Our First Full Week

We had a great week in 1-1! The children enjoyed continuing to get to know one another through the sharing of their "All About Me" bags. They were surprised to learn that so many classmates had similar interests and hobbies.

Routines

The children did a wonderful job going through our classroom routines and procedures this week. They have now learned how to solve some simple problems on their own (what to do if their pencil breaks, what to do if they have a question, where to put work when they are finished, what to so if they need a restroom break, etc.) They are now experts at going through: arrival, lunchtime, and stack and pack routines. 

Reading

This week, the children listened to the story, A Bad Case of The Stripes. After, they created a picture of themselves with a bad case of something they love. Their projects are hanging up in our classroom along the window.

This week, I began 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 until I have had time to read with each child.

Writing

This week, the children were introduced to Writer’s Workshop. After, listening to the book, Library Mouse, they discovered that they are all authors! We talked about how good writer’s: Think, Draw, Label, Write. They practiced these steps by writing about something that is important to them (their family, favorite hobby, favorite memory, etc).

On Tuesday, 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. You can see their backpack display hanging up in the hallway outside our classroom.

Math

We began our first Everyday Math unit this week. To start the unit the children brainstormed a list of what they think they will do as Mathematicians this year. Then, they created a mathematician project.

Our first lessons focused on learning about our math routines. The children were also introduced to our calendar procedures. They enjoyed using the number line to play the game, Monster Squeeze. The children also enjoyed playing the Penny Dice Game with a partner.

Social Studies

We started our first social studies unit this week on Communities. The children learned about how teachers, police officers, and doctors help our community. They listened to a book about each of the community helpers and then brainstormed ideas about how they help our community. The children then completed one page for each community helper we learned about in their Community Helpers book.

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 will be posting a link on the right side of our web site titled, Curriculum Night Presentation soon.

Notes:

~There is no school on Monday, September 7th due to Labor Day. Classes will resume Tuesday, September 8th.

Have a great rest of the long weekend!