Routines:
We have had a terrific beginning of the year. We have been spending time establishing our norms and
first grade routines. The children are learning how important it is to transition quietly and to speak in a
low tone of voice to help create a calm learning environment with our open classrooms.
We are trying to fill each others buckets with kindness. All of the children are doing a great job.
first grade routines. The children are learning how important it is to transition quietly and to speak in a
low tone of voice to help create a calm learning environment with our open classrooms.
We are trying to fill each others buckets with kindness. All of the children are doing a great job.
Literacy:
We are starting to practice our routines for Reading Workshop in the
morning. Our morning consists of:
A. Opening: Attendance, lunch count, kids "shopping" for new books to read
B. Morning Meeting/Calendar
C. Reading Workshop
1. Reading mini-lesson
2. *Independent reading- teacher is conferring with students or pulling a reading group
3. Partner reading- teacher is conferring
4. Share out our good work and story
5. Handwriting
6. Work-work (spelling patterns, phonics)
*We have been building our stamina for independent reading. Just like running a marathon,
the children have been practicing so they can build up their stamina. Our goal for the Fall is to read
for 20 minutes quietly each day in first grade while the teacher confers with students.
By spring the goal is 45 minutes of independent reading.*
Reading strategies that I have taught to the students so far are:
1. Look at the pictures in the book before reading to get your mind reading to read.
A reader doesn't think about dinosaurs if the book is about cats!
A reader doesn't think about dinosaurs if the book is about cats!
2. Use your pointer finger when stuck or unsure. It trains the brain to focus on the word.
3. Get your mouth ready for the beginning letter sound.
You wouldn't say the s sound when the word is flag. You would say the f sound.
You wouldn't say the s sound when the word is flag. You would say the f sound.
4. Look through to the end of the word. There is a difference between fat and fan!
Next week:
5. Notice endings-playing, plays and played are all said differently.
6. Get a running start if you notice you made a mistake.
Go back to the beginning sentence and try again.
Go back to the beginning sentence and try again.
7. Don't read like a robot. Practice reading books more than 1 time to smooth out our voices and
have expression
have expression
ALWAYS: ask yourself......Does that make sense? Does that sound right? Does that look right?
Word Work/Spelling- Children learn the spelling patterns in first grade to better help them understand
how words work and apply this knowledge to their writing. We have finished learning the short A sound.
Next week, we will start the short o sound. In addition, Several students are reversing the letters in their
writing and when they read. One way I will teach the students to remember the directionality of the two
letters is with the word bed. We read poems, sing songs and sort picture cards to help train the ear to
hear the sound. Next we will learn the difference between hard c and s.
how words work and apply this knowledge to their writing. We have finished learning the short A sound.
Next week, we will start the short o sound. In addition, Several students are reversing the letters in their
writing and when they read. One way I will teach the students to remember the directionality of the two
letters is with the word bed. We read poems, sing songs and sort picture cards to help train the ear to
hear the sound. Next we will learn the difference between hard c and s.
Handwriting- Legible handwriting is our goal in first grade. We will practice handwriting everyday
the first quarter. Please, encourage your child to use correct letter formations and good handwriting
on homework, too!
the first quarter. Please, encourage your child to use correct letter formations and good handwriting
on homework, too!
Math: Math in Focus is the curriculum in all elementary schools in Clayton.
We started Chapter 2: Addition and Subtraction to 10 last week.
We learned about Number bonds. This is a way for students to visualize numbers and decompose (break apart)
and compose (make) numbers.
and compose (make) numbers.
Being able to visualize numbers is the key, and giving the students
a graphic like the number bound is one way to help them do this.
a graphic like the number bound is one way to help them do this.
Another way for students to think about numbers is to play “Bears in a Cave” If I have 5 bears (cubes or beans) and 2 are outside the cup (cave) how many went in to the cup/cave? (3)
Social Studies: We will finished our first unit How Do We Get Along.
So far we learned how important it is to follow rules, be kind and solve problems peacefully.
We will talked about "filling some one's bucket" which means being kindto someone. If we forget, then we talk about how the other person feels-
usually bad or sad. Plus, we talk about how we feel when we are not nice-
usually bad or sad. Developing empathy in our students allows them to understand
how the other person is feeling.
In Science we are studying the life cycle of mealworms (beetles) and butterflies.
Mealworms are the larva of beetles. Mealworms go through 4 life stages: egg, larva, pupa
and adult beetle. The eat meal such as wheat meal, oat meal, or rye meal. The get their water
through plants like potatoes and carrots. Mealworms burrow in their food and do not like light.
Each student will get a habitat on his or her desk and is in charge of taking care of the mealworm.
Usually, many children will even name their mealworms!
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