Daily 5 - 4 Down, 1 To Go!

We have been very busy in the classroom learning our Daily 5 activities and routines so that we are ready to work independently once reading groups begin next week (so exciting!!!).  We spent our first few weeks practicing the routines of Read to Self and Read to Someone and building up stamina to be able to read to self and someone for 20 minutes each.  We also have had the opportunity to practice the routine of Listen to Reading in which students listen to stories on cd or online.  This week, we introduced our word work routine.  Each week, we will use our spelling lists to practice reading and spelling the words during word work.  Our practice each week involves a word sort for that week's set of words, writing our words on "bumpy paper" (paper with plastic craft canvas underneath), building the words with wikki stix, building the words with magnetic letters, and finally taking a partner test at the end of the week.  Some of you may be interested in using some of these tools to help support your child with spelling at home as well!

My Pet Rock

To kick off our unit on Pebbles, Sand, and Silt we each searched for a rock that we felt was special in it's own way to have and keep as our own... our pet rock!  We named our rocks, described our rocks - some were rough or smooth, big or small, shiny or dull, and the list goes on.  We then weighed our rocks.  We had to make a prediction as to how many unifix cubes we thought it would take to balance our rock, using balance scales we checked our predictions and then recorded our findings.  Finally, we measured the length and circumference of our rocks by using string and then measuring the string against a ruler.  All the junior geologists in the class were invested and excited about their rocks and ready to learn more about rocks in the coming weeks!  Ask your child to tell you about their "pet rock"!

We Have the "Write" Stuff!

Our Writer's Workshop routine is in full swing and we have been very busy writing about some of our favorite summer adventures!  Kids have been writing about beach trips, water parks, zoos, sporting events, and much much more.  While our topics may be different, we are all working on making sure that our stories are clear and organized.  Every writing piece needs to include a Beginning (who? what? where? when?), Middle (action that goes with the topic), and an Ending (a feeling that is connected back to the topic).  The last five minutes of every writer's workshop session is a time for writers to share their completed stories.  While the writer reads their story, the audience is listening for the beginning, middle, and the end.  We celebrate every writer's hard work and effort by giving them 3 claps and at times offer constructive criticism as to how they can go back to make their writing even better.  Writers gain confidence from the celebration and feedback they receive from their peers.  I can't wait to read/hear what they write about next!  Remember to talk to your kids about their writing and help them brainstorm topics they may want to write about in the future!

Off to a Great Start!

Our school year has gotten off to a great start!  We've been spending the first few weeks of school getting to know each other and learn the routines and expectations of our classroom.  We have been very busy learning about our new friends who we will be spending so much time with this year.  We have also been working on learning reading routines.  So far we have learned and practiced Listen to Reading, Read to Self, and Read to Someone.  These are just three of the Daily 5 activities that we will be doing during our literacy block this year.  I am in the process of reading with everyone and getting their current instructional reading level in order to begin guided reading groups in the next couple of weeks.

We have also been working on reviewing numbers to 10 in math.  We are identifying and completing number patterns and finding numbers that are one more or one less than a given number.  We are writing numbers in words as well as numerically.

In writing, we are working on writing our own stories of personal experiences that we have had.  We are focusing on writing with a beginning, middle, and end.  

I'm looking forward to sharing the year with this great group of first graders!