9-16-22

 We started our next First Grade topic of study — insects!  We first made a list of what we already know about insects, and then made a list of insect questions we have.  In our science books, we read that insects have 6 legs and 3 body parts.  Some even have wings! We learned a song to help us remember all of these facts.  To the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, here is our song:

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen,

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen,

Eyes, antennae, six legs and some have wings,

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen!

We tested out our jumping skills after learning that fleas can jump 200 times their height.  None of us could jump quite that high, but we did have some impressive results!

We will start looking for insects outside to catch and observe in our insect jar. 

  We read several insect books including School Bugs and I Love Bugs.  We also spent time one day looking through insect identification books and insect encyclopedias to see just some of the amazing insects who share our world.  And of course we sang our insect song quite a few times!

In math, we focused on our second chapter which is about subtraction.  Along with the variety of strategies we are working on, we learned that another word for the “answer” in a subtraction problem is the “difference”.  We’ve been playing math games too!  Between rounds of Bunny Hop and Penny Plate, we were very busy!

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Meet the Teachers night!  If you were unable to attend, the handouts are in your first grader’s Take Home Folder.

One quick housekeeping note:  As the weather is starting to get chilly in the mornings and the first graders are starting to bring sweaters, hoodies, and jackets, please take a moment to write your first grader’s name or your last name on the tags.  Many of these sweaters look the same, and being able to identify each one quickly is extremely helpful!

We look forward to welcoming Morah Esther back next week after a recent illness.  We missed you Morah Esther!

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Miss Deena Tanenbaum

9-2-22

  We had a spectacular second week in first grade! As our topic of friends continued, we read many more books — There Once Was A Puffin, Farfallina And Marcel, Will You Be My Friend, Hunter’s Best Friend At School  and A Circle Of Friends.  If you have never seen A Circle Of Friends before, I highly recommend taking it out of the library.  This book, which tells a story using no words, starts several thought-provoking conversations in class each year.  We were also able to discuss how the characters in the story demonstrated all 3 middot of friendship, hard work, and respect.  The message of the book is important for all ages, even adults!  The book is written by Giora Carmi, who grew up in Israel.

On top of working on addition concepts in math, we played a math game called Bunny Hop.  To teach the first graders about this game, it was me versus the class.  We had a lot of fun playing, and I am very happy to report that the first graders used spectacular sportsmanship throughout! 

We officially started our Take 10 program!  This program helps us make sure to take 10 minutes each day in class to exercise, get our heart rates up, and move around.

Last week, we started working on a STEM project that we will hopefully get to use for many weeks to come.  In our science books, we had read about different tools used to measure weather, including a thermometer and a rain gauge.  We talked about the purpose of a rain gauge, and what important features it should include.  After making plans for our own class rain gauge, we started construction.  Ask your first grader how we did and what we are up to!  We look forward to assessing our work and making improvements as needed!

This week we also made our first trip to visit our class tree.  We will visit our tree at the beginning of each month to see what has changed and what has stayed the same.  This is a very exciting time of year to visit our tree, as it is a Red Buckeye.  The buckeyes that have been growing all summer are getting bigger and bigger!  Check out this week’s picture e-mail to see us with our tree.

Have a nice long weekend!

-Miss Deena Tanenbaum

P.S.- Morah Esther is celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of her youngest son, Asher, this Shabbat.  She invites all of you to join in this special occasion at Torat Emet!  Her newsletter will resume next week.

8-26-22

 

We’ve had a fabulous first week in first grade!  The first graders and I took time getting to know each other by playing a name game and talking about our favorite colors. 

We also started to work on our first topic of the year -- friends!  We read several books about friendship, including Bob and Otto, A Friend Like Ed, and Friends!  We talked and wrote about the qualities of a friend, and we worked on a related project that will soon be on display in our hallway. 

In the middle of the week, we worked on a STEM project that we will hopefully get to use for many weeks to come.  In our science books, we had read about different tools used to measure weather, including a thermometer and a rain gauge.  We talked about the purpose of a rain gauge, and what important features it should include.  After making plans for our own class rain gauge, we started construction.  Ask your first grader what we are up to!  We look forward to assessing our work and making improvements as needed!

  Please note that the first graders’ gym schedule is as follows.  1A has gym on Mondays and Tuesdays.  1B has gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  For the time being, the first graders also have gym on Fridays, until we hire a new librarian.  Please make sure your first grader is wearing gym shoes on those days.

Please also make sure to send a healthy snack for both morning and afternoon recess.  This helps keep your first grader fueled throughout the day and able to focus on school activities and expectations.  Please keep all candy at home.  Thank you for your help and understanding!

My contact information is:

e-mail -- dtanenbaum@torahacademy.org

voicemail - 864-0299

Please feel free to contact me!

Have a restful weekend!

-Miss Deena Tanenbaum

Staples Classroom Rewards!

 Check out this link to see how you can earn money for us to spend in our classroom!

https://www.staplesconnect.com/c/classroomrewards

Welcome!

 Welcome to the C.T.A. first grade blog!  There will be no new posts over the summer.  Please check back in the fall when school starts to read about all that we do!