Dear First Grade Families,
Winter break is upon us and I'm sure you are feeling the same excitement at home as we are at school! The next few days we will spend reviewing many reading and math skills that we have been working on. We will also wrap up our unit on Holidays Around the World. Please join us on December 22nd at 2:15 for our celebration. The students will be sharing some songs/poems and will also be given some time to share their souvenirs from our "Around the World" unit! We hope you can make it! Please email me if you plan on coming so that I am aware of how many guests will be attending.
Wednesday is pajama day!! Please have your child wear comfy pajamas and bring in one stuffed animal that is able to fit in his/her backpack. We will celebrate our last day of this year together with many fun activities planned.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and find some time to celebrate with family and friends. Happy New Year!
Kerry
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Week of December 14th
Dear Parents,
I hope you are enjoying hearing all about our adventures with Globe Trot Scott! He has taught us so many great things about how other people around the world celebrate holidays. We are also learning more about our own family traditions as well. This week we plan to travel to Africa, Russia and Sweden. We hope you can join us for our December celebration which will be held on December 22nd at 2:15. We plan on sharing all of our souvenirs in our suitcases, singing some holiday songs and eating some yummy treats. Thank you to all those who have volunteered to bring in items for our celebration!
Here's a sneak peek into the week ahead:
Spelling: This week (and next week) we will review long vowels with the silent e pattern. The students have done very well learning this pattern and it is evident by the scores on their spelling tests! Thank you again for working with them each night for spelling homework! This week you will notice only 8 words on their lists. We won't have a spelling test next week because it's a short week, so you will not see new word lists coming home on Monday.
Writing: We are in the final bend of our Informational Writing unit. This week the students will spend their focus on writing introductions and conclusions. I can't tell you how impressed I am with all of their great ideas. Many of my authors have become so invested in their writing that their folders are blossoming with great texts, while others have become so invested in a single piece that they have added numerous chapters that can teach their readers! This has been such a great experience for me to see their writing really take off!
Readers workshop: Our work as readers will continue with nonfiction texts.
Math: Our chapter 4 tests went home on Friday. Please be sure to sign the tests and return them in your child's folder as soon as possible. We will start Chapter 5 (Addition facts to 20) on Monday. In this chapter we will continue the basic fact strategies that we started in chapter 4. In first grade, there is a great emphasis on mastering the basic addition facts. For students who cannot quickly memorize these facts, we will review and practice addition strategies to use as an aid. We will review terms such as addition, addend, sum, part, and whole. We will focus on doubles, near doubles and making 10 to help us add.
I hope you all had a chance to get outside to enjoy the "spring" weather. This was certainly a nice treat!! Although we only have 8 days before winter break, we will be busy learning, having fun and growing together! First grade is full of excitement (more than usual) this time of year!! Have a great week!
Kerry
I hope you are enjoying hearing all about our adventures with Globe Trot Scott! He has taught us so many great things about how other people around the world celebrate holidays. We are also learning more about our own family traditions as well. This week we plan to travel to Africa, Russia and Sweden. We hope you can join us for our December celebration which will be held on December 22nd at 2:15. We plan on sharing all of our souvenirs in our suitcases, singing some holiday songs and eating some yummy treats. Thank you to all those who have volunteered to bring in items for our celebration!
Here's a sneak peek into the week ahead:
Spelling: This week (and next week) we will review long vowels with the silent e pattern. The students have done very well learning this pattern and it is evident by the scores on their spelling tests! Thank you again for working with them each night for spelling homework! This week you will notice only 8 words on their lists. We won't have a spelling test next week because it's a short week, so you will not see new word lists coming home on Monday.
Writing: We are in the final bend of our Informational Writing unit. This week the students will spend their focus on writing introductions and conclusions. I can't tell you how impressed I am with all of their great ideas. Many of my authors have become so invested in their writing that their folders are blossoming with great texts, while others have become so invested in a single piece that they have added numerous chapters that can teach their readers! This has been such a great experience for me to see their writing really take off!
Readers workshop: Our work as readers will continue with nonfiction texts.
Math: Our chapter 4 tests went home on Friday. Please be sure to sign the tests and return them in your child's folder as soon as possible. We will start Chapter 5 (Addition facts to 20) on Monday. In this chapter we will continue the basic fact strategies that we started in chapter 4. In first grade, there is a great emphasis on mastering the basic addition facts. For students who cannot quickly memorize these facts, we will review and practice addition strategies to use as an aid. We will review terms such as addition, addend, sum, part, and whole. We will focus on doubles, near doubles and making 10 to help us add.
I hope you all had a chance to get outside to enjoy the "spring" weather. This was certainly a nice treat!! Although we only have 8 days before winter break, we will be busy learning, having fun and growing together! First grade is full of excitement (more than usual) this time of year!! Have a great week!
Kerry
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Week of December 7th
Dear Families,
Our classroom is completely in the holiday spirit! The boys and girls had a chance to briefly meet a new friend named "Globe Trot Scott" last week. He is a friend who travels all over the globe learning about different cultures, traditions and celebrations. Last week he left us several small packages with "souvenirs" from France, Mexico and Italy. He brought us some books, fact sheets, crafts and some yummy treats too! We are excited to continue using our "Globetrotter Airways" tickets to travel to more places in the weeks to come! The students are compiling their artifacts and facts sheets in a very special suitcase which we plan on sharing with you later this month. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we invite you to join us in our classroom on December 22nd at 2:15 for some learning fun and treats! We certainly hope you can make it!!
This week we also had a nice visit from Mrs. Libutti sharing one of her family traditions. The students learned all about their Thanksgiving tradition and had a chance to taste yummy cinnamon rolls while listening to some great Thanksgiving books. Thank you Mrs. Libutti!
Spelling: The students did a FANTASTIC job on their 1st formal spelling test with "a silent e" and "i silent e"! I was so proud of them! Thank you for all of your work in helping your child practice his/her spelling words and in helping them complete the homework assignments for the week. This week we will continue with silent e words while focusing on o_e and u_e. Please look for the new spelling lists to be sent home tomorrow. You will also notice that this weeks words will most likely have 8 pattern words and 2 priority words.
Reading: Last week we got into the groove of working in our guided reading groups as I spent the week before re-assessing most of the students on their reading skills. We adjusted groups and many of the students made some gains in their reading - YAY! Please remember to spend at least 15-20 minutes reading 5 days each week. Thank you for returning the reading bags that have I have been sending home with the students. These are the books we have been working with throughout the week and the purpose of sending them home is for the students to "show off" all of their hard work! Please take a few minutes to share in their joy of learning and reading! During Reader's Workshop, we have been investigating non fiction texts. We have learned all about the text features of non fiction books. Last week we started to "close read" several texts. Close reading simply means that you look at a text several times over the course of several days to gain a deeper understanding. The students are also learning to mark up their texts using various symbols to denote unfamiliar words, important parts, key words and things that surprise them. This is an upper level skill, but they sure are understanding it and having fun! We began this exploration by eating an Oreo cookie. The students ate it as fast as they could and when they finished told me what they ate - a cookie. Then they were asked to eat another one, but this time they had to eat it slowly and use their senses to really think about what they were eating. After eating the second time, they were able to tell me SO much more about the cookie. We explored things like it's texture, ingredients, what it smelled like, tasted like and much more! This was a really fun and neat way to get them to understand what we would be doing as close readers. This week we will continue to look at non fiction as readers. We will read some more books independently and note important vocabulary, facts and questions we still have as readers. These 1st graders amaze me each day at what they are able to accomplish - even when it seems hard!!
Writing: We are continuing with our Informational writing unit. We are getting stronger each day! Last week we had a lot of fun learning all about adding a table of contents. They are learning to chop up their topic into smaller pieces and add titles that are interesting, short and keep the reader interested! Many students are also adding "fun facts" and glossaries. We will most likely finish this unit right before break or shortly after. Here are some pictures of our authors collaborating to come up with a table of contents for a "celebration" book.
Math: This week we will wrap up Chapter 4 and plan on a "show me" assessment by Friday.
I hope you have a great week!
Kerry
Our classroom is completely in the holiday spirit! The boys and girls had a chance to briefly meet a new friend named "Globe Trot Scott" last week. He is a friend who travels all over the globe learning about different cultures, traditions and celebrations. Last week he left us several small packages with "souvenirs" from France, Mexico and Italy. He brought us some books, fact sheets, crafts and some yummy treats too! We are excited to continue using our "Globetrotter Airways" tickets to travel to more places in the weeks to come! The students are compiling their artifacts and facts sheets in a very special suitcase which we plan on sharing with you later this month. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we invite you to join us in our classroom on December 22nd at 2:15 for some learning fun and treats! We certainly hope you can make it!!
Spelling: The students did a FANTASTIC job on their 1st formal spelling test with "a silent e" and "i silent e"! I was so proud of them! Thank you for all of your work in helping your child practice his/her spelling words and in helping them complete the homework assignments for the week. This week we will continue with silent e words while focusing on o_e and u_e. Please look for the new spelling lists to be sent home tomorrow. You will also notice that this weeks words will most likely have 8 pattern words and 2 priority words.
Reading: Last week we got into the groove of working in our guided reading groups as I spent the week before re-assessing most of the students on their reading skills. We adjusted groups and many of the students made some gains in their reading - YAY! Please remember to spend at least 15-20 minutes reading 5 days each week. Thank you for returning the reading bags that have I have been sending home with the students. These are the books we have been working with throughout the week and the purpose of sending them home is for the students to "show off" all of their hard work! Please take a few minutes to share in their joy of learning and reading! During Reader's Workshop, we have been investigating non fiction texts. We have learned all about the text features of non fiction books. Last week we started to "close read" several texts. Close reading simply means that you look at a text several times over the course of several days to gain a deeper understanding. The students are also learning to mark up their texts using various symbols to denote unfamiliar words, important parts, key words and things that surprise them. This is an upper level skill, but they sure are understanding it and having fun! We began this exploration by eating an Oreo cookie. The students ate it as fast as they could and when they finished told me what they ate - a cookie. Then they were asked to eat another one, but this time they had to eat it slowly and use their senses to really think about what they were eating. After eating the second time, they were able to tell me SO much more about the cookie. We explored things like it's texture, ingredients, what it smelled like, tasted like and much more! This was a really fun and neat way to get them to understand what we would be doing as close readers. This week we will continue to look at non fiction as readers. We will read some more books independently and note important vocabulary, facts and questions we still have as readers. These 1st graders amaze me each day at what they are able to accomplish - even when it seems hard!!
Writing: We are continuing with our Informational writing unit. We are getting stronger each day! Last week we had a lot of fun learning all about adding a table of contents. They are learning to chop up their topic into smaller pieces and add titles that are interesting, short and keep the reader interested! Many students are also adding "fun facts" and glossaries. We will most likely finish this unit right before break or shortly after. Here are some pictures of our authors collaborating to come up with a table of contents for a "celebration" book.
Math: This week we will wrap up Chapter 4 and plan on a "show me" assessment by Friday.
I hope you have a great week!
Kerry
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Week of November 16th
Dear First Grade Families,
I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and had a chance to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Please remember that all family projects should be completed and sent in by tomorrow (November 16th). So far we have enjoyed hearing about some of the families in class and are looking forward to learning about more friends. This week we will continue learning about different families. Also, we invite you to come to our classroom on November 18th at 2:15. We are planning on presenting a Reader's Theater about the 1st Thanksgiving and sharing some fun math games with you. Don't forget to send in the form on the bottom of the "family project" to let us know how many family members will be attending. Thank you!
The week before last we had a blast celebrating our personal narrative writing! We turned our classroom into a writing museum and had a chance to visit various exhibits/authors to learn about their stories. The pictures below show the fun we had!
Last week we started our next writing unit on Informational texts. The students are learning to write "all about" books that teach the reader about a particular topic. In kindergarten, the students learned to write "how to" books and we are trying to move away from this type of writing and move on to telling ALL about a particular topic. To date the students are writing informational books about families, dogs, cats, baseball and football. I'm so excited to see all that my writers know a lot about!
In Reader's Workshop we have started our nonfiction unit. We have learned how to compare fiction and nonfiction books. We also started to investigate nonfiction text features and will continue this week also. We will look for features such as table of contents, glossary, index, maps, comparisons, close ups, diagrams, maps, etc. Most of the reading work we work on in class will remain here until we finish much of our initial learning. The students are working on completing a nonfiction workbook, which we will send home when it is finished. Below are some pictures of the students sorting fiction and nonfiction book titles using Scholastic flyers.
Our phonics instruction will focus on consonant digraphs. Throughout week ahead we will look at the sh, ch, th and wh digraph. We will continue this next week as well but will also introduce the ph sound.
I was AMAZED at how well the students did on their topic #3 test!!! They did such a FANTASTIC job! I hope you were as proud of them as I was. We started topic 4 (addition and subtraction facts to 12) last week and will continue this up to the Thanksgiving vacation. This unit will focus on adding doubles, near doubles (doubles +1, +2) and adding 0, 1 and 2 more. Here are some pictures of math games last week.
Eagle's book fair will take place this week. A flyer went home last week with supporting details. Our class will be able to take a sneak peek at the books on Tuesday morning. The students will create a "wish list" of books they may like to purchase. You may shop with your child after your visit on Wednesday or during any other of the times listed on the flyer. If you are unable to come to school during the set hours to purchase books, but would like to order some good books for your child, feel free to send money in an envelope and we will find time during lunch/recess to visit the sale. If you would like to set parameters as to which books you would like your child to buy, please note them on the envelope or a separate piece of paper. Thank you!
Also, I have only received notification from about 3 families about wanting to share "family traditions." If you have a tradition or something interesting/fun to share with us about your family, please let me know. I will be trying to come up with a schedule by the end of the week. Thank you and enjoy your week!
Fondly,
Kerry
I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and had a chance to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. Please remember that all family projects should be completed and sent in by tomorrow (November 16th). So far we have enjoyed hearing about some of the families in class and are looking forward to learning about more friends. This week we will continue learning about different families. Also, we invite you to come to our classroom on November 18th at 2:15. We are planning on presenting a Reader's Theater about the 1st Thanksgiving and sharing some fun math games with you. Don't forget to send in the form on the bottom of the "family project" to let us know how many family members will be attending. Thank you!
The week before last we had a blast celebrating our personal narrative writing! We turned our classroom into a writing museum and had a chance to visit various exhibits/authors to learn about their stories. The pictures below show the fun we had!
Last week we started our next writing unit on Informational texts. The students are learning to write "all about" books that teach the reader about a particular topic. In kindergarten, the students learned to write "how to" books and we are trying to move away from this type of writing and move on to telling ALL about a particular topic. To date the students are writing informational books about families, dogs, cats, baseball and football. I'm so excited to see all that my writers know a lot about!
In Reader's Workshop we have started our nonfiction unit. We have learned how to compare fiction and nonfiction books. We also started to investigate nonfiction text features and will continue this week also. We will look for features such as table of contents, glossary, index, maps, comparisons, close ups, diagrams, maps, etc. Most of the reading work we work on in class will remain here until we finish much of our initial learning. The students are working on completing a nonfiction workbook, which we will send home when it is finished. Below are some pictures of the students sorting fiction and nonfiction book titles using Scholastic flyers.
Our phonics instruction will focus on consonant digraphs. Throughout week ahead we will look at the sh, ch, th and wh digraph. We will continue this next week as well but will also introduce the ph sound.
I was AMAZED at how well the students did on their topic #3 test!!! They did such a FANTASTIC job! I hope you were as proud of them as I was. We started topic 4 (addition and subtraction facts to 12) last week and will continue this up to the Thanksgiving vacation. This unit will focus on adding doubles, near doubles (doubles +1, +2) and adding 0, 1 and 2 more. Here are some pictures of math games last week.
Eagle's book fair will take place this week. A flyer went home last week with supporting details. Our class will be able to take a sneak peek at the books on Tuesday morning. The students will create a "wish list" of books they may like to purchase. You may shop with your child after your visit on Wednesday or during any other of the times listed on the flyer. If you are unable to come to school during the set hours to purchase books, but would like to order some good books for your child, feel free to send money in an envelope and we will find time during lunch/recess to visit the sale. If you would like to set parameters as to which books you would like your child to buy, please note them on the envelope or a separate piece of paper. Thank you!
Also, I have only received notification from about 3 families about wanting to share "family traditions." If you have a tradition or something interesting/fun to share with us about your family, please let me know. I will be trying to come up with a schedule by the end of the week. Thank you and enjoy your week!
Fondly,
Kerry
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Week of November 2nd
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Halloween! I know I sure was pooped! Hope everyone took advantage of the extra hour of sleep, however I was reminded today that it really doesn't count if you have children - very true!! We had so much fun last week building and decorating our haunted houses. It was so nice to see everyone and share in the fun together! Thank you so much to everyone who donated supplies and yummy treats for us to use. This event wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for your help - THANK YOU! I would also like to thank everyone who donated gift cards and money towards our 1st grade silent auction basket. Together with the other first grade classes, we were able to put together a basket with about $250 dollars worth of gift cards!! AMAZING!! Be sure to check out the silent auction on November 3rd. Please note that we dismiss at 12:10 on Tuesday.
Over the next two months we will take a break from learning about seeds and we will move our unit of study onto Families. We will read, write and learn about how families are different, change over time and study families of long ago. This will tie in nicely as we learn all about the first Thanksgiving. This week I will be sending home a fun Family mobile project for you to complete with your child. Stay tuned! As we learn about families, we will also explore family traditions. If your family has a fun, different or special family tradition that you would like to share with our class, we invite you to come in over the next two months to share with us. In the past, families have come in to simply talk about their tradition, share a book related to the tradition, share a recipe or dish of food, play a game, etc. We would love to have you share with us, but ask that if you would like to come in, that you limit your "presentation" to 15-20 minutes. Please email me if you would like to schedule a visit.
The third week in November is American Education Week. This is always a fun time at Eagle because families are welcome to come into the classrooms to share in some fun learning activities. We invite you to join us on November 18th at 2:15 for some fun activities. We are tentatively planning on performing a Reader's Theater for you and teaching you some fun math games!
This week in Reader's Workshop we will be working on decoding strategies. We will talk a lot about what to do when you are stuck on a word as a reader. I will post pictures of these strategies next week for you to reference as you read with your child at home.
Last week in Writer's Workshop my writers worked feverishly to choose and publish a personal narrative that they were most proud of. They revised to make sure they had their best 1st grade work. Finally the students published their story in a new booklet, complete with a title and cover page. They did a FANTASTIC job and I am so PROUD of them!! We will share these books this week and keep them in our classroom library before sending them home. We will step away from our "formal" writing program this week as we spend some time writing about our family.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Kerry
Over the next two months we will take a break from learning about seeds and we will move our unit of study onto Families. We will read, write and learn about how families are different, change over time and study families of long ago. This will tie in nicely as we learn all about the first Thanksgiving. This week I will be sending home a fun Family mobile project for you to complete with your child. Stay tuned! As we learn about families, we will also explore family traditions. If your family has a fun, different or special family tradition that you would like to share with our class, we invite you to come in over the next two months to share with us. In the past, families have come in to simply talk about their tradition, share a book related to the tradition, share a recipe or dish of food, play a game, etc. We would love to have you share with us, but ask that if you would like to come in, that you limit your "presentation" to 15-20 minutes. Please email me if you would like to schedule a visit.
The third week in November is American Education Week. This is always a fun time at Eagle because families are welcome to come into the classrooms to share in some fun learning activities. We invite you to join us on November 18th at 2:15 for some fun activities. We are tentatively planning on performing a Reader's Theater for you and teaching you some fun math games!
This week in Reader's Workshop we will be working on decoding strategies. We will talk a lot about what to do when you are stuck on a word as a reader. I will post pictures of these strategies next week for you to reference as you read with your child at home.
Last week in Writer's Workshop my writers worked feverishly to choose and publish a personal narrative that they were most proud of. They revised to make sure they had their best 1st grade work. Finally the students published their story in a new booklet, complete with a title and cover page. They did a FANTASTIC job and I am so PROUD of them!! We will share these books this week and keep them in our classroom library before sending them home. We will step away from our "formal" writing program this week as we spend some time writing about our family.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Kerry
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