Sinterklaas

What an exciting week in first grade! We visited with Mrs. Diaz again in LDC and worked on creating our own stories.  We started our new planner:  Where we are in time and place.  Tuesday we learned all about Hanukkah and the symbols associated with that holiday.  Wednesday we had student led conferences for the first time in first grade!   The Superheroes did an amazing job!  We ended the week by traveling to another country: The Netherlands and learning about their winter holiday.  The students learned the story of Sinterklaas and created klompen to leave for his horse.  Boy, were we surprised the next day.  We found the door locked and the windows covered with this Dutch song.  We entered the dark room to find the window had been opened and our klompen were filled with treats!  Not only that, Ms. Musters' klompen were filled with treats and a riddle!  We figured out the answer and found a gift left by Sinterklaas!

Student Led Conferences

I always love listening to my students during student led conferences.  They are so proud to show their work and talk about what they are accomplishing in the classroom.   If you were unable to make it on Wednesday, please schedule another time convenient for you.  You are welcome to come in the classroom anytime to have your conference.  

Fifth Grade Buddies

In preparation for Student Led Conferences, our fifth grade buddies came to visit today!  They did a great job meeting with The Superheroes and showing them how to have a successful conference with their parents.  

Happy Hanukkah!

The Superheroes received quite a treat today when several moms came to present a lesson on Hanukkah.  We read a story about the holiday and learned all about different symbols.  

Next, the students had an art activity where they created their own stained glass dreidel.  

The lesson ended with students sampling a typical treat - Jelly Donuts!

A special Thank you to Amelia's mom, Nora's mom and Camryn's mom for taking the time to put together this wonderful learning experience.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Isaiah's mom brought me this lovely wreath and we decided to turn it into a Thankful wreath.  

Here are some things The Superheroes are thankful for:

  junk food, dogs, family, school, teacher, shelters, friends, for the things we have, toys,

 and for food we already have.

Field Trip!

Wow, today was a special day - The Field day shirts arrived and we were going on a field trip! (Thank you to my amazing chaperones: Camora, Marc, Kim and Lauren!)  The Superheroes were very excited to go to the Museum of Fine Arts to see some of the art we looked at in books.  I think everyone found the Van Gogh and Monet, unfortunately the Klee was not on display.   We had a great time sitting and discussing the art.  We sat under the Calder and watched it move and talked about how it made us feel.  All in all, I would say it was a very successful trip.  The best part was later in the day when all the students decided to share their journals with each other and describe the art they enjoyed the most.  I hope those journals made it home to share with parents because The Superheroes did a great job!

Field Day Shirts have arrived!!

Congratulations to Kate for creating the winning design! 

From My Window Art

Here is a small selection of the different types of windows created.  We used crayon, sharpie and watercolor on paper.  The published pieces should be completed by next week. 

From My Window...

We have been hard at work using the writing cycle.   During Writer's Workshop, we write, edit, revise and conference with our friends and Ms. Musters.  This week's writing project ties into the planner:  How We Express Ourselves.  The students have been studying different artists and how they use lines.  We were inspired by one of Matisse's pieces to create a window and then a picture of what we see out the window. We are using the art to inspire our writing.  

A Superhero Art Museum

Today was a very exciting day for the Superheroes!  Everyone brought pieces of art to examine and we created our own museum.  First, the students labeled each piece with the title and materials used to create the art.  Next, we spent some time viewing each piece and talking about the art.  We looked for shapes, lines and what possible materials could have been used.  Finally, we used the art to write our summative for 

the planner:  How We Express Ourselves.