12/18

 We have made it halfway through First Grade! Woohoo! 

I hope that everyone has a restful and joyful winter break. Please stay healthy!

Upcoming Dates:

Jan. 4th NO SCHOOL

Jan 5-8th is VIRTUAL LEARNING (Mrs. Crocket and Ms. Bishop will be co-teaching)

Jan. 11th- Students return to in-person learning at Landmark! Ms. Bishop will be at school, I will be on Maternity leave, Ms. Bishop will be the person to contact while I am away.

Ms. Bishop and I will be teaching together Jan 5th- 8th virtually. We are doing this so that students will know and be familiar with Ms. Bishop before going back to in person learning. . Ms. Bishop's email is 75.Abishop@nhaschools.com.

Upcoming assignments:

12/11

Hello wonderful families! 

I was able to meet with our long term sub, Audrey Bishop. She will be joining our online groups next week so she get to know our students and routines. Ms. Bishop will be taking over the class once I go on maternity leave. That should be on Jan. 11th. Ms. Bishop and I have spent time reviewing expectations for virtual and in person learning and are hopeful for a smooth transition. Ms. Bishop has been a sub at our school for several years and is looking forward to joining room 7! I hope we can all welcome her into our wonderful classroom community! 

Thank you parents for getting your student to groups on time! This week we did an awesome job of completing work and turning it in! Keep it up!

If for some reason your student cannot make it to a group meeting please email me ahead of time. 

Country project: Please be sure your student is working on this! It is listed in the rainbow chart as part of your students work. Next week we will be sharing our countries during our small group time on Wednesday and Thursday. This project covers a lot of standards and will have several grades associated with it so be sure it is complete and ready to share!

Next Friday (12/18): Will be PJ day! We will have a fun whole group time in the morning!

12/4

Talking Points App: This is an app that will allow me to communicate with families via text message safely. This app would be beneficial for virtual learning because I can quickly send updates or reminders about work or small group times directly to your phone or device. All you would have to do is download the app and insert our class code if you would like to participate. This app can be utilized by any caregiver. Our code is 59HXHR . I will start utilizing this app next week.

Groups: We have done a great job as a whole class in getting to our whole group lesson time at 8:50 each morning.  Keep it up! Small group time is also crucial because I get to connect with your student at their learning level. Your student small group time is set at the same time every day. I sent out individualized schedules (via email on 11/28) to help cut down on any confusion. If your student needs help remembering when to hop on to a meeting you could set a phone alarm or reminder. 

Student Expectations: Students have been doing great in group time! Be sure your student is going to the bathroom outside of the meeting times. I have had several students wonder off during meetings and they are missing precious information. Also be sure that your student's learning area is free of toys and other distractions (as much as possible). Overall I am really impressed how our students have transitioned. Students are expected to complete all the work listed within the rainbow chart. I know that some students need assistance and cannot complete all the assignments during traditional school hours. I ask that you complete work in a timely fashion.

If your student will be missing a group please email me ahead of time!

Parent Help: I am totally fine having parents sit near their student during Google Meet times. I appreciate the interest you have in our lessons!  I equip students with strategies to solve problems independently. Please refrain from whispering the answers or correcting your student during meeting times. I cannot appropriately assist your student in their learning process if I do not know what problems or misconceptions they have. Parents can assist students during independent work time (Google Classroom assignments, worksheets, academic apps). If you notice you are having to help your student heavily in one topic or area please take note of it and email me that information. Our combined observation and communication can help students thrive in their personal journey of learning.

Below is the Rainbow chart with the upcoming week's assignments.

11/28

 Hello families!

Welcome back from break! I hope everyone got some much needed rest and relaxation. 

You have been sent your student's specific schedule via email. The schedule is for Monday- Friday each week of virtual learning. *There may need to be slight daily changes depending on testing, meetings, and other outside factors. If this does occur I will let you and your student know as soon as I do.

Below is the Rainbow Chart. This lists out what your student needs to accomplish daily during independent work time. This is also attached to the email, and in the Crockett 2020-2021 Google Classroom>Classwork> Parent Resources. Remember Google Classroom Assignments will pop up daily at 8 am. You do not need to send pictures of paper work. 

Timelines: These do not have to be digital. Please save these. Soon we will present these timelines to our small groups. No need to rehearse or anything.

BE SURE TO TURN IN EACH GOOGLE CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENT. I can see that your student has accessed the assignment or worked on it but I need your student to submit each assignment so I can grade it. 

Google Meets:

Our class link is located on Crockett 2020-2021 Google Classroom in the blue banner on the Stream Page. This will be your student's link to Whole Group Lesson and Small Group Time.

Ms. Kenna's Virtual Art class link will be located in her Google Classroom. If you are having trouble finding it please contact her directly. 75. akenna@nhaschools.com

Other student providers: Some students see other teachers throughout the day. Most have their own links or Google Classroom for groups. Please contact them directly if you are having trouble.

Moral Focus Assembly Google Meets will appear on the date in which they occur on the Classwork tab. **Be sure your student remains on mute throughout this time.

11/19

 Hello families!

Thank you for your ongoing patience and flexibility this week! You made it to Thanksgiving Break!

Few things before we go on break:

Students can play on their apps on Clever throughout break but please refrain from working in workbooks or on any papers that I provided. *One thing you could do is create the paper dice provided in the packet labeled for 11/30. 

I will be posting a new rainbow chart and virtual schedule before we return to virtual learning on 11/30. I will post them on the Google Classroom under Parent Resources, on a new blog post, and I will send them via email attachments.

Students will also start virtual Art on the 11/30 from 12:50- 1:30. In the email I just sent there is an attachment from Ms. Kenna, please read through it. 

Links to Google Meets: The Meets for my whole class groups and small groups will appear in the same place. It will be in the blue banner on the stream page of the Google Classroom. I have it set on a timer so students cannot jump in and out of meetings they should or shouldn't be in. As for Moral Focus Assemblies, the link will be on the classwork tab and then under the date it is held on. 

If/when something goes wrong: Take a deep breathe, then email me the problem! Problem solving at home while trying to work and maintain your student's learning can be frustrating. I am here to assist your student and their needs.  I will not penalize your student for running across an unexpected problem! Life happens.

Be Prepared! I have been posting on the Stream Page of the Google Classroom of what students will need for that day. I will TRY to move this to the afternoon before so your student can prep their work area ahead of time. Setting a timer or alarm could help remind your student when their meeting times are.

Timelines: Be sure to hang onto your student's timeline, we will be continuing to look at and develop that when we get back from break.

11/15 Virtual Reminders

 11/15 Virtual Reminders

Each day Google Classroom will have updated assignments at 8:00 am. Please see the rainbow chart to see the other assignments. Rainbow chart is on the Google Classroom>Classwork> Parent Resources.

Monday: Whole group lesson at 8:50 am on Google Meets (the only meeting). The link will be available at 8:45 am on the stream page of the Google Classroom (see the top blue banner). Students will need their pencil box and Leader In Me book. Please be sure your student is dressed and in a somewhat quite spot. There will be no small group meetings. The rest of the day students can work on their assignments, see rainbow chart and Google Classroom.

Tuesday: No meetings just independent work time. 

Wednesday and Thursday: Below is an updated schedule. I had to move some small groups around to fit the schedule of other staff service providers. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 

UPDATED BLOG 1:30 PM 11/13

Our class will be going virtual starting Monday, November 16th. NHA should have or will be sending out a communication to your emails today.

Please read all the information below to best understand the game plan for next week (11/16-11/19). I will send a later communication about post Thanksgiving break learning (11/30-12/4).

Your student will be responsible for completing assignments on the Google Classroom and in a manila folder that came home today. There is a packet labeled "Worksheets and Resources for 11/30-12/4." Please leave this alone until those dates.  Below in the rainbow graph, is what your student should accomplish each day (also attached to the email). In the manila folder there are loose (not stapled) papers please locate the appropriate worksheets for each day when needed. There will be extras.

Monday: We will have a whole group meeting at 8:50 am for about an hour via Google Meets. The link will appear on the Stream page of Google Classrooms. Click and join. I will teach phonics, comprehension, math, and review the assignments for the day. All Google assignments will appear at 8:00 am each day on the Google Classroom, which can be accessed on Clever.

Tuesday: To add to the chaos I am in the process of moving and will be unable to meet on Tuesday via Google meets since I will be without internet at my new place. There will still be Google assignments and worksheets to be completed, see rainbow graph. 

Wednesday and Thursday: We will be following the schedule below starting Wednesday of next week. 8:50 am each morning we will be on our whole class Google Meet. The rest of the day is independent work time to accomplish Google Classroom assignments, worksheets, and Clever Apps. I will be having small group lessons on Google Meets through out the day. Again the link to the meetings will be on the Stream page of Google Classroom. Please see the attached schedule to know when your student's small group is. Please only arrive a minute or two early. 

Friday: NO SCHOOL!

Art time: Your student received a invite to Mrs. Kenna's art class please accept this or email Mrs. Kenna at 75.akenna@nhaschools.com if you have questions.

Attendance: To be marked present each day students must log in and complete assignments and attend at least one of their meeting times ( whole group or individualized small group time). I know with working parents this maybe hard to accomplished during the given school hours. If your student can login and complete 2 assignments per day (regardless of the hours) I will mark them present but they must do something EACH DAY. 

11/13

 Hello Families! Please the whole blog! Lots of important info!

First, reminder today is early pick up at 1:30!

If you forgot about the pictures please bring them in on Monday!

🌟Upcoming Project: Requires Parent help to start!🌟

We will be completing a timeline project within our Social Studies unit this month before we leave for Thanksgiving break.  Students will be creating a timeline about their life using photographs that they bring into school.  

Below is a description of what the students need and specific information/directions:

1.  At least 5 photographs of themselves at different ages of their life.
2. Photographs will need to have their age, year, and a small description about the picture on the back. 
3. These photographs will be glued to a piece of butcher paper, so please do not send in pictures that you want returned to you.
4. Photographs can also be computer printed color photos.
5. Please review the photographs and explanation of what is taking place within the photos with your student before you send them in. 

If you are unable to print you can have your student draw their pictures. Please still include the information on the back.

NO SCHOOL NEXT FRIDAY!

Nov. 19  Next Thursday we will be having a fun afternoon with Fall bingo and a fun Thanksgiving movie! Below is a link if you would like to provide snacks! I will also be sending home a lot of resources and workbooks this day. This is to make sure we are prepared for the virtual week after Thanksgiving break ( the school emailed you about this). If your student will be leaving early next week or will not be here please email me so I can pack everything up early. Please do not start on any work before the assigned date. Workbooks also need to be left alone until I assign work, this will assure that we are all on the same page. I will send a detailed schedule at a later date. 

Thanksgiving Celebration Sign up

Next week in First Grade:

Phonics: We will be looking at 2 sound blends! A blend is two or more consonants next to each other  and each letter spells its own sound. An example of this would bl-, -nd.

New heart words: may, no, now, came, out

Comprehension: Since we are in our non-fiction unit we will be exploring text features along with reviewing identifying facts. The features we will be looking at will be things like  table of contents, glossary, charts, etc.

Writing: We will be working on How- to essays! These are always fun!

Math: Students will explore the benefits of skip counting and grouping. This will help student gain a better understanding of number fluency.

Social Studies: We will be working on developing our timelines! We will start by putting them in order and then writing about each picture!

Nov. 5

 Few Announcements:

Snack time: Please do not send candy as a snack during school. If you want to send it for after school care that is fine but students need a nutritious snack that will help keep their tummies full. Also water is what I allow students to keep at their tables. If they have Starbucks, Gatorade, or other colored drinks they must keep it in their backpack for lunch time. This eliminates any spills through out the day that could stain my carpet.

Masks/Covid Precautions: Please review proper wear of masks. I have had several students start getting really relaxed about wearing it properly. This is a safety concern. I also have several hand sanitizers located around the room for student use. We use this frequently but I always encourage students to use it more. 

🌟Upcoming Project: Requires Parent help to start!🌟

We will be completing a timeline project within our Social Studies unit this month before we leave for Thanksgiving break.  Students will be creating a timeline about their life using photographs that they bring into school.  Please send in all photographs by Friday November 13th, but the sooner the better in order to be sure we have photos for all students.  

Below is a description of what the students need and specific information/directions:

1.  At least 5 photographs of themselves at different ages of their life.
2. Photographs will need to have their age, year, and a small description about the picture on the back. 
3. These photographs will be glued to a piece of butcher paper, so please do not send in pictures that you want returned to you.
4. Photographs can also be computer printed color photos.
5. Please review the photographs and explanation of what is taking place within the photos with your student before you send them in. 

If you are unable to print you can have your student draw their pictures. Please still include the information on the back.

Computers: Be sure to be plugging them in at night and returning them the next school day!

Oct. 30!

 Hello wonderful parents!

We are having so much fun today! 

Computers and chargers are coming home today! your student will be carrying their Chromebook to and from school each day. The school has decided this would be best to start as an additional precaution just in case we go virtual. I will be sending home your student's charger as well. The charger will stay home.  Your student's responsibility is to charge the Chromebook at home each night and bring the fully charged Chromebook back each school day. It is imperative that it comes back charged each school day as we use it throughout the day. If you would like to add a protective case, you may but is not required. If you do provide a case for your student's computer, make sure your student can operate it independently.

It would also be helpful to review proper computer handling procedures with your student at home (in addition to us reviewing this at school) since students will now be transporting them within their backpacks each morning and afternoon.  

Next week: 

Phonics: Next week we will be reviewing out trigraphs -tch and -dge, along with chunks -al and -all. Students have been progressing nicely. Please make sure your student is reading at home still!

New heart words: an, come, which, she , do

Comprehension: We will be focusing on identifying the narrator within our texts. A narrator can be a character within the story or  can be an outsider. We will mostly focus on identifying which character is telling the story and will focus on outside narrators later. To support at home, start asking your student, "who is telling this story." Look for clues in the dialogue.

Math: This week in math we will be working on adding and subtraction strategies with an unknown addend. So an example of this would be 4 +___=6. Some students will be able to quickly solve this while other will need more support. Students can count on from 4 to 6 with their fingers, or draw dots. Some students will be comfortable flipping the problem to 6-4 to solve. We will explore which strategy works best for your student.

Social Studies: We will be continuing our families near and far unit!

10/22

 I will be out for part of tomorrow so I wanted to send the blog today so I wouldn't forget!

Important Upcoming Dates/Info: 

Oct. 29: Picture Day (Appropriate Free Dress) You can purchase pictures online, check out the Landmark Lead for more info.

Oct 30: Dress up like your Favorite Book Character Day! SEE PIC BELOW!  I attached a form to the email, please email me if your student is NOT participating. Please fill this out and return by Oct 23rd. **Need something to engage your student at home? Have them write their own story with their own characters!

To help make this date special we will be doing some fun activities. Please click the link to help support our class on this day. Oct 30 Sign up

Supplies: We are in need of some more disinfecting wipes for the classroom. If you are able please donate some! 

Weather: Cold weather has arrived! Please be mindful of what your students is wearing and bringing for coats, scarfs, mittens, etc. Please label and please teach your student how to put these things on and where to store them once inside. Always assume we will have outdoor recess so your student isn't caught out in the cold without a coat.

Next week:

Phonics: Our class has done awesome with our digraphs (sh, th, ch, ck, wh)! We will be moving to trigraphs which are three letters that make one sound. This is -tch and -dge. These trigraphs follow a short vowel sound in words, like batch, or judge.

New Heart words: your, can, said, there, down

Comprehension: We will be identifying character's problems and trying to find the solution to those problems as we read. Not every character is successful at solving their own problem but may need help from supporting characters. To support your student at home you can ask your student about the character. Ask about what they want or need throughout the story and then see if they can identify the solution.

Writing: We are continuing with narratives! I am hoping to send the class one home tomorrow!

Math: Students have a good basic understanding of place value so now we will move into comparing and adding numbers. Our next unit uses a lot of dominoes as manipulatives. If you have dominoes at home you can add each side of the dominoes together, flip two over and compare, or just play regular dominoes. All are great ways to get your student familiar with dealing with numbers.

Social Studies: We are continuing with our families and diversity unit. We will be looking at more in depth into our community around us.

10/15

 Upcoming dates and reminders:

Oct 16th and 19th there is NO SCHOOL

Oct 29: Picture Day! Appropriate Free Dess. Check out The Lead for online purchasing information.

Oct 30: Dress up like your Favorite Book Character Day! SEE PIC BELOW! I have a form for you to fill out, I am sending it home in your student's purple folder last week and I also attached it to the email. Please fill this out and return by Oct 23rd. **Need something to engage your student at home? Have them write their own story with their own characters!

Square 1 Art Fundraiser: 

The Square 1 Art Fundraiser is off to a great start!  Thanks to the support of our students and families, we are at $700 in sales so far!  Our goal is to sell $2,000 in personalized items.  If you haven't ordered your items yet, don't delay!  All orders are due by Monday, October 19th.

Student artwork, stickers, and catalogs for the 2019-2020 school year were sent home last week.  All in-person students who attended Landmark during the 2019-2020 school year have received theirs. Virtual students may pick theirs up from the front office.  

Now it's time to order items personalized with your child's masterpiece.  Personalized items make great gifts, and the school earns profit from every order.  You can order online or send in your paper order form.  Thank you for supporting the Landmark Art Department!

 

*NO PURPLE FOLDERS THIS WEEK. With it being a super short week I did not have time to grade and review your student work so I will send it home next week along with the updates Rapid Word Chart.

Next week in First Grade:

Phonics: We will be continuing to explore digraphs (two letters that make one sound) while reviewing the digraphs we already know like sh, th, wh, and ch.

New Heart words: what, all, were, we, when

Comprehension: This week we identified the problem in our stories, next week we are going to the conversation and talk about the attempts to solve that problem. At home you can support your student by asking your student to identify the character, setting, and problem.

Writing: Our class has been writing a short story together this week and will finish it up next week. I am hopeful to have it in our purple folders by next Friday!

Math: We will be working on place value and understanding the value of numbers. We have been working on 'drawing out' our numbers with tens sticks and one cubes. Ask your student to show you, the class has really been engaged with these lessons.

Social studies: Students have explored and discussed how to help others in different parts of their community this week and we will build on that understanding next week as well. 

10/9 updates!

 Wow, today was packed with fun!

Upcoming dates and reminders:

Oct 15 is a half day! Pick up will be at 11:30 am. We will NOT be serving lunch. Please still provide a water bottle and snack that day.

Oct 16th and 19th there is NO SCHOOL

Oct 29: Picture Day!

Oct 30: Dress up like your Favorite Book Character Day! SEE PIC BELOW! I have a form for you to fill out, I am sending it home in your student's purple folder and I also attached it to the email. Please fill this out and return by Oct 23rd. **Need something to engage your student at home? Have them write their own story with their own characters!

Purple folders: Be sure to empty your student's folder each time it comes home. It comes home mostly on Fridays. Check for notes and feedback from me! I will also include a rapid word chart to help support students at home with heart words. 

Reading Street Book: A Reading Street text book is coming home in your student's backpack. We are in the process of phasing this curriculum out as a school. Instead of trashing these awesome books I thought  you could keep them for a reading resource at home. If you choose not to keep it that is up to you but please do not send it back. It has a collection of stories and activities that the students have been reading in their free time since our classroom library is closed. At school, students will move to the next text book in the collection for next quarter. I am hoping to send a book home at the end of every quarter.

Next week:

Phonics: Next week we are going to continue to explore our vowels and we will be introducing digraphs ch and wh. Remember that a digraph are two letters that make one sound.

New Heart words: one, had, by, but, not

Comprehension: We are going to look at problems and conflicts in our text. Problem or conflict is going to be what the character wants or needs but cannot have or cannot get. Students should look for clues in the text and pictures to help identify what the character's needs are.

Writing: We are creating a class narrative currently and after the completion of a few whole group stories students will create their own stories. This is an exciting writing unit for students. I love how each student's personality gets to shine.

Math: Since it is a short week, we will be reviewing heavily on what we have already learned this year. This will provide student time to gather some confidence in their math ability as well.

Social studies: We will continue to deepen our understanding of our community and the roles in which different citizens play.

 

10/2

 Hello families!

Conferences: Most have already signed up but here is the link again. I will send a calendar invite soon with your personal link to our conference.  Fall Conferences

Thank you: The start of this week was not ideal but I appreciate your swift response to changing to remote learning. There are so many factors at work this year. Thank you for your understanding and patience. Your child's safety will always be mine and Landmark's number one priority. 

Apex: We earned 55 dollars per lap as a class so as a reward we will have Crazy Hair day on Oct. 9th! 

Absences: Remember to email me and call the office if your student will be gone for any reason!!

Next week in First Grade: 

Moral Focus: We are moving to talking about Respect. The First Grade definition is 'Treat people and the things around you with care.' We will be brainstorming what that looks and feels like.

Phonics: Students will review the vowel sounds we have already covered so far this year. As we move into Unit 7 we will spend some time exploring words with short and long e sounds. Students will often get short i and short e sounds mixed up, so be on the look out for that at home. At school we associate the word itch for the short i sound and the word edge for the short e sound.

New Heart words: at, be, or, have, from

    *Be reviewing old Rapid Word charts to keep up with our older heart words!

Comprehension: We will be starting a fairy tale unit! So much fun! We will be looking at the difference between a main character and a supporting one. We will also discuss the main character's actions and why they do the things they do. 

Writing: The comprehension unit is a really engaging unit that develops lots of creativity! Students will also start look at different parts of text and beginning writing their own tales. We will start by creating a class fairy tale and then move to independent stories later on.

Math: Students will continue to work on developing strategies to solve a variety of word problems. These strategies can include pictures, fingers, manipulatives, setting up an equation, mental math, etc.

Social studies: We are going to explore different families and their different types of traditions and customs. This is a fun unit for kids to see that every family is different and unique.

9/28 Virtual learning update

 Hello families, 

Please be regularly checking emails. Again there is a lot of information coming soon, please have patience. Below is the PDF of outlined activities for this week. I am still receiving updates from administrations but this will be our plan through this week. I will try and schedule a virtual meeting soon for students. I know today may be a wash because you still need to pick up materials or find child care. I went ahead and made plans for those who need something for their child. 

Materials I sent home: 

-several workbooks (If we are out longer than this week we will utilize them later)

-Notebook (If you do not have paper readily available please use this)

-Chromebook/charger/headphones (QR code is attached, use this to login)

-Pencil Box ( I did not have time to check to see if everyone had what they needed so you may need to provide pencils or scissors)

-Red Folder ( this is for storing anything school related)

-Worksheets ( I have provided the worksheets listed for this week's plans... I tried to put them in order)

-Reading Street Textbook and Blast Passages ( Please use these as reading materials for extra practice)

Attendance expectations: I am still waiting on information about how attendance will work this week. For now if your student can login (starting Tuesday) and complete 1 assignment on Google Classroom I will consider them present. This may change.

This week's plans:* Again I know today is crazy so don't stress over today.

Please know I am trying to create a plan that helps your student keep a sense of normality and meets the needs of your student. Expectations will change as updates come in but I will honor my pledge to communicate as effectively as I can. Keep checking emails and blogs.

9/25

 Can you believe next week starts October?!

Apex: I have been sending daily emails from our Apex leaders. Please review them! Apex has helped us fund some incredible things in the past and it would be awesome to continue that. We earned our first reward! We will be doing Crazy Sock day next Friday.

Masks: Students have been doing great with their masks this week but I am going to continue to encourage you to review expectations and cleanliness at home with your student.

Weather: Cooler weather is on the horizon. Please label any and all clothes and gear you send with your student. Also review how to wear these items properly. If they make their jacket/gloves/scarf/etc. a toy in class, I have to take it. 

Next week in First Grade:

Phonics: We will review short and long o sounds and will learn about digraph th. A digraph is two letters that come together to make one sound. Students already know about sh and will continue to explore words with sh in them.

Comprehension: We will start looking at a collection of books with interesting settings. Setting is when and where a story takes place. Settings often change or evolve through a story. To prepare your student, look at the illustrations through a story. Ask what do they notice about the background. Point out words that give clues to when or where the story takes place. 

Writing: We will be review parts of a sentence. Capitalized letter at the beginning of sentences, finger spaces, punctuation, and spelling!  

Math: I will continue to administer the Math Numeracy test this next week and we will also be reviewing some missed kindergarten skills.

Social studies: Students will continue to explore what makes their family unique and different.

9/18

 Can you believe we just finished our 5th week of school? Where has time gone?

Earlier this week you received an individualized email about your student and where they could use additional supports. Attached to that email were some resources you could print to use at home. If you do not have access to a printer you can email me back with the number of copies you would like from each document. I will work on getting what you need printed next week.

Thank you to the families that donated hand sanitizer this week! I would love some more if you could donate some.

Next week in First Grade:

Comprehension: We will be learning about wondering and how asking questions as we read could help us understand the at a deeper level. Students will continue to develop their skills in retelling and visualizing. To support your student home you can model asking question while you read. "I wonder why Goldilocks had to sit in all the chairs?" or "Why did Goldilocks start with that chair?" Your question does not always need an answer... this will lead us to inferencing in the coming weeks!

Phonics: Students will continue to review all the short and long vowel sounds. This week we will have a focus on short and long u through our reading centers. I will be sending a new Rapid Word Chart of the previous heart words. Remember this stays home for continued practice and reference. 

 Unit 5 Heart Words: he, was, his, on, are

Math: We wrapped up Unit 1 this week and will be moving into a heavy review of missed Kindergarten standards and skills. This is a supplemental unit. During this time I will also be administering the Math Numeracy Assessment. This one on one test will give me a better picture of where your student is mathematically. 

Science/ Social Studies: Our sound unit has come to a close and we will be moving to Social Studies. Our Social Studies curriculum is new and I am very excited to dive right into it. This unit will be exploring families and communities. This unit of study will actually take us into quarter two and close to Thanksgiving break. To prepare your student, your family can discuss who makes up your family and what values your family stands for.

Progress Reports: To access your student's grades or reports you can login to the Parent Portal. I would suggest checking every 2-3 weeks. Please do not wait to ask questions until Report Cards come out. 

Tutoring: Several teachers are offering after school tutoring! If you feel that your student needs the extra support I would love to get you connected to those teachers. 

9/11 Updated Blog

 Hello families!

A few notes before I get to next weeks plans. Please review masks expectations at home this weekend! It has been a month and students are now getting comfortable in class, which is great because they feel at home but not great when we still need to wear masks. My number of reminders for proper wear of masks has increased drastically the last few days. I have also noticed that some mask ear loops are now getting stretched out and it makes it harder to securely fit over the mouth AND NOSE. Please be inspecting your student's mask frequently and make sure they are clean. The front office would also like to continue to encourage families to pack an extra in student's backpack. 

If your student is going to be absent or tardy please call the front office AND EMAIL ME. This way I am not guessing as to where your student is or when they will return. 

Purple Folders: When you see that your student has their purple folders please remove all papers. Look through them, I try to provide individualized feedback on some assignments. The purple folder will need to be returned.

Homework: This year I will not be sending home any physical homework that needs to be returned. I ask that families read 20 minutes a day. This can be a mixture of student reading independently, bedtime stories, etc. The purpose of this is to get your student exposed to a variety of text. I will be sending home the Rapid Word Chart with our heart words. This is to help with continued practice. This page should not be returned. You can have your student read through the chart, copy the words, find the words in stories, use them in a sentence, copy them on notes cards and hide them in the house, etc. Students will continue to learn new heart words so the repetitive practice at home will help ensure that these important words stick!

Next week in First Grade:

Moral Focus: Students will continue to explore and implement wisdom. Wisdom is knowing right from wrong. I have encouraged students to show wisdom throughout the day. We often stop and talk about make the wisest choice.

Phonics: Next week in Phonics we will be continue to review our short vowel sounds. Students will also start to learn about digraphs, two letters that make one sound. We will be looking closely at words with sh or the /sh/ sound.

New heart words: in, is, for, that, it

Comprehension: Students will be working on retelling a story next week. We will be focusing on three major events, beginning, middle, and end. This is important because we want students to be able to recall major events in order. You can support our learning by asking students to recap a story after story time at home. If your student is having a hard time retelling after a long story, pause frequently throughout the reading and asked what has happened so far. Your student could also draw out the events.

Writing: We will be looking at the different parts of sentences. Capital letters, finger spaces, punctuation, and spelling (phonetic spelling is ok!) If your student is writing at home be sure to check for these things! 

Math: Students will continue to work on simple addition and subtraction. Students are still exploring different strategies to solve these problems. We will also be working on estimating appropriately. This will encourage good number sense. Students are not expected to estimate accurately but to be in the general neighborhood of a realistic number. Please continue to work on identifying numbers at home.

Science: We will wrap up our sound unit next week. Below is the sign up genius for some materials for upcoming experiments. Please sign up if you can. I will need these supplies by Monday.  

Science sign up

I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend. 

9/4

 Hello Families!

DO NOT FORGET THAT LABOR DAY IS MONDAY. THAT MEANS NO SCHOOL. Please be safe over the long weekend! This blog is long but is packed with info!

Next week in First Grade:

Comprehension: Students will explore visualizing while reading or listening to stories. This means we will practice listening for details, big and small and make a mental movie in our head while reading. This helps students understand the story better. I will have student describe or draw out what is happening in their head while we read. This will show me what information students are in taking during reading. A fun activity you could do at home is listen to music and have the student "visualize" or describe what images come to mind, you can also get some cool art work from it!

Phonics: Students will review a variety of letter sounds and continue our heavy review of short vowel sounds. Have your student point out vowels as you read for an extra challenge! We will also start Heart words this week. These are also referred to as sight words or red words because they usually cannot be sounded out or are so common we should know them by 'heart'! We will spend this week identifying, practicing, and familiarizing ourselves with them. Next Friday, after our introduction to them in school I will send home a Rapid Word Chart with the Heart words listed on them. This chart can help you continue to practice at home. I will also send home a list of helpful activities as well.

Upcoming Heart Words: the, of, you, and, to

Writing: Students will discover the world of verbs! Verbs are action words. This week is super fun and allows us to play several fun movement games while learning. A great way  to support this learning at home would be play Simon says with verbs!

Math: In math our class will practice subitizing, this is recognizing common images, such as faces on a dice, and associating them with numbers quickly. Below is a great video to help support your student at home. Students will continue to strengthen their addition skills within 20. *Quick note. I have really noticed that our class as a whole struggle with counting and identifying numbers after 30. If you could please practice this at home that would be fantastic! Students could count noodles, cars, coins, etc. Also practicing writing the numbers would be amazing as well!

Subitizing video

Science: We wrapped up our engineering unit this week and will be moving to our sound unit. Students will explore vibrations and different items that create different sounds and vibrations. I will need a few things to help make this unit fun and engaging, below is a link for a Signup Genius for some items we will need. If you are able please sign up and donate what you can. 

Science Sign up

Upcoming weather: In our future forecast we have some colder weather. I would like to remind you to LABEL all items your student brings. This includes scarfs, gloves, mittens, ear muffs, snow boats, coats, jackets, sweaters, etc. Students will keep smaller items in their backpacks while in class and their heavier coats/jackets will be on their hook. Your student will be responsible for tracking these items. However, lost items do occur and if they have their name on them we can usually find and return them faster. Please review expectations and how certain items are suppose to be worn, not played with. 

Have a fabulous long weekend!