Monday, January 28, 2013

It's hard to believe this is the last week of January!  I hope you were able to enjoy the beautiful weather we had today.  I was lucky enough to have recess duty, so I was outside for a little while! (:
DAILY REMINDERS:

• The January Journal Calendar writing pieces (3) are due this Friday, February 1st.
• Don't forget to remind your student to turn in their WRR every week.
• Week 19 spelling test is this Friday, February 1st.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Shared Reading:  Today we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and learned the other Bossy R sounds (ar, or, er, ir, ur) and listed the Bossy R words we heard in the story.
• Word Work:  This week we are working on Week 19 words (was, who, after, ask, they).  Since we have mastered the strategy of looking for word families in words we want to spell and read, you will be seeing more "review" words on your first grader's spelling test each week.  When I say review words I mean the high frequency words they have been tested over since the beginning of the year.  If your child comes home with a different list than the words I mention in my posts or that are on Spelling City, it is because I am differentiating my lessons to better meet their needs.
• Writing:  I modeled the last page of our 5 page story we have been working on about our family.  the last page is the ending, and we discussed how an author finishes a story.  We are also learning how to design a cover for our book.  As each student finishes their book, they can share their story with the class.  In addition, we are getting a lot of practice with the writing process as we develop our stories (writing, proofreading, more proofreading/editing, illustrating, designing a book cover, and finally sharing as an author).
• Math:  Place Value is our focus this week in math.  We are learning how many tens and ones there are in 2 digit numbers and demonstrating that with the base 10 blocks on tens and ones workmats. 
• Science:  We did not have a science lesson today since Mrs. Lenzen taught a lesson on being a good friend.

Last Friday was the 100th Day of School!  We had a great time sharing our awesome 100th Day of School posters, sorting and graphing fruit loops, and making a fruit loop necklace with 100 fruit loops, designing 100 Day glasses, counting to 100, flipping a coin 100 times and making tally marks showing the number of times we flipped heads and tails, and doing as many jumping jacks as possible in 100 seconds!  Whew!!  We sure were busy!!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

DAILY REMINDERS:

• Homework:  Same as usual....read, spelling words, 100th Day of School poster, January Journal Calendar activities (3), and practice math facts.
• There's only 2 more nights left to work on 100th Day of School poster.
• Cans of fruit total for the end of today:  68!  Please keep those cans coming!!! THANK YOU!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Shared Reading:  We read the story A Mule Named Sugar Cube, discussed the long u sound and listed words we know with the long u sound.
• Word Work:  We "wet sorted" our /wh/ and /th/ digraph pictures into our Word Work book.  Wet sort is when we glue words and pictures into the correct categories.  Tomorrow we will do a Spell Check to assess our understanding of those digraphs.
• Math:  Our lesson today included reading a vertical graph and using the data to answer questions about greatest, least and finding the differences in the graph's data.
• Science:  Motion is the topic we are learning about now.  We learned the following vocabulary words:  motion, movement, speed, force, friction, push and pull.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Good evening!  I hope you had a fun and relaxing 3 day weekend!



DAILY REMINDERS:

• Homework:  Read, spelling words, read, January Journal Calendar, read, addition/subtraction facts, read, 100th Day of School poster, read....
• 100th Day of School poster is due this Friday, January 25th.
• We are still collecting cans of fruit for Gateway 180.  Our goal is 100 cans by Friday.
• Spelling Test this Friday.
• Talent Show is this Friday @ LHS @ 7:00 p.m.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Shared Reading/Word Work:  Miss Saulka has taken over these subjects this week, and today she read The Itsy Bitsy Spider and introduced the bossy r sound spelled /er/ like in the word spider.  Our first graders were also introduced to List 18 spelling words (get, like, on, pretty, she).  Don't forget to practice words on www.spellingcity.com.  It's lots of fun!  (:
• Math:  Miss Saulka is also teaching math.  However, as in all subject areas, we are team/parallel teaching many lessons together.  Today your student learned how to use information in a bar graph to answer questions about the graph.  Our math test on Thursday will be over different types of graphs we've learned (concrete, picture, and bar graphs).  We have also learned how to make tally marks and use them to create a graph.
• Social Studies:  We discussed and learned more about Martin Luther King, Jr.  We watched a video about his life and are working on making a book about Dr. King.

Today was a very special day for Mr. Taylor.  He was given the Peabody Energy Leaders in Education Award.  It is quite an honor for an educator to receive this important recognition. 

CONGRATULATIONS MR. TAYLOR!!!

We are very proud of you!



Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Hello Fabulous First Grade Families!

DAILY REMINDERS:

• Homework:  Read, spelling words, addition/subtraction facts, January Journal calendar (due Feb. 1), 100th day poster (due Jan. 25).
• A half sheet flyer came home today on goldenrod colored paper about our 100th Day of School Celebration which is next Friday, January 25th.  Each student is required to make a poster with 100 of the same objects and the objects need to be glued in groups of 2, 5, or 10.  Please read the flyer and let me know if you have any questions or did not receive it in your child's folder.
• A second half sheet flyer on white paper was stapled to the above flyer explaining that 1st grade is collecting 100 cans of fruit for Gateway 180.  If everyone in our class brings in 1-2 cans of fruit by next Friday (and the other 3 first grade classes do too), we hope to collect 100 cans of fruit by Friday, January 25th--the 100th Day of School!  Thank you in advance for your efforts to help others less fortunate than we are!!  (:

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

Today our schedule was a little bit crazy to due a counseling session we were not aware of...so, Miss Saulka taught math in the morning.  We then had our guided reading lessons and daily 5 center time.  The rest of the afternoon went as originally scheduled.

• Math:  We learned about picture graphs today and how to use the data to answer questions about the graph.  Ask your first grader the difference between a CONCRETE GRAPH & A PICTURE GRAPH.  We learned about concrete graphs yesterday.
• Counseling:  We learned what it means to be a good friend and then colored and cut out gingerbread men, so we could "gingerbread" a friend when a classmate is showing characteristics of a good friend.
• Science:  Our discussion today was about sound, different kinds of sounds (loud, soft) and what pitch means when talking about sound (high, low).

Monday, January 14, 2013

Good Evening! 

DAILY REMINDERS:

• Homework:  Your student's ongoing homework assignments are as follows:  study weekly spelling words, read 20 minutes/night, complete WRR and turn in on Thursdays and Fridays, practice addition and subtraction facts, and work on January Journal Calendar Writing assignments (3 due on Feb. 1).
• PRISM:  If your first grader is interested in completing a PRISM project, you can get all the details and information by going to the Lindbergh website, click on the STUDENT tab, click on PRISM, and click on Download the PRISM book.  You can complete the entry form and fill out the order form to purchase a PRISM box ($3.00) by clicking on Entry Form and Box Order Form.  The deadline for entry was January 11, but you can still turn in an entry form this week.
• NO SCHOOL next Monday, January 21--MLK Day.
• Friday, January 25--Crestwood Talent Show @ LHS.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Shared Reading:  We are reading the story Flower Garden and identifying rhyming words within the text.
• Word Work:  We are working on words with the digraphs /th/ and /wh/.
• Guided Reading/Daily 5 Centers:  In our reading groups we work on retelling the stories we read, discussing the story elements, and answering comprehension questions using PQPA (using Part of the Question for Part of the Answer).  This is a skill  your child will need to have mastered when they begin taking the MAP test in 3rd grade.  We continue to use our IPads for Listen to Reading, Word Work and Work on Writing.
• Math:  Graphing, Tally Charts, and using data to interpret graphs is the focus for our math chapter this week and part of next week.
• Science:  We are learning about the different types of energy--heat, light and sound.

Monday, January 7, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome back to school!  It's hard to believe we are beginning our 2nd half of first grade!  We still have SOOOO much learning to do.  Please continue to encourage your first grader to read, practice spelling words, and math facts every evening.  Thank you for your ongoing support at home.  It really DOES make a difference in your child's success and performance at school.

DAILY REMINDERS:

• Homework:  We now have 5 IPads and 2 desktop computers in our classroom!  We are very fortunate that the Lindbergh District places a strong emphasis on learning through technology.  In first grade, we have been talking about IPad etiquette and how we can best take care of them.  Please read and sign the IPad (yellow paper) Acceptable Policies paper that came home tonight in your child's take home folder. 
• Spelling words--Week 16--came home tonight (four, please, say, now, into).  Remember your first grader can practice their spelling words on www.spellingcity.com. 
• Early Dismissal is this Wednesday, January 9 at 1:40 (ELL buses leave at 1:20).  It is also Show and Tell day.  Please remind your child to choose one item that is important to them and encourage them to practice describing it and telling why it is special to them.
• PTO Meeting is this Thursday, January 10th @ 7:00 p.m.
• BINGO NIGHT is this Friday, January 11th @ 6:00 p.m.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FIRST GRADER:

• Writing:  We are working on writing our New Year's resolutions for school and home.  We discussed what resolution means and then brainstormed some of our ideas. 
• Guided Reading/Daily 5:  We are working hard on reading with expression and reading fluently in most of our reading groups.  Some of the groups are becoming more responsible for completing reading response assignments.  In our Daily 5 centers, we continue to work on word work, writing pieces, and reading to ourselves.  We are also listening to reading using our desktops and IPads.  Soon, we will be using our IPads for word work also.
• Math:  In chapter 8, we are reviewing subtraction strategies (count back, subtract all, and subtract 0), learning how to follow a rule, and  how to make fact families.
• Science:  This week, we will begin our unit on heat, light, and sound.