What a week we had last week!  On Wednesday, the students 'planted' the pinwheels they made in art to celebrate the International Day of Peace.  (Look for pictures of this below.)  On Thursday, we had our first Discovery Lab Lesson in the classroom, with Mrs. Crawford.    The students learned about the three main body parts of an insect - the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.

This week, binders will be coming home for the first time.  There isn't much in them now, but they will grow as the year goes on.  Please take some time to read the binder information letter that is in the very front of your child's binder, as it will help you use the binder effectively at home.  Remember, the binder must come back to school every single day!

Here is what's going on in the classroom:

Reading : The students are getting their own, independent book bins and reading spots this week!  Up until this point, they had been sharing book bins and reading at their tables.  This week, we'll talk a lot about how to select books and work effectively in their new reading spots.

Writing : Our writing workshop launch went off without a hitch last week.  The students are all working independently to think of ideas and craft their own stories.  This week, we'll spend a little bit of time talking about how to keep writing even when we don't know how to spell words. 

Math : This week we are going to continue our work on simple number stories and talk a little bit about temperature, thermometers, and weather.

Science : Continuing on in our butterfly unit, we'll be discussing the caterpillar/butterfly life cycle this week.

Other : Please keep in mind that there is no school on September 29th and 30th!  Also, Parent Visitation Day is October 5th.  On this day, you'll have an opportunity to observe 1-Bu for a short period of time.  (You'll receive more information about this, but wanted to let you know in case you're planning out schedules for that week.)

Every once in a while, I take pictures of the students doing various things around the classroom.  Here are some pictures from last week.

It was great to see so many of you at Back to School Night.  Thanks for coming!  If you didn't sign up for a parent/teacher conference time slot, I will be sending the schedule around this week and next week for you to fill in a time.  Also, I will be compiling a class email list this week to test out your email addresses, so keep an eye out for that please.  Please respond to the email so that I know it went through successfully.

As the third week of school approaches, we are really beginning to get into the swing of things.  Here is what we've been working on:

Reading : Last week, we spoke a lot about the students' responsibilities during reading workshop.  We spoke about how people become better readers (by practicing and getting some 'coaching'), and how we need to make the environment of our reading time in our classroom conducive for reading practice and 'coaching' to take place.

This week, we're going to focus on developing reading stamina (i.e. reading for longer periods of time), so that more reading practice can take place.  Each day we'll learn one strategy to get more out of books.

Writing : This week, we're launching writing workshop!  We've been doing various writing tasks since the first day of school, but will be technically starting the writing workshop framework this week.  During this time, it will follow the same workshop model as reading workshop - a mini lesson, independent (and eventually partner) writing time, and then a share.

Please keep working on those writing folders at home!  Remember, they are due on Wednesday, September 28th.

Phonics/Word Study : We've been doing a lot of phonics and word study activities so far this year.  At the beginning of first grade, we take time to review each letter sound to make sure that the students have a strong phonics/phonemic awareness base.  As we go over each letter sound, we will also we working on the proper handwriting technique for each letter.

We have also been doing student interviews during our word work time.  Not only is this a fun way for the students to get to know one another better, but it also gives us a lot of time to study the sounds and letters in students names.  I record the students' interview answers on chart paper, and we discuss word patterns that come up.

Another way we have been studying words is through the use of shared reading.  So far, we've gone over two poems, and discussed common words and word patterns in each.

Math : Last week, we spoke a lot about the number line and how to use the number line to solve simple number stories.  (We always say that we 'hop' on the number line, or that we count the 'hops.')  At the end of the week, we also learned a little bit about tally marks. 

This week, we'll do some more work with tally marks, in addition to some calendar work and number story work.

Science : Our first science unit of the year is about life cycles.  We will be specifically focusing on the butterfly life cycle.  This week, we'll start reading books about caterpillars and butterflies.

Other : Please keep in mind that there is no school on September 29th and 30th!

Have a great week!

The first week was a success!  I hope your first grader enjoyed it. We have a fantastic group this year, and I can't wait for us to continue getting to know one another. 

Thank you for your help in getting your child prepared for school each day.  The children loved sharing their favorite books, and we will continue working with them this week.  Please remember that the coins are due on Monday and the photo of a family member doing some form of writing is due on Tuesday.

I hope this website will be useful to you over the course of the year.  Most weeks, I'll update this blog to post about what we're doing in 1-Bu.  There are also a few links on the left which may be useful to you.

The students did a great job last week learning many new routines and procedures that will help make 1-Bu an efficient and hard working team.  You should ask your child how we ask to go to the bathroom and/or get a drink in 1-Bu!  (Here's a hint if they've forgotten over the weekend - we use hand signals/sign language.)

Reading workshop was incredibly successful last week.  The students already have the routine down pat!  We always start off by getting ready for reading workshop, which means that we put our book bins in the right spots.  Then, we all meet at the rug for a mini lesson.  After that, the students go off and read.  Finally, we come back to the rug for a share.  I'm really impressed with how well the students have done during each part of reading workshop, but am particularly impressed with how engaged they have been during the independent reading time.

In math, the students enjoyed played a couple math games.  Monster Squeeze was a familiar game for many of them from last year, but Penny Dice was new for all.  The students also created pictures using shapes from pattern block templates. 

I look forward to seeing many of you at Back to School Night on Thursday.  In the short time I have with you that night, I will do my best to go over what we do in first grade and many important things that you can do to help your child have a successful year.  Also, please keep in mind that Thursday is a half day for the students.  There will be no lunch that day, and they will be dismissed at 12:45pm.  On 12:45 days, I give the students a little extra time to have their snacks.  So, if you wish to provide your child with a larger snack that day, you may do so.

Please don't ever hesitate to write me a note or send me an email.  I know that the beginning of the year can often be confusing, and that you may have questions or concerns.  I look forward to working with all of you to make this a great year!