During our word study time, first graders have learned so much about words! We have studied features like short vowels, blends and digraphs. We have reviewed and learned SNAP words (words you want to be able to read and write in an instant!) During our work this week, kids used what they know about SNAP words on our word wall to make new words. 

We are safe, kind and responsible!

What a day! Such growth and perseverance- I think everyone had a beautiful moment to take away from our experience. Thank you families-you are amazing! More pictures on the photo gallery.

During Reading Workshop, first graders have been busy building good habits. We have learned how to take sneak peeks, check our sneak peeks when we have finished reading and to do something at the end of a book. Readers can reread, think about, show and explain their favorite parts and retell what they have read.

Children have been working on sharing their thinking during reading partnerships. This is a powerful and fun way to communicate our learning to others.

Today our wonderful nature volunteers taught us all about the sun, light and shadow. We watched a puppet show, experimented with flashlights to find out if different materials were transparent or opaque. We traced our shadows and revisited them to see how they changed when the sun rose higher into the sky and we also observed the effects of heat on an ice cube. There were a lot of thoughtful observations and connections that students brought to their science work. 

This afternoon we harvested fruits and vegetables from the garden. We taste tested them and collected data about which ones we liked and which ones we didn't. Our learning came full circle when we connected it back to the sun, sunlight, photosynthesis and the food chain!

Yesterday our chrysalis was no longer in the pupa stage! In the morning, we came in to see a beautiful monarch drying her wings. We released her at recess and she flew away quickly.

We still have a caterpillar and we are noticing the changes and growth as it eats more and more milkweed. We have been learning about cycles and how they are everywhere in nature.

This afternoon we walked the trails and enjoyed all the beauty that surrounds us.

We worked on what it looks like, sounds like and feels like to be safe, kind and responsible in our first grade community.

Here we come...new adventures are ahead. Thank you for an amazing year!

Best wishes for a fun-filled summer!

Our eggs hatched this week! We have 18 fluffy and adorable chicks to observe for a few day before they go to their next home.Things are happening fast this time of the year!