January 30, 2020

Hi 1A families,

We've been busy in first grade for the past couple of weeks! Here are a few of the things that the kids have been learning about.

• We are continued reading nonfiction texts. The kids are practicing reading like experts - by marking the interesting parts with sticky notes and reading with feeling. They wrapped up last week by reading a nonfiction text (that they have practiced reading) to their third grade reading buddy. They used all of the reading strategies that we have been learning about such as reading with feeling, studying books like writers, noticing all the parts of the story, and using drama to bring the story to life.
• The students learned about the Magic Silent E (it makes the vowel say it's name) in words like "slime" and "shape". They also worked with Magic Silent E words that contain the suffix -s ("bikes").
• The new trick words are: other, another, friend, none, nothing
• This week, we started talking about syllables. The first graders practiced clapping out the syllables. We call one-syllable words "jellybean words" and any words with more that one syllable is an "elephant word". The kids learned that every syllable in a word has a talking vowel (a vowel that you can hear when you say the word). The ability to identify syllables helps the kids know how to decode long words as well as spell them. 
• In math, we spent last week talking about money and coins! The kids love it. They are learning how to name each type of coin and tell how much it is worth. This week we are focusing on being able to count combinations of coins. If you have some extra change in your pocket, give it to your first grader and see if they can count it! They have been using play money in the classroom and this video is a hit: Coins!
• This week in math, we are focusing on measurement. The kids learned how to line up the endpoints of objects to accurately compare the length. They used centimeter cubes in class today to measure objects.
• Our writing block is scheduled for the end of the day, and I have to say, I look forward to it all day long. The first graders are doing an amazing job with their teaching books! I can't wait to share them with you. Really impressive!
• To accompany the nonfiction stories, we have been working on writing mechanics every day. At this point in the year, I want the kids to be using ending punctuation and capital letters appropriately. I'm also looking for the student to use the spelling rules that we have learned. The kids are practicing writing longer sentences and elaborating on topics. Of course, I don't expect perfection...this stuff is hard! :) I'm really happy with the progress I've seen this year. 
• Last week, we did a Mystery Science lesson on sounds and vibration. The kids used rulers to make sounds from the vibrations.  They also learned how silly sounds in cartoons are made. 
• This week we have been talking about maps, and how they are a useful tool for finding places. The kids drew a map of their bedrooms today.

Upcoming Dates

• Friday, 2/7: Library
• Wednesday, 2/12: Library and early release at 1:45
• 2/17-2/21: February vacation

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

January 16, 2020

Hi 1A families,

Here are a few of the things that we worked on in 1A this week.

• In Reading Workshop, we talked a lot about comparing and contrasting key words in books about the same topic. We are still working on the nonfiction reading unit. Each morning, we did a close study of a book about Polar Bears. The kids recorded facts that they learned.
• All of the nonfiction reading helps the kids transition to the new writing unit that we started this week: nonfiction "teaching" books. The kids are SO excited about these books! They have been working with their partners to talk about facts that they can include in the books, and how they can be organized. Thanks to everyone who helped their first grader fill out the topic sheet that I sent home last week. Some of the topics that the kids picked are soccer, cats, Minecraft, and baking. They are adorable!
• The trick words for the week are: her, number, over
• In phonics, I introduced the "silent, magic e". This is the first time that the students are explicitly taught about decoding words with long vowels. Words that include the "magic e" include bake, home, and slime. The kids made Magic E wands this week to help them remember that the silent E jumps over a consonant to magically change the vowel sound. We'll continue to work of this concept next week.
• On Monday, Ms. Dulin came into class to teach a lesson about mindfulness. The kids really enjoyed the relaxing nature of the lesson.
• In Social Studies, we touched on 2 topics. First, we wrapped up our unit on symbols of the United States. In addition, the first graders also learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We had some great discussions about equality and fighting for what you believe in. The kids also created an "I have a dream" cloud craft where they wrote about their dreams for themselves, the community, and the world. They are hanging on the classroom.
• In math, we wrapped up Module 2: Introduction to place value through addition and subtraction within 20.

Upcoming Dates

• Tomorrow (1/17): No school, teacher professional development
• Monday (1/20): No school, Martin Luther King Day
• Friday (1/24): Library
• Wednesday (1/29): Library and early release

Materials Wanted
Do you have any clean recyclable materials that you'd like to donate to the Maker Bin in our classroom? Old crafting materials, small pieces of fabric or fun paper, string, paper towel rolls, etc. would be great!

Enjoy the long weekend! Please get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns. 
Thanks!
Katie Barnett

January 10, 2020

Happy new year, 1A families!

I hope that everyone had a nice break during the holiday season! I certainly did. I just wanted to take a moment to catch you up on what we've been working on in class.

• In Reading Workshop, we continued to study nonfiction texts. The kids are learning how to identify the table of contents, the glossary, bold words, and section titles in books. One day, after the kids did about 20 minutes of independent reading, we made a list of all topics that they learned about. It was pretty impressive - and I think it illustrated to the first graders how much we can learn when we read. Another day, we made a list of all the new words we encountered when reading.  Then we talked about what the words mean. Reading is one of the best ways to build your vocabulary.
• The phonics skill for this week is the Bossy R (sometimes called r-controlled vowels). The students learned that when a vowel is followed by an "r", it changes the sound the vowel makes. For instance, /ar/ in "car" and /ir/ in "bird". Here's a fun Bossy R video that I showed in class this week.
• In math, the kids have been working on addition and subtraction word problems. We also discussed place value. In first grade, we will work with the tens place and the ones place (and a little bit with the hundreds place). Here's a song that was a hit with the kids: Place Value Song
• The social studies topic for the next couple of weeks is Symbols of The United States. This week, the kids learned about the Statue of Liberty (and made crowns), The White House, and the American Bald Eagle (and they made Bald Eagle paper-bag puppets). 
• We wrapped up our "small moment stories" writing unit. The kids chose a story to share with their reading buddies. I'm very excited to start teaching about nonfiction writing next week. The kids will write teaching books. It dovetails really well with the the nonfiction reading unit that we are currently working on in Reading Workshop. Thanks to everyone who helped their child fill out the topic sheet that I sent home this week. It will really help them hit the ground running when we start writing next week.
• And, of course, the class had their PJ party on Tuesday. They won it for being such great helpers to me, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Miller, and to their classmates.

Upcoming Dates

• 1/15/20 (Wednesday): Library
• 1/17/20 (Friday): No school, teacher professional development
• 1/20/20 (Monday): No school, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

As always, please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. :)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for all that you do to support your child's learning at home!
Katie Barnett