Happy Last Day

Thank you for a great year! 

See you in the Fall!

Love,

Mrs. L

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Dear 1L Students and Families,

I wanted to extend my sincerest gratitude for your thoughtful end of the year send off! Today's kickball game, our habitat's unit, learning about story problems, writing poetry, singing about Martin Luther King Jr. and reading about Lilly, Tacky and all the rest has brought me joy that I could not possibly express! It was simply amazing going around today, asking the students to highlight memories they have had here in 1L. In true Sheehan fashion, here is the top 10! Ask your learners what their top 10, or 5 favorite memories have been tonight and tomorrow, if you haven't already! They have so much to be proud of, so much to be thankful for, so much to share with you about their experience here. Don't let their answer be, "I don't know!" It has been such an amazing year and I hope that they cherish the memories as much as I do! Use this list to help guide your conversations...

10. Getting scanners during Reader's Workshop and using them to be "Word Detectives"
9. Building Gingerbread houses
8. Reading about Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and all of the other Kevin Henkes' stories
7. Becoming rockstars and learning about sound and vibration
6. Planting a sunflower house in the OLC
5. Adopting a Panda as a class and raising money for WWF
4. Going to the New England Aquarium and seeing that cool octopus
3. Playing math games like "Make a Train" and "Sushi Math"
2. Having Reading Buddies with 3FB
1. Doing an interactive read aloud of Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss with a school in Washington!

I have had so much fun this year and I hope that you have too.

I wish everyone the best for a sunny and restful summer! See you tomorrow, for the very last day of first grade!

Live, laugh, learn and be little...you only get one chance!

Love,
Mrs. L

Kickball MONDAY

Hi Families!

I can't believe we are wrapping up the school year next week! It is really hard to believe! Monday, we will be playing a class game of kickball! Please send your students in sneakers and clothes for playing (though, I know they would already be wearing them for PE, I wanted to make sure!). It is a surprise for the kiddos!

All the best,
Mrs. L

Aquarium visit!

1L goes to the aquarium!

First Grade scientists were in full throttle today at the New England Aquarium! We observed animal adaptations, saw tons of amazing creatures, explored the Galápagos Islands in 3D and even had a lost tooth! It was truly an amazing day of wet, fun, and most importantly learning for all! Thank you chaperones for all of your help!

Love,
Mrs. L

Aquarium Field Trip

Reminder: First Grade Field Trip is TOMORROW!

Our fabulous First Graders will be attending a field trip to Boston's New England Aquarium this
Thursday May 25, 2017.

Please take a look at the reminders that are going home in GO Books today.

Pack bag lunches with disposable containers
Dress in layers
Wear sneakers

Review these videos with your students to help them prepare for our visit.

Chaperones, please take a look at your notes that went home in GO Books yesterday. If you have any questions, please let me know asap! (Please arrive at 8:30 with a backpack to carry lunches!)

Love,
Mrs. L

US Symbols

US Symbols Study

First Graders will begin a study of US symbols this week. In addition to singing songs and reading books, students will be watching videos to learn about several important US symbols. Here are some:

The National Anthem

The Washington Monument

The Lincoln Memorial

The White House

The Pledge of Allegiance

The Statue of Liberty

The Liberty Bell

For the rest of the week, students are encouraged to watch the video titled, US Symbols on Brainpop jr.! Don't forget to discuss these with your children at dinner and plan your next family trips to these important places!

Love,

Mrs. L

Derby Day and Plant parts!

Derby Day!

Readers pay attention to NEW words! The Derby is a fun and new way to apply strategies for learning NEW vocabulary. Because it is a topic most students know very little about, it is my favorite for teaching students how to tackle unknown words and then add them to our knowledge banks! 

Good readers...

May know how to read a word, but may not know what it means!

Notice words they don't know!

Stop and think about words they don't know!

Skip the word and read the other words around it to help figure it out!

Make a good guess based on pictures and other words!

 Reader's Theater! 

Students worked in groups to apply learned reading fluency strategies by performing special fairy tale plays! 

Good readers...

Bring characters to life!

Reread to learn more about characters!

Reread to sound like the character!

Notice when feelings change and change your voice!

Use clues in the book to think about HOW to read - punctuation, italics, bold words, dialogue and pictures!

Scientist study PLANTS!

Feel free to watch the videos on Brainpop about PLANTS this week and next for homework! 

Conversations for the dinner table...

Although each plant and animal has characteristics which are unique, it is also true that there are many characteristics which apply to practically all plants or animals. Most plants have the common features such as roots, stems, and leaves, and most animals have the usual features such as head, eyes, ears, feet, and limbs. It is how these common parts are designed, along with the unique characteristics of each plant and animal, which determine how well a plant or animal will survive in the environment into which it is placed.

Plants may be grouped into many different categories. The most common classes are herbaceous - plants with soft, green stems - and woody, plants with stems of fibrous wood. Most flowers, vegetables, and houseplants have soft, green stems; while most trees have stems of wood (trunks). Animals can be arranged into many different groups, such as animals with fins, fur, wings, scales, or claws. By observing the external characteristics of a plant or an animal, we can determine the best environment for that organism. In many environments which may be considered less than ideal, we can observe how plants and animals have developed special characteristics to allow them to survive.

Each of the parts of a plant has a special characteristic and performs a task to insure the welfare of the plant. The roots help provide support by anchoring the plant and absorbing water and nutrients from the surrounding soil for growth. Stems, or trunks in woody plants, carry water and nutrients from the roots up to the leaves and sugar made in the leaves down to the roots. Stems also provide support for the plant allowing the leaves to reach sunlight. Leaves are the food producing factories. Through the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide in the air along with water in the leaves and light energy are changed to sugar, or energy for the plant.

Each part of a plant or animal is an important contributor to the success and well being of the organism. A plant or animal that is missing one of its important parts will not have a very good chance for survival. A hawk that can’t fly, a duck that can’t swim, or a cheetah that cannot run will not be able to survive in a harsh environment. Every part of an organism is necessary for life.

-Stemscopes

Love, 

Mrs. L