Mrs. Harmacinski's 1st Grade Blog

Many Thanks!

2011-11-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

The first graders in 1H and I would like to say a huge thank you to all the moms, dads, and even grandparents who participated in the field trip to Thistleberry Farms and the Halloween party. The boys and girls had a terrific day together with all of you! We all look forward to sharing more events in the classroom with our parents and other special guests.

While in class this week the first graders worked on their math facts; specifically adding doubles, adding 1, and adding 0. As the first grading period comes to an end, the children should be working on these facts (and more) at home. Part of each child's math grade is dependent on their knowledge of basic facts. By this time, your child should have sums to 5 mastered.

This past week the boys and girls continued to learn great new strategies to help them become even more successful readers. They learned that when they come to a word they do not know they should apply the strategies of using beginning and ending sounds and also using "cross checking". When using this strategy, readers should ask themselves if the word looks right, sounds right, and makes sense within the sentence.

Recently I have noticed steady improvement in the way most first graders are able to choose a good-fit book for themselves. Please try to make an effort at home to oversee the books your child is choosing so the books are not too challenging or too easy. Always compliment your child in their book selection if it is one that serves their interest, purpose, and ability.

Our spelling words for this next week are sight words and many are review words.

they
of
said
have
get
has
does
had
with
because

2011-10-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

During the past week the first graders learned a couple of terrific strategies toward the goal of becoming excellent readers. The first strategy helps readers with comprehension and it is called back up and reread. Good readers use this strategy when meaning breaks down. Once they go back and reread, they usually read it more slowly, allowing their brain to absorb the meaning of what is read. The second strategy is called voracious reading. This was a very special lesson taught expertly by one of our own eighth graders. He talked to the first graders about the value of choosing good fit books and increasing the volume of their reading to become more fluent readers. Research shows children who read the most have the biggest vocabularies and the highest overall grades.

In math, the first graders continued to work on their doubles facts and adding 1 facts. They have been working on the Doubles Rap to help them with their doubles facts. Ask your child to sing that rap to you at home! We are having so much fun with this new math series we adopted this year! The curriculum spirals so the children are continually building on their knowledge each and every day. The curriculum also includes a perfect amount of fact practice and problem solving skills.

Our spelling words for next Oct. 24 - 28 are:

snap
pass
flat
doll
miss
puff
about
again
around
use

A Week of Celebrations

2011-10-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

What a jam packed week! This week we celebrated the Feast of St. Francis, Read for the Record, the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary, and National Take Your Teddy Bear to School Day. The first graders have been very busy in the classroom to say the least!

Our class would like to send out a BIG thank you to Mrs. Higgs-Coulthard for taking the time to organize the first grade book donation project, and for coming in the classroom to read Llama Llama Red Pajama. We are still collecting children's books for this great project if you wish to donate. The children are currently deciding on the destination of our wonderful donation. They have all come up with some fantastic ideas.

We also wish to thank Mrs. Elston and Mrs. Naticchioni, our room moms, and all the other parents for the refreshments for our Teddy Bear Day. We enjoyed everything and truly had a wonderful day together.

Our spelling words for the week of October 10-14:

hop
top
hot
lock
not
rock
saw
two
very
want

2011-09-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Daily 5 is alive in 1H! During the past week of school the first graders added "Read to Someone" as another option within our language arts block. They learned how to read with a friend in a way that benefits both readers. They were taught how to choose books together and the different ways to read when two voices are involved. The children know to sit next to one another (elbow, elbow, knee, knee), use whisper voices, and check for understanding when their partner is reading. This week during Daily 5 I will be meeting with students to check their knowledge of word recognition and ability to read a short passage without the help of a picture.

In writer's workshop the first graders practiced writing a rubric to score their work. They used their seat sacks as a starting point by creating a written description of the neatest, most organized seat sack. Then, knowing the requirements they set up, they cleaned their own seat sack to reach the highest level of neatness and organization. This coming week the children will work at creating a rubric for their writing in the same way. Our rubric will continue to be added to throughout the year as the children learn all the traits of excellent writing. Having the first graders design the rubric (the assessment tool) will help ensure they know the expectations and give their best effort.

This week will serve as a review week to reteach important concepts in spelling, grammar, and reading. Therefore, our typical homework may look a bit different this week.
Our spellling words for the week of Sept. 26 - 30, 2011:

they
like
does
there
the
are
with
was
and
you

2011-09-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

During this past week the first graders were treated to two guest readers. Mr. Hoffman came to our class on Tuesday morning and read Don't Laugh at Me. He also helped the children sing the story together. He brought in a typed copy of the lyrics for each child. The boys and girls were thrilled to put this song in their reading folder to read during Read to Self. Father John was our other guest reader. He visited our class on Thursday morning and read Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners and He Came with the Couch. The children were well behaved and begged both readers to come back again!

The first graders worked hard on learning the digraphs /sh/, /ch/, and /th/. They practiced the sounds of each "hunk and chunk" and danced to them while learning the beginning steps of the Phonics Dance. They also applied those "hunks and chunks" to spelling many new words on their own dry erase boards.

Math continues to be a lot of fun for everyone. Working with apples, the boys and girls learned about symmetry, predicting, estimating, adding, subtracting, and graphing data on a pictograph. The class is scheduled for another written assessment this Tuesday. A written assessment is given after every five lessons.

In Social Studies the first graders are learning about government workers, government leaders, and rights and responsibilities of citizens within a community. They are scheduled to have a unit review and a unit assessment this week.

Our spelling words for the week of September 19 - 23:

bus
map
fast
ship
go
stop
look
this
one
what

Our new story is: Ships

Happy Grandparents Day!

2011-09-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

What a terrific celebration we shared on Friday! Thank you to all the wonderful parents who donated delicious cookies and refreshing water and juice for the event. The first graders were SO happy and SO excited all day long! They delivered a superb performance and showed great respect in serving their grandparents and special guests.

During the past week the first graders worked on reading song books, practicing the five finger rule when choosing a good fit book, and listening to our new novel The Cricket in Times Square. They also created a list/chart of expected behavior for the next component of Daily 5 called Work on Writing. They are looking forward to experiencing Read to Self AND Work on Writing next week.

In math the children worked on identifying first, second, and third, acting out story problems, sorting by one attribute, and making shapes on a geoboard. They have also been learning and reinforcing many math skills when completing calendar activities each day. We call this time of day "The Meeting" and we love it!

Our spelling words for next week are:

dish
path
shack
that
thin
wish
be
could
down
see

Our story this week: A Path on the Map

The Fun Continues!

2011-09-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

The highlight of our week was most definitely the Q and U wedding! Everyone loved the simple, but beautiful ceremony. Fr. John's vows for our letter people were quite lovely. The first graders were also thrilled to enjoy some delicious Q and U cupcakes and sparkling juice after the vows were exchanged. We hope Mr. and Mrs. QU will live peacefully among the world of words.

The first graders continued to work on strengthening their math skills. This week they learned how to order sets from smallest to largest and how to use data to construct a bar graph. They also completed their first written assessment.

Remember... our Grandparent's Day celebration is scheduled for this coming Friday, September 9th. We have had a lot of fun practicing for this special day. The children will also attend Adoration on this day from 11:40 to 12:00.

Our spelling words for next week:

dig
kick
win
pick
pig
pin
does
her
look
there

Our story for next week is: What Does Pig Do?

Building Relationships and Building Community

2011-08-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

During this first full week of first grade we have had the opportunity to get to know one another better, learn the daily schedule, and laugh together. We are also building important relationships and establishing trust.

We have read many song books together this week. The first graders love the rhyme, rhythm, and predictable text. They often ask to read these books again and again! I begin the year with song books because:

They build community.
Repeated readings increase phonemic awareness and build sight word vocabularies.
First graders are instantly engaged and motivated to learn to read the words.
The words and tunes are easy to learn and the children read along right away and feel part of the reading community.
They are just FUN!

The children have also begun their journey into the world of Daily 5, a routine that fosters literacy independence. Instead of engaging students in highly monitored learning centers, they will be taught explicitly how to read to self, read to someone, listen to reading, work on writing, and work on words (spelling and phonics) independently. So far this week the first graders have learned how to read to self and are practicing how to build their stamina and read for a longer stretch of time. They have been very successful!

In math this week the children have worked on writing numbers, ordering numbers, placing objects on a graph, and identifying the sides and angles of a square and a rectangle. All the children have done an excellent job with their math in class and with their homework. I appreciate all the support at home in having your child complete their homework and bringing it back to school the next day.

This Friday we began our first Christian Community Time. The children were reminded of the process and purpose for these wonderful class meetings. We will have Christian Community Time every Friday afternoon.

Lastly, I wish to say thank you to all those parents who were able to attend Back-to-School Night this past week. It was a pleasure to meet you and welcome you to a wonderful school year. I hope you found it helpful in making this school year very successful for your child. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding your first grader.

The spelling words for next week:

back
pack
quack
rack
sack
tack
on
they
what
your

Our story for this week:
Quack

Our First Few Days Together

2011-08-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official. I have been blessed with an amazing class of first graders! I look forward to sharing a wonderful journey with you and your child this school year.

During our first days together we have been busy listening to stories, sharing books from home, and engaging in shared reading of fun texts like The Three Billy Goats Gruff and On Top of Spaghetti. The first graders have practiced transitioning from one area of the classroom to another or from one subject to another by singing and dancing. We have worked hard, gotten to know each other a bit, and just had FUN being first graders. I am happy to report we have had zero tears and hundreds of smiles!

The children wanted me to remind you that YOU have homework over the weekend! Please locate the composition notebook labeled "Parent Journal" within your child's backpack. On the back of the front cover you will find a letter explaining this terrific opportunity you have to write a letter to your child each and every week throughout this school year. I hope you enjoy this activity as much as your child will.

I am anticipating a fabulous full week ahead. I hope to see all of you at Back-to-School Night this coming Tuesday, August 23rd at 7 p.m.

Our first spelling list of short a words:

can
hat
mat
bad
pan
had
one
give
this
likes

Great Beginnings

2011-08-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful beginning to a new school year! The first graders had a wonderful day filled with reading, singing, and dancing. Hopefully, the children came home today with a happy heart, a big smile, and an eagerness to return to school tomorrow.

Please free to contact me if you have any concerns or questions regarding your child during these first important days of the school year.