McMahon 1B - January State of the Classroom Address
Published by Mrs. McMahon (1B) January 14th, 2008 in Announcements.As we end the second quarter, I have witnessed a lot of progress in writing, reading, religion, math and science. Looking ahead at the third quarter the following are some expectations for our first grade students.
Religion -
Prayers - Most of the children have memorized The Hail Mary and the Glory Be to the 
Father prayers. This quarter, your child will be tested on his/her ability to recite the Our Father. Chapter 9 will teach how, where and when to pray to Our Father. Chapter 10 will ask us to say “Yes” to God in our actions and speech and teach us about God’s Kingdom. Chapter 11 will teach us about the Holy Spirit. Chapter 12 will teach us about the Holy People of our faith.
Behavior at Mass - We watch each week for those children who show reverence in church and participate at the weekly masses.
Language Arts –
Writing - We will begin making word webs, rough drafts, editing and writing final copies of writing samples that will be kept in our permanent record. These writing samples will be passed to the next grade and given to the students in 8th grade. All children should be able to write at least 3 complete sentences on a given subject and use correct punctuation and capitalization.
Vocabulary – Review of inflectional endings –s, -es, -ed, er, est. Study weekly vocabulary words.
Phonics & Spelling – We will continue to study the long vowel cvce pattern for words with i o, & u vowels. We will learn that long a can be made with ai and ay.
Comprehension – We will introduce cause and effect and review making inferences, sequence of events and summarizing.
Grammar – We will continue our study of verbs, was-were, has-have, go-do, see-say, contractions.
Study Skills – We will read and interpret a variety of charts.
Math – Saints, Tuesday, January 15 test on geometry/plane shapes and solid shapes.
Angels – Solid shape Show & Tell – Your child can bring a solid shape from home to share with his classmates.
We will begin to study fractions/probability. Cutting fruits at home is a great way to explore fractions with your child. After that we will begin working with numbers to 100, adding, and subtracting.
Science – We are currently studying magnets and using terms such as magnetic field, attract, repel, North Pole, South Pole, compass. You will be notified and sent home a study packet before the next test.
After the magnet, unit we will study earth science. We will discuss earth, rocks, and water.
THANK YOU
Most of you have heard that my mother passed away during the Christmas break. I will miss her immensely. She left a glorious legacy of great memories and a wonderful family. I am blessed with 5 sisters and 1 brother. Thank you for all the cards, prayers and hugs to help carry me through. The children too have been so kind. One thing I know, working with children doesn’t allow much time to feel too sorry for oneself. This too is a blessing. I am thankful for my faith and in knowing that I will someday be reunited with both of my dear parents.
