Connecting to What We Read

Reading can become so much more meaningful when we are able to personally connect with the text! This past week we have been focusing on making a personal connection with what we are reading. This means the children have been challenged to connect the story to their own life, own experiences, and own feelings. 

Chart inspired by Cara Carroll at First Grade Parade

We enjoyed reading two books appropriate for the Halloween season, The Littlest Pumpkin and Where's My Mummy?. The Littlest Pumpkin is about a teeny tiny pumpkin that nobody picks from the pumpkin patch. Where's My Mummy? is about a little mummy who is lost and can't find his mommy!

Then boys and girls made meaningful text-to-self connections!

The little pumpkin was disappointed nobody picked her at the pumpkin patch. The boys and girls thought of a time they felt disappointed:

'I felt disappointed when mom made me nap."

"I felt disappointed when I didn't get to my aunty's house"

"I felt disappointed when Baba and Gigi went to Mexico without me"

We also enjoyed the story "Where's My Mummy?"! Where is little mummy's mama? Little mummy felt scared without mama! Here are our personal connections of a time we felt scared:

"When I'm scared a snack makes me feel better"

"When I'm scared I scream"

"When I'm scared I jump and close my eyes"

Continue to reinforce those personal connections to what your child reads. Connecting to the text is an excellent way to increase and develop your child's comprehension!

Welcome back, Brother Joe!

The students are always really excited when Brother Joe visits our classroom, and today was no exception! 

As we were wrapping up a Word Wall activity, we were thrilled to see Brother Joe at our door! He spent time helping us complete our word tasks and then we gathered on the mat for a visit. 

One little guy noticed a unique book Brother Joe was carrying. 

Student: Hey Brother Joe, is that a superhero book? 

Br. Joe: Well ... actually ... it's the ultimate superhero book! But this superhero didn't wear a cape. He couldn't shoot webs from his hands. There was no "S" on his belly. The super hero in this book is Jesus, and this is my Action Bible!

Brother Joe proceeded to read to us from his Action Bible, and we heard this weekend's gospel story. This story reminded us to love God with our whole heart and love our neighbour as ourself. Everyone is our neighbour, and Brother Joe challenged us to care for others. 

A visit from Brother Joe is never complete without a sing-along! And can you believe it? The students were disappointed when the recess bell rang and they had to end the visit and head outside!

Brother Joe, you're welcome in Grade One anytime! Thank you for your visit. Please come back soon!

Scuba Diving with Scuba Charlotte

It seems like every day there is something fantastic and exciting happening in Grade One!

Last Friday we kicked off our newest Science Unit, Senses! To get the kids thinking, students were challenged to use their senses to figure out what was in the microwave . . . 

One POP and they had it figured out! We used our senses to make observations together:

Then, ready with scissors and magazines, the boys and girls hunted for pictures to add to our Senses bulletin board. Isn't it amazing? 

Senses with Scuba Charlotte

Today we added to our Senses knowledge as we went on an underwater journey with Scuba Charlotte!

Hearing

We used our sense of hearing and had to identify sounds from several sea animals, including dolphins and whales. The next challenge was to wear blackout goggles and follow a specific sound (e.g. bells, castanets) as we crab-walked around the room, following our sound! Then we took a minute and reflected on what could hurt/help our senses: 

Sight

Our eyes played tricks on us! On one side of a stick we glued a fish, and on the other a tank. When we spun the stick back a forth, it looked like the fish was in the tank! We also really enjoyed a What is it? game and a few other optical illusions. 

Taste and Smell

We learned that our sense of taste and smell work together, and we use our noses help us taste! We ate a cracker with our noses plugged, and then tried again without our noses unplugged. What a difference! 

We also challenged our sense of smell with little scented vials. Black licorice stumped most of us!

Animals taste and smell a little differently than we do. Did you know that a catfish has taste buds all over its body? Or that a shark has an excellent sense of smell and can smell blood from miles away? 

Mystery Tastes

We tried a few different mystery tastes, but were encouraged to smell the samples first. We tried salt water, lime KoolAid, and sugar water. Scuba Charlotte thankfully didn't ask us to taste spinach or coffee, which are both bitter tastes! (Mrs. Beliveau would have gladly had any coffee samples)

Touch

We were able to touch many textures from the ocean, including real coral that was once alive! We identified bumpy, sharp, squishy, smooth and rough textures. 

We had so much fun wearing black out shades and exploring sand and water pails, identifying different items!

Sea Lions and Their Senses

No trip with Scuba Charlotte is complete without meeting a few sea lions! 

We learned that when a baby is born, the mama and baby sea lions bark back and forth for about 20 minutes to learn to identify each other's bark! If a mama is ever confused about who her baby is, she uses her sense of smell to identify it. 

Where is my baby sea lion?

Sea lions have an excellent sense of smell, which they use to find their baby, locate a mate, or identify a dangerous human. But sea lions do not have a very developed sense of taste! 

Sea lions rely on their whiskers as their sense of touch! Their whiskers tell them how the water is moving and can signal to them if food swims by. 

We learned loads about our senses with Scuba Charlotte today! Hopefully you were able to review your child's booklet and learn something new yourself! Thank you to the parent volunteers who were so patient, energetic and willing to participate!

Problems with our Veggies!

We continue to explore numbers to 20 and we were presented with a challenge today!

Why are dads always so tricky?


The students got to work! Some grabbed a pile of counters, some chose coloured construction paper, and others began drawing pictures. This group doesn't back down from a challenge!

There is no right way to arrive at the answer, nor is there a single correct answer. Here are a few responses:

As we continue to work with numbers to 20 and then move on to addition and subtraction, the children will be encouraged to choose how they will solve a problem, whether it be with a picture, manipulatives, or other strategy. 

Way to count carefully, boys and girls!

We're seeing spots!

We have begun our new math unit exploring numbers to 20! A major concept we have just started practicing is subitizing. Subitizing is being able to look at a group and know how many there are, without having to count each individual item. In short, subitizing is "instantly seeing how many". 

We subitize when we roll a die. You didn't have to count the dots to know you rolled a five, right?

What better way to practice this new skill of subitizing then to play games!

Subitizing BINGO
 

Snakes & Ladders, but instead of rolling a dice,
the students flip over a subitizing card

Memory with subitizing cards

KaBOOM,
(a version of the game traditionally called "war")

A subitizing game on the SMARTboard

 
Subitizing helps us see patterns, identify relationships between numbers, and understand place value. We were introduced to a tool called a 10-frame, that can also be used for subitizing. 10-frames are two rows of five boxes, and they help us see how numbers relate to five or ten. Here is a 10-frame:

  We made a GIANT 10-frame and filled it with the cutest counters you have ever seen! Can you see how we made the numbers one through ten?

10-frames will be used in an upcoming unit when we tackle addition and subtraction to 10. We can even put two 10-frames together to work with numbers to 20!

Do you like a challenge? We sure do! Play the subitizing game below. Quickly say how many dots are on the 10-frame. Here is a hint we discovered: sometimes the empty boxes in the frame help us know how many frames are actually full. It's fast! 

Why is she smiling?

Grade One is arguably, the best grade. No question. Hands down. Why? Well, the boys and girls in Grade One have a tremendous amount of excitement about learning and about life!

Today was no different!

The boys and girls all bounded into the school, chittering and chattering as the day began. 

This sweet little lady came in even more excited and bubbly than usual (and if you know her, she is the most effervescent girl you may ever meet!). Why is she smiling?

Ta da! She lost a tooth!

Not only did she lose a tooth, but she was given our Tooth Fairy Bag to take home for a day or two! She was thrilled!

Inside the bag is a Tooth Fairy Journal for students to draw and write about how their tooth was lost. There are also a few books that can be enjoyed at home as well. 

Remind your child to share their "tooth news" in class the next time they lose a tooth so the special bag can be sent home. More than likely, your child won't need much reminding! Losing teeth is really exciting!

God is SO Good!

What a fantastic week! We have been crazy busy having crazy fun with Thanksgiving activities! Here's the highlight reel from the week . . . 

We began by gathering for a few stories. Both books shared a similar message: say thank you to the important people in your life! We all thought about people in our lives we could thank. 

We explored what it means to be thankful and spent time sharing what we are thankful for. Mrs. Beliveau had planned for a short discussion, but this one carried on and on! The boys and girls wanted to share ALL of the things they are thankful for, and they had loads of ideas. However, one mention of a phys ed. period quickly wrapped up our discussion! Turns out we are thankful for daily phys ed, too!

Throughout the week we have been practicing for our upcoming assembly on Tuesday. We will be leading a Thanksgiving Celebration with the other primary classes. We've prepared two special songs, God is So Good and Give Thanks. If you are able to join us on Tuesday around 2:15, all are welcome and we would appreciate your presence. 

On Wednesday afternoon, we learned the meaning of the words patience and perseverance as we tackled our Thanksgiving art project, woven place mats! 

The students printed, colored, and cut. 

They helped each other weave paper strips over, under, over, and under. Fantastic teamwork! Many also showed off their patterning skills!

Amazing work! These will, without a doubt, be the center of the Thanksgiving tables this weekend!

The highlight of our week was, without a doubt, "Make a Difference, Break a Rule" Day! Our school community, yet again, proved to be generous as the food donations piled up! 

We have been blessed beyond measure and it is so important to take time and give thanks. God is indeed SO GOOD! Happy Thanksgiving!

A Visit to God`s House

Our morning was lovely. The sun was shining, it was a beautifully crisp Fall day, and we were headed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church to celebrate mass as a school community. The boys and girls were attentive, they participated in the mass, and their wonderful behaviour should be applauded!

We were so lucky to remain after mass with our Grade 5 buddies for a tour! Care to join us?

Here is the foyer of the church. We left our coats here and entered God`s house. 

Then we entered our church. We were reminded that our church is our home. We are always welcome here. 

Just past the foyer is the baptismal font. We bless ourselves here when we enter. Babies are baptized in the smaller area and kids and adults in the larger, lower area. Both of Mrs. Beliveau`s kids were baptized here!

Mounted behind the baptismal font, between the foyer doors, is a narrow shelf. It holds three holy oils. They are for anointing the sick, for baptisms and for confirmations. These oils help us feel the presence of God. 

Beneath the oils is the Paschal Candle. We get a new candle each Easter. It helps us remember our baptism, because when we are baptized our baptismal candle is lit from this Paschal Candle. 

Then we saw these beautiful pictures at the back of the church. They are the stations of the cross, and depict Jesus' last days on earth. They were painted by Father Kenneth Kearns, the first parish priest at OLPH. Wasn't he talented? They are a one of a kind!

To the side of the church is a small chapel. When just a few gather for mass, they celebrate here. 

We gathered at the altar. It is the special table where the priest stands to say mass. Today Fr. Joachim said mass for us. 

This is the ambo. The Word of God is proclaimed from here. 

This is the view form the ambo, if ever you are proclaiming. Both Mrs. Lemire and Mrs. Beliveau are active proclaimers. Can you see all the pews? They take up the most room in our church, and that's where we sit. We are so important! God is present in us!

This is where the priest sits. Want to hear a secret? We discovered a special compartment in the arm rest! Not only are the song books stored here, but the fire drill procedures are here, too!

Behind the altar is a small, peaceful room called the Sacristy. The little red light you see high up lets us know that the Body of Christ is present. 

Here we saw the tabernacle, an ornate box that holds the Body of Christ. 

Here is the cupboard that holds the chalices the ciboriums. During mass, the chalice holds the Blood of Christ and the ciborium hold the Body of Christ. 

In the basement of the church is the Clothing Nook. Those who are less fortunate may visit and choose clothing, free of charge. Please consider dropping off your used clothing, but remember that they do not accept other items aside from clothing. 

We made a quick stop at the church offices! The very kind ladies showed us that all of our church records are tied in to the church where we were baptized. 

Back at the foyer of the church is the room where the priests put on their vestments before mass. They wear green for Ordinary Time, purple for Advent and Lent, and red for feast days. However, priests like Fr. Joachim wear brown vestments because they are Franciscan. 

Thank you to those who led us on our tour, as well to our parent helper! We all learned so much and are proud to call OLPH our home!