For the week of 8/28/2017

What We’re Learning This Week:

Reading: “The Busy Tree” (Non-Fiction Text) We will work on identifying the main idea of both a non-fiction and fiction text.

In the next few weeks, your child will be coming home with their daily guided reading book to practice in their “book in a bag.” Please remember to read your child’s book-in-a-bag nightly with them.

Writing: We will be introducing writing workshop and brainstorming small moments.  Students will work on writing about “small moments” as we begin our personal narrative writing unit. We will also be continuing to work on capitalization, end marks, and writing detailed sentences through mini-lessons. We will be focusing on the naming and telling part of a sentence.

Grammar: We will be reviewing what makes a COMPLETE sentence (conventions, spacing, capital letters, and neatness.). Identifying the naming and telling part of a sentence.

Word Study/Spelling: 

Read and Write Words:  is   in   that   it   you

Short vowel word families will be our focus for this quarter. Word families share the same vowels/patterns and rhyming words. We are working on short vowel “a.”

Feature/Pattern of the week: Word Families -  ap  ag  ad  (practice with –all)

Ex: tap, nap, flag, dad, sad, glad

Math: Our math lessons each day will include computational fluency, fact fluency, and core math instruction focused on the first grade common core math standards. Computational fluency will help the students to use the most effective and efficient strategies. Fact Fluency is working with both addition and subtraction facts within 10. By the end of the school year, one goal is for students to complete 22 addition facts in one minute and 22 subtraction facts in one minute. Our core lessons will include hands-on math activities and games that support the common core.

1st grading period Science and Social Studies: Science: The Sun
Social Studies: How to be a good Craddock citizen and following school rules. 

Extras:

-Please make sure you are sending your child with a peanut free snack for the am.
-Getting to Know You Days – Last names beginning with M-L 8/28/2017

- Homework: At the end of the week, I will be sending home the first homework log for the month of September. The homework log can be returned at the end of each month. Thank you for your home support! 

- Behavior Communication Chart:  This will also start the month of September (next week).  The chart will stay in your child’s take home folder.  They will complete their chart daily to communicate if they were ready to learn or not throughout the day.  

- Please remember to go on Sign Up Genius to sign up for a Fall conference and to sign up as a guest reader!  

Happy to be in First Grade!

Math Fun!

Our students used Cuisenaire Rods to estimate the sizes they needed to create a boat and dinosaur picture.  They loved using hands-on materials to explore math!  

For the week of 8/21/2017

What We’re Learning This Week:

Reading: “Sam Come Back” (Fiction Text) We will be working on identifying the characters, setting and major events of a story in order.

In the next few weeks your child will be coming home with their daily book to read in their “book in a bag.” Please remember to read your child’s book-in-a-bag nightly with them.

Writing: We will be introducing writing workshop and brainstorming small moments.  Students will work on writing about “small moments” as we begin our personal narrative writing unit. We will also be continuing to work on capitalization, end marks and writing detailed sentences through mini-lessons. We will be focusing on the naming and telling part of a sentence. 

Grammar: We will be reviewing what makes a COMPLETE sentence (Conventions, spacing, Capital letters, neatness.).. Identifying the naming and telling piece of a sentence.

Word Study/Spelling: 

Fry Words:  the of  and  a  to

Short vowel word families will be our focus for this quarter. Word family shares the same vowels/patterns and rhyming words. We are working on short vowel “a”

Feature/Pattern of the week:- Word Families       at   an

Ex: at, bat, cat , hat, man, ran

Math: Our math lessons each day will include computational fluency, fact fluency, and core math instruction focused on the first grade common core math standards. Computational fluency will help the students to use the most effective and efficient strategies. Fact Fluency is working with both addition and subtraction facts within 10. We are working towards students to complete 22 addition facts in one minute and 22 subtraction facts in one minute. Our core lessons will include hands-on math activities and games that support the common core.

1st grading period Science and Social Studies: Science: The Sun
Social Studies: How to be a good Craddock citizen and following school rules.

Homework/Communication: See homework and communication log coming home soon! Thank you for your home support!

Extras:

-Please make sure you are sending your child with a peanut free snack for the am.
-Getting to Know you Days – Last names beginning with; A-L 8/25/2017   M-L 8/28/2017

First Week of School

It has been a great first week in first grade!  We have been learning the rules and routines of our classroom, as well as getting to know all of our new classmates!

What We Learned this Week: 
-Routines such as coming to school in the morning, packing up to leave in the afternoon, lunch and recess, walking in the hallway, etc. 

-Class rules that we brainstormed together.  Some of the rules that the students came up with are:
1. Be kind to everyone
2. Keep hands and feet to yourself
3. Listen to the teacher and classmates when they are talking
4. Eat your own snack 
5. Be respectful, be responsible, and be a problem solver (our school wide rules)
6. Follow the flexible seating rules (feet on the floor, little bounces on stability balls, choosing the spot that best helps your learn, taking care of shared supplies, how to pick a seat, etc.) 

-We learned about our classmates through our summer treasure show and tell.  The students loved being able to share memories with their new friends.  If your child forgot to bring something in on Friday, you can send them with a treasure on Monday.  

-Each day at the end school, I will be picking a few students to share their 'rose' and 'thorn' of the day. It is a great way for children to reflect on the day, and they have loved being able to share these so far!  

-We reviewed sentence writing rules and students wrote about their summers in their journals. 
Sentence Rules to remember: 
1. Capital letter
2. Punctuation
3. Sentence makes sense
4. Spaces between words
5. Spelling 

-We practiced spelling and math facts to review from Kindergarten.  


Reminders: 
-Thank you to everyone that sent back office and classroom paperwork.  If you have not yet turned everything in, please try to send it back this week!  I also am not able to upload pictures until I receive everyone's blog permission slips back.  

-We will not be viewing the eclipse as a class on Monday, August 21st.  If you would like to pick your child up early for the eclipse, please send a note for the office on Monday.  

-Our students brought home their poetry binders on Friday for the first time with the two poems we read this week.  Encourage students to read the words they know, but feel free to help them with reading the poems if they need assistance.  Please have the lucky listener sign and return each Monday!

-Please sign-up for a time to come in as a mystery reader in our classroom!  Also look for a sign-up for fall conferences coming soon! 



Thank you for your support!! :) 

Flexible Seating

What is flexible seating?

A classroom with flexible seating looks different from a traditional classroom that uses only desks and chairs.  Items such as mats, yoga balls, wobble chairs, standing desks, etc. are used to allow students to have options for where they can best work and learn.  The goal of flexible seating is to give students choice and to help them find the type of seating that allows them to achieve their best learning.  Their best learning spot may change throughout the day or week based on their needs or the work that they are being asked to do, so students will have the option of changing work spots when necessary.

How will flexible seating be introduced?

At the beginning of the school year, I invite the students to join me in creating a list of guidelines/rules for using the different seating options.  I spend time teaching them what it should look like when they are using the seats and community supplies and how to best take care of them.  I then allow students the opportunity to try out the different options in our classroom and determine where they work best.  They will be able to evaluate the choices available in order to choose the best spot for them to complete the task they are being asked to complete.

There are many different options for seating, but you will notice that all options still allow for a workspace for students.  Almost all of the seating choices are placed at tables, but individual desks are still available for students that prefer private workspace or show me that they need a bit more structure (or less choice).

I have seen many benefits in classrooms that incorporate flexible seating.  Implementing flexible seating has empowered our kids, increased student engagement, and has helped to prepare students for the real world.  Students enjoy having a choice about their seat and the responsibility that goes with it, and I hope your child will too!