Good Afternoon! We have had a busy first five day week of school! We have started almost every new routine in our room. We will save reading workshop for last because I like to get them working with big books and charts as a whole group first.
We did a superhero project. Each child took turns flying in their superhero cape and mask. I took a picture and we used them in a cityscape that they created with watercolors and cut outs. We then wrote a poem called I Am. These are all hanging in the hall and will come home in a few weeks.
Reading and Language Arts
We did lots of reading work with the Wishy-Washy big books. We worked on reading past words we don’t know, then rereading and getting our mouth ready to see if the word would just pop right out. We practiced sight words by finding them in the text of the books. We also remembered that pictures help us get our minds ready for the story and will help us when figuring out words we don’t know.
We wrote about our favorite character in the Wishy-Washy books. We are working on taking risks and being brave authors. Our goal is to be independent while listening for sounds and writing what we hear.
We are getting Scholastic News this year! Each week students will get a short magazine to read at school. We practice our reading skills with it. Once they come home students may keep them.
We started Poetry Books. These are fun ways to practice reading fluently. We get new ones each week. Poetry books will come home at the end of the year to keep.
Math
We are working on recognizing and writing numbers, making sure we start at the top and work towards the bottom in one fluid motion. We skip counted by 2, 5, 10. Any help with this would be great at home, also counting up and back to 100 by ones. We are looking for patterns in ten frames and dice to help us know numbers quickly. We learned two new games; number squeeze and bunny hop.
Spelling
We had our first spelling test today. We are working on the process of writing the words in a given amount of time. It will get easier as we go. I say each word very slowly so they can hear each sound. We also talk about how many sounds we hear.
We tried to start the dictation part of the spelling assessment but we were not quite ready. I will try again after Thanksgiving break. This is where the students listen to a sentence and then write it. The sentence is filled with spelling words and sight words they should already know. I always add a few challenge words to see how they work through them. I look to see who doesn’t give up and is willing to try it. Again, it’s early. We will try again in November.
Progress Notes
First Graders are bringing home their first progress note today. These are weekly notes that let you know how your child(ren) are progressing in grade one. They look at social and work study skills. I will also add comments when needed. Also, I will reach out to you on that very day if something wonderful or out of the ordinary occurs.
Homework
Spelling homework has already begun. You will get the new list each Monday. Math homework will begin towards the end of next week. Reading homework will begin towards the beginning of October. This being said, I know how busy family life is and I know first graders need to play. If your child is too tired or you are busy with family things, it is OKAY to put the work aside for another day. I do not punish the kids or make them feel bad if they do not have it. However, homework helps let you know what we are doing in class and lets you be involved in your child’s learning. It also teaches responsibility.
If you need to choose which to do, the most important homework for me is reading. If your child comes home with a book to read with you, please find time for someone to listen. First Grade is such a HUGE year for reading. I want them to love reading. Please make it a special time for you and your child(ren). Be positive and praise them for every effort! If they are tired, take turns reading pages with them or let them finish sentences as you read. Then, please send the book back the next day. We use them during reading workshop.
SPECIAL NOTES/REMINDERS
We started working with our peer helpers! They are sixth graders that we will work with each Friday morning all year. Today we played get to know you games.
We filled our classroom gem cup!! We get classroom gems when everyone is on task and being responsible. We had a special snack today to celebrate.
School Picture Day is Thursday, September 22.
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