Category: General Studies

Posted in General Studies

For the Love of Reading

Posted on by jbennett31

 Boost Reading Homework

Boost Reading login cards will be coming home in your child’s note totes today. They are encouraged to work on Boost Reading a few times a week for approximately 10 minutes a session. Boost Reading aligns with the online reading assessments we do on Amplify Reading.

Students need to complete each activity independently. Your child can have fun playing the Boost games and improve their reading skills at the same time.

We have been doing Boost reading at school and the children enjoy playing the games. We hope they have fun at home too!

 March Magic with Novel Effect

                                       

 

1A laughed, giggled and absolutely adored The Book With No Pictures. 1B was enthralled with We are Water Protectors. They loved the accompanying soundscape with running water and crackling fire. Several students chose to read the book in a quiet corner of the class when they had a few extra minutes.

It was so much taking part in this global reading event. The children enjoyed listening to all the different books and voting for their favourite stories. Each class really loved their champion book. I love that each class connected with such different books

                                                              

                                                       The Global March Madness winner was The Day the Crayons Quit.  

 

 

                                                            ” The more you read the more you learn.” 

We love to read everyday in class! some days we read with a partner, or a small group, with the teacher or by ourselves. Would you believe that a favourite partner reading spot is under my desk reading? 😊

Looking for some great stories to listen to? Check out this link to our new Reading Library 

Posted in French, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Ruach

Ruach week in pictures :)

Posted on by jbennett31

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The pictures below speak for themselves. Grade One enjoyed Ruach Week to the fullest.

 

    The Reading of the Megillah

 

 

A Purim Fashion Show

 We took our Fashion Show on the Road



  Visiting the Purim Carnival 

Collaborative Purim Activities

Tacky Tuesday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild West Wednesday

We even learned to line dance!

 Pyjama Day

We must have been so cozy and sleepy that we forgot to take pictures. 🙂

 

Posted in General Studies

The latest from Grade One

Posted on by jbennett31

                             March Madness

March Madness has arrived in our classroom, and it’s not just about basketball. We’re exploring the world of books with the help of the Novel Effect app. The app creates beautiful soundscapes that play with the teacher’s voice, making story time more engaging and interactive for the students. The four brackets are Women’s History, Spring has Sprung, Guaranteed Giggles, and Award Winners – with each having its unique selection of books. The children are thoroughly enjoying the daily books and even get to vote on their favorites.

We will be sure to share the book that is declared champion.

 

 

                                    Innovation Day

Students are keeping busy with their projects for Innovation Day. They are really putting in the effort, collaborating and designing their projects to make them the best they can be. Building something from scratch can be a real challenge, but it’s also a great opportunity to learn new skills and collaborate with others.

 

                                     Special Guest

 

Today we had a special guest visit our class. She also happens to be a mom of two students in our classes. We learned how the how Canada helps refugees. We even got special little bags from one of her trips. It was a very special way to end the week.

                                                   

 

 

 

                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in General Studies, Jewish Studies, Ruach

A Week full of Ruach

Posted on by jbennett31

What a week in Grade One! The students loved celebrating the 100th day of school on Monday. They wrote 100 words in Hebrew and French words. They even counted by 10s to 100 in all three languages. The children visited different stations throughout the day. They built a tower with 100 cups, made a 100th-day hat, and created 100th monsters. The day ended with 100th-day stories and a freezie treat.

On Tuesday, Let’s Talk Science visited Grade One for a workshop on structures. The children learnt about natural and man-made structures. They were challenged to make houses for the Three Little Pigs with straws, sticks, and wooden blocks. The workshop had all the students engaged and building.

 

JNF visited on Wednesday morning, and the children had the opportunity to learn about different parts of Israel with a beautiful parachute. The children played a collaborative parachute game while reviewing different places in Israel.

Winter Fun ended the week perfectly. The children were so excited to ride a school bus for the first time and go tubing. The location was perfect, the weather was great and everyone had fun.

Posted in General Studies

The latest news from 1A & 1B

Posted on by jbennett31

 

  Tu B’Shevat

Grades 1-3 spent the afternoon working on special activities together. The children were split into mixed age groups for the afternoon. They loved travelling to different classrooms to work at each station. #We Learn Better Together

 

In honour of Tu B”Shevat, Brigitte read a wonderful book. Everyone loved it!

Both classes also got together to plant some salvia seeds from JNF. The seeds were attached inside the top of a pencil. It was funny to put the pencil into a cup of soil.

 

 

 

 

The children said good bye to Morah Andy last week.  They each made a special page for a special class book for Morah Andy. She took time to look at each page and read the messages the children wrote.


 

The children enjoyed a second Zoom call with children from different parts of Israel. They took turns presenting slides they made about their favourite foods. Our next Zoom call will take place on February 27th.

This week we read a story called Mimi’s Dream House. After reading the story the children were asked to draw their perfect dream house. The children let their imaginations run wild. They wrote about their dream houses and displayed them in the class.The students loved this type of writing.

 


 

It is so much fun to watch the students read each other’s work.

Kiran has been helping out in Grade One and SK classes on Mondays and Tuesdays over the last month and a half. He is a student at Algonquin College, and he is a natural fit in the SK and Gr.1. We will be sad to say goodbye to him this Tuesday.

1A and 1B recited a poem at the Rosh Chodesh Assembly this morning. They did a great job!

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER! 

(Poem for Rosh Chodesh Adar)

Kitah Alef is a special place,

See the big smile on each face.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

Hebrew, French, English and the Arts

We learn Judaics to fill our hearts.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

Adding and subtracting is challenging but fun,

11 + 10 is 21.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

We play games, sing a song,

Lots of fun all year long.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

Books to read, poems to say,

Learning new things everyday.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

Reading, writing, spelling too. 

So much to learn, much to do.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

We work as partners, small groups or a team

In our classroom, outside and in the gym

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

1A & 1B are the best team,

Every day our teachers beam.

WE LEARN BETTER TOGETHER!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in General Studies, Grade 1 Reading

Happy Hanukkah!

Posted on by jbennett31

The children had a great week getting ready for Hanukkah. They made beautiful chanukiahs with Morah Andy. Morah Ada and the classes got into the spirit by making spinning dreidels, lego chanukiahs, and dreidel snowflakes

Grade 1 and 2 lit the candles virtually with schools from all over Canada and Israeli through our Etzbah Hagalil Partnership!

                                     Kitah Alef Shabbat

Both 1A and 1B love celebrating Shabbat together each Friday.

 

 

 Reading

 

What is Amplify reading?

Amplify is the new reading platform (the umbrella company) that the OJCS purchased licenses for this year to use as a pilot project to enhance our current reading programs. We bought three programs for our school through Amplify, each explained below.

 

1. mClass – DIBELS 8 assessment 

2. Boost Reading (K-3)

3. Boost Close Reading (Gr. 4-8)

Why did we choose Amplify? 

This program aligns with the ‘Science of Reading’. The Science of Reading research shows the need for students to have word recognition skills (such as phonemic awareness, decoding skills through phonics, and reading fluency) and language comprehension (including knowledge of vocabulary, morphology, and syntax) to read and comprehend text. 

1. mClass is the system that allows us to run the DIBELS 8 Assessment with all of our students in Grades K-3. 

What is DIBELS?

DIBELS ® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a set of procedures and measures that assesses the acquisition of literacy skills. They are short (one-minute) fluency measures used throughout the year to monitor the development of early literacy and reading skills. In Grade One, the DIBELS 8 assesses different skills, such as letter names, phonemic awareness, letter sounds, decoding, word reading, reading accuracy, and reading fluency. The classroom teacher does the assessment individually with each child.

Results of these assessments help us identify who is below, at, or above grade level in each skill. We can tailor our instruction in small groups and resource support accordingly. 

2. Boost Reading is the reading program license we purchased for students K-5. Boost Reading is a literacy acceleration and remediation program that uses adaptive technology to deliver personalized learning instruction for K-5 students. The engaging world of Boost Reading adapts to each unique reader. 

Can my child use this program at home?

Yes, please! Boost Reading adapts to your child’s needs, so you don’t need to, and you should NOT assist them with their learning. Once they log in, they’re ready to start using the program. Some students will begin with a placement activity that helps the program match them to the best content. To ensure the most accurate placement, students must complete each activity independently. Your child can have fun playing the Boost games and improve their reading skills.

Posted in General Studies, Jewish Studies, Ruach

A peek into Grade One

Posted on by jbennett31

On Tuesday, the Grade One classes took part in a Let’s Talk Science workshop called the Tree of Life. Science students from the University of Ottawa taught us about the different characteristics of animals. We then had fun sorting and classifying the plastic animals. This was the perfect introduction to an upcoming research project about animals in the winter.

We also had the chance to make our own Tree of Life.

In a unit on Data Management we have been making graphs and interpreting the data. Corn seems to be the favourite vegetable in Grade One. Cherries are a favourite fruit in 1B while 1A seems to prefer peaches.

 

 

The children are very excited to visit the Scholastic Book Fair next week. The flyer with some of the featured books came home in the note totes yesterday. 1A and 1B will visit the Book Fair on Thursday December 7th.

Save the date for our Family Chanukah Celebration. We have already started to practice the song we will be singing. It is a terrific one.

Posted in French, General Studies, Jewish Studies

Special days in Grade One

Posted on by jbennett31

Global Maker Day

This past Tuesday was Global Maker Day 2023. The students loved taking part in a day full of collaboration and creativity with schools from around the world. 

1A and 1B loved using their design thinking skills on Global Maker Day. There were four different STEM challenges to choose from: make a monster, a game, a new playground, or build a 3D school model. Special thanks to everyone who sent in all the recycled materials. There was more than enough cardboard and containers for the building.

There was a buzz in the room as the students chose their groups and started to brainstorm. With materials and tape in hand, the building began, and absolutely everyone was engaged and having so much fun.

Morah Ada and I were amazed at all the different building that was going on in the class. The students collaborated as they tested and adapted the designs to meet with success. Students presented their STEM challenges to the class. They were so proud of their final products. Global Maker Day was a success. We were inspired to be innovators, problem-solvers and share our work globally. 

A visit with Ottawa Firefighters

The JK, SK, and Grade One classes had special visit yesterday afternoon. A group of Ottawa firefighters from our local Station 23 came to talk about fire safety with the children. Firefighters discussed their roles as community helpers. The students also learned about making fire exit plans at home.

The children were excited to go outside and get an up close look at a real firetruck and learn about all the gear firefighters need to use.

One of the firefighters just happened to be the father of a SK student, which made the visit extra special.

 

 

 

 

Posted in General Studies

Reading homework begins today. Hooray!

Posted on by jbennett31

                                                                           English Reading Homework

Your child will be bringing home a book to read tonight. The children are so excited!The book bag should be in their note tote. Your child should read the book and then record the title on the reading sheet (great printing practice). Please return the book tomorrow so your child can get a new book.

Happy Reading!

 

 

If for some reason the note tote does not find its way home tonight you can read a story online with this link

Posted in 1A, 1B, General Studies

Building, Mapping and Collaborating in 1A

Posted on by kzuorro

Building, Mapping and Collaborating in 1A

Collaboration is a learning skill that all grade one students work on throughout the year. Working and communicating with different partners and small groups takes lots of patience.

Teachers help students navigate any problems or conflicts as they arise. They arrange for students to work with different classmates throughout the year to practice communicating and collaborating.

In Social Studies, students started creating maps with a partner. Each group created a community map and presented it to the class.

The class had so much fun creating their communities that we decided to work all together to create one community. Each student chose a specific community helper to research. They also needed to make the community building each helper worked at. The ER doctor built a hospital, while the principal and teacher made a school and playground together.

 

Student Zev Delilah Rachel Levi Ilay Aliyah & Maia Miles Nate Emma
Community Helper Vet Vet Postmaster Farmer Chef & Restaurant Owner Teacher & Principal Policeman Firefighter ER Doctor
Community Building Animal Hospital Animal Shelter Post Office Barn&Farm Restaurant School & Playground Police Station Fire Station Hospital

The students researched and wrote about their community helper’s role and responsibilities. They presented their findings to the class. They designed and created community buildings. Together they decided on symbols for the map key and worked on mapping the 3D community.

 

The collaboration I have seen over the last few weeks has been terrific. The children have been so supportive and encouraging with each other. Best of all, the children had so much fun.

 

Memories of our year in 1A

It was a wonderful year in 1A! The Grade One team loved teaching these amazing students.

Here is a link to the Summer Learning Resource page

Dear 1B Students, 

It has been an incredible experience watching each and every one of you grow, learn, and evolve into the amazing individuals you are today. I am SO proud of each of you and the progress you have made throughout this year. Thank you for being such a wonderful group of students and for making this year so fun and memorable. Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and dedication have made my role as your teacher an absolute joy. You have inspired me with your hard work and determination, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of your educational journey. 

Dear Parents,

It has been an absolute joy to watch your children grow both academically and socially this year. Thank you for all of your support throughout this school year. It has been an honour and a privilege to be your child’s teacher this year and I want to thank you for entrusting me with their education and growth. 

Summer is upon us and it is time to recharge our batteries by taking time to enjoy our family and friends. Whatever way you choose to embrace the summer months, we hope it is filled with fun and laughter. As I have stated in your child’s report card, here are things to use at your discretion to strengthen their understanding of a particular concept or improve their reading and math fluency.

From Ms. Karissa