Unit 4 StudyCast

Good luck!


Part 1: Part 2:

Our New Addition

Hello!

Just wanted to introduce the new addition to our family, Landry! Landry was born on October 27th. We are adjusting well to our family of 4 and I'm enjoying the time getting to know Landry and help my older son adjust to the big brother role as well! I do miss my 24 kiddos at Elmont and think about them every day! I know they are in great hands and are learning so much!

Unit 3 StudyCast

Good luck!

Part 1:
Part 2:

Pictures from the Patch

We had a great time on our field trip to the pumpkin patch!!

Unit 2 StudyCast

Math Test is on Monday! Good luck, first graders!

5 Little Pumpkins

Enjoy some digital storytelling by your favorite first graders! We used PuppetPals to illustrate our poem, 5 Little Pumpkins.

Landforms Slideshow

In social studies, we've been learning about different landforms and bodies of water. We used Google Earth to search for certain landforms and put them into Animoto slideshows. These kids are BLOWING ME AWAY with how they can work together and produce a product. WOW! Can't wait to do more tech projects like this in the future!

Seasons Videocasts

We spent all last week working on the iPads in groups to produce our Seasons Videocasts! Students learned to search for images, take a screen shot, write a script, put pictures and voice over into iMovie, add titles and music, and produce a video! Way to go first graders!

Mystery Reader

We had our first mystery reader of the year on Friday! Jyles's mom read a fun Halloween story complete with sound effects to the class. Thank you for coming in, we LOVE to have parents come and read to us!

Daily 5 Launch!

We spent the first month of school going over all of the procedures of each part of the Daily 5. Stamina was increased, students learned the rules, and on Wednesday a beautiful thing happened! We were ready to put it all together to make choices. This will allow students choice and ownership, and allow me to work with small reading groups. Check it out!

Future Forecasters

As a part of our study on the seasons and weather, students worked in groups to come up with a 5 day forecast that would fit a certain season. Groups then presented to the class, while class members had to decide which season the forecast was for. Great job, first graders!

Daily 5 - Word Work Launch

We launched the Word Work part of the Daily 5 last week! During this time, students will be practicing spelling or sight words using various materials.

Using magnetic letters

Using iPads to spell words

Using iPads to scan QR codes

Using craft sticks to spell words

Rainbow Spelling

Unit 1 Math StudyCast

This is how we are going to study for math tests this year. Before every test, I will post a StudyCast video to the blog.  Students will have a homework sheet from school in which they will show their work from the StudyCast. Bring it back to school the next day!

Good luck and enjoy the Unit 1 StudyCast!

Listen to our September Song

We are learning how to spell the word SEPTEMBER!
Audio and voice recording >>

House Art

In social studies, we learned a lot about neighbors and addresses. We made our own community with paper bag houses! Student were very creative in their construction!

Pete The Cat --- It's ALL GOOD

We read Pete The Cat - I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin. Then, we wrote our own version to share with you! ENJOY!

Our First Days of School

We had a wonderful start to the new school year! Check out the pics that prove it!

Cutting out shoes for our craft project!

First graders working hard!

Math games are a lot of fun.

Taking turns and team work!

"Find a Friend" who can roll their tongue. :)

Find a friend with different colored eyes than you!

5 Little Monster puppets

Learning about our class rules in a fun way!

New first graders!

Meet The Teacher

Hello! My name is Gena Mathes and I will be teaching your child this year. This will be my 10th year teaching first grade at Elmont. I love teaching first grade! They are so eager to learn and I love seeing their faces light up when they discover something new. It is amazing the growth that these students make in just one year.

My Family

 
I am married to my husband, Jeff. Jeff graduated from Seaman High School and we are glad to be a part of this wonderful district. I am originally from a small town in NE Kansas. I grew up on a farm and I'm still a country girl at heart. I really love the Seaman school district because it has a "small town" feel to it. We have one son, Carter, and a golden retriever, Cooper. We are expecting our second child this fall.

Graduation Day at ESU

I graduated from Kansas State University (Go Wildcats!) in May 2004 with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and an endorsement in middle school science. In 2008, I earned my Masters of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Emporia State University and National Board Certification. I love learning and I try to learn something new every day!

 I'm looking forward to a great school year!