First Grade News

Summer is back! I have to give credit to your kiddos for hanging in there this week. When it is 90+ degrees outside, and there is no a/c, it can be pretty darn miserable. They hung in there and still worked hard throughout! Indoor recess today really helped keep our body temperatures down. Looks like we will start next week out this way as well. Keep sending in water bottles, pulling long hair up, and shorts are ideal!

Walk-a-thon: We had so much fun at our Walk-a-thon! Thank you to the many parents that helped out today, as well as all that raised money for our school.

Literacy Night: Thank you to all of you that attended our First Grade Literacy Night. It was a packed house, and you all were so well engaged and dedicated to your children's learning. I have loved hearing from students this week as they are using their whiteboards at home. If you have any pictures you want to share of your child writing, please do!
I am sharing the video links as well in case anyone wants to reference them later.
Video Number One: Click here
Video Number Two: Click here

What we have been up to:

• Reading: This week we learned the rest of the things good readers do (reading behaviors. Please encourage these items while your child is reading their WEB books (or any books!) at home. 
• Readers slide their reading finger.
• Readers lay their books flat on the table. 
• Readers Use their helping hand to hold the book in place. 
• Readers track the words with their finger and eyes. 
• Writing: I finished up the story I have been modeling with them. Next week we will all write the same story together at the same time. We go very slow to write every word and letter correctly! It is important to learn the process slowly to build their independence as writers.
• Math: We finished unit 1 this week, and we will begin our new unit, Addition and Subtraction Strategies, next week. 
• Social Studies: We concluded our citizenship unit. We will be focusing heavily on literacy this next month. We will hit another social studies unit in November/December. 
• Word Work: We have learned and practiced reading and writing the two most common sounds for /th/ and the sounds in the word this (this one tickles your toungue), and the sound in three. Next week we will search for words with this sound in our books and record them. 

Whiteboard Practice Idea:

I have heard a lot of excitement from students who have been using their whiteboards for writing at home. Thank you for encouraging this! Remember, email me if you have any questions about any words. I typically will reply quickly, often with a quick video to explain it to you. I love the questions I have already gotten!

Here something you can have your child try at home using their whiteboard. 

• Have them first tell you how many sounds (not letters) are in his/her name. They can use their fingers to tell you.  Then have them write their name, saying their sounds as they write. Have them place a dot under one letter spellings for sounds, and a dash under 2-4 letter spellings. Ask them if their prediction matched the actual number after it was written. Repeat for other family member's names. See photo for how this would look. Have fun!