We are 100 days smarter!

We had a wonderful 100th day of school! Thank you to all of the families that were able to food items for our snack mix. We enjoyed reading a 100th day book, drawing what we would look like in 100 years, writing about what we could be if we had 100 dollars, and making our snack mix. We also made a valentine craft as a class reward we earned last week. It was a fun way to end our week!

If your child has not returned his/her valentines yet, please be sure to send them to school on Monday.

Coming up:

• Tuesday, February 14: Our valentine party will take place at 9am
• February 22-24: Jump Rope For Heart
• February 23: Marco's Pizza Night
• February 24: Popcorn and Hat Day
• March 10: Early Release Day
• March 15-16: Parent/Teacher Conferences

What we have been up to:

• Reading: We have continued to work in the genre of nonfiction. This week and next week we are working on key components of a nonfiction retell. 
• Writing: We are wrapping up our how-to unit. We selected our piece that we are the most proud of, and next week we will head into the computer lab to start typing our stories out. Look for these at parent/teacher conferences!
• Math: Unit 4 wrapped up and we have learned some new math games for unit 5. We will begin unit 5 next week. 
• White Board Practice: We have been working on the /s/ sound. There are 5 ways to make this sound that we have learned about. Have your child write these sounds on their whiteboard, as seen in the picture (only the headings, I have included some examples for you). Then have them search through their books for words with the /s/ sound that and record under the correct spelling. Be careful to make sure the word actually makes the /s/ sound! It may make a different sound - for example, I could record house under se, however I could not record hose. In the word hose, se sounds lie /z/. Be sure to check their work for the correct spellings and as always, make sure they say as they write!

First Grade News

Somehow we are already at the end of January. How can that be?! Please take a look at what we have been up to,and where we are headed!

Coming Up:

• Thursday - Sunday, January 26-29: James and the Giant Peach at the JCA
• Friday, February 3: Early Release Day, Body Safe Presentation 
• Monday, February 6: Winter Break (No School)
• Thursday, February 9: All valentines to school by this date
• Tuesday, February 14: Valentine's Day Party at 9:00am
• February 22-24: Jump Rope for Heart

Valentine's Day:
If your child has completed his/her valentines, please feel free to send them in early.

Reading:
We are continuing our work with nonfiction. We have been learning how to track making connections, new learning, questions we have, and when we have reactions to our reading.

Writing: 
We are rolling with writing How To stories. This is one of my favorite units of the year. This week we  have been working on how to use transition words between sections (and not starting sentences with "And"), the parts of how to stories, and how to write a conclusion.

Math: 
We will be wrapping up unit 4, Place Value Concepts, at the end of next week. Our test will take place the following week.

Social Studies:
We are working our way through different periods of time. Please ask your child to tell you what is happening in our read aloud book, Meet Addy. There are many very heavy emotions that come from reading these books, and students will love sharing the books with you.
We have learned about Martin Luther King, Ruby Bridges, and Rosa Parks in the past two weeks. We will be learning about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington over the next two weeks, as well as diving more into the past, present and future.

Keyboarding:
Your child may have mentioned a website we have been working on in the computer lab to practice keyboarding skills. You can either search "dance mat typing" or follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr. I have been very impressed by their dedication and ability to use the home row already. The more practice, the better!

Whiteboard Tip:
Time to dust off those whiteboards! The novelty may have worn off, but the value is still just as great. Students could use some accountability with making sure they are saying their sounds as they write - breaking up every single sound! Because I am not able to sit next to every child every time they write, some may be getting a bit lazy with saying their sounds. The difference in their writing when they "say as they write" is dramatic. Ask your child a simple question, such as: What is your favorite holiday and why? Or Where would you like to go on vacation and why? As they answer on their whiteboard (or a piece of paper if you have misplaced yours), sit next to them and hold them accountable to say every sound as they write it (the, for example, has two sounds, /th/ /e/). If there are any errors, stop them the instant the error is made, erase, and tell the correct spelling for the sound. Correct letter formation and handwriting as well. Thank you for your help! These kiddos are doing amazing things in reading and writing. It has been so much fun to watch their progress!

New Student:
We are excited to welcome a new student to our classroom on Monday - Lucas. He has 24 first graders excited to meet and welcome a new friend!

Have a wonderful weekend!

First Grade News

Back to reality for me this week, and nothing better than being greeted by 24 huge smiles on Monday! Our family had an amazing get away - it was everything we hoped it would be. But, as always, it is good to get back into the routine of day to day life.
Here is a little of what we are up to:

Coming Up:

Friday, February 3: Early Release Day
Monday, February 6: Winter Break (No School)
Thursday, February 9: All valentines to school by this date
Tuesday, February 14: Valentine's Day Party at 9:00am
February 22-24: Jump Rope for Heart

Library Books:
We have an increasing number of students enjoying their library books so much at home that they are forgetting to return them the next week! ;) Please be sure to have your child bring back their book to school each Thursday, or as soon as they feel they are ready to return it. Thank you!

Xtra Math and Kids A-Z:
Please remember to take advantage of these two online resources at home if possible. I can tell a few students that are regularly on Xtra Math - they are flying through math facts, and have become more efficient problem solvers. Thank you for your extra time and effort with both of these!
xtramth.org ~ kidsa-z.com

Valentine's Day: 
I am including a class list of names for valentines in your child's take home folder today. If your child wishes to give valentines to the class, please include one for everyone. You may notice an unfamiliar name on the list. We are slated to have a new student start with us the week of January 30, and wanted to be sure to include him as well.
Please bring valentines to school by Thursday, February 9. If they are done earlier, send them in as soon as they are done.

Reading:
We have started a new reading unit exploring nonfiction text. This unit is always exciting for students. Be sure to point out any nonfiction reading you are doing at home to your child. We also started my favorite read aloud we will do this year - Meet Addy, from American Girl. I absolutely love these series' of books. Addy is a young girl, growing up in slavery during the Civil War. Some of the concepts are very deep, but they make for great conversation. It correlates well with our history unit that we have just begun. I encourage you to ask your child what is happening in the book regularly.

Writing:
Our writing unit correlates well with our reading unit. We are learning how to write how to stories. These are aways a lot of fun. While pointing out nonfiction texts at home, be sure to point out how to texts as well (recipes, directions for playing a game, putting a toy together, etc.).

Math:
We are exploring tens and ones as we move into numbers through 100. We have been learning how to represent tens and ones with tens sticks and circles.

Social Studies:
We have begun a history unit, starting with learning about time lines. We will be learning about some influential figures in american history in the coming weeks.

Vocabulary word of the week: 
Draw - to take or pull apart.

Whiteboard Tip:
Time to dust off those whiteboards and put them to use again!
We have been learning about the different letters that make the a sound, like in ape, and we have been learning about all of the different sounds a can make. There are nine different sounds a can make in a word! We have focused on 5 of them this week.
We also dove into three super tricky homophones: there, their and they're.
Have your child draw each of these out for you:
there (draw an arrow to point over "there")
their (draw a house with two people inside to show it is "their" house)
they're (draw 2 stick figures to show "they're" (they are) walking together)

Then read the following sentence and have your child write it while really thinking of which form of the word to write. Remember to correct an errors!
"Their dog ran over there and they're watching her run."

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you, Columbo's!

We are very thankful to Columbo's Floors to Go for donating a new rug to us. Our old rug needed to be one foot wider in order to fit our entire class on it. Now we all fit! Columbo's donates rugs for free to schools. We wrote them messages to thank them. Enjoy our writing!

Merry Christmas!

We had such a wonderful party this morning! Thank you to all of the parents and relatives that were able to join us, donated items, and to Katie Terpstra for organizing it all. There surely is a lot of energy in 1st grade this week!
Enjoy these pictures!

December Update

I realize it has been a while since I have had a formal update on the blog. My apologies for this. While it is no excuse, the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas sure does fly! This post should cover what we have been up to lately, as well as what is coming up.

Spirit Days: 

• Monday, December 19: Winter Wonderland Spirit Day (wear anything that reminds you of winter: snowflakes, snowmen, winter sports, silver, white and light blue, etc.)
• Tuesday, December 20: Festive Holiday Spirit Day (wear anything Christmasy, red and green, Christmas socks, shirts, etc. The more festive the better!)
• Wednesday, December 21: Christmas Morning -wear pajamas to school (no slippers and be sure to pack plenty of warm gear for outside). 

Other Important Dates: 

• Tuesday, December 20: 9:00am - Christmas Party, adults welcome to join us! 
• Thursday, December 22 - Monday, January 2: Winter Break
• Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6: Mrs. Bradley Subs 
• Friday, January 13: Early Release Day
• Friday, February 3: Early Release Day
• Monday, February 6: No School, Mid-Winter Break

News and Notes:

• January 3-6: My family will be traveling for two weeks over the winter break, and beyond. We will first head to Washington DC, then we will be going on a Disney Cruise. We booked the vacation before Hudsonville released their calendar. My children are off of school the first week of January, so we decided to go then. The trip was already booked when the calendar was released. As a result, I will not be here the first week back in January. The class knows about this. They've had fun sharing in my excitement! I am thrilled to have an amazing sub that week - Melissa Bradley. Melissa has subbed for me for years, and is one of the best around. She knows the curriculum well, knows my style, and has subbed for my already this year. I will have limited, if any, access to my email that week. If you need anything, please email Mrs. Opple if it is about pickups, and Mrs. Bradley if it is specific to the classroom. Her email is: missylcj@yahoo.com. While things are different when there is a substitute, I feel such peace knowing she will be here with our kiddos. If you have any questions, please let me know. 
• Snow: Winter is in full swing! Thank you for sending your child with appropriate gear each day. It sometimes can be hard to remember to put shoes in backpacks, especially on Mondays after they have been used over the weekend. If you would like your child to leave his/her shoes at school rather than transporting back and forth, that is not a problem!
• If you have not labeled all of your child's items yet, please do so this weekend. We have lost a few items already!
• Reading: We will be wrapping up our unit study of characters next week. After the break we will dive into non-fiction. This is always a fun unit for students! Continue to have your child read with kidsa-z over break if possible. Your child will bring home several WEB books next Wednesday. These should be read at different times throughout break. If your child reads on kidsa-z, feel free to mark that day on his/her calendar as well. Next Wednesday I hope to add the January to books bags so that your child has both for break. 
• Writing: We have been busy writing opinion letters about changes we think need to occur. Students are learning the parts of a letter, how to write an opinion, how to state reasons for their opinion, and how to give a solution. This unit will continue after break. We will then move into writing "how to" stories.
• Math: Unit 4 began this week. We are studying place value and learning about tens and ones. Continue to practice xtramath at home! This is a great, easy way to practice over break!
• Social Studies: We are wrapping up our economics unit next week. So far we have learned about needs and wants (Christmas makes a great time to study this!), goods and services, producers and consumers, and scarcity. We will begin a history unit after break.
• Whiteboard Practice: This week we learned about 5 different ways that the /a/ sound (like in day) is made - ai, a, ay, eigh, ey. Have your child write these headings on the top of their board. Then have them read a page from their WEB book (or any book). If they notice a word with the /a/ sound, have them record it in the correct column. If it does not fit in any of the columns, like in the word break, write it on the bottom. This is the /a/ sound, not the letter a. The word have, for example, should not be recording because it does not make that sound. Your child practiced this in reading workshop this week, so it should be familiar to them. They could follow up by writing a sentence with one of the words, remembering to say as they write!
• Finally, I just have to add - your kids are blowing me away!! I hope you take some time over break to really look at the growth your child is making in 1st grade. As readers, writers, mathematicians, you name it! I am so proud of this group!

Stuffed Animal Day

We loved having our furry friends at school today!