First Grade News

After two weeks of perfecting, mapping, and playing in our neighborhood, first graders were ready to say goodbye and send it home. We named our neighborhood “Megahood,” because it had so many different places in it.

As we concluded our realistic fiction unit, we had the opportunity to celebrate our published series books with our fifth grade buddies! Then, we had a mini persuasive writing unit! First graders drew upon skills learned earlier in the year during our neighborhood review writing unit to convince their classmates to vote for their favorite Irma Black Award nominee. Each first grader made a poster detailing all the reasons someone should vote for their favorite book, and then presented their arguments to the class.

We finished our unit on addition and subtraction with numbers to 100. First graders brushed up on their double digit addition and subtraction skills. We practiced different strategies such as counting on or down, and using the vertical algorithm (the tens and ones strategy). When using the vertical algorithm, first graders remembered to first add or subtract from the ones place, and then add and subtract from the tens place.

First grade scientists continue to study what plants need to grow. Many of our classroom seedlings did not grow! After doing some research, we hypothesized that it was possibly too cold in our classroom, the plants didn’t get enough light, or some of the seeds were planted too deep. We’re going to try planting again after the break!

In the Hebrew classroom, we had very busy week learning about Pesach! We reviewed the four questions and lots of first graders are excited to recite them at their Seders. We learned all about the ten plagues and learned a song to review the 10 plagues in Hebrew and in English. The first graders had so much fun making their own ten plague bags that they took home to bring to their Seder. We reviewed all of the things that we can find on the Seder plate (kearat seder) and what they are symbolize. We also spoke about the meaning of the word chametz (food that we are not supposed to eat on Pesach) and looked for chametz in our classroom. We also made Matzah with Rabbi David Klein. It was such a special experience! We so enjoyedcelebrating Pesach together and doing our own Seder.