The Legend of the Poinsettia

  

This month in first grade we are learning about different celebrations and traditions around the globe.  We started out in Mexico with the Poinsettia plant.  We found Mexico on the globe and talked about its relation to the equator and how it is warm there all year round.  A discussion of culture followed.  We talked about what culture means and how there are many different cultures that celebrate the holidays differently.

The students then worked in small groups observing Poinsettia plants with magnifying glasses.  They were asked to describe the color, shape, and texture of the plant and work together to record their findings on a chart.  

We then met on the carpet and put all our ideas on a large chart on the board.  They students came up with some great words to describe the leaves, flower buds, and soil.

This activity generated a lot of interest and we were curious to learn the legend behind this beautiful and festive plant.  We read "The Legend of the Poinsettia" by Tomie DePaola to find out more. 

The next day we reviewed the story and paid close attention to the ending to open up a discussion on the message or lesson of the legend.  Ask your child to tell you about Lucinda and what happened when she didn't have a gift to bring on Christmas Eve.  

Here is a picture of our bulletin board in class.  The students did a fantastic job with this lesson.  I am so proud of them.  They continue to impress me everyday!  Happy Holidays!
Mrs. McAuliffe

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!  I  hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.  By now the boys and girls probably shared with you  their "Thankful Stories" that we worked on in class.  They did such a fantastic job on these and worked so hard.  If they did not show it to you yet, be sure to dig it out of their backpacks.  This one is a keeper!

Here are a couple of reminders for next week:
Scholastic Book Orders are due on December 3rd.  You can make checks payable to "Scholastic".  I have extras if you need another order.

Monday - have your child wear their "Feinstein" sweatshirt if they have one.  If they do not have a Feinstein shirt, they can wear any Forest Park T-shirt or wear the school colors, gray and green. 

A to Z Books:  We cleaned out our book bins that we use during reading centers.  The students took home their leveled A to Z books.  These are paper books that the students have worked on in class.  These are good to keep and will be excellent practice as re-reads at home.  One of the best ways to build reading fluency and accuracy is to re-read familiar books many times over.

Have a great long weekend!
Mrs. McAuliffe

Lexia Code

If you are trying to download Lexia and are prompted for a 16 digit customer code try this one:
1193456622709334

I apologize for not putting that info in earlier.  Thank you for your patience as we get this rolling.
Thanks again,
Mrs. McAuliffe

Lexia is available!!!

Hello families!  I am so excited to tell you that Lexia online is available to download and begin using at home.  Lexia is a phonics based program that is tailored to your child's specific phonics needs.  Each student uses the program in school for about 10-15 minutes daily as part of our literacy centers.  If you can use it at home as well for about 15 minutes 3-4 times per week, it will allow your child to advance to higher levels of the program or give me information on areas we need to work on in class.  The program reacts and changes to the way your child answers.  For example, if they answer rhyming questions incorrectly, it will keep giving rhyming questions.  However, if a student answers the rhyming questions correctly, it will advance them tot he next skill, which may be consonant sounds.
The students can see their progress as they go in the form of a kid friendly graph system which appears each time they click the stop icon.  It is important to remember to resist the urge to help your child.  I know this is contradictory and difficult, but if you give your child too many hints or answers, the program will assume that they understand the skill and advance them, which will lead to difficulty later. 
So, how do you download Lexia?  It should be easy, I think.  Click on the Lexia link under Educational Links  right on this site.  Then scroll down a bit and click on the "Lexia Downloads" button.  It should walk you through it from there.  The student login name is your child's first name underscore last name and the password is "read".  Your child will recognize the login screen and probably be able to login on their own.  Please let me know if you have any problems and I will help you as much as I am able. 
Have a great night!
Mrs. McAuliffe