Week 4 - September 28, 2018

Family Picture

This week our focus has been on our classroom community and how we can make it fun and safe. We want students to feel as if our classroom if a family.  We also want to highlight and learn about each student's family, so if you haven't already, please send in a family photo (no larger than 5X7) so that we can discuss our families!  These photos will be returned to you at the end of the year.

Curriculum

Reading:
The students have been building stamina when reading to self.  They've also learned to read to someone; the ways to read to someone and how to coach/help each other when reading.  Furthermore, the students have been learning about rhyming and the short a sound.  Next week, we will learn to listen to reading and how to work on writing during our Daily 5 rotations.

Book Baggies:
The students have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  We will exchange books each week, so it is important that they remember to bring their bag back to school on Fridays when we exchange our books.  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday.  

Writing:
This week the students worked on using ideas from different authors to write their own story about their family.  Students have also been learning to write good/complete sentences using capital letters, periods, subjects and predicates.  Next week, we will continue to work on this writing.  This incorporates some concepts from our social studies unit on families as well.  The students have learned about different family members and the roles each member has.  

Math:
This week the students continued to build their number sense and counting skills.  Next week, we will be working on adding and subtracting to 10.  We want this to become automatic for the kids.  

IXL Skills - Use these activities as you wish to help your child with the skills we will be working on throughout this first trimester.

Science/Social Studies:
The students are continuing to learn about weather patterns through observations, reading and experiments.  This week, the students learned about the different types of clouds and how they move.  Students are learning about air and how it moves as well.  Next week, they will continue to learn about air and wind through different experiments.  

Purposeful Play
Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. counting forwards and backwards within 120, adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 

Specials Schedule

Monday: P.E. (Wear tennis shoes)
Tuesday: Art (Bring an Art shirt labeled with your child's name)
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: Media/Library
Friday: Rotates (See the back of your child's OWL folder (everyday folder) for a schedule.)

Important Dates

October 3: Count Day and Picture Day
October 10: Walk to School Day
October 19: Color Run

Week 3 - September 21, 2018

Family Picture

This week our focus has been on our classroom community and how we can make it fun and safe. We want students to feel as if our classroom if a family.  We also want to highlight and learn about each student's family, so if you haven't already, please send in a family photo (no larger than 5X7) so that we can discuss our families!  These photos will be returned to you at the end of the year.

Curriculum

Reading:
The students have learned about how to read to self.  We are building stamina to read independently for longer and longer periods of time.  The students also learned ways to choose good books for them.  Next week, the students will learn how to read to someone.  We will work on being a good partner and helping versus doing for others.  We will also continue to build stamina as readers.

Book Baggies:
Students are bringing home book baggies TODAY! Students have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  We will exchange books each week, so it is important that they remember to bring their bag back to school on Fridays when we exchange our books.  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday.  

Writing:
As writers this week, we read mentor texts to learn how published authors do things.  We will use what we learn from these authors to create our own stories about our family.

Math:
In math we spent a lot of time working on strategies for counting and number sense.  The students are learning to talk about math and understand math rather than just compute math problems.  We will continue this next week.

IXL Skills - Use these activities as you wish to help your child with the skills we will be working on throughout this first trimester.

Science/Social Studies:
This week the students were given a challenge from a real meteorologist.  She asked our first graders to help her predict the weather.  The students have been asking many questions about how meteorologists do that and what we will need in order to do that.  We also discussed ways in which we can learn how to predict the weather.  One idea was to go outside and observe, so we did.  We left off this week wondering how clouds are a part of weather, so we will begin next week reading and learning about the different types of clouds, what types of weather go with the different types of clouds and how clouds move across the sky.

Purposeful Play
Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 

Specials Schedule

Monday: P.E. (Wear tennis shoes)
Tuesday: Art (Bring an Art shirt labeled with your child's name)
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: Media/Library
Friday: Rotates (See the back of your child's OWL folder (everyday folder) for a schedule.)

Important Dates

September 28: Color Run Kickoff
October 3: Count Day and Picture Day
October 10: Walk to School Day
October 19: Color Run

Week 2 - September, 14, 2018

Curriculum Night

Thank you to everyone who made it to curriculum night last night.  I know that everyone is very busy, so if you didn't make it, here is a link to the presentation I gave last night!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Curriculum Night Presentation

Family Picture
This week our focus has been on our classroom community and how we can make it fun and safe. We want students to feel as if our classroom if a family.  We also want to highlight and learn about each student's family, so if you haven't already, please send in a family photo (no larger than 5X7) so that we can discuss our families!  These photos will be returned to you at the end of the year.

Curriculum

Reading:
Next week we will begin our first reading unit.  This unit really helps students get into the routine of reading workshop.  They learn to read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing and learn words.  They also begin building stamina to read to self longer and longer.  

Book Baggies:
In the next week or two, we will begin sending home book baggies.  Students will have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  We will exchange books each week, so it is important that they remember to bring their bag back to school on Fridays when we exchange our books.  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday.  

Writing:
In writing we will begin our first unit.  This is an informational writing unit in which the students learn to look at mentor texts and learn what good writers do.  From there, the students will use strategies that they learn from the mentor texts to create a writing of their own.

Math:
Next week, we will begin our math curriculum.  This first trimester, we will focus on building number sense, review counting strategies, work on adding and subtracting within 10, and begin to learn about place value.

IXL Skills - Use these activities as you wish to help your child with the skills we will be working on throughout this first trimester.

Science/Social Studies:
In Science we will be learning about air and weather.  Next week, we will begin by looking at what they know about air, weather and the sky.  We will then look at what questions they have about these things and begin to explore to learn more about them.  The students' questions will help guide us through this learning.

Purposeful Play
Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 

Specials Schedule

Monday: P.E. (Wear tennis shoes)
Tuesday: Art (Bring an Art shirt labeled with your child's name)
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: Media/Library
Friday: Rotates (See the back of your child's OWL folder (everyday folder) for a schedule.)

Important Dates

September 17: 10-10:50 am Cyber Safety Assembly

September 20: Scholastic Book Orders are Due if you choose to purchase books.

Week 1 - September 7, 2018

Welcome to our Class Blog!

Welcome families to our class blog.  You will find updates on curriculum, important dates and other information here at our blog.  Please check here weekly for these updates.  If you haven't already, sign up on the side by putting in your email to follow the blog.  Then go to your email and confirm that you want to receive the emails.  This will allow it to update you via email any time I make a post.

Twitter
We also have a classroom Twitter account.  I will be posting on here occasionally as we do things in the classroom, updates on things etc.  If you haven't already, please fill out the Twitter form about pictures.  It is linked below if you need another form.

Twitter Picture Form
Compass Points
Please fill out the Compass Points page that comes home with your child.  I will address some of your thoughts from these at Curriculum Night next Thursday, September 13th.  I would like the forms returned by next Tuesday, September 11th.  You will be writing what you feel you Need to know to help your child be successful in 1st grade, what you are Worried about, what you are Excited for, and what next Steps we can take together to help make it a successful year for your child(ren).

Compass Points

Family Picture
This week our focus has been on our classroom community and how we can make it fun and safe. We want students to feel as if our classroom if a family.  We also want to highlight and learn about each student's family, so if you haven't already, please send in a family photo (no larger than 5X7) so that we can discuss our families!  These photos will be returned to you at the end of the year.

Curriculum

First 8 Days:
As a school we have been focusing on the First 8 Days and using the 7 Habits.  Each day we focus on a new habit.  We have read stories, watched short clips, and had discussions around the 7 Habits.  Ask your child about what these are and what they mean.
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Some of the stories we've read: Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, Chocolate Milk, Por Favor by Maria Dismondy, First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg, Zen Socks by John J. Muth, and My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook.  We also watched Growth Mindset videos through Class Dojo.

In addition, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other this week.  Students listened to several read alouds about appropriate behavior, how to treat others and growth mindset (learn more about this at the Learning Tab on our blog.) 

Next week, we will continue our First 8 Days by learning and reading about the rest of the 7 Habits.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Habit 8: Find Your Voice

Book Baggies:
In the next week or two, we will begin sending home book baggies.  Students will have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  We will exchange books each week, so it is important that they remember to bring their bag back to school on Fridays when we exchange our books.  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday.  I will need some volunteers to help us prepare our book library and to help with the exchanging on Fridays.  If you are interested, please let me know! 

Purposeful Play
Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 

Specials Schedule

Monday: P.E. (Wear tennis shoes)
Tuesday: Art (Bring an Art shirt labeled with your child's name)
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: Media/Library
Friday: Rotates (See the back of your child's OWL folder (everyday folder) for a schedule.)

Important Dates

September 13: Curriculum Night (Please fill out the Compass Points form sent home with your child.  I address some of your thoughts from these at Curriculum Night.) 

• 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.   Mrs. Bedford’s presentation for K-2 parents
• 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.   Mrs. Bedford’s presentation for 3-4 parents
• 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.   Kindergarten, first and second grade

• 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.   Specials presentation for third and fourth grade
• 6:30 - 7:00 p.m.   Specials presentation for kindergarten, first and second grade
• 6:40 - 7:40 p.m.   Third and fourth grades
• 6:00-7:00 p.m. Parents of ELL students may stop in to see Mrs. Gaylord (formerly Ms. Cooper)

September 20: Scholastic Book Orders are Due if you choose to purchase books.