Gail Gibbons Author Study

Friday was a very exciting day in our classroom! The students arrived and saw a green mound in the middle of our story carpet. The class gathered around the mound and predicted what could be under the mound. The paper mound was lifted and to the delight of the students there were about 50 books by Gail Gibbons. Our class will start an author study on Gail Gibbons next week. Gail Gibbons loves to write nonfiction books about subjects that are interesting to children. She has wonderful colorful illustrations that engage the reader. As you can tell from the excitement the students cannot wait to begin our new author study!

100th Day of School

Our class celebrated the 100th day of school on February 2. We were also celebrating the 100th birthday of the penny. The day started with a poem that contained 100 words. Then each student received $100 to spend during Writer's Workshop. It was very interesting to see all of the different items that were purchased. During Math Workshop 100th Day Centers were set up. The first center required the students to count out 100 beads to string on a necklace. The second center was a probability activity with a flip of a penny and marking the flips with tally marks. Students counted out 100 popsicle sticks and created a project with a partner. The last center was a 100 piece puzzle of the United States. When all of the centers were completed, students counted out 100 items to put in snack bags.

Our skills block activity today was a review of the consonant blends and digraphs. Children were divided into teams and were assigned a consonant blend or digraph to "find". The students had to find pictures, objects and words with the assigned blend. After the activity was finished, the class created a recipe for smores using many of the consonant blends and digraphs. The students then followed the recipe to make delicious smores!

Holiday Activities

Our class has been very busy this holiday season. We have constructed the gingerbread houses that our gingerbread friends left for us. As a surprise for our parents, we transformed into Santa's helpers and took our pictures in front of the school. Our holiday centers included a roll the gingerbread game, a reindeer art activity and stringing a gingerbead necklace. We were delighted that some of our parents could join in the fun.

First Grade Holiday Show

Our first graders were the stars of the show last night! Parents and friends filled our cafetorium as the children sang the songs and recited the poems that they had been learning. Everyone looked wonderful in their holiday clothing. Can you spot the different colored noses on the reindeer?

Thank You Publix

The Kindergarten and First Grade Classes at our school were treated to a wonderful day at the Florida Theater. The title of the play was If You Give a Pig a Pancake. The actors took a whimsical tour of a library and retold several familiar stories. The live action and musical numbers had our students mesmerized. Thank you Publix for making this incredible experience possible for our students!

My Red Balloon

Our November Book of the Month is My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting. This book is about a young boy who is eagerly awaiting the arrival of his father. His father has been serving in the Navy and he is afraid that he won't recognize him so he a red balloon to his wrist. My students had connections to this text as we have many military families in our school. We are the school that serves Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Right now, two students have fathers that are preparing to return after a tour in Afghanistan! The class made "Welcome Back" banners for these men.