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!