Yesterday, the students in our class met Eli, Benson School's therapy dog as well as his trainer, Ms. Sue.  Eli first came to Benson a few weeks ago and will be at our school next year as well.  Eli is a Shetland Sheepdog.  The students had an opportunity to pet Eli. Not all students are pictured as some chose not to interact with the dog which is perfectly fine.

Today we took a walking trip to the Springbrook Nature Center.  We learned all about mammals and then went outside to look for them. Thanks you to Mrs. Karras, Mrs. Frank, Mrs. Hittie, Mrs. Bolis, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Positano, and Mrs. Buonincontro for coming with us.  The weather was great and we had lots of fun!  Please enjoy our photos.

We took a break from our traditional reading instruction this week so that we could learn about readers' theater.  It is easiest to explain what it is, by explaining what it is not.  It is not a full-scale production with props, scenery, costumes and memorized parts.  Instead, a readers' theater performance is a dramatic reading.  The readers usually stand or sit in front of the audience and are reading from a script that is held in their hands.  We hope to take our show "on the road" tomorrow to share with the other first grade classes.  A couple of students were absent when these photos were taken.  I apologize.

 

There were bats in the house today!

Please enjoy our photos from our in-school first grade assembly. Yes, those are bats!  The students learned lots of things about bats today and were able to see the mammals up close.

In math, we have been studying geometry.  In class, we dumped big piles of pattern blocks on the floor and the children were asked to build with the shapes.  I did require the children tell me the names of the shapes they were using and how many of each.  It was lots of fun.  I am sharing photos of our math lesson with you and the things we made.  It is my hope that you are sharing these photos with your child as I seldom have time during the school day to share them myself.

                            The above photo says, "Happy Birthday Arden" with pattern blocks.

Happy Wednesday!

Enjoy our photos.  We read our weekly story like "bosses" with our feet on our desks.