Our First Full Week!

Curriculum Night

It was nice to see all of you this week at Curriculum Night, thank you for coming out. I hope you enjoyed hearing about all the wonderful adventures that we are going to have this year! The children were very excited to read the notes you had left on their desks. If you missed the presentation I have posted a link on the right side of our web site titled, Curriculum Night Presentation.

What did we do this week?

The children have learned a lot in their first full week of first grade. They continue to familiarize themselves with our classroom routines and procedures. The children can now go through: arrival, lunchtime, and stack and pack routines with few reminders of what they need to do. 

We took a room tour and learned where everything is located in the classroom. This will help the children to solve daily problems that arise on their own, such as: What should I do with a broken pencil? Where do I put my writing folder when I am done? 

The children worked together to brainstorm a long list of things that they need to be successful as first graders. After, the children each created a paper backpack. In it they placed their own personal list of what they need to be successful. 

We also talked about our hopes and dreams for first grade. The children each wrote down a hope or dream that they have for this year. We turned their writings into a cute bulletin board at the back of our classroom.  

Reading

During whole group reading this week the children listened to, A Bad Case of The Stripes. After, they created a picture of themselves with a bad case of something they love. 

Currently, I am assessing the children using Fountas and Pinnell running records. This will help me get to know the children as readers. I will continue working on these assessments next week until I have had time to read with each child.

Writing

This week, we started our first writing unit, Autobiographies. The children learned that an autobiography is a writing about the author. They each have started their own mini autobiography. The children chose to write about something important to them (ex. family, pet, or a favorite memory).  

The children also learned about the writing process that authors go through. We will practice and use this process throughout the whole year. The children will: Think, Draw, Label, and Write. 

Math 

We began our first everyday math unit this week. Our lessons focused on learning about our math routines. The children were introduced to our calendar procedures, their math tool kit, and their math journal. They also played three math games this week: Monster Squeeze, Bunny Hop, and the Penny Dice Game. The children had the opportunity to play these games both as a whole class on the Mimio and with a partner using their own manipulatives. 

~ Thank you for all your support at home and your help in making the start of this school year a great one! Please let me know if you have any questions. ~

Reminders:

-Please send in your sign and return forms from your Curriculum Night folder as soon as you can. Thank you!
-We have PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays, please make sure your child wears proper gym shoes to school.