Peek at the Week of November 1-5

Welcome to November!  Halloween is behind us and our thoughts turn to turkey and cool weather.

Last week we were busy with holiday activities.  This week will be a bit quieter.  There is no school Tuesday.

Math:  This week's topics are:  Relating Pennies, Dimes & Quarters; Counting on to Add; Working with prices on a graph; and Solving Problems that Involve Money.

Reading Workshop:  "Readers notice the patterns in books." is the overall goal for this unit of study.  We will look at the different kinds of patterns.  This week's focus is on recognizing text patterns in a story.  A text pattern can be a repeated line or how a book is formatted.  One book that has an obvious pattern is "Brown Bear" by Eric Carle.  The pattern of question and answer gows through the book.  Another thing we will look at is seeing if the pattern "breaks" at the end.  This happens in many books.  

Writing Workshop:  This month's unit of study is on descripitive writing.  I refer to it as writing "snapshots".  The idea of this is to describe a person, place or thing so well that the reader can picture it in their head, like a snapshot.  These are short writing pieces rather than full stories.  The technique of describing something will be important for all of our future writing.  

Homework
Monday 11/1
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Fall Word Work

Tuesday 11/2
No  School

Wednesday 11/3
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Math: How Much Money?

Thursday 11/4
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Review for tomorrow's spelling test

Have a great week!

Highlights of the Week October 29

• KE was a great captain.  (AJK)
• We are having a super busy Friday. (AGS)
• We are going to have a movie party.  (LMD)
• We are going to look at the book fair books at the library.  (KE)
• We are having a crazy hat day.  (EW)
• We are going to have the best October day.  (KS)
• MC and MM and JF were our October Citizens of the Month.  (MC)
• We had our second Pep Rally.  (KK)
• We are going to have a Mystery Reader.  (CH)
• We read lots of Halloween books in Reading Workshop.  (AB)
• In Writing Workshop we wrote Halloween stories, tongue twisters and poems.  (JF)
• In computer lab we are going to have free choice because it's the last Friday of the month.(DG)
• In Writing Workshop Miss Dineen put on creepy music to get us in the Halloween mood.(CF)
• In 20 minutes we are going to watch the Kindergarten costume parade.  (LJD)
• We watched a movie in music class.  (KE)
• We played a game in gym.  It was called Trick or Treat.  (JF)
• We talked about staying safe on Halloween.  (Miss D.)

Peek at the Week of October 25-29

It is Halloween Week!!!!  Everyone has been very excited to count down the days. 

We will celebrate Halloween here at school with a Movie Party.  We will turn our classroom into a movie theater and set up a snack bar and ticket booth (aka the Welcome Desk).  Thank you to LD, AK and KK's families for providing our movie popcorn, drinks and fruit snacks.  It should be fun!

We will also be watching the Kindergarten parade in the morning.  First graders do not wear full costumes, instead we are going to have Friday be a "hat day".  Students can wear any kind of head piece (hat, wig, headbands).  This is a way to get into the spirit of Halloween without all of the fuss...that can be saved for the weekend!

We will have our second "Pep Rally" this week where 2 or 3 stuents will receive a Citizen of the Month award.

Math:  We are starting Unit 3 which is called "Working with Time, Lenght and Money". 

Reading Workshop:  We will be enjoying some Halloween stories and written responses.  These are fun books to get us in the spirit of the season.

Writing Workshop:  We finished our Small Moment stories last week and are looking forward to some Halloween-themed writing this week.  We will do some descriptive writing when we describe our costumes.  We will use sound effects to add some pizzazz to our haunted house stories.  We will also have fun with words and sounds when we write some tongue twisters and poems.  We may even listed to some spooky background music to get us in the mood.

Homework

Monday 10/25

1.  Read for at least 15 minutes

2.  Fall Word Work

Tuesday 10/26

1.  Read for at least 15 minutes

2.  Math Problem Solving:  Black Cats and Black Bats game

Wednesday 10/27

1.  Read for at least 15 minutes

2.  Short i: Linda Witch

Thursday 10/28

1.  Read for at least 15 minutes

2.  Study for tomorrow's spelling test

 

Have a great week and a fun-filled Halloween!

Highlights of the Week October 22

• LJD was a very good and very loud captain.  (KE)
• KE has Hootie at her house.  (SS)
• KE will be the next captain.  (EW)
• We finished our Small Moment stories and read them to Mrs. Morash's Kindergarten.  (CH)
• In Reading Workshops we practiced making connections.  I made a connection with the book "Mr. Thank You Very Muchly".  In the book there were fireworks and it reminded me of the fireworks at Shelter Island.  (AMS)
• In math we solved subtraction stories.  (MC)
• We are having a Mystery Reader in one hour.  (AGS)
• We played football in gym.  (AB)
• We are having computer lab this afternoon.  (CB)
• We played the xylophones.  We played a spider song.  (DG)
• In music we had a quiet contest.  (KK)
• We voted on which fun flag to hang up for Halloween.  It was between a Frankenstein flag or the witch and cat flag.  The cat flag won.  (SM)
• Next week we are going to do lots of Halloween activities.  We are even going to have a Crazy Hat Day and a Movie Party and a Pep Rally.  It is going to be so much fun.  (Miss D.)
• We ran laps outside for gym class.  (AK)
• We are going to write Hightlights of the Week letters right now.  (MC)
• We are getting our first book orders today.  (KE)
• We are having a spelling test right now too!  (LMD)

Peek at the Week of October 18-22

We are really cruising along in first grade.  We have settled into our work routines and are now working on increasing our independence.  The new word is "stamina".  I have talked about building our reading and writing stamina.  I have defined it as being able to do something for a longer amount of time.   We have had discussions about how strong readers and writers are always working towards being able to read and write for longer periods of time. 

Words Their Way:  Each Monday your child brings home the fall word work homework stapled to his/her words for the week.  The word list is for you to keep at home.  We do many things with the cut up words here at school.  You may want to have your child cut up the words so they can play games like the Speed Sort (this is a 1 person game) or a Blind Sort (this is a 2 person game) at home.  Also, the cut up words can be used like flash cards.  Some groups have done mini-spelling bees where 1 person in the group asks the others to spell their words. 

Literacy Centers were started at the end of last week and will continue this week.  We are working in groups of 3 on many fun reading & writing tasks including:  Mystery Solver, Big Books, Stampers, Poetry, Character Art, Top 10 and many more.  As the year goes on more centers will be introduced.  We do our centers as a part of Reading Workshop.  These are done after the whole class mini-less and independent reading. 


Homework
Monday 10/18
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Fall Word Work

Tuesday 10/19
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Math Problem Solving

Wednesday 10/20
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Reading Response:  Tell about your favorite part of a story

Thursday 10/21
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Review your words for tomorrow's spelling test
3.  Put your library book in your bag

Have a great week!

Highlights of the Week October 15

• We had D-Day in Writing Workshop.  D-Day means Decision Day.  This is when we pick our best story to fancy up and publish.  (MC)
• We finished writing our small moment stories.  We are going to publish them next week.  (KE)
• We painted in art.  (KK)
• We used a sponge  to mix yellow and red paints.  (KS)
• We played Capture the Flag in gym. (AB) 
• We did the pacer test in gym.  (LMD)
• We had 2 birthdays this week.  (JF)
• There was MC's bday and JF's bday.  (MC)
• We talked about Christopher Columbus.  (MM)
• We started centers.  (CF)
• There are 3 kids in every center group. (DG)
• There are 8 centers.  They are fun.  We play games and do activities.  (KE)
• We got to do a center called ABC Center.  This week we tried to think of words about Ox Ridge for every letter of the alphabet.  (KS)  For example:  A is for Art Room,  B is for Mr. Bartold,  C is for Cafeteria, etc.  (Miss D.)
• We had a storm drill.  We stayed away from the windows.  We sat in the hallway.  (EW)
• In 1 hour we will have a Mystery Reader.  (MM)
• In Reading Workshop we practiced pointing at words with our witch fingers.  (AK)
• In music we learned a song.  (KK)

Mystery Reader

KK's mom came in to be a Mystery Reader.  She read a very funny book called "The Seven Picky Eaters".

Game Day

We had our first game day of the year last Friday.  Each person had the chance to play 2 different board games.  It was fun to have so many parent helpers.  We were lucky enough to even have a visiting grandparent join us!

 

Words Their Way

We are in our third week of our new phonics/spelling program.  The official name of the program is "Words Their Way".  In our classroom we call it "Word Work" on our daily schedule.  There are 6 groups in our class.  Each week everyone gets a new list of words which follow a spelling pattern.  Here are some photos to show the program in action.

Peek at the Week of October 11-15

There is no school for students on Monday, October 11th in honor of Columbus Day.  Enjoy the extra day off.


Thank you for sending in the book orders, field trip money and photo orders.  Our class is all set for the November trip.

Word Work:  The Words Their Way spelling/phonics program is up and running.  Our "Rainbow" groups have been meeting for 3 weeks and are used to the new activities and routines.  I will be doing a separate post with some pictures of our word work in our classroom.  Thank you for helping with the weekly assignments.

Columbus Day:  This week we will be doing some activities about the Christopher Columbus.

Math: This week we will be exploring the addition strategy of 'adding on' (or 'counting on'). 

Reading Workshop:  Last week we worked on the pre-reading comprehension strategy of previewing a book.  We talked about how the title and cover artwork give us 'clues' about what the book might be about.  We also practiced a technique called 'bookwalking'.  Ask your child to show you how to 'bookwalk'.  We are also settling into the routines of reading workshop including doing a "Wrap-up" at the end of Independent Reading.  The Wrap-up is where a couple of students show/tell about a book they are reading or demonstrate a way they used a 'strong reader' strategy on their own.  It's a great way to get the class talking about themselves as readers.


Homework
Tuesday 10/12
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Fall Word Work

Wednesday 10/13
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Math:  Sums at Sea

Thursday 10/14
1. Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Review your spelling words

Have a great week!

Highlights of the Week: October 8

• We learned about previewing books in Reading Workshop.  (KE)
• For morning work, 2 tables go book shopping every day.  (MM)  Today it was the purple table's turn.  (MC)
• We went for a quick visit to a 4th grade class.  We wanted to see how the 4th graders Independently Read.  Boy, were they quiet!  They were really strong readers.  Mrs. Ekey says that one day we can come back with our books and the 4th graders will 'tutor' us on how to read without interrupting our neighbors.  (Miss D.)
• We shop for Just Right books.  (AB)
• Miss Dineen put out Halloween books on the Look Book Shelf.  (CH)
• EW brought in the new Fancy Nancy book to show the class.  (LJD)
• We started the Hints and Strategies section of our binders.  (JF)
• In Art we finished our beds. (DG)
• In Art we will be starting painting next week.  (KS)
• Gavin was a good captain.  (LMD)
• In Music we played the xylophones.  (MC)
• In Music we also did a spider game and song.  When Mr. Allan stopped the music, we stopped our crazy movements.  (AMS)
• We played the wood blocks.  (MM)
• In Music we learned the Muffin Man.  (EW)
• In Gym we played Capture the Flag outside. (CF)
• We went for a jog.  (AK)  We ran 3 laps.  (DG)
• We get to run around in the gym.  (KS)
• Sometimes in Gym we do a warm-up and stretches.  (MC)
• We drafted small moment stories.  (KK) 
• Drafting means writing.  (HB)
• We had our third spelling test of the year.  (CH)
• Today we are going to have a Mystery Reader.  (SS)
• We are having our first ever game day this afternoon.  (GC)
• GC has Hootie at his house.  We can't wait to read what he has been up to.  (JF)  We can't wait to find out whose turn is next.  (LMD)
• GC is bringing back Hootie next week.  (MC)

Mystery Reader

AK's mom came in to be a Mystery Reader.  Mrs. K. was a great reader and we liked the books she brought in to share with us.  

Peek at the Week of October 4-8

Last week ended with the class getting ready for the new month.  Each month ends with the First Grade Pep Rally.  Each month ends with table changes.  It's nice to have a fresh start!

Class Photos:  Photos were sent home last Thursday.  Please return your order forms if you are ordering. 

Field Trip:  Most of you have sent in checks for the November trip to the Quick Center.  Checks (or $15 cash) is due this Wednesday.

Reading Workshop:  Last week we worked on shopping for "Just Right" books.  These are books that are not too hard and not too easy.  I used the story of Goldilocks as a model.  Goldilocks was always looking for the just right bowl, chair and bed just like we are looking for the just right book.  This week we will be focusing on Previewing a Book.  I like to use the term "stong readers" when we work on strategies.  So this week we will be talking about how strong readers use the cover (title and illustration) to help get their brains ready to read and understand a book.  Also, we will practice doing a 'book walk' an another pre-reading comprehension strategy. 

Writing Workshop:  Last week we filed away our first book which was called "The Fall Season".  This week we are working on a unit called "Small Moments".  Small moments are stories about a specific moment in time.  For example, maybe your child is writing about boogie boarding in the ocean instead of the entire trip to Cape Cod.  The idea is that writers zoom in on a specific event.  Of course we will be working on writing complete sentences as we plan and write our small moment stories.


Homework
Monday 10/4
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Fall Word Work

Tuesday 10/5
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Math:  More, Less, In-Between
3.  Bring in Field Trip Money ($15) by tomorrow

Wednesday 10/6
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Reading:  Book Award (use of your favorite books for this award)

Thursday 10/7
1.  Read for at least 15 minutes
2.  Study for tomorrow's spelling test

Have a great week!

Highlights of the Week: October 1

• MC was a good captain.  (EW)
• Next week I will be the captain.  (GC)
• GC is bringing home Hootie.  (AK)  EW brought Hootie back to school today.  (Miss D.)
• We finished our fall books in Writing Workshop.  (JF)
• In Writing Workshop we started writing small moment stories.  (CH)
• In Art we finished making beds.  (DG)
• We had our first Pep Rally.  (KE)  HB and KE and KK were the Students of the month. (LMD) 
• We are having a Mystery Reader today.  (AB) 
• Maybe we will play Bingo today. (CF)
• We had our first birthday party.  (CH)
• We were having trouble getting focused on our Independent Reading.  (MC)
• In Music we played xylophones.  (GS)
• We picked out 'just right' books for our book bins.  (MM)
• Just Right books mean books that are not too hard and not too easy.  They are just right.  We think about Goldilocks when we shop.  (AMS)
• In our Highlights booklets we write to our parents. (MC)
• We picked new seats for the month of October.  We also put all of the Halloween books on the special shelf in the library.  (Miss D.)
• We put up some Halloween decorations up.  (MM)
• At music it was really fun because we had to run around in little steps and when Mr. Allan stopped the drum we stopped.  We made crazy shapes with our bodies.  (KS)