CTE 1st Grade
By 1st Grade Teachers
By Ruth Cook
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Photos by Margo Lincoln |
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” -Confucius |
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Our 1st graders at Cathelene Thomas Elementary have had a great year. They have learned a lot and grown a lot! We want to share some special things that we have done in addition to our regular academics so let’s get started! |
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“Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” with reading. In March, we celebrated Read Across America Day- a day when America remembers the birthday of the late Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Many of his books are favorites of both kids and adults. Various members of the community including a postman, policeman, and high school students visited our classrooms to read Dr. Seuss books. Each reader emphasized the importance of reading in their professions and schooling. The goal was to instill a love for reading in each child. After all “reading is the magic key to take you where you want to be.” Happy Reading! -Connie Waddell |
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We have also participated in the RC program and have been very busy reading all year for it. It has wrapped up for the year and a lot of our kids earned all their points and will go to the RC party on April 30th. Students were required to get 40 points and have a comprehension rate of 80% on all of their tests. We will be going to the Southwest Sportsplex in Lubbock. We will be able to play arcade games, roller skate, and play in the play area. We will then eat lunch at McDonald’s and play at Legacy Play Village. Teachers are very proud of all our kids who participated in RC this year! -Lindsey Vasek |
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Our kids have had a wonderful experience with the addition of our 1st grade Math Lab time taught by the terrific Mrs. Follis! Each class has had the awesome experience of putting classroom skills into practice with manipulatives. Students are provided with a daily hands-on experience in math which has proven to be enriching and extremely rewarding for our 1st graders and teachers. -Dolores Flores |  |
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Our 1st grade science program is highlighted by FOSS boxes that we get from the Science Spectrum and use through out the year. They are full of fun hands-on activities and the kids are SO excited when they see the black and white boxes filled with lessons on Solids & Liquids, Balance & Motion, Pebbles, Sand & Silt, and Air & Weather. The goals are to develop students’ abilities to ask and answer questions, plan and conduct simple investigations, employ tools and techniques to gather data, use data to construct reasonable explanations and communicate those explanations. The students’ understanding of the science concept comes from hands-on experiences with materials during exploration. The opportunity to talk about their discoveries with each other and the teacher develop vocabulary in a natural and meaningful way. Our kids are motivated to learn and excited to discover what treasures await inside the special boxes. -Ruth Cook |
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Dental Hygiene students from Amarillo College visited on April 13th. One of the students, Meagan Chrestman, is a graduate of Slaton High School and Mrs. Cook’s niece. They did an excellent job teaching our students how to take care of their teeth and gums. In 1st grade we participated in a reader’s theater called “The Big King”. Some students got to dress up and act out the story to learn the importance of brushing and flossing! We also got to see a demonstration about which foods are good and which foods are bad for your teeth. Partner activities, a video and a fun song about brushing rounded out the lesson. Thanks to our friends from Amarillo College for making Dental Health education fun! -Ruth Cook |  |
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Our 1st grade Field Trip was on April Fool’s Day but the trip was a treat not a trick! It was a wonderful experience and our great parent participation helped to make it that way. We looked at all the great permanent exhibits and had a guided tour of the visiting Prehistoric Animal exhibit complete with ancient animal sounds. Then we were off to the lunch area for our sack lunches. We then saw the beautiful and educational film “Wild Oceans” and still had a few minutes left to visit the Gift Shop before loading the buses for school. Everyone had a marvelous time. -Diane Babb |  |
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It’s been a super year in 1st grade and we hope our students will continue to be motivated to learn and excited to discover all the things ahead at Cathelene Thomas Elementary. -Christie Peterson |  |
