Week 7

It was a short, but busy week...

On Tuesday we had sunny and dry Run for the Arts! Room 112 did an awesome job... wow are they fast! It was a busy and fun day that ended with a special popsicle treat for all of our runners!

In Writing, we started our Small Moments unit. The students are practicing the writing process and working on "zooming in" through their narrative writing. We have learned and been practicing the first two steps in the writing process: Think of an idea & Plan (touch, tell, sketch and write). When you are writing at home with your first grader, encourage them to plan out their writing before they start. This involves touching and telling the story out on the paper before writing. Ask your first grader to show you their invisible pencil!



Reminders:
10/19 -- Late Opening @ 10am
10/20 -- Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill
10/21 -- Missoula Performances @ 12:45pm & 7:00pm

Here are some pictures from the week...

Week 6

Here are some highlights from the week...


This week in Reader's Workshop, we introduced Partner Reading! Partner reading allows for more time to practice strategies, build fluency, check for understanding, hear their own voice and time to share in this learning community. It also increases reading involvement, attention and collaboration. 

We also discussed picking books that are a "good fit" for us! They are not too hard, not too easy, but just right! This can be a challenging task, but the first graders did an excellent job identifying when a book might be too hard or too easy.  We will continue to practice and reinforce picking and reading "good fit: books throughout the year. 


*** Our current focus when picking books that are just right. 

2 - 3 tricky words on a page = GOOD FIT!
4 - 5 tricky words on a page = give it a try 
5 or more tricky words on a page =  goal book

0 - 1 tricky words on a page = too easy


In math we learned about adding "doubles and neighbors." This is a great strategy for students to use when problem solving. If they know the sum of the doubles (2+2=4), then they can figure out the sum of the neighbor numbers by adding or subtracting 1 (2+3=5). This strategy is on that they can add to their problem solving "tool kit" to help increase their fluency and build their number sense. By using the number line, counting down/up and using visuals, students can continue to build their understanding and fluency with both subtraction and addition.

Reminders:
10/11 -- Run for the Arts - Room 112 Runners Wear Blue! 

10/11 -- PTA Meeting @ 7:00pm
10/14 -- No School - State Inservice

Here are some photos from the week...

Week 5

Here are some highlights from the week...

We are continuing to build stamina and independence during reader's workshop. I have loved getting this time to read with all of your amazing first graders and conference with them one-on-one.

In writer's workshop we are practicing sharing our work in different ways (with a partner and whole group). The first graders have been working very hard and are excited to share their writing with each other. We have also been working on our sentence structure. When we write we want our sentences to have spaces and start with a capital and end with punctuation. Room 112 is filled with some pretty amazing authors and illustrators. 

We met with our 4th grade buddies this week! The first and fourth graders participated in the Marshmallow Challenge! They were given 20 sticks of spaghetti, a cup of mini marshmallows, tape and string. The buddies worked together to create the tallest freestanding buildings that they could with the materials that they were given. We had some very creative structures and we had a lot of fun :)


Reminders:
10/3 -- Homework Folders go home with monthly newsletter (Volunteer calendar and Scholastic book orders coming soon!)
10/4 -- Principal Chat @ 8:00am

Here are some photos from the week...