Halloween!

I was not able to get any photos of the parade.  If you have photos of the parade, I would appreciate it if you could share them via e-mail!  Thank you, and enjoy!

October 27-31

Happy Halloween!  We packed this week full of festive fun and first grade learning.

Reading

In reading this week we looked at talking and talking back with our partner.  The children learned to explain what they

1.) noticed

2.) predicted

3.) were confused about

4.) had questions about

5.) had opinions on  (liked/disliked)

Question:  What is one thing you could tell your parent about a book you are reading?  What would you say back?

Writing

Our writing time was very festive this week.  The children had the opportunity to write spooky stories using some of our mini lessons for writing strong stories.  We reviewed...

1.) using descriptive language (juicy words)

2.) hooks

3.) writing a beginning, middle, and end

4.) show not tell

Question:  What is one thing you added to your story this week to make it exciting for your reader?

Math
Math was all about data this week!  We looked at...

1.) conducting a survey

2.) choosing a question

3.) representing data

4.) sharing a survey 

Question:  Why do people use surveys?  What information does a survey tell you?

Social Studies

This week in social studies we continued our unit on families.  We looked at...

1.) different family compositions

2.) family traditions

3.) what makes a family special

Question:  What is one quality of your family that is unique or special?

**Don't forget to be working on your family museum project**

Upcoming events:

11/4- No School

11/5-Late Start

11/7-Family Museum

11/11-Veterans Day Celebration

October 20-24

Hi first grade families!  This week has been busy as we have been ending our writing unit while starting new reading, math, and social studies units.  Read below to check out all of our learning opportunities, and make sure to discuss the questions.

Reading
We've started learning about how to discuss and retell books with our reading partners.  Our lessons included:
-retelling using story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution)
-retelling major events
-how to retell stories with a partner
-practice retelling with a partner

Question:  Can you retell one of the books from your book box?

Writing
As we wrap up our writing unit this week, we've learned how to:
-select a piece to publish
-revise our books (juicy words, vivid verbs, etc.)
-edit our books (making our writing readable, spacing, capitals, etc.)
-peer edit with a partner

Question:  Which story did you decide to publish?  What was one way you revised your story?

Math
We've wrapped up our double-decker bus unit last week, and this week we've started work with data and measurement.  Our lessons included:
-describing attributes of objects
-sorting shapes by one attribute
-sorting buttons by one attribute
-new game: Guess My Rule
-interpreting results of surveys

Question:  What are some attributes of buttons?

Social Studies
As we begin our Families Now and Long Ago unit, our lessons focused on:
-what a family is
-how a family is special
-traditions in families

Question:  What is one tradition in your family?


Reminders

Vision Screening - 10/28/14
Nature Walk - 10/24/14
End of First Trimester - 10/31/14
Halloween Party - 10/31/14 (2:40-3:40)
F.G.I.F. - 11/6/14 (3:15-3:40)

Music T-Shirts

Please make sure that your students turn in their music t-shirt money by this Friday, October 24!

Click here to access the t-shirt order form.

Reading Logs

A friendly reminder to please send Reading Logs back to school.  We have quite a few missing, and I want to put all those reading minutes towards Barretts' school wide goal!

Data Partners

The Cheetahs have started to work with their data partner on their math and accountable word goals!

October 13-17

Hello families!  As always this week held lots of new learning opportunities.  Be sure to check out all our happenings and ask your first grader about their experiences and new learning with our homework questions at the end of each section.  Thank you!


Reading
We continue to reviewing first grade reading strategies and looked at...
-author's purpose
-fluency and expression to increase understanding
-eyes, mouth, fingers matching as we read

-noticing when my reading doesn't make sense 

-reviewed multiple reading strategies using big book stories

Question: Why is it important to read fluently?

Writing

Writing focused on making our stories better.  Our lessons included:

-making stories more readable (writing neatly)

-endings

-editing for spacing, capital letters, and beginning and ending punctuation

Question:  What kind of story ending did you use?

Math

We continued with our Double Decker Bus Unit this week.  We covered...

-subtraction on the math rack

-wrote addition and subtraction bus stories

-sharing bus stories

-played Bus Stop game with addition and subtraction cards

Questions:  What is a bus story?  Can you write a new bus story?

Social Studies

We started our Service Learning Unit.  

-what is Service Learning

-what are some problems in our community

-how can we help, explored websites about world hunger and book donations

-chose a topic and started a plan

Question: What topic/plan did your class make for a Service Learning Project?

Reminders

Vision Screening - 10/28/14
Nature Walk - 10/24/14
End of First Trimester - 10/31/14
Halloween Party - 10/31/14 (2:40-3:40)

*Side Note*
If you need to make a transportation change to your child's transportation plan, please send a note, email, or contact the office prior to dismissal.  If your child is going home with another student, make sure your note states whether it is by the bus or car.  All students will be sent home according to their dismissal plan unless otherwise notified.

Halloween Party Sign-Up

Click here to access the Halloween sign-up sheet!

Thank you for all of your efforts in planning the Halloween Party!

Double Decker Bus

Check out The Cheetahs hard at work during our Double Decker Bus unit!

Compliment Party & We Give Books

Hi All!

I wanted to send out a reminder on the blog that our Compliment Party will be this Friday, October 17.  The Cheetahs have decided on a Pajama and Stuffed Animal Day.  Please make sure that your child wears pajamas and that their stuffed animal can fit in their backpack.

Also, we have scratched the surface of Service Learning this week.  We have discovered a website called We Give Books.  Have your student explain the website's purpose and mission :)  A lot of the students wanted me to put a link to the site on the blog so they can read the books at home:

http://www.wegivebooks.org/

Compliment Party 10-17-14

The Cheetahs have earned their second Compliment Party!  The class has decided on a Pajama Day with their favorite stuffed animal.  Our Compliment Party will be Friday, October 17.  Your child may wear pajamas to school and bring a stuffed animal.  Please make sure the stuffed animal can fit in their backpack.

October 6-10

Hello families!  As always this week held lots of new learning opportunities.  Be sure to check out all our happenings and ask your first grader about their experiences and new learning with our homework questions at the end of each section.  Thank you!

Reading

We continue to reviewing first grade reading strategies and looked at...

-eyes, mouth, fingers matching as we read

-recognizing proper nouns

-fixing our reading (do things look right/sound right as I read?)

-noticing when my reading doesn't make sense (read and think)

-reading fluently

Question: What is one strategy you use when your reading doesn't make sense?

Writing

Writing focused on the craft of writing.  Our lessons included:

-clarity (is my writing clear to my readers?)

-similes

-vivid verbs/action words

-show not tell

-feelings

Question: What did you add to your writing this week to make your book clearer or more interesting for your reader?

Math

We continued with our Double Decker bus unit this week.  We covered...

-combinations of 10

-addition on the math rack

Question: How many combinations of the number 10 can you make (and is there a pattern you notice)?

Science

This week in science we continued our weather unit and explored...

-the water cycle

-water cycle bracelets

-forecasts

Question: What is a forecast and how is it useful?

Reminders
Barretts Bistro - 10/10/14
Vision Screening - 10/28/14
Nature Walk - 10/24/14
End of Trimester - 10/31/14
Halloween Party - 10/31/14 (2:40-3:40)

September 29-October 3

Hi families!  We have been working hard this week.  Check out what we've been up to in first grade.  Be sure to read the questions and discuss them together!

Reading
We have continued to focus on how readers can help themselves when they're reading.  The new strategies we've learned include:

-Skippy the Frog - Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence, then hop back to the word
-Tryin' Lion - Go back and reread the sentence or page before and try to see what makes sense
-Flippy the Dolphin - Flip the vowel sounds
-Helpful Kangaroo - Ask for help when you've tried all the other strategies

Question:  How can these strategies help you read tricky words?

Writing 
In writing, we are continuing to work in our unit "Telling Good Stories."

-Added 'juicy' and 'spicy' words to our stories
-Added details and descriptions to events
-'Wrap up' our books with a good ending by using a final thought, feeling, something learned, or a hope/wish/dream
-Reviewed hooks and the writing process

Question:  What kind of ending did you use in your story?

Math
This week we focused on addition and subtraction word problems.  We also introduced addition by using a Double-Decker Bus.

-Addition and subtraction story problems
-Discussing how many ways to make a number (i.e., 4+5=9, 10-1=9, 3+3+3=9)
-Introduced The Double-Decker Bus by using an arithmetic rack
-Counting by 5s and 10s using our arithmetic rack

Question:  How many passengers are on the Double-Decker Bus?

Science

We continue to study weather and charted our daily weather.

-Discovered how color (black and white) affects temperature

-Conducted a fair test to see which fabric (cotton, cotton-polyester, nylon, or wool) works best in the rain

-Observed clouds

-Classified clouds

Question:  Which fabric would keep you the driest in the rain?  What are the three types of clouds you learned about?

Word Work

Students are working on individual word sorts and will bring one sort home each week.

Question:  What sounds or words are you sorting this week?

Reminders

Book Fair Starts - 10/7/14

Parent/Teacher Conferences - 10/8/14

Barrettes Bistro - 10/10/14