Christmas Around the World

Hayden wears the paper chain he and other students created to represent Denmark.  Mrs. Sturm worked with this group.

 

All four first grade classes enjoyed learning about the Christmas traditions and customs of other countries in comparison to the United States.   

Miss Wickline taught Jay, Saul, and Weston about Italy and had them write notes to their parents promising to be good.

Crystal and Ty'Karius learned about Mexican traditions and created lanterns.

Elijah displays the British flag.  He and other students learned about Father Christmas, sang Christmas carols, and created Christmas cards.  All of these are Christmas traditions from England.

Force and Motion fun

 

Room 20 children just finished up learning about force and motion.  A special thanks to Ms. Rodgers for allowing us to experiment with her guitar and drums.  We discovered first hand that vibrations do indeed make sound!  What fun!

Reindeer day

Roger, Weston, Emmanuel, and Trinity are excited about their antlers!

 

Reindeer Day was lots of fun for the children (and teacher!) of Room 20!  We read the story "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and discussed the story elements.  Then we worked in groups to create a nonfiction reindeer book, a Rudolph ornament, and a reindeer sandwich.  Perhaps our favorite part of the day was when Mrs. Joyce gave us our own set of reindeer antlers.  Thanks to Mrs. Frith, Mrs. Hairston, Mrs. Moxley, Ms. Moorefield, and Mrs. Bishop for helping us with all of our activities! 

 

Hayden, Ty'Karius, Savannah, and Saul had fun on Reindeer Day.

Rachel, Makayla, Elijah, and Vincent show off their antlers!

Emmanuel and Abigail loved making their Rudolph sandwiches with Mrs. Moxley.

Weston and Elijah can't wait to try their sandwiches!

Ty'Karius and Makayla get ready to eat their creations.

Miss Wickline added some decorations to her hair to create a reindeer!

Trinity and Duke Dog

 

Trinity had fun sharing her story with the class!

 

 

Trinity's story:

 

I played my iPod with Duke Dog.  While Duke Dog was at my house we had a birthday dinner for my Papa.  Duke dog and I watched tv together after I ate cake.  I had fun with Duke Dog. 

Weston and Duke Dog

Weston's story:

Duke Dog got to come home with me.  We went to Amy and Scott's house and played a video game.  He also did homework with me.  Today Duke Dog watched me help my dad stack firewood.  Then I made him a bed.  We had a good day.


Weston shares his story about his adventures with Duke Dog.



Rachel and Duke Dog

Rachel had a great time with Duke Dog. Below the pictures is Rachel's story.  We look forward to Weston's story next week!

Rachel shares her Duke Dog story with the class.

 

 

Rachel and her brother enjoy spending time at home with Duke Dog.

Duke Dog came home with me!  Duke dog and I watched Matthew play super Mario sunshine.  Duke dog and I had fun together.  Duke dog and I watched TV together.  I made a bed for him on my dresser.  We are waiting for dad to come home.  In the morning we go to school.

 

by Rachel

Read with Someone

Students have been working hard to improve how they read with a partner during Daily 5. Below are 3 great examples of Read to Someone.

Elijah wrote:

"We share books and sit EEKK. Don't throw books. Sit quiet. I really like read to someone."

Tykarius wrote:
"Vincent and I are reading. We are reading on the carpet."

Trinity wrote:
"I like read to someone. Read to someone is fun. When I read to someone it makes me happy."

Duke dog and Emma

Emma was our first student to take Duke Dog home.

 

Below is her story!  Great job, Emma!

 

I took Duke Dog home with me.  We did homework together.  We went to get my mom so she can come stay the night with us.  Me and Duke Dog came home and ate supper, then we got ready for bed.  We had a very good time together. 

Duke Dog Goes Home with Mrs. Joyce!

 

Room 20 has started their Home-School Writing Connection!  Each student will get to take home our college mascot, "Duke Dog."  Students are asked to write a short story about their time with Duke Dog.  A notebook comes home with Duke to give students ideas of what to write about.  You have 2 days to keep Duke Dog and write a great story!  All stories and a picture will be published on our classroom blog.

 

 

Of course, Mrs. Joyce got to take him home first!  I can't wait to read about Duke's upcoming adventures!  Have fun!

 

 

Mrs. Joyce's children, Meredith and Tanner, had fun decorating their Christmas tree with Duke Dog.  Duke said he'd never decorated a tree before!

After they finished, the kids and Duke pose for a picture!  Meredith wanted to keep Duke with her, but Mrs. Joyce said we had to let him visit with the students of Room 20.



Easy, Smart, Brilliant!

Below is a picture of our Easy, Smart, Brilliant Word Chart.  Yes, the students of room 20 know what these words mean!  Now that we've filled it up, we need to erase and start over! 

Parents, see if your children can tell you some of these words! 

Good citizens for the past 2 weeks

Below are our good citizens for the past 2 weeks.  Congratulations to them!

Great job, Emma and Roger!  Keep up the excellent work!

Read to Self

In our Daily 5 time, students have the opportunity to "Read to Self."  We review what the expectations are each week and reward those who do well.  Below are 2 students who wrote about their experiences with "Read to Self." 

We LOVE to read in Room 20!

Vincent wrote, "I like to read by myself.  I love to read.  I stay in the same spot.  Read to Self is fun.  We clip up at the end."

Damion wrote, "When I read to self I read the words.  I like Read to Self.  My books are good."

 

Lots of Good Citizens

Below are some of our good citizens for the past few weeks, with more to follow soon! 

I hope everyone gets a turn before we start giving folks their second certificate.  Remember to be a good citizen, you should work hard to do your best, listen to all adults, and be a friend to others.

Congratulations to these great students!  Keep up the good work!



Great job, Damion!

Super work, Savannah!

Visit from Magna Vista Football Players and Cheerleaders

Magna Vista football players and cheerleaders receive good luck "fist bumps" from the students of Room 20.

A cheerleader reads "Skeleton Hiccups"

 

On Friday, October 18, Axton Elementary School was excited to have the Magna Vista High School cheerleaders and football team visit.  They talked to our class about working hard to achieve your goals and about listening to the advice and guidance of adults. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit with us!

Good luck in the playoffs!

Good Citizen of the Week

Congratulations to Makayla, our latest good citizen!  She did a great job this week helping others, being a friend, and working hard on her classwork.  We are proud of you!

 

 

Also, I must say congratulations to my entire class for earning the "Eagle Award" for first grade.  This award is given each week to the first grade class that has the best behavior.  Please keep it up!  Great behavior leads to great learning!.

Room 20 in action this week!

A special thanks to Mrs. Bishop, ELL instructional assistant, for sharing these pictures!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we are wearing pink on all Fridays in October.

Savannah and Emma are doing great with "Read with Someone."

Emmanuel works hard on writing about his favorite food.

Mrs. Joyce works with a small group of readers.  Saul and Makayla are becoming very fluent!

Crystal reads "pack, packs, packed, and packing." 

Word Work in Room 20

This year, we are implementing a new literacy framework called "The Daily Five."  One of its components is "Word Work."  Students will either practice their spelling words or sight words for the week.  Below are some great pictures of the students in action!  I am so proud of them!

Rainbow writing

Chalkboard writing

Paddle writing

Make words with letters

 

We will continue to add new activities as the children become more independent with their work.  

October 3, 2013-Read for the Record

from http://www.jstart.org/campaigns/read-record

Jumpstart's Read for the Record® - October 3, 2013

Jumpstart’s premiere national campaign, Read for the Record, presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation, is one time of the year when millions of individuals come together to celebrate literacy and support Jumpstart in its efforts to promote early childhood education. On October 3, people across the country united to read the children’s book Otis by Loren Long in support of Jumpstart’s mission: to work toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed.




Our class had the opportunity to enjoy listening to a DVD recording of Henry County Public Schools' superintendent, Dr. Jared Cotton, read the story Otis.  In addition, the children were quick to identify the characters, setting, 2 problems, and solutions of the story.  What a great idea!

Good citizens for the last 3 weeks!

Oh no!  Mrs. Joyce has gotten behind in updating her blog!  The children REALLY love seeing their pictures posted for being good citizens.  Below are our last 3 room 20 good citizens! 

I choose our good citizens based on their behavior for the previous week.  Usually, they have few, if any, "counts" or warnings.  They are nice and polite to others, follow the teacher's directions, and do their best work. 

Congratulations, Emmanuel!

Keep up the good work, Weston and Crystal!

Good citizen of the week

Congratulations to Rachel, our latest good citizen.  She is excited to have the trophy at her desk all week long!  Keep up the good work!

Great School Stories!

Room 20 students have completed their first writing project!  I'm so proud of them.  Below are 3 examples of their great work.  What wonderful writers we have!

 

I have the good citizen trophy.  My friends play Power Rangers.  I love to go to school.  I am happy to see my mom.  by Elijah

 

I like SRA.  I like to play iPads.  I like school because it's fun.  I feel happy.  by Rachel

 

 

 

My friends go to P.E.  We play on the slide.  I read in SRA.  I feel happy at school.  by Makayla