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!