Dear Families,
Here is our week in review:
Social-Emotional Learning:
This week, the students continued to learn about how we can use clues from other peoples’ facial expressions, tone of voice and body language to better understand how they are feeling. The students had the opportunity to show their own understanding of what those facial expressions might look like through art and while we discovered many similarities in our drawings, we also discovered that we also show our emotions in many different ways.
This week, the students celebrated each others’ growth mindset, resilience and perseverance in our math classes by honoring their peers and giving them buzzies for being safe, kind and responsible. For example, we end every math class with a closing circle when the students celebrate each other's positive contributions to our class and learning. The students love this!
The students are learning that our brains grow when we think, engage with learning and make mistakes. They are learning that mistakes lead to new learning and powerful connections in the brain. The students are encouraged to see mistakes as learning opportunities and ways to grow their brains.
The students also learned more about our listening skills and how we can build our brains by paying close attention to what other speakers are saying. Among other things, we played a game called “My turn, your turn” and the students learned how they can focus their attention by using their “attent-o-scopes” (cupping their hands around their eyes to help zoom into the learning). We can also focus our attention by giving the speaker eye contact, listen attentively to what the speaker is saying and having a quiet body and voice.
We practice Mindfulness every day in our classroom. Mindfulness is a time when the students are encouraged to “be in the moment” and learn to relax and do something calming and quiet. They love this time when we listen to calming music, draw or read our books.
You Can:
You can support your child’s emerging growth mindset at home too by encouraging your child to persevere during challenging times. Celebrate situations when your child showed resilience and discuss solutions for situations when your child feels frustrated. You might want to use the same language we use here at school? For example, I ask the students to show each other that they are “brain in”, which means that they chose a good learning spot for them so they are ready to grow their brains. I encourage the students to try on their own first because they should grow their own brains, not mine!
You might want to create some mindful moments at home too? It is particularly important in today’s busy world that we all have opportunities to relax and engage in some calming activities. Consider finding some time when you and your child do some deep breathing together or listen to some calming music? How about carving out five or ten minutes of quiet reading time or a time to draw a picture together?
Reading:
I started formal reading assessments with the students this week. It is always wonderful to have the opportunity to read together. We had two different guest teachers and we are so grateful to have extra help so I can read one-on-one with the students. At ABS, we assess phonological awareness, phonics and sight words. When all the assessments are done, we will start differentiated reading groups, a time when students will receive individualized and explicit reading instruction for future reading progress. I will share my findings with you when we get together for our parent-teacher conferences (more information on these conferences will be coming soon).
You can:
You can support your child’s reading progress at home by reading to (and with) your child every day. As I have mentioned in my other newsletters, it is okay for you to read to your child. At this point, it is important that your child makes a positive connection with literature for future reading success. The students love our classroom read alouds. Expose your child to a variety of genres too. Some students connect deeply with nonfiction books, while others prefer graphic novels or fictional narratives. Keep trying. Give your child opportunities to listen to a variety of books and texts.
Writing:
This week, we started our English Language Arts (ELA) focus. ELA provides a time for the students to learn how to create age-appropriate and grammatically proper sentences, both through verbal sharing and sentence writing. We started reading the book “Hooray for Snail” and learned how to share our understanding of the characters and the plot together.
A large component of first grade spelling/writing is learning how to isolate the sounds and “tap out” sounds. Don’t be surprised if your child raises his/her elbows to tap out the sounds heard before attempting to spell a word at home too! Another aspect of our spelling curriculum is for students to learn about “trick words/sight words”. These words do not follow the phonological rules and thus cannot be “sounded out”. They are therefore “tricky” and must be memorized “by heart.” Don’t be surprised if your child confuses these different types of words as they make sense of new spelling rules.
You Can:
You can support your child’s emerging understanding of these different types of words by asking your child if the word they are trying to spell can be “sounded out” or if it is a trick word. As we introduce new “trick words/sight words” to our first graders, we hope these new words will be mastered and recognized. Your child will have their own special “trick word” flashcards to practice at school. They will also bring these home for optional practice in the upcoming weeks.
Math:
First grade mathematicians continued to work on developing their growth mindsets in math this week. We are establishing a math thinking classroom, a place where all students are actively engaged and have a voice. We try to create tasks that have an entry point for all learners with open-ended solutions, allowing multiple pathways, creativity and sense-making. The students sometimes work in groups and sometimes with a partner or independently. They are learning how to share materials and math tools while also listening respectfully to other perspectives and strategies.
This week, first grade mathematicians also worked on decomposing and composing numbers to 10. We played a game called “Quick Look””, for example, which encourages young students to build an understanding of number partners up to 10 using ten frames and rekenreks.
You can:
You can support your child’s emerging number sense and understanding of numbers up to 10 by encouraging your child to decompose any number to 10 and then say what number of objects are in each group. Let’s say your child has a collection of 7 pinecones. Ask your child to split that into two groups. Can your child find another way? Another? How many are in each group? What happens if you move one pinecone from one group to the other? Asking “Keep thinking” questions promotes a growth mindset as your child is encouraged to continue thinking rather than giving up after one “solution” is found.
News and Reminders:
Here is the link to October’s school menu. Please preview the choices with your child every day so your child can make a good selection at school.
The students used their chromebooks for Lexia this week. Lexia is an online reading program that provides targeted, explicit practice in the areas of phonics, word study and comprehension. It is a wonderful online platform and the students are usually very motivated to use the program and “earn” stars as they progress through the different levels. Your child will access this program at school too. Please consider using Lexia at home too as part of your child’s reading at home too. Let me know if you have any questions or problems accessing Lexia from home. We sent home information regarding passwords/usernames last week.
Open House at ABS will be on 10/1 between 6-7pm. Please consider joining us for an evening of fun and participate in a school-wide scavenger hunt. See you then!
Have a great weekend,
Maria
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