Welcome to Mrs. Clark's 
Seussville!
The end is near! We have been having so much fun in First Grade. We have all turned into scientists! Our experiments have been involving natural resources and understanding that people don't conserve their natural resources! The scientists all placed goggles on and used test tubes to take a closer look at pollution! Take a look below to see 21 First-Grade Scientists!
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! We loved celebrating Dr. Seuss in "Seussville." The kids created hats, estimated goldfish, completed Dr. Seuss literacy centers, and participated in a school-wide, "Drop Everything and Read!" They listened to a story, "Oh the Places You'll Go." We had a group discussion about the different places they would want go in life!
We made it to the 101st day of school! We were thrown off a little by the delay but we managed to squeeze in all our activities. The kids dressed up like 101 Dalmatians by decorating their shirts and hats. They also created dog necklaces and used their higher-level thinking skills to turn the number "101" into an image. It was an amazing day!
Happy 2013!!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break. We're back working hard in the first grade! Recently we have been working on Poetry. All my little first graders are writing through poet's eyes, conveying feeling, and using comparisons in their writing! They have been typing their poems on the laptops. Check out my Poets' below!
We had so many exciting activities throughout our holiday season. A big thank you to Mr. and Mrs. O'Dell for helping with our parent gifts!!
Polar Express Day
All Aboard the train!
After our adventures with "Polar Express" we received bells from the North Pole!
We have had so many exciting events based around election time! The kids particpated in an election in the classroom. We read two books about a Duck and Dog. They made campagin posters and had to fill out a ballot for one of them. They had a blast and check out the pictures below!~ They all received voter registration cards, ballots, graphs, and stickers!
Camille with her ballot
We graphed to figure out who was the winner! Voter Registration cards!
They had to bring their ID's to vote!
Grayson had fun voting! Katherine received her sticker for voting!
Happy Halloween! We celebrated Halloween with some Pumpkin Math. Each child had their own pumpkin to work with throughout the afternoon. They traveled to four different stations set up around the room. The activities included: measuring the circumference, estimating seeds, weighing pumpkins, and observing the pumpkins. They had a blast while with pumpkins while integrating Math and Science! Thank you to all of our volunteers to helped pumpkin math to be very successful!
They weren't sure about digging into the pumpkins Drawing creases on their pumpkins
Abigail figuring out the circumference
We received the wonderful opportunity to visit the National Zoo for our 1st grade field trip! The kids are learning about body coverings of animals along with their habitats and the zoo was perfect for many teachable moments! All the animals were out and about because it was such a beautiful day. The kids were able to hear the lion roar and see an orangutan crossing right above us! The most memorable moment was when we all had a connection upon bringing the newest members of the zoo out, THE BABY CHEETAHS!
Our class tagged "our" tree on Friday! We are investigating the four seasons and changes our deciduous tree goes through. The students are recording and labeling our tree in their Science Journals. See below for a picture of Mrs. Clark's class tree and the little scientists working away!
We have been working on growing and repeating patterns while labeling the patterns. The students worked with different shapes to make a Snake pattern then translate it on to paper with paper cut outs. We will begin looking at these shapes while noticing the different attributes!
Jack, Zion, and Mrs. Clark were able to enjoy lunch together after celebrating 5 reds!
Jersey Day was celebrated on Friday the 28th. Brian, Abigail, and P.J. all ate in the classroom for earning 5 reds!!
We created our Science Journal this week. We're all learning what being a Scientist is like. The kids investigated their shadows today. They recorded data about their shadow this morning and afternoon. They realized that their shadow moved while noticing that the sun rises in the East and sets the West! See below for some pictures of our Scientists tracing each other.
It was very bright outside!
Students have consistently been learning the routines and procedures in first grade. Ihsaan has been displaying great behavior and has been on the Outstanding behavior chart for 5 days! He was able to eat lunch in the classroom with Mrs. Clark. Way to go Ihsaan!!
"Read-to-Self" is a vital component in the first-grade. We are working on building stamina when reading. The kids did different yoga positions for a certain amount of time to help understand what stamina is. Check them out!
The students are working on creating a survey question, collecting data, then graphing their results! We used jellybeans and animals this week to help better understand! Zion displayed "Paws"itive behavior in the hallway and he received a ticket from a staff member. His ticket was entered in a school raffle and his name was chosen! He was able to sit in Mrs. Platenberg's chair all day! Way to go Zion...
Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! My name is Mrs. Clark, formally Miss Barisano. I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. I had a fantastic summer marrying Mr. Clark in Charleston, South Carolina!
First grade is an exciting time as children embark upon new adventures in the world of learning. I am looking forward to a very exciting and productive year working with your child. As a teacher, I will strive each day to make learning fun and enriching for your child. Communication is vital in the first grade. I believe that you and I are a team working together. Throughout the year, I will post my monthly newsletters and different items on this website. I hope to create an opportunity for you to see what your child is doing in the classroom. I am happy to be a part of your child's learning. Feel free to contact me at any time.
Katie.Clark@lcps.org
Love, Mrs. Clark
