First and second graders have been busy! We have enjoyed spreading beauty around our hallways with our "Get to Know You Flowers," which are hanging in our hallway. Take a walk down our hallway and get to know all the first and second graders better. We learned that one student wanted to be a pilot, while another one, a roller coaster operator! Our first Literacy unit is all about fables, and we learned that Aesop, who was from Greece, was the first to write them down. Ask your child to tell you what a fable is using hand motions: a short story, teaches a lesson, and uses personification. One of my favorite activities has been making puppets to go along with "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," and then having each student retell the story using as many vocabulary words as possible. Speaking of which, the students earn a pom pom for our vocabulary jar every time they use the word in a sentence or hear somebody else use the word. Our vocabulary jar is already almost FULL!! These students have bought in and are using new words each day.
We have touched on the events of September 11th by reading a few picture books that carefully teach about the helpers. One of my favorites is "Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey" by Maira Kalman, which talks about the restoration of the retired fireboat and the important role it played in putting out the fires in NYC after working 4 days around the clock. One of the students' favorites is "The Man in the Red Bandana" by Honor Crowther Fagan. Welles Crowther worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center and ended up saving countless lives that day. If you haven't read these books, check them out! You'll be reminded, as I am, of the dedication of our first responders as well as the impact that regular citizens can have as helpers! As a follow-up, we are working on thank yous to our local first responders. You are more than welcome to meander down our hallway and take a peek at what we've been doing!
