March- Motoyi is Coming
Spring is in the air...
We tried our hardest to catch a leprechaun... but no luck. It was amazing to see the students work together to use their engineering skills to perfect their traps. They were creative and hard working, first making a plan and then building and adding details.
Maybe next year!
We recently got to experience making drums with Ms. Chantal. We used our senses to explore the materials and got to help cut the drum and mark the holes for the binding.
Hiy Hiy, Chi Migwetch Ms. Chantal.
Animals (and Children) in the Winter
Learning during the cold months...
We are creative each day
There is so much beautiful learning that occurs in the second half of grade one...
Our science inquiry has led us to explore the different ways animals survive the winter. We have learned a lot of new vocabulary, including hibernate, adapt, and migrate. Ask you student about each of these and the animals that partake in each.
We learned about how to research on the internet safely. We really like this website:
Kiddle
In groups, we researched an animal in the winter, and then built the animals out of clay.
We engaged in creative writing about where these tracks came from!
We celebrated Kitsikakomiim Day and month by sharing kindness with one another. Kisikakomiim means to "wrap our love around you" in Blackfoot. We read a lot of stories about being a good friend, and did writing about how we can be kind.
a special graphing task on Valentines Day
Sharing kindness with each other
We have met "Gus the Plus's" brother "Linus the Minus". We is not so kind, and likes to take things away from us. We have been practicing subtraction a lot during math centres. We have explored the ways that addition and subtraction are related, through learning about "Fact Families".
Linus the Minus Jewels Game- a favourite!
See you soon!
Love,
Ms. Jocelyn
Sstoyii- Winter
In the winter we tell stories...
We have been noticing the changes our special class tree has been undergoing... there is so much beauty in Na'a.
Learning
We have been progressing in our reading skills- working hard each day. We have been learning about the digraphs sh, th, ch, wh, ph. We call these the "H Brothers". They work together to make a new sound.
We are still practicing reading short CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. As we get better at blending these sounds together, our reading will really take off.
This is our favourite reading game to play with friends.
Now that we are masters of numbers up to 20, we have met our new friend "Gus the Plus". He helps us to put two numbers together.
Gus the Plus
racing to build numbers as we learn about place value
We have finished our exploration of "community". We learned about the different communities we belong to, such as our family, school, and cultural community and the responsibilities that come with being a member of these communities.
Building our families
We shared our learning about community during writing time by becoming designers of our own school.
"my school has a rollercoaster."
Moving forward, we will continue to practice addition with numbers to 20, and then move onto subtraction. We will continue practicing reading longer words, sentences, and books to become stronger readers.
As always, please reach out with any questions.
Love,
Ms. Jocelyn
Okosi (In the fall we gather)
Oki, Tansi, Bonjour, Umba-wathtich, Hello families,
We have been very busy learning in our classroom. As we have become familiar with our new friends, we are building our classroom community, or family. We spend a lot of time talking about how we can help each other be learners, how we can be kind, and how we can "hold each other up". Recently, we drew pictures of who holds us up when we need it:
"Na'a holds me up."
Learning
We have been noticing the changes in Na'a as the season turned to O'ko (fall). Ask your students about our special tree that we visit and care for. We are listening to her and have been asking her to share her name with us. We have sketched our tree and have been grateful to play in her falling leaves. As the year continues, we will notice the changes she undergoes.
During daily math exploration, we have been working hard on recognizing, representing, and subtizing (recognizing at a glance) numbers up to 10. We have practiced representing numbers with tally marks, ten frames, and with pictures. We have began to explore different ways to build numbers, specifically working with building the number 10. This is an important prerequisite skill as we move forward.
We have also reviewed our pattern skills. We have been built AB patterns, and will move onto building patterns with 3 and 4 parts.
We can make AB Patterns
We have been making our way through our review of letter names and the sounds they make. It is very important that your student knows their letter sounds in order to begin to blend sounds together to read short words. We use the "Jolly Phonics" program, which includes a story, song, and action for each letter. Ask your student to share with you the sounds they know. We are beginning to read short stories and poems, and are doing amazing.
Important Dates
October 28- No School/ PD
October 31- Halloween. Students are welcome to dress up (no weapons or masks please). We will have a small party in the afternoon.
November 11- No School / Remembrance Day
November 24 and 25- Conferences (details to come)
As always, please call or e-mail anytime.
Ayy,
Ms. Jocelyn
Welcome to Grade One
Oki, Tansi, Bonjour, Umba-wathtich, Hello families,
I am so excited to get to share this school year with your children. I absolutely love teaching Grade One- there is so much learning and growth to unfold!
My name is Ms. Jocelyn and I have called Mohkinstis home for 13 years now, originally coming from Ontario. I have two busy little ones at home myself, ages 7 and 4. I have been fortunate to have taught at Niitsitapi Learning Centre since our opening seven years ago. Each year I learn so much from our students and I love seeing them connect with the land, their spirits, and each other. This year I look forward to deepening these connections through learning and story.
Communication
Our classroom blog will be updated monthly with learning updates and any important information. I will also send occasional e-mails with any important reminders. Should you ever need to reach me, please phone the school at (403)-817-3404 or e-mail me at jlhachey@cbe.ab.ca
Learning
We will be basing much of our learning this year around what we can learn through and alongside the land. A big part of Grade One is noticing the seasonal changes around us, and we love to explore how we can do this through our senses as well as through story. In the upcoming month we will be noticing what summer feels, smells, and looks like and then begin preparation for our learning about Fall Equinox.
Grade One students are working hard to master our counting skills to 20 to begin the year, and represent numbers in a variety of ways, such as 10 frames, tallies, and with words.
We are learning that we are Grade One readers by examining familiar letter sounds and beginning to blend sounds together to read short words. We will begin the year by reviewing our letter names and sounds.
Important Dates
August 26- Field Trip to Valley View Splash Park, please return field trip forms*
September 5- No School
September 23- No School
September 29- Meet the Teacher Night
September 30- No School
Please let me know if you questions, I look forward to getting to know your family more.
Hand to heart,
Ms. Jocelyn
