November 21, 1019

Hi 1A families,

The kids have been working hard to practice for the Thanksgiving show next week. Can't wait to see you there! Here's a quick look at all of the other things they have accomplished in first grade this week.

• In Reading Workshop, we have been focusing on nonfiction books. The kids are learning how to distinguish the difference between fiction and nonfiction. After one of the lessons, we compiled a list of all the topics they learned about - pretty impressive. I taught the kids how to "study each page" to learn as much as they can. They are learning to notice information in pictures, bold text, and call-out boxes. Later in the week, we talked about how to teach your reading partner about what you read. They picked out one or two facts from the book to share with their partner. 
• The new trick words for the week are: were, are, who, what, when, where, there, here
• In math, the kids have been learning how to make 10 to add numbers. For example, 9+4 becomes 10+3. We are also continuing to use the ST Math program in class. I love to watch as the kids discover new ways to solve problems and help their classmates.
• In writing, I shared a couple of new mentor texts with the class. One is titled Ralph Tells a Story about a boy who struggles to find something to write about, even though interesting things happen to him all day long. In the end, he learns how to recognize the stories all around him. As I read these books, I point out all of the techniques that the author uses to make the story interesting and I encourage the kids to use one or two in their own writing. I also taught the kids to "put a story in their pocket" when something interesting happens during their week. That way, they can pull the story out during writing time and put it on paper.
• In our project-based learning art class on Wednesday, the kids made pumpkin patches. They are adorable! And the project dovetails nicely with the nonfiction book about growing pumpkins that we have been studying in class.
• We've also been reading a lot of fun books about family traditions at Thanksgiving time. 
• The turkey disguises are hanging in the hallway. Take a peek if you are in the school. So funny!
• The read-aloud for the past couple of week have been Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The kids love it!

Other Notes

• The food drive is a huge success! Thank you for all of the cranberry sauce! We will continue to collect it this week.
• The Coats For Kids drive is ongoing. Feel free to drop and coats in the box in the lobby.

Upcoming Dates

• 11/22 (Friday): Library
• 11/27 (Wednesday): 9:00am Thanksgiving Show, 11:50am dismissal
• 11/28 and 11/29 (Thursday and Friday): No school
• 12/5 (Thursday): Holiday shop at school (more info to come)
• 12/19 (Thursday): 10:00-11:00am Class Holiday Party (We will be looking for volunteers to help run the crafts.)
• 12/21 (Friday): Last day of school before the December break

Have a great weekend. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks!
Katie Barnett

November 14, 2019

Dear 1A families,

The first graders have been hard at work this week. :) Here's a look at what we covered in class.

• We are wrapping up our first unit of the Reading Workshop curriculum. The kids have learned so many great reading habits over the past few months. They now know different strategies for decoding unfamiliar words, how to have meaningful conversations with a reading partner about the books that they read, and how to make the most of their reading time. Every time that I sit with the students to read with them, I am impressed with the strategies they employ. Amazing! On Monday, we will begin the next unit which focuses on nonfiction texts.
• The trick words this week are: from, have, do, does
• We also began the next module in the Eureka Math curriculum. It is centered around learning place value through addition and subtraction within 20. Yesterday and today, the first graders practiced making 10 to add 3 numbers. For instance: 6+4+3 becomes 10+3=13. They have been drawing pictures, using number bonds and 10 frames to show their work.
• In writing, they learned to "show, not tell" in their writing by including feelings and thoughts in their writing. They will also use drama to bring their stories to life. The "small moment" stories are adorable and I can't wait to share them with you.
• The science lessons for the week centered around the stars. The kids are answering the question "Why do stars come at night?" We will also read a story tomorrow called How can stars help if you are lost?
• I hope you all received your Thanksgiving Show invitation. As I mentioned in my email earlier this week, the kids will perform a short and sweet Thanksgiving show at the school on Wednesday, 11/27, at 9:00am. Families are invited to attend.
• I read a couple of stories about family traditions at Thanksgiving and the kids wrote about what they are thankful for. We created a Thankful Tree that is in the hallway outside of the classroom.
• I have been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the kids each day and they are riveted. It's one of my favorites!

Reminder - Turkey Project
I sent home a fun activity where the kids and create a disguise for the Thanksgiving turkey. This is always a cute craft. It's not due until Monday, but a couple have come to school already - a cat and Pikachu. Love them!

Upcoming Dates
11/20 (Wednesday): 1:45 early release
11/22 (Friday): Library
11/27 (Wednesday): 9:00am Thanksgiving Show, 11:50am dismissal
11/28 and 11/29 (Thursday and Friday): No school

Have a great weekend and please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks!
Katie Barnett

November 5, 2019

Hi 1A families,

First, I want to thank you so much for coming in to meet with me for parent-teacher conferences. I love the opportunity to talk about all of your kiddos now that I've had 45 days in school to get to know them. What a fantastic group! They continually show me how they are kind, hard-working, and enthusiastic learners. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the things that they will accomplish this year.

Here's a quick look at what we have covered in the past 2 weeks.

• There was a lot of celebrating last week! Between the PJ party, Pumpkin Day, and the Monster Mash, I was completed exhausted by Friday afternoon. We had a great time!
• In Reading Workshop, the kids worked on ways to make the most of reading time and time to discuss books with their partner. They played a game called "Guess The Covered Word" and they practiced introducing a book to their partner before they began reading together. I want them to have meaningful conversations about the books they are reading. This is a great way to deepen their reading comprehension skills. This week, we are continuing to learn ways to make the most of their time with their partners. Today, I reminded them that "partners don't tell, they help", and then they practiced encouraging their partners to use reading strategies to decode unfamiliar words. 
• Another reading strategy that I taught last week is "try it two ways". At this point in the year, we focused primarily on short vowel sounds. However, as the kids begin to read more complex texts, they are discovering that there are many long vowel sounds in words as well. So, if a word does sound quite right with the short vowel, I am encouraging them to try reading with a long vowel sound. Just another way for the students to figure out tough words. We will be learning many of the long vowel rules as the year goes on but, for now, this can be a very useful strategy.
• On Friday, we are having an in-class Read-A-Thon to celebrate reaching our reading goals! We'll see how many books we can read as a class during Reading Workshop.
• One of the phonics rules that I taught last week is called the FLOSS rule (or sometimes referred to as the FLSZ rule). When a short-vowel word ends in F, L, S, or Z, you double the letter. Examples include: kiss, fell, fluff, and buzz. There are many of these words in the spelling list this week.
• The trick words for the past 2 weeks are: you, your, I, they, was, one, and said.
• We did a really fun lesson last week in writing where the first graders acted out their stories with their writing partners. It was adorable - they were so into it! I think we have a lot of actors and actresses on our hands. :) This helps them bring the stories to life and find ways to add more details to their writing.
• Last week, we read the story Spookly, The Square Pumpkin and the kids completed a cute craft and writing activity to accompany it. They are hanging up outside of the classroom - I hope you had a chance to peek at them when you came in for your conference.
• They also had a fun writing activity where they were able to design and describe their own monster. Most were cute, but a few were downright scary! Yikes!
• In math, the kids have been working with subtraction story problems. They are learning to write out their work in many different ways. For a single problem, they are asked to show the answer with a drawing, a number bond, and a subtraction sentence. This week, we will wrap up Module 1 of our math program. That means I will be sending home the math workbooks. They are yours to keep. We use the "Problem Set" pages for each lesson, but there are a number of other pages in the book if your child wants to work on more math at home. Completely optional, though. 
• We completed a Mystery Science lesson on skulls last week, in honor of the spooky season. 
• This week, the kids are learning about verbs (action words).
• The first graders also learned about the "glued" sound /all/.

Coming Soon - Thanksgiving Show
We are planning a (brief) Thanksgiving Show on the morning November 27. Families will be invited to join us. I don't have the exact time yet, but wanted to let you know with as much advance notice as possible. The kids will be sending home invitations next week.

Spelling Words
fuzz, tell, kiss, shell, off, fall, ball, you, your
Sentence: He will tell you not to fall off the wall.

Upcoming Dates
11/8 (Friday): Library
11/11 (Monday): No school, Veteran's Day
11/13 (Wednesday): Library
11/20 (Wednesday): Early release at 1:45
11/22 (Friday): Library
11/27 (Wednesday): First Grade Thanksgiving Show and 11:50 dismissal
11/28 and 11/29: No school - Thanksgiving break

As always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks!
Katie Barnett