We have had a busy start to the school year! We are learning, practicing, and building our stamina! Here are a few things we have been up to -
Writing - We have been practicing handwriting and sentence writing. When focusing on our handwriting, we are making sure to use the correct form (uppercase or lowercase), write on the correct lines and spaces, practice forming the letters the correct way, and write neatly. We have been working on sentence writing in our September journals. We are working on starting sentences with capital letters, using good spacing between words, using punctuation, and using details.
Math - We have been learning about doubles facts up to 20. (3+3, 8+8, etc.) We have also worked on shapes such as squares, rectangles, trapezoids, hexagons, and triangles, patterns, beginning story problems, using a balance, and learning about wrap ups.
Science - We have started our first PLTW unit called Light and Sound. So far we read the introduction story, identified light and sound, went on a scavenger hunt to find items that make light and sound, and completed the first page of our launch log.
Religion - We have been reading out of our Children's Bible. We read the story of creation and the story of Adam and Eve. We are currently working on making creation books. We have also been working in our Promise books. We met with our buddies and worked on cross pictures for the feast of the Holy Cross. We read/learn about virtues and values. The first virtue and value cards that we are working on this read is the virtue of respect.
Phonics - In phonics we start the year by reviewing all the consonants, vowels, and digraphs. We are practicing CVC words. (Consonant - Vowel - Consonant) We are learning how to do dictation, how to tap out words, and how to use our whiteboards, magnetic tile boards, and student notebooks.
Reading - We are learning about the elements of daily 5. Daily 5 is our reading block. During reading we meet in small reading groups. When the students are not in group, they are doing one of the centers - read to self, read to someone, listening, work on writing, or word work. We take time introducing each center and then practicing how to correctly work in that center. As of last Friday, we have now introduced and practiced each center individually. Starting this week, we will practice all the centers and how to rotate. We call this building our stamina -practicing and practicing to get it right. After a few days of practice, I'll start having students come to me one at a time for reading assessments. After assessments are done and we are able to work independently in centers, we will be able to officially start reading groups and daily 5 rotations.
