Reading - We learned about the last two daily five centers - Work on Writing and Word Work.  We have now been building our stamina - practicing how to work in all the centers the correct way.  This coming week we are going to start running records.  Running records will tell me which reading level the students are currently at.  Running records involve reading individually with each student.  The student needs to have a certain amount of words correct and be able to answer a certain amount of questions about the story to be at each level.  With running records we will be checking for comprehension, accuracy, and fluency.  After running records have been completed on all of the students, we will be able to start working in guided reading groups.  

Fountas and Pinnell Running Records Grade Level Goals

Read to Self

Read to Someone

Listening

Work on Writing

Word Work

Phonics - We are working on cvc words.  (consonant-vowel-consonant)  We have started learning vocabulary words and trick words.  Vocabulary words are words that have something to do with our current unit.  They will always follow whichever phonics/spelling pattern that we are learning about.  Trick words are sight words - words that we can't usually tap out and are common words.  

Current vocabulary words - fix, quit

Current trick words - a, and, the, is, his of

Every time we get a new word, we add it to our student notebook.  The students also have a composition notebook.  We use this notebook, as well as our whiteboards, for dictation.  Dictation is when I say a sound, then the students write it.  I say a word, then the students write it.  I say a sentence, then the students write it.  

Math - We are working really hard on memorizing all of the doubles from 1+1 to 10+10.  We have been working on addition story problems.  We have been learning about different shapes.  We have also been talking about ordinal numbers.  (first, second, third, etc.)  Each morning we touch on using coins to count how many days we have been in school.  We had our first lesson with wrap ups.  Wraps ups help us with our math facts.

Writing - We are currently working in our journals.  As the students progress from writing just words into writing sentences independently we will work on creating stories.  The students also work on writing in many different forms during our reading block.  They have been making lists, writing the room, making cards, making squiggles, making sticker stories, making hand art stories, etc.

Religion - We have read more stories from our Children's Bible.  We have read and discussed Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark.  We are working on our virtues and values cards.  Our current virtue is self-control.  In Friendzy we continue with our first unit - We need each other.  We had a lesson with ping pong balls and water.  The lesson had an empty pitcher with ping pongs in it.  When positive things were said, we added water.  Eventually the ping pongs floated to the top - that represented how to build each other up and encourage one another!  We also made pennants that said #1 fan.  Then we walked around the school and visited others.  We told each person we were their #1 fan - again - building each other up!  This week we colored crosses for Holy Cross.  We say prayers daily at school.  We have a prayer leader each week that chooses which prayer we say before snack and lunch.  We have also been focusing on the sign of the cross and genuflecting at church.  

Science - We started a weather unit.  So far we have discussed different types of weather, graphed our favorite weather, learned that a person who studies weather is called a meteorologist, learned how to use our senses to observe weather, and created our own weather calendar where we will be tracking cloud cover, precipitation, and wind.

Handwriting - We continue to focus on forming the letters correctly and placing the letters on the correct spaces.  We are working on only using capital letters when they are necessary.

***Reminder - Friday, September 24th is an early dismissal.

Have a great week!

 First grade - The First 7 days!

Reading - We are learning all about daily 5.  In daily 5 we work in reading groups and literacy centers.  Before we can even think about starting reading groups, we have a lot of work to do!  The first step is learning about and practicing all the aspects of the literacy centers.  

The centers are -

1.  Read to Self

2.  Read to Someone

3.  Listening to Reading

4.  Work on Writing

5.  Word Work

So far we have learned about the first three.  We discuss the jobs of the students and the jobs of the teacher.  Then we practice, practice, practice!  We call that building stamina!  We have been practicing the correct way to do read to self and read to someone.  Friday we introduced the listening center.

  

This week we will practice how to correctly work in the listening center.   This center takes a lot of technology.  It takes chromebooks, ipads, and tablets.  It takes practicing with a mouse.  It takes headphones.  It takes untangling headphone cords.  It takes practicing logging in and out.  It takes learning passwords.  It takes learning how to turn the volume up and down.  It takes working with QR codes.  It takes wifi troubles.  It takes patience for the teacher when all the students need your help at the same time.  :)

Math - We have started working on lessons in Saxon math.  Each day we will do a lesson and then we will do the worksheet together as a class.  Saxon is a spiraling curriculum, so we may work on different things each day.  So far we have learned about doubles (1+1, 2+2, 3+3, etc., rectangles, writing number sentences (equations), and ordinal numbers first through sixth.  

Writing - We just started our journals.  Our journals this early in the year are 4-choices journals.  The students have a question that they need to answer.  The choose one of the four choices to answer the question.  They then draw about what they wrote.  On the first day of school I had the students write about something they did on the first day of school.  On the last day of school, I'll have them write about something they do that day.  Then we'll compare the writing.  I guarantee you will be amazed at how far your child has come!  The students LOVE to see the difference as well!

Phonics - We start the year with a review of the letters/keywords/sounds that the students learned in kindergarten.  We have spent the last week reviewing those, as well as practicing the correct way to write the letters.  After reviewing all of the letters, the students were to write all of the lowercase letters of the alphabet on the correct lines.  This is something they will do again at the end of the year.  The progress will again amaze you!  We are now working on tapping out cvc words.  (consonant-vowel-consonant)  We are building them with letter cards, tapping them out, and writing them on our whiteboards.  

Handwriting - We work extremely hard on handwriting in first grade.  The students are expected to be forming their letters the correct way and placing their letters on the correct lines.  They will learn when to use lowercase and when to use capital letters correctly.  This last week we started working in their handwriting books.  They worked on the letter Aa.  In our class, if they are not writing the letters correctly, they will be erasing and redoing them.  

Religion - We have started by reading stories out of the Children's Bible.  Our first story we read and learned about was the creation story from the book of Genesis.  We are working on coloring our own creation books.  This year we are starting a new program called Friendzy.  We had our first Friendzy lesson last week.  The theme of our first unit is "We Need Each Other".  We will also continue working on the virtues and values cards that the students worked on in kindergarten.  I am hoping to start that this week.  I will let you know our first theme soon!  Every Friday we will attend Mass together.  We have now attended Mass twice as a class.  We are working on how to genuflect, how to make the sign of the cross, and when to sit/stand/kneel (making sure they are doing that correctly - not laying over the pew/leaning on the pew).  Once a month we will attend Adoration - we will start that this Friday.

A few pictures from the first days of school -

Have a great week!