It is hard to believe, but we have finished another week at school! I hope your children are coming home happy and excited about all the learning we're doing at school. They are probably still very tired because it takes a while to get back to the structure of school again. Get plenty of rest over the weekend.
Reading:
This week in reading, the students practiced what it means to be a good reading partner. We learned that good reading partners take turns reading books and they listen to each other read. We also learned that good reading partners share the book so both people can see the words and the pictures. We practiced these skills in our own classroom, but also with our new Kindergarten reading buddies from Ms. Davison's class. I hope you saw the pictures posted earlier in the week from our meeting with them. If not, you can scroll down on this blog page to see them.
Next week, I hope to start formal reading assessments in the class so we can start guided reading instruction in the classroom. I plan to assess on Wednesday and Friday and will have a sub for those two days. We use the Fountas and Pinnell reading assessment system at ABS and assess reading accuracy, reading fluency as well as comprehension. I will share my results with you at our conferences later in October.
Writing:
This week, the students received their writing folders and started to decorate them. We also did a series of writing projects based upon the book "Have you filled your bucket today?" by McCloud. We will share these writing projects with you at the October conferences as well. Ask your child to explain what we can do to fill someone's bucket and how that relates to our school rules. We also did a collaborative writing task, creating our classroom contract, stating our specific goals for being safe, kind and responsible. We will hang this contract in our classroom next week and everybody's self-portraits will surround it. The students are so excited. We will share a picture when it is done, but you can always come by to see it as well.
Math:
First grade mathematicians participated in a beginning of the year math assessment, covering aspects of problem solving, counting and groupings. We hope to start some small groups next week and continue on our targeted goals. The students are currently learning that numbers are organized into groups called decades or families. These groupings help us be more efficient mathematicians. The students are also learning that "the teens" numbers are composed of ten and some more.
Traveling Around the World and Swedish Name Day:
This year, the students and I will "travel" around the world through stories, books and online projects. We have a special place in our classroom with the world map, a globe, atlases and many books by authors from other countries. We "track" our travels on the map. We put thumb tacks on the countries that we visit. We are so fortunate to have many students with international connections and they have so much to share about their cultures. I am also from another country. I grew up in Sweden and did not come to North America until college. We started our "trip" around the world by celebrating a popular children's holiday, Name Day. Your child should have brought home a card and a sheet explaining the tradition in his/her Friday folder. Next week, we will travel somewhere else in the world....stay tuned. If you and your child wishes to share something extra about your international connections/travels, please let me know. Let's talk about how we can best integrate it into our first and second grade curriculum.
UVM Intern:
I am happy to announce that we will have some additional help twice a week from Ms. Kendal, a UVM Education student who will visit our classroom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Thank you Ms Kendal for helping us!
Upcoming Events & Reminders:
- The ABS Ice Cream Social is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12 between 6-7pm Please come by for some dessert and say hi to the teachers!
- The ABS Curriculum Night has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 19th at 6:30pm. This is primarily geared towards parents as we share the curriculum and instructional goals for the year but child care is provided. Let the front office know if you are interested.
- 4 Winds is our parent-led science program. It provides wonderful opportunities for the students to explore science hands-on once a month. They are looking for volunteers from my classroom, so if you are interested, please contact our parent coordinator Julia Nesbit at jnesbit938@gmail.com We really appreciate your help and support in furthering science learning in elementary school!
- ABS Picture Day is on Septemeber 19th. If you want your child to have his/her special photos taken, please fill out the form sent home last Friday and return to the classroom as soon as possible. Thank you!
Have a great weekend,
Maria
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