Starting today, we will have spelling lists.  Please look in your child's Bee Binder.  There is a spelling letter, your child's pre-test, and the list they will be practicing this week.  The students will be practicing their words at school during daily 5 as time allows.  They should be practicing their spelling words at home as well. 

Phonetic List - Digraphs
such
thin
fish
rich
thud
shop
quick
dock
thick
shock

Trick Word List - Words 11-20
he
for
was
on
are
as
with
his
they
at

Reading - The first week of daily 5 and guided reading groups was a huge success!  Our class has four reading groups.  Guided reading lessons are geared at the reading level of each group.  While I am teaching the group, the class is hard at work in the daily 5 centers.

Word Work

Word Work

Word Work

Work on Writing

Math - We have been working hard on memorizing our doubles facts up to 10.  We played such a fun game last week - chutes and ladders with doubles facts!  We are starting to work on doubles plus one and doubles minus one.  (If 4+4=8, then 4+5=9 and if 4+4=8, then 4+3=7)

We also worked on number sentences (equations) and ordinal numbers.  

Phonics - We are still working on digraphs.  (Digraphs are our first spelling list)  Today we worked on nonsense words.  A nonsense word isn't a word - but you can tap it (sound it out) because of the sounds that you know.  It's a great way to practice sounding out words.  We also worked with our magnetic tiles for the first time this last week.

Religion - In Religion we worked out of our book.  We started our third chapter called God is Our Father.  On Friday we worked on our Promise Paper.  We learned about the Gospel of the rich man and Lazarus.  We also made a mobile of the world and things that God made.  On Wednesday Brother Jacob visited our class.  He brought the monstrance to our class.  He told us about the symbols on the monstrance.  

Read-Aloud - Every day we end our day with a chapter book.  We have been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Friday we finished our book.  Today we took some time to watch the movie.  We are looking for things in the movie that are the same and different.  This week we'll take some time to finish the movie.   

Wake-Up Work - When we come in the morning, we've been working on morning tubs.  The kids love to create and they love to have their picture taken.

Book Order - The October book order is in the Bee Binders today.  If you would like to order any books please have the book orders in by next Monday.

Have a great week!  :)

Reading - Running Records are complete!  This week we will start guided reading groups while working in daily 5 centers.  :)

A few word work pictures

Phonics - Our new unit is about digraphs.  Digraphs are letters that make a new sound when you put them together.  The digraphs that we are learning are ch, sh, th, wh, and ck.  We are also learning tricks words (sight words) during phonics.  Our new trick words are as, has, to, and into.  We continue to do dictation.  We are working on writing our letters the correct way, only using capitals at the beginning of sentences, and putting the letters on the correct lines.

Math - We continue to talk about partners and switch partners in equations.  We learned how to do math mountains.  The math mountain has the total on the top and the two partners on the bottom.  We have been writing out equations.  We continue to work on our strategies - counting on, doubles, and using the number line.  We used a picture of an apple on the Smart Board to learn about the fraction 1/2.  We are using seeds to make addition equations.  Friday we used our wraps-ups for the first time.  Wrap-ups can be tricky!  The students did a great job!

Science - We continue to add to our weather graph every day.  We are keeping track of cloud cover, precipitation, and wind.  We had a lesson about wind.  We are now tracking our wind on a graph for a week.  (no wind, some wind, strong wind)  This week we are going to learn about thermometers and temperature.

Religion - We have been reading out of our Religion book.  Our last chapter continued talking about creation.  We drew pictures in our book of things God made.  Each page we read reminded us that God is good!  On Friday we had our first Promise Paper.  The Promise Paper is a magazine for children that focuses on the Sunday Gospel.  Our first Promise Paper talked about the parts of Mass.  The students also made their own prayer book.  

Mass - First grade will be leading three Masses this year.  The dates are Thursday, October 24, Friday, December 20, and Friday, February 21.

Reading Buddies - On Fridays we meet with our fourth grade reading buddies.  Here are a few pictures.

Morning Tubs - In the morning when we first enter the room, we hand in our BEE Binder, do our lunch count, and put our clothes pin on our after school plans.  After those tasks are completed, the students may choose to work in morning tubs until announcements.  This last week a lot of friends asked to have their picture taken.  Here they are -

Reminders -

Tuesday, September 24th - MAP Test

Wednesday, September 25th - Picture Day

Friday, September 27th - Early Dismissal

Have a great week!  :)

Reading - We have worked so hard on building our stamina in daily 5!  This last week we practiced all five centers every day.  We needed to practice - as this week we are doing running records.  That means the students can't use me as a resource during daily 5 - I'll be busy doing running records.  Running records are the assessment we use to determine reading levels.  During running records the students read a book to the teacher.  The teacher is taking notes and documenting errors.  After reading the story the student is asked questions for comprehension.  The students need to have a certain accuracy percentage and comprehension percentage to pass the level.  After all running records are completed, we will be able to start guided reading during our daily 5 block.  Each student will be in a guided reading group with other students who are reading at the same or a similar level.  Last week when we were practicing I took a lot of pictures.  Enjoy!

Read to Self

Read to Someone

Listening

Work on Writing

Word Work

The word work centers will be changing throughout the year.  I usually change them out every two weeks.  The last two weeks all of the word work centers were about ABC order.  Starting this week the word work centers will be about rhyming.

Math - We worked on geoboards to make shapes. We have continued talking about story problems - some, some more, and some went away.  We put numbers in order and talked about what comes before, what comes after, and what is in between.  We learned about pennies.  We learned how much they are worth, the president on it, and that the Lincoln Memorial is on the back.  We had three groups take a whole bunch of pennies and we counted out how many we had.  Then we added all the groups together.  When we added the three numbers, we talked about place value - and that when you add, the numbers need to be in the correct column.  We talked about the ones place, the tens place, and the hundreds place.  We've also been learning different strategies to help us remember how to add.  Some of the strategies we've talked about are doubles  (ask your child about the doubles rap), adding zero to a number, counting on with a number line, and partners and switch partners.  

Counting Pennies on the 100 chart

Milk Rings

We have been using milk rings to practice place value.  So far our number is one hundred forty-three!  Please send in milk rings throughout the year as you open new gallons of milk.  Thank you!

Phonics -  We continue to work on letter-keyword-sounds.  We have been working on c-v-c words.  We work on reading them, making them with our letter cards, tapping them out, and writing them.  We have been working on dry erase boards with our words and really working on writing those letters in the correct places.  We've been working on sentences as well - using our c-v-c words and our trick words.  Our current tricks words are a, the, and, of, is, his.  We also did our first dictation.  Dictation is when I say something, and the students have to write it down.  Dictation always follows the same pattern - sounds, review words, current words, trick words, and sentences.  

Science - One of our lessons was about observing the weather.  We talked about using our eyes, ears, nose, and hands to observe the weather.  We learned what a meteorologist is.  We also had a lesson about recording the weather.  Now we have a weather graph that we work on every day.  We are recording three things daily - cloud cover (cloudy, partly cloudy, sunny, foggy), precipitation (rain, snow, hail, no precipitation), and wind (no wind, some wind, strong wind).

Religion - We finished up our creation books.  They turned out beautiful!  Then we watched a video on the creation story and Adam and Eve from the Beginner's Bible.  Today we'll be heading back to our Religion textbooks to finish up the creation story.

Last week Friday we had our first day of Adoration.  I snapped this picture while Mikey and Vincent were waiting their turn to head up to the altar.  :)  Adoration will be the second Friday of every month.

Toys - Please remind your children to keep their toys at home.  :)

Hearing and Vision Screening - Today the students had hearing and vision screening.  If there are any concerns a letter will be sent home to you about your child from the health department.

Picture Day - Picture Day is September 25th.

MAP Testing - Students in first grade take two MAP tests - Math and Reading.  Today they had the math test.  Next Tuesday they will have the reading test.  The MAP tests are administered in the fall and again in the spring.

Have a great week!  :)