1st Grade Activities: Week 25

Monday
(Presidents' Day holiday)

Tuesday
1. Science/Nature: The Magic School Bus Gets Planted: Helping a Tiny Sprout Grow Tall (video).
2. History: look at interactive portrait: http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/index.html: George Washington stands before you in a full-length portrait by Gilbert Stuart (1796).
3. P.E.: skipping, dancing, run and play at park.
4. Art: attend Discovering Great Artists class: study works of Claude Monet (1840-1926); make a Value Scale out of various shades from one color of clay (mix with white to produce variations in shade); paint water using various shades of color; draw, cut out, and paste water lillies on the water; draw a Japanese-style bridge over pond; present works to parents at home.
5. Handwriting: label drawings.
6. Music: attend a Music Together class: singing, dancing, play instruments.
7. Read Aloud: Indian Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs;
The Hat, Jan Brett.

Wednesday
1. Phonics: do three pages of Tanglewood's Really Reading! (short vowel review).
2. Reading: Here Comes Silent e!, Anna Jane Hays;
Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur!, Syd Hoff.
3. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day; read Bible readings for today.
4. Handwriting: practice lowercase letters: r, n, d, w.
5. Art: draw an American flag, valentines, comic strips, game cards.
6. Math: 5 rows of 10 are 50 stars (for American flag).
7. Music: sing made-up songs.
8. Read Aloud: The Starlight Princess and Other Princess Stories, Annie Dalton.
9. Drama: act out teaching, presenting and attending art class.

Thursday
1. Art: draw lots of cartoon polar bears; draw sweets for a picnic modeled after food in Voyage of the Dawn Treader; make twist-tie mouse, beagles; help draw and color a beagle; draw Rocko (a boxer dog).
2. Handwriting: letter a sign: POLAR BEAR LIBRARY.
3. Reading: Go, Dog. Go!, P.D. Eastman.
4. Religion: pray; read short bio. of St. Polycarp; read Bible readings of the day.
5. Telling Time: review the hours on the clock, and concepts of hour hand and minute hand.
6. Music: sing made-up songs.
7. P.E.: run and play at the park.
8. Read Aloud: Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet.

Friday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of saints of the day; read Bible readings for today.
2. Music: sing Winnie the Pooh songs.
3. Art: draw Piglet, Eyore, Eyore's daughter and wife, Pooh, bees, hive, honey, and honey pot from Winnie the Pooh: Imagine That, Christopher Robin (video).
4. Handwriting: write HUNNY. Try to copyfit on the honey pot.
5. Reading: read titles of videos from the library.
6. Science/Nature: observe, draw fish in tank, hermit crab; birdwatching: observe and draw crows and smaller bird.
7. P.E.: run and skip, monkey bars.
8. Library: independently request and order materials from the children's librarian.

1st Grade Activities: Week 24

Monday
1. Art: Draw an owl, write OWL; make books: one about a baby sister cow, another about two dogs and their little girl owners: Dog Days has a table of contents, page numbers, and chapter numbers and titles.
2. Music: make up a song: "Why do I like to show art -- because I love art!"; follow words and notes in chant music.
3. Reading: read the word: "mountaintops" among others; My Five Senses, Aliki;
Walking Through the Jungle, Julie Lacome (assisted);
Ten Apples Up On Top!, Theo. LeSieg (assisted).
4. Read Aloud: Elvis the Rooster Almost Goes to Heaven, Denys Cazet;
5. Spelling: sounding out words to write in a book, sounds: ck, ch, ng, ay, oo, ie, ow.
6. P.E.: hiking, play with dogs; dance to Irish music.
7. Math: 5x2 = 10; discuss calculating number of pages for the book she is making (5 sheets of paper - 2 sides each piece).
8. Handwriting: number book pages 1-10; Chapter numbers.
9. Religion: pray; read short bio. of the saint of the day.
10. Science/Nature: observe several characteristics of the boxer breed of dog after playing with one.

Tuesday
1. Reading: The Story of Valentine's Day, Nancy J. Skarmeas;
Tickle, Tickle, Helen Oxenbury (assisted);
Making Patterns, Elizabeth Savage;
Making Raisins, Marvin Buckley;
To Work, Pauline Cartwright.
2. Read Aloud: There Are Monsters Everywhere, Mercer Mayer;
The Penderwicks.
3. Art: make valentines; draw square people; draw Wishbone the Dog and items for him to play with.
4. Handwriting: label the drawing: Wish Bone, Dog, Kibbles.
5. Social Studies: watch Mexico for Children: The Culture of Mexico video.
6. Spanish: attend an elementary Spanish class: review numbers, colors, directions, etc. (conducted all in Spanish).
7. P.E.: run and play at the park.
8. Religion: pray; read short bio. of saints Cyril and Methodius; read Bible readings for the day.

Wednesday
1. Art: pretend to make a vase with Play-Doh; use a "potter's wheel", "fire in an oven"; show a finished product (substitute a real vase); twist tie art: bunnies, birds, dogs, deer, mice, snake, flame for candle; stamp whale, turtle, kitty cat out of clay.
2. Music: watch Zin! Zin! Zin!, a Violin (video); introduction to instruments in the orchestra; rhythm; concepts of duo, trio, quartet, quintet, etc.; sing made-up songs.
3. Reading: Toad on the Road, Susan Schade;
Measure It, Gloria Bancroft;
Ants, Judy Nayer;
Duckling Days, Karen Wallace (assisted);
read the schedule for The Cauliflower.
4. Read Aloud: Blue, Philippe Dupasquier (a book about creativity);
Ten Play Hide-and-Seek, Penny Dale.
5. Science/Technology: read and discuss Flick a Switch: How Electricity Gets to Your Home, Barbara Seuling; do a couple of the experiements from the book.
6. Spanish: story time at the library; craft.
7. P.E.: run and play at park.
8. Religion: pray; read short bio. of saints Faustinus and Jovita; read Bible readings for the day.

Thursday
1. Religion: pray; read Gospel for the day; read What Is God Like? and Who Is Jesus?, Kathleen L. Bostrom (bilingual Chinese/English -- read the English text only).
2. Reading: I feel Angry, Kelly Doudna;
Tiny the Snow Dog, Cari Meister.
3. Read Aloud/ Phonics: Short a and Long a Play a Game and Short e and Long e Play a Game, Jane Belk Moncure.
4. Spanish: read Mi Perrito, Inez Greene.
5. Art: make twist-tie animals; make a ladybug from clay.
6. Math: "I have 2 twist-ties. May I have 5 more? I need 7. 2 + 5 = 7."

Friday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of saints of the day; read Bible readings for the day.
2. Music: listen to Beethoven 33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120 and 11 Bagatelles, Op. 119; make up a song and dance about her "Goat Club".
3. Phonics: read Short i and Long i Play a Game, Jane Belk Moncure; discuss ck, sh, silent e concepts while reading; review all sounds of the letter o from phonogram cards; do two pages of Tanglewood's Really Reading!; spell the sh sound in fish.
4. Art: color an American flag in rainbow colors with animals and a peace sign for "Goat Club"; make valentines; draw people and pet animals.
5. Drama: ask how a headless horseman can be shown headless and later have his head back on: discuss photo, film, video editing.
6. Reading: Up, Down, and All Around, Sharon Street; three pages of Little Rabbits' First Word Book, Alan Baker.
7. Read Aloud: The Penderwicks.
8. Handwriting: label animal drawings: PETS, MOUSE, RAT DOG, CAT, GUINEA PIG, RABBIT, FISH, HORSE; write the numbers 0-9.
9. Math: solve 5+8.

1st Grade Activities: Week 23

Monday
1. Science/Technology: "It seems to be a problem with the tape, not the tape player, because everything else works except Madeleine" (diagnosis of video player problem is correct); read about the SuitSat-1 project; look at world tracking map and log; listen to audio transmission clips; look at prep and launch pictures: suitsat.org, AMSAT, NASA, more.
2. Art: draw story boards: Jolly the Super Fish, including fish, newspapers, buildings, water, gravel, scenery, shark -- 10 pages; number the pages.
3. Reading: Turtle and Snake's Day at the Beach, Kate Spohn (assisted);
Honk Honk!, Anne Rockwell.
4. Read Aloud: Favorite Children's Stories from China and Tibet, Lotta Carswell Hume.
5. Sign Language: watch Signing Time! video; learn some signs; also make up some signs such as: drawing (verb), rocking chair.
6. Spanish: watch Spanish for Gringos video.
7. Sewing: straight line running stitch.
8. Math: solve flashcards: 0+0, 0+1, 1+1, 2+0, 1+2, 2+2, 0+3, 3+1, 2+3, 3+3, 4+0, 4+1, 2+4, 3+4, 4+4, 0+5, 1+5, 5+2, 5+3, 4+5, 5+5, 0+6, 1+6, 6+6, 6+5, 4+6, 3+6, 6+2, 7+0, 7+1, 7+2, 7+3, 7+4, 5+7, 7+6, 7+7, 0+8, 2+8, 8+1, 8+3, 8+4 (oral).

Tuesday
1. Art: attend Discovering Great Artists class: listen to presentation of works of Paul Klee (1879-1940); create a project in similar style -- portrait chalk drawing; present artwork in front of the class; present to the class the book of drawings about Jolly the Super Fish.
2. P.E.: run and play at the park.
3. Reading: We Play on a Rainy Day, Angela Shelf Medearis;
Sleepy Dog, Harrriet Ziefert;
Moving Day, Robert Kalan.
4. Read Aloud: Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, Tomie dePaola;
Mama, Don't Go!, Rosemary Wells.

Wednesday
1. Art: watch Basic Cartooning video. Draw 2 pencil people, 2 ballerinas in different positions for animation; draw 7 Valentine heart people; illustrate a 13 pg. book about 2 squirrels: Michael and Leeah.
2. Science/Nature: watch How to Begin Birdwatching; play question box game: Q: What do bird's eat? A: "Breadcrumbs and whatever else they like to eat."; observation: "they use decoys (fake birds) to keep danger away from the eggs, and so that the eggs blend in/are camouflaged".
3. Reading: Hiccups for Elephant, James Preller (assisted);
The Twelve Days of Christmas.
4. Read Aloud: California Fairy Tales, Monica Shannon;
The Penderwicks.
5. Geography: watch The Rockies by Rail video.
6. Creative Writing: narrate the story of 2 squirrels: Michael and Leeah (oral).
7. Handwriting: MICHAEL AND LEEAH; STUCK; AH, HA, HA; CAT; DOG.
8. Spanish: story time at library and craft: make a cat from paper heart shapes.
9. P.E.: run and play at the park.

Thursday
1. Sign Language: watch Signing Time! vol. 2; learn more signs.
2. Social Studies: watch Mexico for Children: The Culture of Mexico (video).
3. History/Archaeology: watch The Seven Wonders of the World (video).
4. P.E.: run and play at the park.
5. Reading: Tiny's Bath, Cari Meister.
6. Read Aloud: In the Park / Vamos al parque, Kingfisher;
Molly's Store, Jacqueline Sweeney;
The 101 Dalmatians, Dodie Smith.
Franklin and the Tin Flute, Sharon Jennings.
7. Math: read Monster Money, Grace Maccarone.
8. Religion: discuss ancient gods versus the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Friday
1. Reading: review some words in Monster Money.
2. Art: draw circus fleas from Monster Money; draw a bird.
3. Religion: read short bio. of St. Scholastica; Bible readings for the day.
4. Reading: Clifford Makes a Friend, Normal Bridwell;
Our Heroes, Brenda Parkes.
5. Read Aloud: Saint Valentine, Robert Sabuda;
Saint Valentine, Ann Tompert;
St. Valentine's Day, Clyde Robert Bulla;
Who Dug This Hole?, Anita Holmes;
What's for lunch? Rice, Pam Robson.
6. Science/Nature, Art, Handwriting: look at a book about goats; draw several goats and items for the goats; write GOAT several times.
7. Spelling: Mom: "Now that you can spell goat, you can also spell boat, moat, and oat."; sound out and spell the word: sweet.

1st Grade Activities: Week 22

Monday
1. Music: watch Reading Rainbow: Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, filmed at Juiliard School of Music; watch orchestra of 8-18 year olds, and STOMP percussion demonstration included in this video, try similar style of percussion; listen to Machaut: La Messe de Nostre Dame and Songs from Le Voir Dit (CD).
2. Art: draw ant characters from Charlotte's Web 2; draw Lucy from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
3. Science/Nature: observe squirrel building a nest;
4. Reading: In My Bag, Belle Perez;
No New Pants!, Marcia Leonard;
Dan and Dan, Marcia Leonard.
5. Read Aloud: A Bed for the Winter, Karen Wallace;
Ten in a Bed, Jan Ormerod;
The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall.
6. Spanish: watch Spanish for Gringos and Bilingual Baby videos.

Tuesday
1. Music: listen to Mozart: The Magic Flute and Piano Concertos 20 & 21; sing made-up songs.
2. Art: draw superhero pig and girl transforming into superhero from a Chinese cartoon.
3. Library: use library computer catalogue to search for items and order them: searched "dog video" and ordered Clifford; searched "the chronicles of narnia" and ordered a video of Prince Caspian; use express self-checkout system without assistance.
4. Reading: Time for Bed, Mem Fox;
*Come and Have Fun, Edith Thacher Hurd;
Happy Birthday, Thomas!, Rev. W. Awdry;
Pillow Pup, Dianne Ochiltree (assisted).
5. Read Aloud: Chickerella, Mary Jane and Herm Auch;
Grandpa Loves, Rebecca Kai Dotlich.
6. P.E.: run and play at park.
7. Math: estimate how many dog biscuits in a jar; add several items for purchase varying from .50 to $2.

Wednesday
1. Spanish: story time at library.
2. P.E.: run and dance.
3. Poetry: compose poem while making a bed:
"We work all day.
We work all night.
Our work is hot.
Our work is bright."
4. Reading: When a Bear Bakes a Cake, Jasper Tomkins (assisted);
Dinosaur's Binket, Sandra Boynton.
5. Art: draw girl, Super Pig, and newspapers; make an owl with paper collage.
6. Video: watch Prince Caspian.
7. Music: sing made up songs.

Thursday
1. Religion: pray Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be; attend Mass.
2. Art: draw chalk murals; make an illustrated sign: CAT CLUB.
3. P.E.: run, play, swing, scooter outside.
4. Reading: My Dog Talks, Gail Herman;
Rick Is Sick, David McPhail;
Where's That Duck?, Mary Blocksma (assisted).
5. Read Aloud: Fox Be Nimble, James Marshall;
Lucky Days with Mr. and Mrs. Green, Keith Baker.
6. Music: listen to polyphonic Mass.

Friday
1. Religion: pray; read short bio. of St. Blase; read Bible readings for the day.
2. Sign Language: watch and practice with Signing Time video, vol. 1 (first simple signs).
4. Handwriting: write THE CAULIFLOWER on the side of a homemade boat.
3. Art: draw two fish in a fish tank; draw and color little people to go in the boat; make a calendar for activities on the boat.
4. Reading: Captain Cat (assisted);
Annie and Bo and the Big Surprise, Elizabeth Partridge;
Emma in Charge, David McPhail;
read sign: CAUTION POLICE DOG on the back of a police van; "What does it mean?"; discuss police dogs, and dogs protecting their owners.
5. Read Aloud: I Am Not Going to Get Up Today, Dr. Seuss;
The Starlight Princess and Other Princess Stories, retold by Annie Dalton.
6. P.E.: ballet; run and play.
7. Science/Nature: observe birds and snails.
8. Drama: watch Voyage of the Dawn Treader; make observations about characters, plot, and costumes.