We are back into the swing of things in our first grade classroom. The boys and girls were excited to see each other and share stories after our vacation. We even got to welcome a new friend into our classroom last week - welcome Hunter!!
This week the students will once go through AIMS testing. These are very short subtests which we try to keep very low key as not to pressure the students. Each student will be pulled out of our classroom for a few minutes to work with another teacher in our building to complete these assessments.
Report card season is also upon us. Last week I spent some quality time with each student one on one to assess his/her reading progress. Each student has made great gains since the last time I worked with them individually. This growth deserves celebration!! I have a few more assessments to complete before we form our new guided reading groups. I will be sending home a note in your child's folder tomorrow regarding parent teacher conferences. February conferences are optional and can be requested by either teacher or parent. Please check your child's folder on Monday for more information.
Here's a peek into the week ahead:
Spelling: This week we will focus on the long e sound spelled ee and ea. The students took a pre-test last week and will be given their new words tomorrow based on the results of the pre-test. There is no rule about when to use ee/ea, so we will get good at studying these patterns within words in order to help solidify their understanding. Please remember to work on your child's spelling words each night and return the spelling homework each day. Feel free to also add more words to your child's homework routine if you feel he/she has a good handle on their spelling words.
Writer's Workshop: We are nearing the end of our informational writing unit. This week the students will choose a piece they would like to bring into the publishing stage. The work they have been doing is incredible!
Reading Workshop: We are in the final stretch of our nonfiction reading unit. There are a few more activities that I have planned before we move onto our next unit - studying character traits and observing how characters change. This week my plan is to compare and contrast fiction and nonfiction texts on the same topic.
Math: We have completed our 5th unit in math and will have a "Show Me" tomorrow. On Tuesday we will begin topic 6 - Subtraction facts to 20. Students will learn that subtraction facts with teen numbers can be simplified by making use of the number relationships to 10. They will also learn that addition and subtraction have an inverse relationship. The inverse relationship between addition and subtraction can be used to find subtraction facts (every subtraction fact has a related addition fact). We will also solve word problems. We will learn to interpret diagrams and pictures in order to understand various problems.
Science: This week we are jumping into one of my favorite science units - WEATHER!! This week we will brainstorm weather words, share what we already know about weather and create our weather logs, which will hold most of our reports on our learning. I hope to start discussing wind by mid-late week. Please note that some of our learning/data recordings will be sent home, but others will be kept in our weather logs and will be sent home at the end of our unit.
I sent home the Scholastic book order form last week. Please note that I will be placing the order on January 15th. Please remember to order books online by this date.
It doesn't look like snow is in the forecast, but please remember that the students do go outside most days and need appropriate clothing for the colder weather. Please remember to send in warm gloves, hats and coats with your child.
I hope you all have a pleasant week. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Kerry
No comments:
Post a Comment