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!  :)