The Gruffalo

Excitement was in the air as the kids came in on Thursday morning, and it wasn't for Halloween! We were all set to go on our first field trip to see "The Gruffalo" at the Sheldon Theater in Red Wing! We loaded the buses and headed out by 8:45 for a 9:30 show.

"Are we there yet?"

"When are we going to be there?"

"How much farther?"

"How many more minutes?"

Finally, we made it and found our seats in the theater. We read the book "The Gruffalo" several times during the week, and we were so anxious to see how the actors would tell the story. What would the mouse look like? How would they show a snake? What would the Gruffalo look like? We knew lots of details, but now we had to wait again to see the real thing. Here's what we learned ahead of time about the Gruffalo:

He has tusks, terrible claws, terrible jaws, and terrible teeth!

He has purple prickles on his back.

He has a poisonous green wart on the side of his nose.

He has turned-out toes.

He has orange eyes.

He is big and hairy, but he is not scary!

Unfortunately, I could not take pictures during the play, so I can't show you what the Gruffalo really looked like - just use your imagination! The play was fantastic, and it was so much fun to see how the actors portrayed the characters in the book. When we got back to school, we talked about the play and drew pictures of the characters. Ask your child abour his/her favorite.

Thanks to Grant's mom for coming along and keeping track of kids at the end of the line!

When can we go again?

September Students of the Month

Each month, several students are chosen as Students of the Month. Mr. Koven comes to the room and presents awards to the special kids, and congratulates them on their achievements. Elizabeth and Sanskar were chosen for September for their great adjustment to a new school, and their willingness to make lots of new friends.

Good job, kids - we're so glad you're in our class!

(Nice tie, Mr. K - M&M's - my favorite!)

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

It's that time of year again when the bugs are coming inside to warm up, at least they are at my house! Fortunately, the only bugs at school are of the paper variety, except for a stray box elder bug here and there. Our Language Arts story this week was a make believe story called "A Surprise for Zig Bug." The bugs in this story live in a hut, and they can swim, talk, play tug of war, and drink lemonade. We read about real bugs, too, and then we made our own. Don't they look great decorating the wall by the Bug Center?

At the Center, we can learn more facts about bugs by reading books, using a flip book, doing a puzzle, and making bug rubbings.

We learned that bugs have 6 legs.

They also have 3 body parts: a head, thorax, and abdomen.

Some bugs have wings, and some don't.

Most bugs also have antennae.

Bugs have spots, stripes, and crazy colors.

Some bugs also have feeding tubes.

Some bugs even have stingers!

We worked so hard!

Looks good, but it needs a few more legs!

This bug has big wings!

We also learned that some bugs feel with their antennae and hear with their legs.

Almost done.

Our bugs were fun to make!

Homecoming Pepfest

Friday was Homecoming in CF, and the high school kids held a pepfest for the Elementary School. The kindergarteners and first graders were in awe of the whole proceedings, and really didn't know quite what to think of all the excitement, but they sure had fun! The pepband played, the cheerleaders yelled, the athletes from all the fall sports talked, and the homecoming royalty was introduced.

The whole crowd was dressed in red and black (and a little pink).

These little kids are our future athletes, cheerleaders, band members...

and royalty!

The kids got to "high-five" the king on their way out of the gym.

Here we all are dressed for Spirit Day in our red and black!

Go, Bombers!

Fire Prevention Week

The second week in October is Fire Prevention Week, and for as long as I can remember, the Cannon Falls firefighters have been coming to school to teach our students about fire safety. On Wednesday, we had a lyceum in the gym, and then the kids went outside to see the firetrucks.

Firefighter Mike (a former student of mine!) showed the equipment truck and patiently answered questions.

Firefighter Jeremy told us about the pumper truck and demonstrated how to use an air tank.

Firefighter Greg showed some of the tools firefighters use to get into burning buildings.

He also showed us the "jaws of life." The fire rescue truck is very important in medical emergencies as well as fires!

We are so fortunate to have brave firefighters in our community to help protect us and teach us how to be safe. Thanks to all the volunteers!

Pumpkins, Anyone?

Fall has officially arrived, so it's time to start decorating the room for....Halloween! The children had fun cutting out big pumpkins this week, and then adding shapes to make faces.

We worked soooo hard on our creations!

Look for our pumpkin patch when you come in for conferences next week.

Learning to Read!

Learning to read is a first grader's main job, and we spend a lot of time each day in the process. Our morning Language Arts block is spent in whole group activities such as singing songs, listening to stories, practicing phonics, and learning comprehension stategies. Then we break into small groups. During group time, the children meet with me for small group instruction where we practice new vocabulary, review high-frequency words, play games, and read stories. There is also an independent seat work time, and an activity centers time. If you walked into the classroom between 8:30 and 11:00, you would be amazed at how independent and focused the children are on their "jobs." They have already made so much progress!

We are just completing our first theme in our anthology.

This week, we have been practicing decoding short a and short i words as we read "Pigs in a Rig."

We use our finger to point at the words as we read.

During work time, we work independently in our Practice Books and also do various reading, writing, and drawing projects.

We can also do free choice reading and writing when we finish our assigned tasks.

Adding details to our pictures is actually a reading skill!

Our para, Mrs. Pierce, is always available to help and answer questions.

"I finished everything today!"

Children have a Center Buddy for the week as they rotate through five different centers, one per day, while other children are working with me or doing their assignment for the day. Every center has a choice of activities, and reading books pertaining to the center is always a choice. The manipulatives center is always a favorite.

At the Fall center, we can make and decorate leaves, play a seasons game, draw a fall picture, or read a book.

The Language Master helps with vocabulary drill at the Language Arts center. The machine reads the magnetic tape on each card and says the word. We can hear it in the head phones.

We can also practice skills on the computer.

The book corner is a great place to relax and just read!

It's so much fun to learn to read!