Polar Express Party (Shhhh! It's a secret!)

On Friday, we will also be having our annual first grade Polar Express Party. This is such a fun time for the kids! We bring all 80 first graders into one classroom together and watch The Polar Express. We give them bell necklaces, cookies, and hot chocolate. The kids LOVE it! It’s a surprise, so don’t tell! We’ll tell them on Thursday.

Field Trip

On January 24^th, we are going on our first Field Trip. We will send information home about the details of the fieldtrip (much like the details that we already sent home) closer to the fieldtrip date. Also, I appreciate all of the volunteers who stepped forward to help us out. Unfortunately, we can’t accommodate everybody on every field trip. There will be other volunteer opportunities this school year and I will keep you updated as we know more. Thanks!

Home Activity Chart/Break Work

At our parent-teacher conference, I explained how to use your child’s MAP score to access games and activities that target skills from Rancho’s website. A few kids have already filled out their December chart and returned it for an Eagle Card. If your child finishes theirs, please have them bring it by Friday.
We will be sending a packet of work home in the Friday Folder for Winter Break. This is OPTIONAL, but there is an opportunity for 2 Eagle Cards for the kids: one for the packet, and one for the Winter Break Home Activity Chart. It’s always a good idea to keep the skills learned in class strong so we can pick up and move on after break. The kids can return work completed after Winter Break J.

Behavioral Expectations

As we return from Thanksgiving break, it is a great time to REMIND our kids of the importance of good behavior. We are experiencing some disruptive behavior in class these first few days back. I know that there may be a lot of exciting things happening at home and school during the next few weeks but we have a lot to learn too. If your child has a bench slip in their backpack, please talk with them about why they received that consequence. The best way to encourage good behavior in school is having us on the same page with the same expectations. Thanks for your support!

Correcting spelling at home

One of the most frequently asked questions from conferences is always about correcting spelling. The short version of the answer is, no, you don’t have to correct spelling completelyJ. If there is a symbol for every sound, it’s ok for now. I do encourage you to make your child think about the correct way to spell things. If there is a letter that is completely off, have them sound it out to you and you can correct it together. At this point, a student should be able to spell words that they can read. When they become stronger readers, this gap gets bigger. So, phonetic spelling is ok but have them think about the sounds/spellings if it is way off.

We have finished our reading unit with the theme “Things that go”. We are now beginning our new unit with the theme “Our neighborhood at work”. We have learned digraphs such as th, sh, and ch. The kids should know how to use these spellings correctly. For the ch sound, they know that tch is only after a short vowel. We have been spending a lot of time working on comprehension.
This is the time of year when we are working a lot on writing applications as well as conventions. This is when we really solidify those two skills together. Of course, this is an ongoing skill to practice. We just practice as much as possible to meet those end of the year standards.

 In math, we have wrapped up a chapter on charts and graphing. We learned how to read and use a tally chart, bar graph, and picture graph. The kids are really good at counting tally marks. We say, “1, 2, 3, 4, tally up 5”.

I have my child's MAP scores. What do I do now?

When looking at your child’s Goal Setting Worksheet, notice that the bolded RIT Range score is the student’s area of strength and the italicized RIT Range score is the possible area of concern. The Goal Strand with the italicized RIT Range score is your student’s goal to work on. Here is how you can work on it at home:

1. Go to Rancho’s website: www.ranchoschool.org

2. On the right-hand side, you will see many resources to help your child at home. Click on “MAP Reading Skills for Students” (see attached pages for steps).

3. Find the Goal Strand section and click on the range that your child’s RIT Range score falls in.

4. Choose an activity and have fun! Be sure to try them all.

Other resources that can help improve your child’s academic performance can be found on Rancho’s website. From Rancho’s website, try:

*Reading Eggs (username and password have been sent home)

*MAP Math Skills for Students

*MAP Skills Support

*Math@Home

In this week's Friday Folder, you'll find a Home Activity Chart. When you do these activities, write them on your chart and turn them in at the end of the month for an Eagle Card!

Web-based games to try

There are some really good web-based games to play (meaning that they are a website) that will help improve your child's skills. Here are a few good ones:

www.readingeggs.com (Rancho sponsors this site)

www.starfall.com

www.ictgames.com/sharknumbers.html

www.missmaggie.org/scholastic/roundtheworld_eng_launcher.html

www.abcya.com 

If your child plays these games, they can add them to their Home Activity Chart!

Curriculum Update

So far, we have done the sounds/spellings for the following letters: short a, e, i, o, and u, b, c (spelled c and ck after a short vowel), d, f (spelled f), g, h, j (spelled j and dge after a short vowel), l, m, n (spelled n), p, r (spelled r), s (spelled s), and t. Since we haven’t really reached the point where we are doing all of the irregular spellings, you can practice the short vowel tricks with the kids if you want to help them (short vowel + ck and short vowel + dge). We expect the kids to be using these spellings correctly and that every sound has a symbol that makes sense (even if it isn’t completely correct).

In math, we have learned addition strategies and we are now on to subtraction strategies. We have learned counting on to add (say the biggest number and count on from there: 9+4= say 9, 10, 11, 12, 14). Using the same strategy for the inverse relationship, the kids have learned to count back (say the biggest number and count back from there: 9-4= say 9, 8, 7, 6, 5). The kids should NOT be using their fingers as a strategy at this point (for both addends anyway). They can also use a number line to count on and count back if that helps.

Academic Vocabular for math

Academic vocabulary is the words that we use to discuss specific concepts in school. Here are some of the vocabulary words that we've been discussing in math:

Sum: the answer to an addition problem

Difference: the answer to a subtraction problem

Addend: one of the “parts” in an addition sentence

Count on: a strategy for adding

Count back: a strategy for subtracting

Curriculum Update

During the past week, we have reviewed a lot of sounds and their spellings. Since we use the same reading program as Kindergarten (just a different level), the kids often say that they have already seen the sound card that we’re learning. The difference is that in Kindergarten, they learn the sounds and in First Grade, we build off of that and they learn the correct spellings and rules for each sound. I will always add the sounds/spellings to my curriculum part of the newsletter, so keep informed as to which sounds/spellings we expect the kids to know and use correctly. Thanks!
We learned short o, short u, c spelled c and ck (only after a short vowel), and r spelled r (no wr yet).

We also did several Writers’ Workshop lessons using ordering words (first, then, next, and last). We also did some free writings using various story starters. With writing, the more practice the kids get, the better. One really important part of becoming a good writer actually has to do with handwriting. Once the kids can form letters correctly and naturally, it doesn’t stop their train of thought when writing. We really stress correct letter formation so that they can get to this point and become successful writers. Your help on correct grip and letter formation at home is always helpful.

In math, we continue to count tens and ones as well as learn and review addition and subtraction strategies. Again, we discourage the use of “finger counting” at this point and encourage the kids to use the “counting on” or “counting back” strategies instead. As a reminder, counting on means that they put the bigger addend in their head and count on using their fingers. Counting back is the same thing but subtracting from the greatest number. One strategy for visualizing these strategies is using a number line to count on or count back. Instead of putting the number in their head, they point to it on a number line and jump up or back as they count on or back. Have the kids be your instructor!

In science, we are wrapping up our unit on plants and animals. The kids know the basic needs of plants (soil, sunlight, nutrients, and water). They should know the basic plant parts (flower, stem, leaves, roots, and seeds). They also learned the types of teeth and how they can be clues as to what that animal eats. They learned incisors, canines, and molars. We wrote all of these notes as well as other plant observations in our science notebook. The kids have done a really great job on their notebooks!

100 Sight Words

As you know, inside the homework is the list of the first hundred sight words. Many kids can read all of these and some are still working on it. This is an end of the year goal for first graders, but we will continue past that list. It is also an end of the year goal for the kids to be able to spell those words correctly. If your child is one who already can read these words, you can work with them on spelling them correctly. Thanks for your support!

Curriculum Update

This week, we worked on the sounds/spellings for d, l, short o, and b. We read various stories and completed comprehension activities to go with them. We learned the word “graphic organizer”, which you will see in the Friday Folder.

In math, we learned that you can reverse the addends in an addition sentence and still have the same sum. We call these “flip flops”. We are really working hard on learning these academic terms: sum, addend, addition sentence.

We also learned how to count on. This is the best and expected strategy to figure out the sum of an addition problem. Here’s what we tell the kids (so you can continue it at home as well): put the biggest number in your head and count on to find the answer. For example, 5+4=9. They put 5 in their head and count on 6, 7, 8, 9. We do not want them to count to 5 first and then on to 9 any longer. They should be starting to do this independently and the use of all fingers is discouraged.

In science, we made a hypothesis about what would happen to our different grasses if we mowed them. We did mow them and are making observations in our science notebook. We will wait about a week and see if our hypothesis was correct. We tell the kids that a hypothesis is a guess that you can check.

Curriculum Update

This week, we have reviewed the sounds and spellings for the n, s, m, short a, short i, h, and p. We started an activity called “blending chart” this week too. During blending chart, the kids are asked to isolate sounds as well as blend them together. We talked a lot about how these words may be easy for the kids to read, it’s important to recognize word patterns and read individual sounds as ONE ELEMENT of a comprehensive language arts program (well- we don’t use those exact words in first grade). The kids know that blending chart helps them become better readers as well as better spellers (the short story J).

In math, we are learning about how two “parts” make a “whole”. We are practicing academic vocabulary such as “sum” (the answer to an addition problem or the whole), “addend” (the parts in the number sentence), vertical, and horizontal. We used dominoes to show that an addition sentence can be either vertical or horizontal and that the order of the addends doesn’t matter.

In science, we read several “stories” in our science readers on plants and what they need to grow. We planted wheat seeds in a straw and made a hypothesis about if they will grow without soil or not.

Curriculum Update

This week, we reviewed the following sound cards (building on what was learned in kindergarten): short a, s, and m. In class, we talk a lot about whether we are using our voices or just air to articulate sounds. This helps make sure that kids are consistently pronouncing sounds correctly. Correct pronunciation assists in correct phonetic spelling (sounding out to spell).

Along with saying, writing, and reading these sounds, we are reading various stories and completing comprehension activities. We often discuss that the reason we read is to remember what we’ve read (at this level, it’s important that the kids take ownership in their learning).

We also did a lesson on writing in order (following steps or directions). The kids helped me brainstorm how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They then helped me form sentences and put them in order. The kids did a great job creating this paragraph and writing it out too. At this point, we are practicing using correct punctuation, using finger spaces, writing a capital letter in the beginning of the sentence, and that every sound has a symbol.

Community Service Commitment

During Friday Flag two weeks ago, Mrs. Kawata challenged every classroom to take the initiative to do some community service. As you know, our class participated in Coastal Clean-Up Day today and we feel GREAT about volunteering for this event. The kids were very excited to be able to help out. Hopefully this is a lesson that they will use throughout their life!

Conflict Resolution

We have been working hard on our character words at Rancho. We utilize the "Conflict Wheel" in class, which is a tool for choosing appropriate responses to a conflice. In addition, we are practicing the following conflict resolution strategy for students to verbalize how they feel:  

When you ____________________

It makes me feel _____________________.

I want you to stop ____________________.

If you don’t, I will have to tell an adult.

If students are hurt, skip the “when” statement.

Rancho Round-Up Basket

Be sure to look at the flyer in this week’s Friday Folder regarding our classroom basket. Our themed auction basket needs to be filled with goodies for detailing cars! Be creative and send in any donations with your child. Basket donations are due Friday, October 7^th. Thanks for participating!

Homework Folder Letter- FYI

Dear First Grade Families,

On the back of this letter is a list of the 100 high-frequency words that our first graders need to know by the end of the school year. This list of words represents 50% of all the words children encounter in elementary reading. Most of these words are “sight words”, which do not follow phonetic rules so memorizing these words is essential in becoming a fluent reader and writer.

Some ideas for practicing these words:

*Make flash cards

*Play games with them such as Bingo

*Repetitive reading

*Writing practice

Please keep this in your homework folder and use it as a study guide. As the year progresses, I will change this information as a way to continue necessary practice at home.

Thank you for your commitment to our students!

Welcome back to school! This is such an exciting time of year for students and teachers alike!  With all of the excitement, there is a lot of change too. The transition from kindergarten to first grade is often a challenge. Some differences that effect students the most include the longer school day, only ONE teacher in the classroom with them, and each student has their own space and supplies. This requires students to practice a little more independence as well as responsibility. This year is going to be a fun adventure with a lot of learning! Let's support these children and watch them blossom. Thank you for your commitment!

I can't wait to meet all of the new families in Room 4! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. Also, we'll have Back to School Night next week, where I'll go over the details of our first grade program and expectations. Thanks for your support!