Sunday, August 30, 2015

Building our 1H Community

This first week of first grade just flew by! We had so much fun getting to know one another and learning the routine of our day. We've laughed. We've cheered. We've been building a strong community for a successful year together.

In language arts/reading we learned the importance of choosing and reading "good fit books". Our class also learned how much fun it is to read song books. We read BINGO, The Lady with the Alligator Purse, Down by the Bay, Five Little Ducks, and more! Reading these types of books instantly engages and motivates young readers. In addition, song books increase phonemic awareness and build sight word vocabularies.

In math the children worked on making towers for given numbers, placing objects on a graph, ordering numbers, identifying circles and squares, and identifying right and left. So far the first graders love math and have been very successful with their efforts.

Our spelling words for the week:
(Aug. 31 - Sept. 4)

am
at
sat
man
dad
mat
all
and
any
are

Sunday, August 23, 2015

A Great Beginning

Our first grade journey is off to a great start! The boys and girls in 1H are excited to begin a new year, make new friends, and work hard together. We have had a wonderful time these first few days of school getting to know one another. The children are getting acquainted with our classroom rules and high expectations for behavior. They are also learning about ways to improve themselves academically and behaviorally throughout this year. The first graders will be continually acknowledged for their efforts and achievements through our Super Improvers Wall.

As a class, we have already begun reading up a storm! The children have really enjoyed singing and reading Peanut Butter and On Top of Spaghetti. They have listened to First Day Jitters, Walk On, and trip-trapped to The Three Billy Goats Gruff. We have discussed taking care of our classroom library and all the books within it. Beginning next week the first graders will bring home a book from our classroom library every Wednesday to read and return to school the next day. We call this bit of weekly homework "I Borrowed a Book". First graders generally like to take a special book home to read each week.

I look forward to meeting with all first grade parents at Back-to-School Night on Thursday, September 3rd. I hope to further discuss this year with all of you and answer any questions you may have.