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!