Week 4

Wow, I cannot believe the first month of school is already over!  Time flies in first grade :)

The second week of homework is done and they all are continuing to do a great job! It was great checking all of their homework and seeing the variety and creativity. I am impressed by the number of students who are challenging themselves and I also loved reading some of the stories they have written!

Just like in reading, in math we are also working on our fluency. We are working on different strategies to use when adding and subtracting (number line, using their fingers, friendly numbers, etc). The more strategies (or tools) that they have in their math tool belt the more comfortable and successful they will be when they get into more advanced math!

The first grade artists worked very hard on their lion portrait art project! They got to use sharpies and oil pastels to create some lions that are really something to roar about - pun intended :)

It was great seeing you all at Back to School Night - thanks so much for coming and for your continued support!

For those of you who weren't able to attend Back to School Night the conference sign up is posted outside my door and I will also post a picture of the sign up this week and you can email me to set up a conference time. 

Also, please make sure to fill out these surveys!

Volunteer Survey: https://goo.gl/forms/Ss9OTyCCvk05uW5z1

Communication Information: https://goo.gl/forms/DysCbNUKvEL358fz2

Reminders:

9/27 -- Picture Day!

Here are some photos from the week...

Week 3

Here are some highlights from Room 112...

We continue to practice and focus on the independent reading expectations (Stay in one spot, work quietly, work the whole time, start right away, and build stamina). As we practice what it looks like and sounds like, we are also building good reading habits. We have discussed that good habits are things that we remember to do without people telling or reminding us. The good habits that we focused on this week are taking a "sneak peak" (ex. looking at the cover, taking a picture walk, making predictions, etc.) of a book before you read it, and "doing something" when you finish the book (ex. rereading, asking questions, going back to your favorite part, discussing it with a friend, etc.). Super readers have good habits when they start a book and when they finish one! 

In math, we have been practicing our basic addition and using visuals to help us write number sentences. Our community of mathematicians has also been working on identifying and building patterns. They are already beginning to use mathematical language "I know this because..." "I agree with ____ because..." "I disagree because..." Being able to talk about mathematical thinking and being able to show it are concepts we will continue to build on a daily basis.

Looking forward to another great week in Room 112!

Reminders:


9/21 -- Late Opening @ 10am
9/22 -- Back to School Night @ 6pm
9/25 -- Scramble for the Kids @ 7am

Week 2

It was a short, but busy week in Room 112!

Last week I read the book "How Full is your Bucket." This book highlights the power of kindness and connects with our Room 112 bucket that is added to when we work together and get compliments and recognition from Stephenson Staff and adults. We have been continuing to get drops in our bucket for being examples of the school expectations and rules (be safe, be respectful, be responsible, be your best). We have already filled our bucket twice -- Go Room 112! 

On Thursday, we got to meet our 4th grade buddies from Mr.Graham's class! The first and fourth graders made "All About Me" cubes to get to know each other. We are excited to work, play and learn with our 4th grade buddies this year :)

We have continued to practice Independent Reading and have been building on our literacy block expectations: Stay in one spot, work quietly, work the whole time, start right away, and build stamina. We will continue to build and develop these skills as we practice this independent learning and work time. I am already seeing their stamina grow!

In writing, we discussed and acted out what a writers workshop looks and sounds like. It was a great discussion followed by some great writing. We also talked about how we share our writing. I was very impressed by their bravery and the respect of the first grade audience! I believe sharing work is incredibly empowering and rewarding and we are going to be doing a lot of it this year :)

This week we also transitioned from exploring the math manipulatives, to using them as tools for math. It is pretty incredible to see their creativity when working with the math manipulatives. We also worked on our first independent math check-in. The mathematicians are recognizing and building patterns, identifying shapes, counting and adding. 

Reminders:
9/12 -- First homework packet goes home (Due back on Friday 9/16)

First Week!

Wow! What a great first week and what an incredible group of kiddos. The first hour of class I kept telling them that I could not believe it was their first day of first grade because they all seemed to get back into "school mode" pretty quickly - maybe even faster than me!


We focused a lot on classroom routines and will continue to develop routines, transitions and expectations throughout these first weeks in order to build a strong learning community.
On the first day of school we read "First Day Jitters," a story that talks about how we all get nervous for the first day of school - even teachers! Throughout the week we have been checking our understanding while we read. When you read with your child I encourage you to help them use this strategy - pause and ask "do I understand what just happened?" "what do I know about the characters?" "what is the author trying to tell me?" Asking these questions and modeling that all readers use these strategies is critical in building comprehension and also confidence in reading.

We talked about and practiced reading independently. The students picked their own books to read and they learned about the 3 ways to read books (read the pictures, read the words, retell the story). Just like with running, or physical activity, reading takes stamina. The students will continue to read independently in short increments to help build their stamina and turn them into voracious readers!

Reminders:
9/5 -- No School - Memorial Day
*Please make sure to return your registration forms to school to ensure all of the information is up-to-date! 


Looking forward to a great year in Room 112!


9/9 -- Back to School Picnic @ 5:30pm