Parent Helpers
Parent Helpers will start in our classroom the week of October 18th:) Parent helpers will assist our class with reading and writing small groups, math skills, getting classroom materials and supplies ready, putting student portfolios together, etc. I will be sending home a parent helper schedule very soon...it will be a generic month calendar that we will utilize for the entirety of the year. Please let me know if you have any questions or do not see your name on the calendar and would like to volunteer!Reading Groups
We shave tarted daily reading groups in class. Your child will be meeting with me every day for reading instruction in a small group setting. Each day your child will be receiving a new leveled book based on their current reading level. Inside thier take-home reading bags will be their new reading book for the day, a blue GO MAP and a white bookmark. The blue GO MAP is for you to use to ask your child questions about the book after they have read it to you. They may not know all of the components of the GO MAP yet, but feel free to help them out with it at this time. The white bookmark will list the book they should have for each day along with the reading objective we focused on during reading instruction. Please question your child on the reading objective of the day, to be sure they understood the concept. More to follow.......Text Talk
We have started Text Talk, a reading comprehension/vocabulary program. Every Monday, we read a new book, stopping at each page and talking about the text and what is happening in the story. We reread the story again every Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday we learn three new vocabulary words and practice using them in context. On Friday, we take a practice quiz so the students can see which words they learned form the week. I encourage the students to use the new vocabulary words in their writing and in their language. I will work on posting the six vocabulary words each week so you can also encourage your child to use the words at home....the students are really excited about thier "big" words and love trying to use them! It is such an amazing program and the students love it!
Ruby the Copycat
coincidence
loyal
bitter
murmured
recited
sensitive
Math
Our first math test went great:) The students did a great job following along as I read the test to them and filling in their own answers! You should be very proud of them! We are currently on Unit 2 - The Everyday Uses of Numbers. We are focusing on using number grids, learning our telephone numbers, labeling numbers with units (books, elephants, crayons, tally marks, $,etc), telling time to the hour, pennies and nickels, addition and subtraction number models and number stories. Our Unit 2 test will be Thursday, October 14th...the students should be prepared to count and write tally marks, count and add up a combination of nickels and pennies, draw the hour and minute hands on a clock, add and subtract 1 and 0 from a number and count by 2's and 5's.
Mystery Reader
We are still in need of mystery readers on Fridays. Please email me if you would like to surprise our class and read to us! It is at 12:45pm on Fridays and only takes about ten-fifteen minutes. Please consider this as the students are loving trying to guess who the mystery reader of the week is:)
Writing Workshop Portfolios
We write everyday in class during writing workshop time. This is where we practice our writing skills such as using spaces between our words, writing from left to right, starting each sentence with a capital and ending it with a punctuation mark, stretching out our words, etc. The students keep all of thier writing pieces in their green writing folders at school. Once a month, at the end of the month, the students will be bringing home their green writing folders and reading all of their writing pieces to you at home. Together you will choose their "best well-written" piece and send back only that piece. All the remanining writing samples are for you to keep at home. We will then publish their best piece in class and keep for their 1st grade portfolio. Please be sure to return your child's best writing piece inside their green writing folder to school the next day. Thanks for all of your help:)
Poem of the Week
Every week, we will have a new poem to learn in class. We will also focus on a new word family that coincides with the poem of the week. I will work on posting the poem of the week each week so you can encourage your child to practice the poem at home and teach you the words:)
Fire Safety Poem
Listen now, this is no joke,
Before a fire, there's always smoke,
If you smell it, go outside,
Never find a place to hide,
Stay down low and crawl away,
Fire trucks are on the way.
Before a fire, there's always smoke,
If you smell it, go outside,
Never find a place to hide,
Stay down low and crawl away,
Fire trucks are on the way.
I think that it is for now....as always, stay tuned as there is always more to follow:) Thanks again for all of the continuous support you provide your child at home.....education is all about making connections between school and home! It sure does take a village to raise a child....I am thankful for all of you!
Ms. Benear :)
