this barrel roll that went upside down. Our last stop was a nature trail. On the long bus ride back to school almost everyone fell asleep. This day will be one we remember for a long time.

Game of Compare

Today during Math Workshop, the students learned to play a new game called Compare. It is played just like the card game "War". Our decks of cards only have the numbers 0-10. We encourage you to play this game at home often. Deal the cards so that each member playing has the same number of cards. Hold the cards in a stack with the numbers facing down so you can't see the numbers. Each player will flip over one card. Each player states their number out loud. The child will decide which number is more. The player with the highest number takes the cards and puts them in a seperate pile. This game allows the students to compare numbers and determine which is more or less. If the game is overly easy have your child add 2 cards together before they determine which is more.