This week in First grade...

December 9-13, 2013

Math: This week, students will continue to work on recognizing the penny, nickel, dime and quarter and their value.  We will extend this learning by skip counting and applying our knowledge to problem solving. 

Reading Workshop:  This week in reading workshop we will introduce an important and often times the most difficult reading strategy to implement and that is inferring.  Inferring is the bedrock of understanding.  Writers don't always spill information onto the page; often they leak it slowly leaving clues along the way to keep the reader engaged in the act of constructing meaning.  Inferring involves taking what you know, your background knowledge, and merging it with clues in the text to come up with some information that isn't explicitly stated there.  We will continue with this strategy until the winter break, giving the students plenty of time me to model and the children to practice using this important reading skill.

Word Study:

We will be reviewing word wall words this week and next.  I will also conduct assessments for word study to make sure we are on track for January!

Writing Workshop:  This week and next week during writing workshop, we will continue our unit on writing friendly letters. As an extension to a story that will be read during Reading, we will each write a letter to a dog at the animal shelter. We will then decorate a bag with dog treats that will be brought to a local animal shelter to help the animals feel loved.  We will also use our Writer’s Workshop time to research and record facts about the different customs and traditions celebrated around the world that our elf travels to each day.

Social Studies:  This week, we will continue our cultural unit on winter holiday traditions around the world.  This unit helps children to understand the differences and similarities in traditions around the world.  Since we are such a diverse group here at Caraway, we are also able to learn more about each other. 

Habit #6:  Synergize.  I value other people’s strengths and learn from them.  I seek out other people’s ideas because I know that by teaming with others, we can create better solutions than anyone of us can alone.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 19:  Winter Holiday Party @1 pm-2 pm

December 20:  Polar Express Day (wear pajamas)

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

January 7:  2^nd Semester Begins

January 20:  No School

January 22:  International Festival

January 30:  Science Fair

This week in First grade...

December 2-6, 2013

Math: This week, we will start learning about Money.  We will learn the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter, and we will discuss the characteristics that make each coin unique.  We will make a money book and compare and contrast the coins.

Reading Workshop:  This week we will begin our "giving" unit.  For the next two weeks we will focus on literature that shows the benefits of having a giving heart.   We will do different activities that focus on giving to others and to nature.  The comprehension strategy that we will use this week is summarizing/retelling.  As we read, we should always stop to ask ourselves what we just read and retell what is happening in the story.  If we don't remember, we should go back and reread.  If we do remember, move on with our reading until we get to the end and then retell/summarize again when we are finished with the story.

Word Study:

Green Group: ug, ut, and un word families (run, cut, mug)

Blue Group:  h, sh, and ch diagraphs (house, sheep, chain)

Red Group:  short –e (CVC and CVVC) and long –e (CVVC)  (short –e:  when, dead, long –e:  trees, each)

Writing Workshop: We are learning all about writing a friendly letter during Writer's Workshop this week. We will be putting our skills to practice by writing a letter to another first grade class as we learn the five parts of a friendly letter. We will learn about "Pen Pals", and encourage writing letters to friends and relatives throughout this unit! 

Social Studies:  For the next several weeks we will be learning about the many different winter celebrations around the world.  This week, we will learn about celebrations in the USA, Irael, England and India.

Habit #6:  Synergize.  I value other people’s strengths and learn from them.  I seek out other people’s ideas because I know that by teaming with others, we can create better solutions than anyone of us can alone.

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

This week in First Grade...

November 25-29, 2013

Math: We will be finishing up our Patterns unit and then doing some fun Thanksgiving math activities.

Reading Workshop:  We will read several fun fictional Thanksgiving books.  We will make connections and retell the stories to our partners.

Word Study:

No Word Study this week.

Writing Workshop: This week, we will finish up any Expository texts we have started and we will write about what we are thankful for. 

Social Studies:  We will finish up our Maps and Directions Unit.

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

*No Homework will go home this week*

Dates to remember:

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays- NO SCHOOL!

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

This week in First Grade...

November 18-22, 2013

*Pilgrim Dolls are due Wednesday!*

Math: Students will use repeating and additive growing patterns to make predictions. They use patterns to skip count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. We will collect, sort, and organize data in up to three categories using models/representations such as tally marks or T-charts. The Students will display math concepts using concrete and pictorial models in problem solving connected to everyday experiences.

     According to John A. Van de Walle, author of Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics K-3 the "big ideas" behind Algbraic Reasoning are grounded in patterns.  Students who can "recognize, extend and generalize with both words and symbols in many different forms" will master reasoning skills.  "Patterns are found in physical and geometric situations as well as in numbers." 

Reading Workshop:  This week we will be learning how to make meaningful connections.  There are 3 ways to make connections…text to self, text to text, and text to world.  We will also learn why it is important to explain our connections.  Lastly, we will learn that strong readers stay focused on the story once they have made their connection.

Word Study:

Green Group: et, eg, en word families (net, peg, hen)

Blue Group:  sh, wh, th and ch diagraph review (shot, whip, thorn, chair)

Red Group:  Short –a and Short -i with initial blends (flag, slip, clap)

Apple Group: Short -i vs. Long -i (CVCe) (dish, prize, gift)

Writing Workshop: This week, we will begin learning about Expository text.  We have talked about how Expository texts can be a lot of different types of writing (Informational, How-To, Graphs, Maps, Newspapers, etc…).  We will begin by focusing on Informational text.  We will learn the difference between fact and opinion.  We will learn about the different features of an Informational text, and we will begin writing Informational pieces about topics that we are familiar with.

Social Studies:  This week we will be learning about maps, globes, compasses, and using these tools to tell direction.  We will look at and compare and contrast many different maps. The kids will even make their very own map!

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

November 20:  Pilgrim Dolls are due!
**November 25: Turkey Trot 10:50am-11:40am** Families welcome!!

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

This week in First Grade...

November 11-15, 2013

Math: This week we will be continuing our unit on Addition Strategies that focus on Computational Fluency (quick math fact recall).  We will discuss strategies that count on 2 and count on 0.  These skills help children build their computational knowledge as they learn thinking strategies.  Children will relate their knowledge of solving math facts when they are problem solving now and later in life.

Reading Workshop:  This week, we will continue our research on Thanksgiving.  We are learning to read Expository Texts for the purpose of finding the answer to a question.  We are also learning to take notes. 

We will not have reading homework this week.  Please use this time to help your child complete their Pilgrim Doll project and Interview!  I'm including pictures of Pilgrims dolls from the past in this update!!

Writing Workshop: Our research of the first Thanksgiving is well under way. We have already read several books about the first Pilgrims to settle in the United States of America, the Native American Indians, the Mayflower, and the first feast with the two different cultures together to celebrate a new beginning and a bountiful harvest. We have been learning so much about the history of our country and are excited to continue researching and writing. We will even be sighting our works and making a glossary in our research writings this week!

Science: This week in science we will put our knowledge and understanding of energy and force and understand how energy, force and movement are related.  Energy causes force and force causes movement. We will explore how objects change location when they move such as moving closer to, nearer to, and farther from.  We will also demonstrate and record ways that objects can move such as in a straight line, zig zag, up and down, back and forth, round and round, and fast and slow.

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

Pilgrim Dolls are due Wednesday, November 20th!  

This week in First grade...

November 4-8, 2013

Math: This week we will begin our unit on Addition Strategies.  We will teach the students strategies for math facts using a research based philosophy written by an Australian company, Origo.  In RRISD we believe students learn best by using thinking strategies instead of memorizing procedures for computations.  According to James Burnett, Calvin Irons and Allan Turton, the authors of The Book of Facts: Addition, “Research shows that the most effective way for students to learn the basic facts is to arrange the facts into clusters.  Each cluster is based on a thinking strategy that students can use to help them learn all of facts in that cluster (Fuston, 2003; Thornton, 1990).”  We begin our unit by teaching cluster facts that “count on 1” so students master the concept and develop a deeper understanding and thinking strategy.  Students who master the concepts of “count on” strategies will be given enrichment opportunities to develop their thinking further and apply their knowledge to problem solving situations.

Reading Workshop:  This week in our reading workshop we will start the week off by reading Molly's Pilgrim and talk about pilgrims and our heritage.  A special note will go home in theTuesday folder explaining about a special research project to be completed at home.  We will continue our unit on researching with non fiction literature.  The children had so much fun learning about spiders, bats and pumpkins and this week we will start our research on Thanksgiving and spend this week writing facts about Thanksgiving, the Mayflower, and the Pilgrims.  Next week we will complete our research and begin using the facts collected from our research to make a Thanksgiving book.  

Writing Workshop:  This week, we will begin our Research Unit.  We will look at different Expository texts.  We will learn that when we write Expository texts, we become teachers, therefore, we have to write our facts in a way that is understandable for our readers.  We will be researching Thanksgiving.  

Science:  Students will be given opportunities to predict, explore, and describe whether a magnet attracts or repels various objects.   Students will explore the poles of magnets to experience attraction and repulsion.  Students should understand that a magnet has energy that can be used to push or pull different objects.

 The student knows that force, motion, and energy are related and are a part of everyday life.

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

This week in First grade...

October 28-November 1, 2013

Pumpkin Carving with Dad's is 

 Thursday, October 31st at 1:30pm

Math:  This week we will wrap up our unit on Data and Graphing!  Candy math has been so much fun!  Come by and see our class graph!  We learned to sort large amounts of items, collect data using a tally chart, display our data in an organized way and answer questions about our data. 

Next week we will begin our unit on Addition Strategies.  We will teach the students strategies for math facts using a research based philosophy written by an Australian company, Origo.  In RRISD we believe students learn best by using thinking strategies instead of memorizing procedures for computations.  According to James Burnett, Calvin Irons and Allan Turton, the authors of The Book of Facts: Addition, “Research shows that the most effective way for students to learn the basic facts is to arrange the facts into clusters.  Each cluster is based on a thinking strategy that students can use to help them learn all of facts in that cluster (Fuston, 2003; Thornton, 1990).”  We begin our unit by teaching cluster facts that “count on 1” so students master the concept and develop a deeper understanding and thinking strategy.  Students who master the concepts of “count on” strategies will be given enrichment opportunities to develop their thinking further and apply their knowledge to problem solving situations.

Reading Workshop:  This week in Reading Workshop we will focus on different reading strategies surrounded around a "pumpkin".  We will read different books about pumpkins and work do a sequencing, retelling with beginning, middle and end, and writing a different ending to a story!  This is a fun unit!   
     This week we will have self-selected reading.  Have your child read 10-15 minutes each night from a book of their choice.  Record it on the reading log that came home in the Tuesday folder.  There will not be comprehension homework this week!  Enjoy reading with your child and building the love of life-long reading!

Writing Workshop:  As we are are learning about pumpkins this week and becoming more aware of different types of non-fiction writing, we will be practicing writing non-fiction while using sequencing words. We are learning that good writers make sure to write their information on correct order and that sequencing words help us do just that by organizing our thoughts and words in logical order from beginning to end. 

Science:  This week in science we will learn about energy.  Energy is the ability to work. We will learn that Light, heat, and sound are three forms of energy. We will discuss how these forms of energy are important and useful in everyday life. We will also explore how common everyday objects produce light, heat, or sound energy.

Habit #4:  Think Win-Win. 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

October 30:  Early Release Day

November 2:  Harvest Festival

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

This week in First grade...

October 21-25, 2013

Math:  Students will collect, sort and organize data in up to three categories as well as draw conclusions, generate and answer questions about the graphs.  They will construct picture graphs, bar-type graphs, and graphs using real objects.  Students will display math concepts using concrete models in problem solving connected to everyday experiences.

Reading Workshop:  This week in reading workshop we will continue our unit with reading and studying nonfiction/expository texts.  So many students are really enjoying this unit and even checking out nonfiction in the library now.  I love the learning that takes place with this unit!  This week our focus will be on reading nonfiction books about bats and using our reading time to research and learn facts that we don’t already know about them.  This unit will extend into writing workshop too.  We will also spend some time on comparing and contrasting fiction vs. nonfiction books on bats.  Take a look in the halls to see our facts about spiders and watch for our bat facts to appear soon!  We are going “batty” over learning about this unit!

Writing Workshop:  This week during writer's workshop, we will continue learning about the elements of non-fiction versus fiction. We will be learning all about bats as we practice finding information, taking brief notes, and turning our research into a non-fiction piece of our own.

Word Study:

Apple Group: Long Vowel review

The (e) sound in the middle or at the end of a word is spelled ee as in bee.

The (a, i, o, u) long vowel sounds in the pattern vowel consonant final e are spelled a, i, o and u followed by a consonant and a silent e at the end of a word like in cape,  five, hope, and cube.

Red Group: Short vowel review

Short vowel sounds are spelled consonant-vowel-consonant like in pig, bed, sock and cup.

Blue Group: sh and ch review

We know that the (h), (sh) and (ch) sounds at the beginning of a word are spelled h, sh and ch as in house, shoe and chair.

Green Group: Word families with short a spelled -ap and -ag

The (ap) sound at the end of a one syllable word is spelled ap as in gap.

The (ag) sound at the end of a one syllable word is spelled ag as in bag. 

Social Studies:  This week, we will continue to learn about our National symbols.  We will discuss the vocabulary in the Pledge of Allegiance, and we will learn about the Statue of Liberty and the Bald Eagle.  We will also be creating some wonderful art projects!

Habit #4:  Think Win-Win. 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.

  

Dates to remember:

October 30:  Early Release Day

November 2:  Harvest Festival

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

October 21-25, 2013 is Red Ribbon Week!

Monday: “Sock it to Drugs” day – wear crazy or mismatched socks
Tuesday: “Stomp out Drugs” day - wear tennis shoes
Wednesday: “Boot out Drugs” day – wear boots or western wear
Thursday: “Pledge to be Drug Free” day - wear red, white and blue
Friday: “Say BOO to Drugs” day – wear Halloween colors or t-shirt

This week, October 14-18, in First grade...

*This Friday is the Give a Hoot Family Picnic.  Please join us on the Oak View side as we raise money for Caraway Students and celebrate our community!  The Caballero’s will have a blanket and a picnic!  Come and join us!

Math:   They will also continue to explore, in this unit and throughout the year, a variety of addition/subtraction problem situations including joining, separating, part-part-whole, and comparing, with different unknowns: result/change/start, or part/whole or difference, in order to develop an understanding of the operations of addition and subtraction. This week we will have an assessment to show that we mastered these math concepts!

Reading Workshop:  This week in reading workshop we will continue reading and studying nonfiction/expository texts.  This week our focus will be on reading nonfiction books about spiders and using our reading time to research and learn facts that we don’t already know about them.  This unit will extend into writing workshop too.  We will also spend some time on comparing and contrasting fiction vs. nonfiction books on spiders.  This is fun unit and the kids always have fun researching with this unit!  Be sure to ask your child what they learned this week about spiders!

Writing Workshop:  During the next several weeks in Writer’s Workshop, we will be learning how to write expository texts to communicate ideas and information that we are learning.  Our learning this week will focus on bats and begin with KWL charts in which we will write down facts that we already “know”; then write down questions that we “want to know”; and conclude with an informative writing that communicates what we have learned about bats. Please be watching for our work to begin filling the halls this week as our new unit of study unfolds.

Word Study: This week we are continuing with our rules for spelling/phonics skills from last week.  These are the application words we are working with: 

Apple Group: sniff, igloo, mile, tiny, supply

Red Group: kick, kid, hunt, cub, thump

Blue Group: had, chin, chop, can, hose

Green group: had, can, dad, pan, mad

Social Studies:  This week, we will be learning about Freedom, Liberty, and various United States symbols.  We will read and write facts about the Liberty Bell, the United States Flag, and our National Anthem.

Habit #4:  Think Win-Win  When learning about this habit, we will learn how we can balance the courage of getting what we want with the consideration of others want.

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Friday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder every day.

Dates to remember:

October 18:  Hoot Family Picnic

October 30:  Early Release Day

November 2:  Harvest Festival

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins