Holiday Happenings in First Grade

The girls have had a busy December! Our social studies unit this month has been focused on holidays and the common theme of light. In class we made colorful menorahs for Hannukah, learned about the history of the poinsettia for Christmas, made wonderful Kinaras to celebrate Kwanazaa, and designed Rangolis, using color and sand for Diwali.  We were very luck to have a First Grade parent come in and tell us a lot of great information about the beautiful celebration of Diwali. Our Winter Festival focused on these winter holidays as well. Parents helped the girls make a placemat for Hannukah, a Mkeka for Kwanzaa, and taught the girls a simple meaning of Christmas. The girls were also treated to delicious foods that are typically eaten on these holidays. Here are the girls in action!

Making a big rangoli out of flower petals 

Learning about Christmas

Our wonderful Rangolis! 

We also have been studying the story of the Nutcracker. The girls worked very hard during this unit as they learned to read a script, read with expression, read loudly, and perform a puppet show! Our unit ended with a fabulous puppet show performance of the Nutcracker. The girls made beautiful scenery and detailed puppets to go along with their production.  Many grades in the Lower School came to see our performance; what a great day! 

Proudly showing our Nutcracker books

About to perform! 

The girls got another chance to perform during the holiday concert. They sang with loud voices and filled the audience with a lot of holiday cheer! We hope you and your family have a wonderful break and we will see you in 2016! 

Love, The First Grade Team

Holiday Concert 2015

The Nutcracker Videos

The first grade did a fabulous job performing the Nutcracker reader's theater.

New Floor in the Music Room!

Ask your daughter about our brand new marley floor!
This vinyl floor covering makes the floor safer for all
of the dancing and moving that the girls do during music class.

Music: Shoes Off

First graders showing their excitement for free toes!

Art: Finishing Touches with Hand Tools

First graders used hand tools and a selection of hardware to add finishing touches to their helper robots and machines. They safely and responsibly used hammers, hand drills, screwdrivers, staple "guns," pliers, wire cutters, and sanding blocks. Ask your first grader which tool(s) she used or plans to use.

Pumpkin, Spider, and Halloween Fun!

The first grade girls have had a busy October! We were very lucky to have an Orb spider in each classroom this month. Olivia and Octavia adjusted well to their Bryn Mawr homes and the girls enjoyed learning, observing, and recording everything spider! Did you know spiders are not insects? Ask your daughter about the term arachnid; they will be happy to define the term for you.

Octavia in Mrs. Bradley's classroom.

Olivia in Ms. Lacy's classroom. 

We have also been studying pumpkins. Did you know pumpkins start as flowers? The girls have had a chance to see the inside of a pumpkin as well as taste delicious pumpkin seeds. We predicted how many seeds we thought our classroom pumpkin would have and we were shocked that each pumpkin had over 600 seeds!  The girls practiced counting and grouping by fives in order to find this large number. Wow! In math we measured the girth using string as well as the height of the pumpkin using connecting cubes. Check out the pumpkin booklet your daughter brought home for all her hard work during this unit. Here are the girls in action!

A big thank you to all the parents that made our Halloween party so special! The girls enjoyed the delicious snacks and making the spooky masks. We hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!

From the Library

First graders are off to a great start in library. Many of them reported that they had attended or participated in a wedding over the summer, so we shared the book Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding. We compared some of the traditions in Lenore Look's story (bridesmaids demanding cartwheels, songs and money before allowing the groom and his friends to see the bride and take her to the ceremony, red dresses, pouring tea, children jumping on a bed covered in candy, changing into different outfits) with the girls' experiences.

We then began our Cynthia Rylant unit. We read one each from the Poppleton, Mr. Putter and Tabby, Henry and Mudge, and Annie and Snowball series. Many girls checked out other books in theses series (we have baskets full of each). Ask your daughter what Cynthia Rylant likes to include in her stories. Brownie and Pearl is another newer series by Rylant, and The Lighthouse Children an older series, for those who just can't enough of her.

The tradition of the First Grade Shelf books continues. Each week or so a group of books is displayed on the high shelf facing the first grade corner. The books all have something in common. Everyone tries to figure out the theme. Last week all the titles were questions. This week's group includes:
Runaway Radish
Green is a Chile Pepper, a Book of Colors
The Potato Man
Sophie's Squash
Roslyn Rutabaga and the Biggest Hole on Earth
The Princess and the Pea
Creepy Carrots!
Clarice Bean, That's Me
Corn Chowder Poems
I Heard it from Alice Zucchini

Art: Helping Robots and Machines

First graders have been thinking about helping in art. They told stories about times they helped others and times others helped them. During these discussions they noted that at times everyone needs help in one way or another. They designed and constructed low relief cardboard and wood sculptures of helping robots or machines, that have special parts to perform special actions. Ask your first grader what special parts her creation has, and whom it is designed to help. Girls will use paint and hand tools to add finishing touches to their constructions. 

Music: Speaking With Expression

The girls got into groups to act out Humpty Dumpty!

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall:

Humpty Dumpty had great fall:

All the king's horses and all the king's men:

Couldn't put Humpty together again:

Music: Creating Rhythms from Words

Watch these girls track the beats from left to right, and then share their rhythm comprised of words with 1 sound per beat (pie) and 2 sounds per beat (muffin)!

Art: Drawing from Observation

First graders connected their eyes and hands as they practiced observational drawing from plants and leaves. Girls explored four different media (felt tipped pen, ink wash, permanent marker on polyester paper, and monoprint). They noted the similarities and differences between materials as they worked, and discussed the various ways in which they personally connect with nature aside from drawing. 

Music:  Experimenting With Sound

Hand drums can make dozens of different kinds of sounds.  Here are the girls experimenting to see how many different sounds they can create!

Busy in Tech

First grade has been busy in tech this month!  The girls have learned a variety of new iPad skills and apps.  During the first week of school, the girls learned iPad basics ( how to close an app, changing the home and lock screen image) and acceptable use (how to hold and travel with the iPad, rules of use, etc.).  Next, the girls learned what an autobiography is the My Story app to create one about themselves.  While the girls were working in My Story, Google Drive was set up on each iPad.  This year, students will be able to save work to Google Drive.  Information on accessing your daughter's Drive will be coming home in the future so that you can view the work from home!  Finally, the girls have started working in the Creation Station centers using Intooba (visit this link to learn more!).