Fantastic Fifth Week

Here's a few highlights from this past week!

First, of all, a HUGE thank you to all the parents who helped raise money for Laps for Lincoln. Our class raised over $800 for the Walk-a-Thon, and our kids did a great job running their hardest despite the rainy, chilly weather. This event is such a wonderful fundraiser and our students really enjoy it. 

On Monday, we used our clickers to vote on what our next party will be when we fill our marble jar again. This time we decided on a popcorn party! I have a feeling it won't be too long until we earn this one! :) 

Another big thank you to all you parents who helped your student find numbers for the Numbers Museum! We had so much fun going around the room and finding all the things numbers are used for in real life. Those numbers you collected will stay up all year long to help us remember why are learning to add, subtract, measure and all the other things we do. 

This week, we also started our first science unit! This unit is all about properties of matter, and we will be doing lots of fun experiments to help us understand and experience the phases of matter. We get into some pretty advanced stuff- even talking about the molecules in different forms of matter and how they move. Be sure to ask your student what they know about solids, liquids, and gases as the weeks go on, I think you'll be impressed by what they are finding out!

Thanks for reading!

Fourth Week Fun

Wow!
Can you believe we've already been in first grade for one month? It has absolutely flown by.

End of Day Movie Time! 

Of course, the highlight of this week was that we filled our marble jar and earned our reward pajama party!  These students have been doing an amazing job in school and definitely deserved this fun day. On Monday, we will vote again to decide what our reward will be the next time we fill the marble jar.

My favorite part was _____ because _______.

Other things we did this week included getting into our reading groups during centers. This time allows Ms. Krissy and I to work with students on their individual reading level and provide everyone with targeted instruction. We read and respond to books together, and often play phonics and word games. 

Happy Constitution Day! 

Tuesday was Constitution Day, where we celebrated the 226th Anniversary of the Constitution being signed. We connected this important event to our learning in Social Studies about rules and agreements that we make to each other. I hope you saw the excellent writing that students brought home that day! 

A Secretary Answers Phones and Talks to Families 

Later in the week during Social Studies we did some role playing in partners to help students understand the different jobs of teachers, principals, custodians and secretaries. This was a great independent team building activity, as students worked in pairs to pick their roles and script their own plays before performing in front of the group. I love this activity because it really gets students to think outside themselves and think about all the important people who help them in school! (And the plays are adorable!)

When You Think You're Done, You've Only Just Begun! 

 After lunch everyday we do Writer's Workshop, and I am amazed by the writing stamina our kids have already shown! Our motto during writing is "When you think you're done, you've only just begun!" Our students are learning to push themselves to add more details into their writing, revise, and keep brainstorming. I can't wait to get into some really fun writing projects and share them with you. 

Finally, I want to tell you about something I introduced to the kids this week called "Ask Me Stickers". One big focus as students get older is metacognition, that is, having students think about their thinking. This is a powerful tool to help students retain what they learn. To start our kids thinking this way, I like to give out "Ask Me" stickers that students earn for demonstrating independence with a certain skill. If your child comes home with one of these stickers, be sure to ask them to do whatever is written on it and chat with them about it. They are so proud of their learning! We always want to look for more ways to make curriculum carry over outside of the school day. 

Thanks for reading! Check the Homework Tab for the week's updates and important information! 

Third Week Thrills

Here are a few highlights from our third week of first grade! 

We have been having so much fun together, and are really getting into the curriculum now. Everyone showed great focus this week, despite all our rain and two days of inside recess. 

On Monday, we started Homework Folders for the first time, and everyone did a wonderful job starting out this big responsibility we will have all year long. 

One thing we do a few times a day is a "Movement Break", where we stand up and do little singing and dancing to move our bodies and keep our minds fresh and ready for more learning. Here is our group doing a great job dancing to the song Tony Chestnut. 

We also spent time during math doing what we call "Explorations". This is a chance for students to independently and creatively start to experience many of the manipulatives we will use during math time all year long. We had so much fun and the kids did a great job showing good teamwork while building and creating. 

 




In Social Studies, we went outside to play some games that helped us experience why following rules is important for everyone to have fun, and how showing good teamwork and cheering each other on helps everyone in our community feel good. 

Thanks for helping your students with their homework this week! Check the Homework tab on Monday for next week's newsletter. 

Second Week of School

Wow! 
I can't believe our full second week of school is already over! We learned so much this week and got so much done. 

 Here are a few highlights from our week:

Listening Center

We spent a lot of time every morning in Reader's Workshop learning the centers we will be doing all year. This is our main work time for guided reading groups and learning centers. Everyone did a great job staying on task independently. Ask your student to tell you about their favorite center!

Ms. Krissy's Reading Group

iPad, Math Games, and Reading

We also spent time working with different partners and practicing good listening and speaking skills. 

Next week we will start our DRA reading tests to see everyone's current reading level and start goal setting! Next week is also the first week of homework folders. Check the Homework tab on Monday for the weekly newsletter.