We have had some really fun mystery readers! First, we had a mystery reader read How To Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace. The students really enjoyed this book, the snack, and the turkey craft our reader handed out. In this funny story, a turkey is running loose in a school right before a Thanksgiving play. The book follows along as students turn their school upside down trying to catch the turkey. This funny book combines STEAM concepts and traps with a silly story and fun illustrations. Our next reader read Elbow Grease by John Cena (yes, that John Cena!). The students loved the story about Elbow Grease, a little monster truck that is smaller than his four brothers, but wants to prove that he has the guts and the grit to do big things. He decides that entering the Demolition Derby is the perfect way to show everyone that what he lacks in horsepower he makes up for in gumption. This book is about the importance of believing in yourself and never giving up. The students enjoyed the "truck wheel" cookies and the worksheet that allowed each student to name, describe, and color their own monster truck. 
Upcoming dates:
Wednesday, Dec. 1st:  Report Cards distribution
Thursday, Dec. 2nd:  Gertrude Hawk pickup in church lobby
Friday, Dec. 3rd:  School Mass at 9:00 am  
Wednesday, Dec. 8th:  Secret Santa shopping day 
Wednesday, Dec. 8th:  School Mass at 9:00 am  
Monday, Dec. 13th: Christmas show taping (dress up for the concert)
Monday, Dec. 13th-Dec. 17th: Book fair; we will shop on Thursday 
Wednesday Dec. 22nd:  Class Christmas party and Early Dismissal
Thursday Dec. 23rd-January 2nd: No school for Christmas break
Monday, Jan. 3rd: Return to school

We had another fun mystery reader! She read "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat" by Lucille Colandro. This is a spooky, and very funny, version of the original rhyme about the old lady swallowing a fly. She swallowed all types of Halloween-themed things, such as a cat, a bat, an owl, and a goblin. The students received trick-or-treat candy after to help them relate to the theme of the book. In the slideshow below the pictures are pictures of the students doing many things in the classroom, including indoor recess. So far this month, we've talked a lot about the first Thanksgiving, being thankful for all the wonderful blessings we have, and our brave veterans. The first graders made Veterans Day cards that were mailed to veterans all over the country. We're back to working on addition in math, this time with numbers over 10. We're studying digraphs and two syllable words in phonics and we're working on non-fiction stories and letter writing in language arts. We've hit over 10,000 on our reading log minutes and are well on our way to 20,000! We'll be celebrating that milestone on Tuesday!