Christmas in February!

I think that is the new title for the 100th Day of School in First Grade... at least, that's what it felt like as these Firsties were opening up their amazing goody bags!  I felt like I got a small glimpse into the type of reactions you parents get to see on Christmas morning... priceless!  Here are a few snapshots of their excitement that day:

Mrs. Coulter and I were pleasantly surprised by our own 100th Day Goody Bag, courtesy of a very thoughtful parent!  Thank you special parent!

Of course we had plenty of work to do, most of which involved that wonderful three-digit number!  Here is a photo compilation of some of the activities:

We ended our fabulous day with another activity that got these Firsties out of their desks and moving around the room.  I gave each child a 100's chart, and they were responsible for filling out the chart with 100 words that they can read on their own.  They were paired up with a partner, and then they travelled around the room looking for words that they could read.  They switched partners halfway through the activity to share and borrow words from their new partner.  They had a great time, and I think they were pleasantly surprised with how many words they can actually read now!  We tallied them all up at the end of the activity, and we realized we can read (collectively) over 2,000 words!  WOW!!! Great job Firsties!  Here is a glimpse into that activity:

 Our whole week wasn't all about the 100th Day- we had the pleasure of beginning our week with a fabulous project from our Christian Service Parents, Mrs. Vona and Mrs. Schultz.  The two lovely parents, along with many other wonderful, patient parents, showed up to talk to our class about our Christian Service Project.  We will be working together to prepare over 300 origami kits to donate to the Children's Hospital!  To kick start this project, our class was able to fold their own origami hearts.  This was challenging, but our Firsties passed with flying colors (thanks to our volunteers!)  Here are some photos from that day:

This week is another event-filled week here at St. Judes- Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent- Ash Wednesday.  Please feel free to join us for a Prayer Service at 10am.  We will be talking about the reason we receive blessed ashes on our foreheads, and why it is important to either give up something, or take on something good, during the Lenten Season.  A Lenten tradition we have in our First Grade is to send home the famous Jelly Bean Prayer with your child.  Please look for this worksheet (with complete directions) in your child's folder sometime this week.  Keep this Jelly Bean Prayer in a special visible place, follow the directions, and any students who return the completed worksheet right before we leave for Easter Break will receive a small prize!
Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, so eat up everyone!  Additionally, the school will be gathering together with our School Families that day for a fun game of BINGO!  Nothing says Catholic like a good ol' game of BINGO!  Despite the fact that Ash Wednesday is a solemn day, Thursday is still Valentine's Day, and these Firsties will be celebrating this love-filled holiday with a small class party at the end of the day.  At that time, Firsties will be passing out their Valentines. Please remember that if your child is bringing Valentines, there must be enough for all 35 students, and we are asking that you omit the "To" portion of the Valentine- simply fill out the "From" section with our child's name.  This makes passing out Valentines 100 times easier!  Thank you for your help!  

Finally, I just wanted to remind you that we are in the home stretch of the school year- CRAZY! Only 80 something days of school left!  I know some students are experiencing some apprehension with their timed addition tests, and I wanted to reassure you that some apprehension is normal.  I wish there was some magical way I could erase their apprehension, but after 7 years of teaching, the best thing I can tell you is practice, practice, practice!  Please praise your child for passing scores (anything 7 and above).  This is not a test of whether or not your child can add- at this point all of our Firsties can add.  We're not worried about that.  These quizzes are a way to prepare your child for the quick-thinking that is necessary when they leave First Grade and arrive in Second Grade.  Take advantage of the re-tests that we give any child who does not first pass their timed test on Mondays.  Look at the App Store for any addition App's- I found two relatively helpful app's- the "Timed Test Free! Addition" App allows you to set up some parameters of a timed addition test, and since it is on the iPad/iPhone, your child may enjoy this type of practice more than traditional methods. The other App, "Math Cakes" was also free, and it incorporates cute cupcakes as rewards for passing short addition tests.  Another idea- borrow our Tower of Power idea.  Ask your child- they can tell you all about it, and I believe I posted some photos of it on an earlier post.  All you need are some plastic cups and a sharpee! 

On that note, I recently read an interesting article in a magazine meant for teachers, and some points of this article really hit home.  Here are a few paragraphs hopefully worth your reading time:

Challenge to Create Excellence.

Real growth happens when people work at the edge of their competence. Students who are not challenged lose out on the sense of confidence that comes from mastering a challenge, and they may come to believe that accomplishment should be effortless. “I get letters from child geniuses who’ve never amounted to anything, and they never knew why,” says Dweck. “After reading my book, Mindset, they ­realize that they’ve never learned to work beyond their comfort zone. They’ll pick something up and only go to where their natural talent can take them, and then drop it.”
“It is mandatory that we give advanced students challenges all the time,” Dweck continues. “Otherwise, there’s the danger they’ll conclude that being smart means ‘I don’t have to work hard.’ That’s a recipe for problems later.”

Teach a Growth Mind-Set.

People who have a growth mind-set believe that their basic abilities can be developed through hard work; people with a fixed mind-set tend to believe that things like intelligence and talent are fixed qualities. Dweck suggests teachers tell students that “every time you push out of your comfort zone to learn hard things, your brain grows new connections and you get smarter.”
Teaching a growth mind-set may improve kids’ behavior, too. “Our research shows that some of the most apathetic, disengaged, and disruptive students ‘wake up’ when they’re taught a growth mind-set,” Dweck says. “It’s pretty hard for students to be apathetic about growing their brains.”

Let Students Know that Learning Involves Struggle.

Too many students equate struggle with stupidity; they think that feeling confused or overwhelmed during a lesson means that it’s over their heads. But confusion and struggle are a natural, and necessary, part of true learning, and learning to accept struggle as part of the process can help students stick with lessons when the going gets tough.
“It may be helpful for your students to know that frustration and anxiety, and also some amount of boredom and confusion, is normal when learning,” Duckworth says. “Students need to know that they actually should not experience mastery all the time.”

Promote Practice.

“Gritty people do more deliberate practice,” Duckworth says. “They spend time working on really specific goals that are just outside of what they could do yesterday.”
Many students find practice boring, though, so talking about the importance of practice may help your students. K. Anders Ericsson, a noted psychology researcher, has shown that the difference between good and great is deliberate practice. Emphasize to students that a great performer (whether it’s a soccer star, a musician, or a well-known actor) logs many more hours of effective practice than a merely good performer.
Woolway suggests isolating key skills and practicing them over and over before integrating them with other knowledge. “Passively learning about something will not translate into action,” Woolway says. “The idea is that practice makes permanent.”
  
 Okay, I'm going to step down from my teacher soapbox now= ) and go relax by the fire!  This weather calls for hot cocoa, fire, and a movie!  I hope you get to have some quality down-time with the family, and we will see you Monday!

Stay warm and take care! 

~Ms. Hudson