We just finished our first full week of school. WOW, the children did great, but they are probably very tired. I hope you get plenty of rest and outdoor time this weekend. The weather is supposed to be beautiful. We took advantage of this sunny weather today, when the entire Harmony House decided to get some extra recess time during our Friday workshop time.
This week, the students started to participate in small groups for reading. I will not send home reading homework until next Friday. The books packed in next week's Friday book bag will be student choices. We are slowly learning how to select "just right" books. If you notice that your child brings home books that are too difficult, or too easy, ask them to reflect on their choices. Why did they choose those books? Are they interested in the topic? Do they like the author? Or do they want to finish the book quickly to do something else. As the school year progresses, your child will start to make better choices. It is, however, important that your child learns to pick out his/her own books so decisions can be made independently. You help support this learning process by having conversations with your child about his/her library book choices. The students at ABS are encouraged to select one "just right" book and one choice book, but ultimately, the child decides. I am so proud of their choices so far and their willingness to try new genres and authors.
In reading this week, the students also practiced what reader's workshop looks like and what it sounds like. They learned that good readers read to understand. If you cannot understand the story/plot, you have to choose from a variety of strategies to help yourself make sense of it. We will continue working on these strategies for the next few weeks. Lastly, the students also practiced reading quietly and in one spot. They are off to a great start and they love reading books!
Writing:
Our spelling program, Fundations, is is full swing already. Four times a week, the students mix together on Harmony House to work on spelling together. We do not send home spelling lists as homework on Harmony, but you will start to see more spelling words inside your child's Friday folder soon.
We finished personalizing our writing folders this week. The students and I also finished our class contract.
Dot Day and other celebrations:
This week, the students filled the classroom buzzy jar again for being safe, kind and responsible. We celebrated by drawing outside in the grass. The students just learned how to draw scientifically, so we tried to incorporate some of those features. Ask your child to explain! (Hint, we learned about clear drawings, labels and colors to represent something real)
September 15th is considered "Dot Day" in elementary school. It is a tradition at ABS to celebrate students' creativity and interests by reading the book "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds and then participate in a special project to show how we can all make a difference in the world and how this difference starts with something as little as a dot. As a class, we decided to paint water-color pictures representing our planet earth, one of the largest dots we could think of. Next week, we are going to write about hos we can all do little things to help keep our earth healthy and clean. Stay tuned for more information on this special project.
Friday Kiva Share:
On Friday afternoons, Harmony House meets in our kiva for special shares before we transition to workshops. Traditionally, two students from each class shares something from his/her learning at school that week. It is very special to us. Here are some pictures from our brave friends so far!
Math:
First grade mathematicians are doing well getting used to the routines of our busy classroom. They come into class and immediately start with work-stations. Throughout the class, they rotate between groups, learning more about the math at hand. This week, we learned to write numbers in many different ways. We also learned how to show our math understanding by using equations and representations.
Here is a picture of our number corner calendar so far. Every day, we look at the date and how many days we have been in school. Then, we work together as a class to show that in many different ways.
Upcoming Events & Reminders:
- ABS Picture Day is Tuesday, September 19th. Please bring in your child's photo form if you wish to have his/her pictures taken. Thank you.
- Parent-teacher conferences will be offered the week of October 16th and all day October 20th. I will send out a google doc in the next couple of weeks for you to sign up. I am looking forward to chatting with you about your child's progress.
Have a great weekend.
Best,
Maria
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