Class Song: Reading-Man

Enjoy our latest class song:

Reading-Man

(To the tune, "1960s Spiderman Theme")

Reading-man, Reading-man
Loves to read Captain Underpants!

Reads a book anytime
Watch him read while he flies!

Look out, here comes the Reading-man!

Reading-man, Reading-man
Reads a book whenever he can!

Books he loves, that’s a fact
He’s so smart and he doesn’t like cats!

Lookout! Here comes the Reading-man!

Lookout! Here comes the
READING-MAN!

Keep Singing,

Mr. G

Word Wall Words

I wanted to take a moment and update you on the weekly Word Wall Words(WWW) your child has been bringing home.

First off, when your child prints them for his or her homework assignment, it is best to allow them to print the WWW in their agenda notebook so that I can see them. However, if you would rather them print them on a piece of separate paper, that is completely fine. Your child doesn't need to turn in the paper. If you sign their agenda notebook I will trust that their homework has been done.

It's important that you continue to help your child learn these words so that he or she can recognize them and read them fluently.

Word Wall Words

Week 1- September 8th-September 12th

• go
• on
• the
• at
• am

Week 2- September 15th-19th

• we
• jump
• here
• not
• can
• and

Week 3- September 22nd-September 26th

• him
• it
• big
• to
• have
• who

If you have any questions about the WWW, please let me know!

Thank you,

Mr. G

The Honesty of Children

One of the things I love about kids is that they pull no punches. Meaning, they tell you exactly what they are thinking, when they are thinking it. Many times this can make for some hilarious moments in the classroom. One such event occurred yesterday and I wanted to share it with you.

I visited my general doctor a few weeks ago and he informed me that I am 30 pounds overweight! I was shocked, but shared the story with my students because they normally find such information amusing.

Yesterday, after forgetting that I even told them this, I asked the students why we were getting ready to read a story that we had already read 2 times before and I jokingly said, "Is it because I'm a big, mean, fat man?" One of my students immediately spoke up and said, "You are not!" I replied, "My doctor said I was thirty pounds overweight." To which she looked up at me, as serious as could be and said, "Well...YOUR NOT MEAN!"

You have to love the honesty of kids! I believe that we as adults would do well to strive to be more like them in this area...with a little discernment of course! :-)

Thanks for reading,
Mr. G

The Imagination Movers

Imagine my surprise when I asked my students today if they knew who The Imagination Movers were and all but three of them replied, "No!"

My wife and I recieved a free DVD from Playhouse Disney about a year ago and one of the features on the video was from a band that creates music for children called The Imagination Movers. The difference between these guys and alot of other children's music is that "The Movers" are actually quite funny and really have some creative songs that your kids will love! My daughter and I visit their website often!

They cover numerous topics within their music such as manners, eating right, and movement. If you or your child are interested in checking out The Imagination Movers, please click here.

Enjoy!

Mr. G

Class Song: I'm a Reader

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I enjoy bringing my guitar into the classroom and creating songs for the students to familiar tunes. My reasons for doing this are:

• It's a fun way for kids to learn to read.


• It's a great way for kids to practice reading fluency (reading like you talk).


• First grade students generally love to sing.


• It's a great way for students to learn sight words.

Periodically, throughout the year, I will be posting these songs so that you can enjoy singing them with your child. Please feel free to share them with whom ever you think may enjoy them.

I'm a Reader
(To the tune, "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees)

I thought reading was only fun in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Books would just bore me
That’s the way it seemed
Boring books haunted all my dreams…

Then I worked real hard
Now I’m a reader
Not a book or word
I won’t read
I can read (YEAH!)

I’m a great reader
I can read anything if I try!

We worked real hard
Now we are all readers
Not a book or word
We won’t read
We can READ!
YEAH!

Enjoy and keep singing,

Mr. G

FOSS Science Module for Solids and Liquids

Dear Students and Parents,

In Science, First Grade has been studying solids and liquids and their different properties. A property is something that we can discover about a solid or liquid by looking at it or feeling it.

Some examples of properties of solids would be- transparent, opaque, hard, soft, flexible, rigid, etc. Examples for liquids would be- transparent, viscous, opaque, fast, slow, and thick.

The following is an online activity offered by FOSS (the science program we are currently using) that encourages students to expand their understanding of solids and liquids and how they relate to each other. Enjoy!

Click here:

http://www.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/SolidsandLiquids/index.html

Have fun!

Mr. G

Update on Lily's Condition

I want to begin by thanking all of you for your thoughtful words and prayers regarding our daughter, Lily Opal.

The tests for our daughter Lily went well. We found out that her kidney is indeed functioning, but that there is a partial blockage where the fluid exits the kidney.

We will be traveling to Children’s Hospital in four months to repeat one of the tests and she will be on antibiotics until then. The doctor will likely decide then if surgery is necessary. It will depend on what the test results show in four months.

Again, we thank you for your support and understanding during this time.

Gratefully,
Mr. and Mrs. Gross

Sid the Science Kid from PBS Kids

Here is a fun resource that enforces many of the concepts we will cover in both math and science this year! Enjoy!

Click here to check out Sid:

http://pbskids.org/sid/

Keep working,

Mr. G

My Daughter Lily's Kidney Condition

Dear Parent(s) and/or Guardian(s),

I wanted to inform all of you that my newborn daughter, Lily Opal, has an enlarged left kidney that is not functioning properly. Thankfully, she is very healthy otherwise and her right kidney is working perfectly.

However, as a result, I will need to take some days off from school in order to attend her doctor's appointments and upcoming tests. I will be absent the following days:

• Thursday and Friday, September 4 and 5, 2008



• Monday, September 8, 2008

Please know that I regret missing 3 days so early in the school year, however, feel it's of utmost importance to be with my wife and daughter during this challenging time.

If you have any questions regarding this matter or any other, please email me at grosscha@wcboe.k12.md.us. I will be checking my email daily.

I appreciate your understanding!

Thank you,
Mr. G