Week of September 30 and October 7, 2013

HELLO!

REMINDERS:

• Library on Wednesday.  Also, please remind your child to return their spelling book bags and I will fill them with more books.  Remember, you can enter these book titles onto their Weekly Reading Record.
• Cultural Night @ 6:00 p.m. this Thursday.
• Spelling Test on Friday.  I will add 3 review words to the test and we will write a spelling dictation sentence.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Shared Reading-Last week we read the story Pumpkin, Pumpkin and learned about words with the short i sound and words in the -in family (pumpkin, win, fin...).  In additon, we learned the steps to growing a pumpkin  We also read the poem "The Colors" and highlighted the color words within the text.  This week we are reading the story Bugs and discussing describing words, words with the short u sound and words in the -ug family (bug, rug, tug...).
• Writer's Workshop-We have been working on "small moment" stories.  Small Moment stories are narrative pieces about something we have done or something that has happened to us.  We have also been practicing stretching words we do not know how to spell.  We say it, slide it, hear it and write it.  We think about chunks or smaller words we know within the words we do not know how to spell (all in the word fall).  When your child is writing at home, please encourage them to stretch the words they do not know how to spell.  Spelling words/sight words should be "snap words" or words they know how to spell in a snap rather than stretching them when writing.
• Guided Reading/Daily 4 Centers-Our centers and guided reading groups are in full swing.  I am very proud of how hard your first grader has been working at their centers and how well they are now able to transition from one center to the next.  In our reading groups we have been making predictions about our stories, discussing vocabulary, discussing the story elements (characters, setting, problem and solution), doing word work and writing in our journals.  
• Math-Our focus is solid figures (sphere, pyramid, cone, rectangular prism, and cube), plane shapes (square, triangle, rectangle and circle).  We have learned new math vocabulary such as vertex, vertices and face.  We started taking our addition time tests this week.  I will periodically send home addition flashcards to help your child practice their facts at home.  The facts are printed on green card stock paper, need to be cut in fourths and then your child should write the sum of each fact on the back before practicing them.  This needs to be an ongoing homework assignment in addition to reading each night and practicing spelling words.  
• Word Work-This is Week 7 and our words are: for, blue, yellow, to, I.  The test will include 3 more review words and a dictation sentence.
• Science-We are studying our Earth (soil, rocks, natural resources) and the Sun.  

Upcoming Events:

• Thank you to the parents who have already signed up for a conference on Monday, October 28th or on Wednesday, October 30th.  If you have not turned in your conference letter yet, please do so ASAP so you are assured the date and time you prefer.  The conference time slots are filling up quickly.  Parent-Teacher Conferences are a wonderful opportunity for us to touch base and another way to keep the communication lines between home and school open.  
• Friday, October 18th is a half day due to Records Day for teachers.  Lunch will NOT be served.
• Thursday, October 31st-Halloween Parade and Party.  More details to come soon.
• Friday, November 1st-NO SCHOOL for K-12 students due to Conference Compensation day.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!  As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Week of September 23, 2013

Reminders:

• Spelling Test Thursday.
• Hats for Haiti Thursday-Please donate $1 to the children of Haiti and wear your hat all day!
• Bring an apple to school Thursday to celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday.
• NO SCHOOL on Friday, September 27th due to Professional Development for teachers.
• Weekly Reading Records are due Thursday this week.

Please encourage your first grader to complete their homework assignments and put it in their book bag as soon as they are finished, so they can turn it in the following day.  THANK YOU!

Please give your first grader a big hug!!!  They have been working very hard at school!  First grade is a lot different than kindergarten and I'm so proud of their efforts! (:

A Day in the Life of Your First Grader:

• Shared Reading-We read the story The Chick and the Duckling.  Before reading we made predictions about what the book is about.  We are also working on the short i sound this week so we identified the sound and highlighted words with the short i sound in the story.
• Word Work-Week 5 spelling words are big, where, three, red, me.  We discussed the -ig family (big) and the -ed family (red) words.
• Writer's Workshop-Our main focus has been learning the writing process: Prewriting, Writing, Revising, Editing, and Publishing.  We frequently review how to "stretch words" when writing words we do not know how to spell and what four things all sentences must have to be complete (make sense, begin with a capital letter, have an ending mark, and have space between every word).
• Guided Reading/Daily 4 Centers-We are working hard on practicing our centers and learning how to rotate successfully throughout the four centers.  Next week, we will begin working in our guided reading groups-WOO-HOO!  
• Math-This week's chapter covers addition facts practice and reviewing addition strategies (order property, counting on, doubles facts).
• Science-We enriched our weather unit this week by painting trees for all four seasons.  

Have a great rest of the week.  I hope your child enjoys their extra day off on Friday! (:  

Week of September 11, 2013

REMINDERS:

• Spelling Test on Friday
• Early Dismissal next Wednesday, September 18 at 1:40.  If you have not returned your Early Dismissal/Half Day Dismissal schedule form (half sheet of purple paper) yet, please do ASAP.
• Show and Tell next Wednesday too.  Please refer to the salmon colored Welcome Letter in your Curriculum Night folder for details about this fun learning activity we have on Early Dismissal days.
• Moms and Muffins next Wednesday, September 18 @ 8:00 a.m.

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Shared Reading-This week we read My Five Senses and discussed our five senses and why they are important.  We also talked about the body parts we use for our senses.  We will be partner reading the story this week also.  In our Book Critic journal we are going to write and illustrate a sentences using the 5 sense words.
• Writer's Workshop-We continue to work on our writing stamina.  We are able to write for 25 minutes now-Woo-Hoo!  We are working on making lists of things we can write about (family, things we like to do, favorite places and happy days).  We're making connections to writing for real world purposes-like making a grocery list, writing a letter, writing a card etc...  We continue to work on and review procedures and expectations for Writer's Workshop.
• Daily 4 Centers- Daily 4 Centers include:  Read to Self, Work on Writing, Listen to Reading, and Word Work.  Our focus this week has been learning about and practicing Read to Self, Work on Writing and Listen to Writing.  I am introducing the centers to them, explaining their purpose and my expectations.  I have also set aside time for them to practice the centers so when we begin our guided reading groups and center time in a couple weeks, we know exactly what we should be doing.
• Math-Today we took the Chapter 2 test over addition.  Tomorrow we are beginning Chapter 5 which covers addition strategies.  A green math letter will come home in your first grader's folder tomorrow explaining the concepts we will be focusing on the rest of this week and next week.
• Science-Our focus in this subject is the weather, seasons, and ways to measure the weather.  

THIS AND THAT:

• Please send in any Box Tops for Education that you have on products you buy.  Every classroom is collecting them for our school.

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEK!  

PATRIOT ASSEMBLY

PATRIOT ASSEMBLY

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

YOU ARE OUR HEROES!

Week of September 3, 2013

Welcome back to our Blog!  We are having a very busy week.

Reminders:

• Spelling Test on Friday over Week 2 words:  and, up, see, come, one.  Don't forget your child can go to www.spellingcity.com to help them practice their spelling words.  You also received the first quarter spelling words a couple weeks ago.
• STAR of THE WEEK-We will begin our this next week.  Please refer to your salmon colored Welcome Letter I enclosed in your Curriculum Night folder.
• Patriot Assembly on Wednesday, September 11th. @ 2:00.  Please remind your child to wear red, white and blue to school on this day.
• Library on Wednesdays.
• If you haven't turned in your child's information about their Early Dismissal/Half Day Dismissal Schedule (purple, half sheet), please do so ASAP.  Thank you!

A Week in the Life of your First Grader:

• Word Work-We are learning to read and spell our Week 2 words.  We will also discuss the spelling patterns of words with a silent e at the end and words in the -ee family (see, fee, knee, Lee...).
• Shared Reading-We are reading the story One Red Rooster.  This story emphasizes color words and number words.  We highlighted these words in the story and participated in activities to reinforce color and number words.
• Writer's Workshop-Writing is hard work!  Your first grader is learning how to stretch words they do not know how to spell.  We have been talking about other strategies we can use when we do not know how to spell words in our stories.  We can also "read the room" for words we want to spell or use other resources such as story books or our Word Power book we keep in our red Writing folder.
• Science-We began our science unit today on Weather.  We discussed how the water cycle works.

Soon I will have information for you how to order books online from Scholastic Book Clubs.  It's great because you acquire new books for home and we can earn new books for our classroom!  

Happy Friday (almost)!!

Week of August 26, 2013

Welcome to our First Grade Blog!  Each week I will post information about first grade and all the learning that is happening in our classroom.  Be sure to check back weekly.

REMINDERS:
**Please remember we have SNACK TIME every day after our afternoon recess (1:45).  Please encourage your child to pack a HEALTHY snack the night before or in the morning before leaving for school each day.
**LIBRARY on Wednesdays.
**We go to P.E. on C Days, so please remind your student to wear tennis shoes on C Days,  Our specials schedule is:  A Day = Art, B Day = Technology, C Day = P.E., D Day = Music
**We have a SPELLING TEST every Friday.  This Friday our words are from the Week 1 List (a, can, funny, in, look).

**WEEKLY READING RECORD (WRR) due this Friday.

**Crestwood's fundraisers are due this Friday-Entertainment Books and Butter Braids. 

**Another way to help our school:

Sam's Box Top Promotion: http://www5.samsclub.com/OMP/02_CLX_34127_BoxTops2012.aspx

Target on Facebook: https://apps.facebook.com/givewithtarget/?fb_source=search&ref=br_tf

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:
**Morning Meeting-We are learning each other's names, likes, dislikes, similarities and differences during our morning meeting times right now.  We are doing a lot of activities that revolve around our names such as putting the girls' and boys' names in groups, counting syllables in names, and recognizing the vowels and consonants in our names, to name a few.
**Shared Reading-This week we are reading the story Annie, Bea, and Chi Chi Delores.  It's about 3 characters and what they do at school each day and their activities always begin with a different letter of the alphabet.  To reinforce letters and their sounds we are identifying other words beginning with each letter of the alphabet and we will think of a word that begins with the same letter as our first name and illustrate it.
**Writer's Workshop-We are learning about what writers do and setting up our expectations and procedures we must have during Writer's Workshop.  We are also working on building our writing stamina. 

**Math-We are learning important math vocabulary words (plus, equals, sum and in all). We are also practicing addition facts.  We explored some of our math manipulatives at 4 different math stations-dice, connecting cubes, pattern blocks and dominoes. 

**Word Work-Our spelling words this week are: in, can, a, funny, look. We will practice our words by writing them on white boards and building them with play dough. We noticed that the word can is in the -an word family (man, ran, pan, tan...), look is in the -ook word family (took, book, crook...), and in is in the -in word family (pin, win, fin, spin...).  Learning these spelling patterns is very important for learning our words, writing and reading.  First Graders can also practice their spelling words at www.spellingcity.com.  It's a lot of fun!

**Social Studies-We are learning about families, leaders, communities and our country.

I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and don't forget to READ!! 
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Our Zoo Field Trip-May 7, 2013