Have an amazing summer!!!
Monday June 13, 2016
Hello all!
I can't believe that I am writing you my final newsletter of the year! It feels like it has gone by in a flash! I was so happy to see so many of you at our End of the Year Celebration! We had a lot of fun sharing memories from the year, the students' poetry, and their non-fiction chapter books!
In reading this week we are working on planning for summer reading. The students are reflecting on what they have loved about reading all year (books, authors, characters) and are using those interests to help guide them to choose books over the summer. We are talking about places to get books like the library, bookstores, and even borrowing from friends. The completed plan will go home with each child to help them (and you) pick out just right books all summer long!
During our writing time this week are doing something really special. We are practicing plays based on our favorite Elephant and Piggie books. Each student is paired up and are playing the role of either Gerald or Piggie. They are looking at the pictures in the book to help them form their character, and then using a script to make the play their own. We will be performing on the last two days of school! I will try my best to post videos!
In math this week we are working on numberless word problems. These are problems in which numbers are slowing introduced after students have visualized what the problem would really look like. This helps them understand the operations being used, instead of just going into adding or subtracting without thinking deeply about why. Here's an example: There were some frogs in the pond. Some more frogs joined them. (The students would stop, answer questions, visualize, then draw what they see.) There were 5 frogs in the pond. Some more frogs joined them (more drawing and questions). There were 5 frogs in the pond. Then 4 frogs joined them. (Drawing, questions, figuring out what questions they could ask.) There were 5 frogs in the pond. 4 frogs joined them. How many frogs are in the pond now? (Choosing operation and why, and number sentence to solve). They have been really awesome and get trickier and trickier as we move along!
This week we will have our incredible school store. Please check out the videos and photos on the class photos page later on this week!
I can't believe that I am looking forward to our LAST week! Have a very happy summer!!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
I can't believe that I am writing you my final newsletter of the year! It feels like it has gone by in a flash! I was so happy to see so many of you at our End of the Year Celebration! We had a lot of fun sharing memories from the year, the students' poetry, and their non-fiction chapter books!
In reading this week we are working on planning for summer reading. The students are reflecting on what they have loved about reading all year (books, authors, characters) and are using those interests to help guide them to choose books over the summer. We are talking about places to get books like the library, bookstores, and even borrowing from friends. The completed plan will go home with each child to help them (and you) pick out just right books all summer long!
During our writing time this week are doing something really special. We are practicing plays based on our favorite Elephant and Piggie books. Each student is paired up and are playing the role of either Gerald or Piggie. They are looking at the pictures in the book to help them form their character, and then using a script to make the play their own. We will be performing on the last two days of school! I will try my best to post videos!
In math this week we are working on numberless word problems. These are problems in which numbers are slowing introduced after students have visualized what the problem would really look like. This helps them understand the operations being used, instead of just going into adding or subtracting without thinking deeply about why. Here's an example: There were some frogs in the pond. Some more frogs joined them. (The students would stop, answer questions, visualize, then draw what they see.) There were 5 frogs in the pond. Some more frogs joined them (more drawing and questions). There were 5 frogs in the pond. Then 4 frogs joined them. (Drawing, questions, figuring out what questions they could ask.) There were 5 frogs in the pond. 4 frogs joined them. How many frogs are in the pond now? (Choosing operation and why, and number sentence to solve). They have been really awesome and get trickier and trickier as we move along!
This week we will have our incredible school store. Please check out the videos and photos on the class photos page later on this week!
I can't believe that I am looking forward to our LAST week! Have a very happy summer!!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday May 6th, 2016
Hello all!
Never a dull moment in first grade! There are so many things to talk about, but I want to spend the majority of my newsletter this week talking about the amazing work your children have been doing in their reading book clubs! Before I get to that, I just want to again say thank you for the overwhelming amount of appreciation I felt this week! Thank you for your continued support and your amazing children!
This week our class began our second book clubs this year, this time focusing on characters and series. The previous unit in reading was all about learning about characters, learning lessons, predicting what might come next, and noticing patterns in series. This was the perfect lead in to an opportunity for the students to grow their ideas about characters together, and expand their reading skills.
First let me explain what a book club looks like in our classroom. Students were paired together with a reading partner, one who is a similar to reader to themselves. Then, each partnership got a basket of books all in the same series. I trade to make each series a new one for the students, so they could come into the club fresh and learn together as they were going. After each club was established, the routines were made clear. Each partnership needed to read the same book as their partner, post-it in the book while they were reading, and have a conversation about the books. More on each of these components follows...
When each partner chose how they were going to read, the outcomes were different. Some students chose to read a book together, page by page. Others chose to read a book, then switch with a partner and read their book. Some chose to read the same book at the same time, but with two different copies. Some groups chose a combination of these options. Either way, all clubs were reading and sharing the reading every day.
As each club read, they kept beside them symbols to help them stop and jot. For example, one symbol was a star. This was what they could write on a post-it when they got to an important part. Another symbol was a thought bubble. This would be used when they were making a prediction about what would come next. The goal of using these post-its was for students to be aware of their thinking, and be able to get ready for the third component: partner conversations.
I explained to the students that conversations are like tennis matches; the best ones have the ball going back and forth between the two players several times. To help them really visualize how well they were actually communicating with their partner and staying on topic, each student got 4 colored connecting cubes. When one partner took a post-it and started a conversation, they placed their first cube in between them. If their partner could talk back to what they say, he or she could add his or her cube to the first cube. If the first partner could add on to that comment, another cube would be added and so on. Students began to see that some post-its made really tall cube towers, and some they couldn't talk as a long about. They also pushed themselves to say more instead of just "I agree with you" and going back to reading,.
I wanted to use my newsletter today to share this with you because I have been simply blown away by what your children have been able to do with these book clubs. The conversations I have heard, the amazing reading abilities I have seen, and the independence and cooperation have been outstanding. We will be concluding our book clubs next week, but I hope that all of these great developments in their reading lives stick around a lot longer!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Never a dull moment in first grade! There are so many things to talk about, but I want to spend the majority of my newsletter this week talking about the amazing work your children have been doing in their reading book clubs! Before I get to that, I just want to again say thank you for the overwhelming amount of appreciation I felt this week! Thank you for your continued support and your amazing children!
This week our class began our second book clubs this year, this time focusing on characters and series. The previous unit in reading was all about learning about characters, learning lessons, predicting what might come next, and noticing patterns in series. This was the perfect lead in to an opportunity for the students to grow their ideas about characters together, and expand their reading skills.
First let me explain what a book club looks like in our classroom. Students were paired together with a reading partner, one who is a similar to reader to themselves. Then, each partnership got a basket of books all in the same series. I trade to make each series a new one for the students, so they could come into the club fresh and learn together as they were going. After each club was established, the routines were made clear. Each partnership needed to read the same book as their partner, post-it in the book while they were reading, and have a conversation about the books. More on each of these components follows...
When each partner chose how they were going to read, the outcomes were different. Some students chose to read a book together, page by page. Others chose to read a book, then switch with a partner and read their book. Some chose to read the same book at the same time, but with two different copies. Some groups chose a combination of these options. Either way, all clubs were reading and sharing the reading every day.
As each club read, they kept beside them symbols to help them stop and jot. For example, one symbol was a star. This was what they could write on a post-it when they got to an important part. Another symbol was a thought bubble. This would be used when they were making a prediction about what would come next. The goal of using these post-its was for students to be aware of their thinking, and be able to get ready for the third component: partner conversations.
I explained to the students that conversations are like tennis matches; the best ones have the ball going back and forth between the two players several times. To help them really visualize how well they were actually communicating with their partner and staying on topic, each student got 4 colored connecting cubes. When one partner took a post-it and started a conversation, they placed their first cube in between them. If their partner could talk back to what they say, he or she could add his or her cube to the first cube. If the first partner could add on to that comment, another cube would be added and so on. Students began to see that some post-its made really tall cube towers, and some they couldn't talk as a long about. They also pushed themselves to say more instead of just "I agree with you" and going back to reading,.
I wanted to use my newsletter today to share this with you because I have been simply blown away by what your children have been able to do with these book clubs. The conversations I have heard, the amazing reading abilities I have seen, and the independence and cooperation have been outstanding. We will be concluding our book clubs next week, but I hope that all of these great developments in their reading lives stick around a lot longer!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday April 22, 2016
Hello all!
Wow what a beautiful week! Everything is brighter and sunnier, especially here in our classroom!
In reading this week the students started working really hard on figuring out the lessons in their books. They did this by thinking about how the story's problem got solved, or what the main character learned. Then, they took this idea, and tried to apply the lesson to people outside of the book. In other words, they tried to see how the lesson a character learned can be applied universally. We talked about how these lessons often sound like fortune cookies "Make new friends but keep the old" "Be grateful for what you have" "Honesty is the best policy". This is fancy, sophisticated work, and we didn't stop there! The students not only worked on finding lessons in their books, but then going to the next step and comparing and contrasting lessons from two different books. This is something they will continue to work on in first grade and beyond, but we have a great start!
In writing this week the students finished up their realistic fiction units. Today we celebrated our unit with a "Writing Celebration Scavenger Hunt". Each student got a list of things to find in other stories (A character who has a pet, A part that made you laugh, etc) and while reading their friends books they would write down and notice when they found something on their list. It was just another way to make reading and writing feel exciting and help students really look closely at the hard work their friends have done. Our next unit will be non-fiction chapter books!
This week was a tough one in math. The students worked on regrouping with addition. All of the things students thought they understood about addition began to feel complicated and confused once this new concept was introduced. I did my best to slow down and help students use manipulatives and pictures to help them see what they were really doing, besides just focusing on the algorithm. This is a difficult concept to grasp and it will be continued to be worked on here and in 2nd grade!
In science the students all formed partnerships to create a visual representation of three types of clouds were learned about: cumulus, stratus, and cirrus.
As always, I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Wow what a beautiful week! Everything is brighter and sunnier, especially here in our classroom!
In reading this week the students started working really hard on figuring out the lessons in their books. They did this by thinking about how the story's problem got solved, or what the main character learned. Then, they took this idea, and tried to apply the lesson to people outside of the book. In other words, they tried to see how the lesson a character learned can be applied universally. We talked about how these lessons often sound like fortune cookies "Make new friends but keep the old" "Be grateful for what you have" "Honesty is the best policy". This is fancy, sophisticated work, and we didn't stop there! The students not only worked on finding lessons in their books, but then going to the next step and comparing and contrasting lessons from two different books. This is something they will continue to work on in first grade and beyond, but we have a great start!
In writing this week the students finished up their realistic fiction units. Today we celebrated our unit with a "Writing Celebration Scavenger Hunt". Each student got a list of things to find in other stories (A character who has a pet, A part that made you laugh, etc) and while reading their friends books they would write down and notice when they found something on their list. It was just another way to make reading and writing feel exciting and help students really look closely at the hard work their friends have done. Our next unit will be non-fiction chapter books!
This week was a tough one in math. The students worked on regrouping with addition. All of the things students thought they understood about addition began to feel complicated and confused once this new concept was introduced. I did my best to slow down and help students use manipulatives and pictures to help them see what they were really doing, besides just focusing on the algorithm. This is a difficult concept to grasp and it will be continued to be worked on here and in 2nd grade!
In science the students all formed partnerships to create a visual representation of three types of clouds were learned about: cumulus, stratus, and cirrus.
As always, I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday April 8th, 2016
Hello all!
It has been great to be back this week after a restful spring break! I hope you all had a great time!
In reading this week we began a new reading adventure: learning all about characters. The students learned that when reading a book, it's important to learn as much as you can about the main characters, and the supporting characters as well! Students know to look at what a character does and says to help them figure out what they like or dislike, and details about their personality. Knowing about characters also helps with fluency, we learned. When you understand what a character is like, you can make your voice sound like them as you read!
In writing this week the students started their second realistic fiction series. They already wrote one series that we published and made boxed sets (out of the cereal boxes you sent in) and they are displayed in our library for everyone to read. Now, they are taking what they learned in that first series, and applying and extending their understanding in a new series. Students are learning to create chapters, new elaboration patterns, and fine-tuning their punctuation skills. The stories that are being crafted are more detailed, thought out, and fun than ever before!
In math this week we finished up our unit on Comparing Numbers. I was very impressed with each student's assessment this week as they showed their understanding of the unit really well. We are beginning a new unit on adding with tens and ones, which will be their first introduction to adding with double digit numbers!
In science we have been learning about weather. This week the students learned about the water cycle by watching videos, reading, and learning a song! They then created "wearable water-cycles", which I'm sure you all saw! Next week we are going to be studying the different types of clouds.
As always I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
It has been great to be back this week after a restful spring break! I hope you all had a great time!
In reading this week we began a new reading adventure: learning all about characters. The students learned that when reading a book, it's important to learn as much as you can about the main characters, and the supporting characters as well! Students know to look at what a character does and says to help them figure out what they like or dislike, and details about their personality. Knowing about characters also helps with fluency, we learned. When you understand what a character is like, you can make your voice sound like them as you read!
In writing this week the students started their second realistic fiction series. They already wrote one series that we published and made boxed sets (out of the cereal boxes you sent in) and they are displayed in our library for everyone to read. Now, they are taking what they learned in that first series, and applying and extending their understanding in a new series. Students are learning to create chapters, new elaboration patterns, and fine-tuning their punctuation skills. The stories that are being crafted are more detailed, thought out, and fun than ever before!
In math this week we finished up our unit on Comparing Numbers. I was very impressed with each student's assessment this week as they showed their understanding of the unit really well. We are beginning a new unit on adding with tens and ones, which will be their first introduction to adding with double digit numbers!
In science we have been learning about weather. This week the students learned about the water cycle by watching videos, reading, and learning a song! They then created "wearable water-cycles", which I'm sure you all saw! Next week we are going to be studying the different types of clouds.
As always I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday March 11th, 2016
Hello all!
What a crazy week it has been! I don't have too much to report since I was only in school two days, but I want to keep up with these newsletters!
I am feeling much better, and thank you to all of you who reached out! That stomach bug really knocked me out! I am happy to say that the reports I got back about the students were really positive. They were well behaved and flexible to all of the many changes they had to endure during this week! I am so proud of how well they remembered classroom routines and were respectful!
In reading this week we began our new unit focusing on understanding character. We are calling this going on a Reading Adventure! Each week we will also have a new time for sharing reading adventures with partners!
The students continued work on their realistic fiction stories this week and set goals for themselves to continue on for the rest of the unit.
In math the students learned about expanded form, and making an organized list to show multiple ways to represent double digit numbers in tens and ones.
Our pea plants our growing! We are noticing many sprouts poking through the ground so we are all very excited!
I am looking forward to (a healthy) next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
What a crazy week it has been! I don't have too much to report since I was only in school two days, but I want to keep up with these newsletters!
I am feeling much better, and thank you to all of you who reached out! That stomach bug really knocked me out! I am happy to say that the reports I got back about the students were really positive. They were well behaved and flexible to all of the many changes they had to endure during this week! I am so proud of how well they remembered classroom routines and were respectful!
In reading this week we began our new unit focusing on understanding character. We are calling this going on a Reading Adventure! Each week we will also have a new time for sharing reading adventures with partners!
The students continued work on their realistic fiction stories this week and set goals for themselves to continue on for the rest of the unit.
In math the students learned about expanded form, and making an organized list to show multiple ways to represent double digit numbers in tens and ones.
Our pea plants our growing! We are noticing many sprouts poking through the ground so we are all very excited!
I am looking forward to (a healthy) next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday March 4th, 2016
Hello all!
Wow, these newsletters have really gotten away from me this year! I apologize for that! Hopefully you have felt that I have kept you in the loop in other ways, and I promise to be consistent with the newsletters in the future!
In reading this week, we finished up our really fun unit on Fairy Tales. The students celebrated all that they have learned about Fairy Tales and Folk Tales by doing some dramatic re-enactments of their favorite parts of their favorite stories. Each student read through his or her favorite story, and looked for a part where a character had a really big feeling. They then marked this place with a post-it, and practiced acting this part out with a partner. Finally, each partnership performed their mini skits for the class. Next week we are starting our new reading unit, which has a focus on understanding characters!
In writing this week we began a new unit on realistic fiction! The students learned that realistic fiction stories are stories that COULD happen but DIDN"T. They learned to create a realistic fiction story by making up a pretend character, giving them a name, imagining a place they could be, and then thinking of trouble the character could have in that place. Students learned that characters can be made to be like them or like someone they know, and that settings can be real places that they know, to make their stories feel real.
In math this week we started learning about tens and ones. Students are understanding that a number like 20 is made up of 2 groups of tens. Students are seeing that digits have different values depending on the place they are in the number. We are continuing to use counting patterns, hundreds charts, and problem solving to help this understanding.
In science we began an exciting adventure into the gardening world! We got a packet of pea seeds, and planted a mini vegetable garden in our classroom! We will be watching and taking care of these peas, and eventually transferring them to the courtyard. We are a part of a "First Peas to the Table" contest with several other classes in the school, and across the country. Stay tuned!
Have a great weekend and I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Wow, these newsletters have really gotten away from me this year! I apologize for that! Hopefully you have felt that I have kept you in the loop in other ways, and I promise to be consistent with the newsletters in the future!
In reading this week, we finished up our really fun unit on Fairy Tales. The students celebrated all that they have learned about Fairy Tales and Folk Tales by doing some dramatic re-enactments of their favorite parts of their favorite stories. Each student read through his or her favorite story, and looked for a part where a character had a really big feeling. They then marked this place with a post-it, and practiced acting this part out with a partner. Finally, each partnership performed their mini skits for the class. Next week we are starting our new reading unit, which has a focus on understanding characters!
In writing this week we began a new unit on realistic fiction! The students learned that realistic fiction stories are stories that COULD happen but DIDN"T. They learned to create a realistic fiction story by making up a pretend character, giving them a name, imagining a place they could be, and then thinking of trouble the character could have in that place. Students learned that characters can be made to be like them or like someone they know, and that settings can be real places that they know, to make their stories feel real.
In math this week we started learning about tens and ones. Students are understanding that a number like 20 is made up of 2 groups of tens. Students are seeing that digits have different values depending on the place they are in the number. We are continuing to use counting patterns, hundreds charts, and problem solving to help this understanding.
In science we began an exciting adventure into the gardening world! We got a packet of pea seeds, and planted a mini vegetable garden in our classroom! We will be watching and taking care of these peas, and eventually transferring them to the courtyard. We are a part of a "First Peas to the Table" contest with several other classes in the school, and across the country. Stay tuned!
Have a great weekend and I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday January 15th, 2016
Hello all!
I am so sorry that is has been a while since my last newsletter! The beginning of a new year is always a little hectic, but this year adding on turning 30 and moving on New Year's Day made it much more so! I hope you all are settling into January nicely, and I can't wait to tell you about all of the exciting things we have been doing in our class.
Firstly, I just want to say how proud I am of each of your children. January is the time of the year where we do a lot of general assessments, and the amount of growth that each of the students has made so far this year is incredible. On the first day that we can back from break I did something called an On Demand assessment for Narrative Writing. This just means I asked all of the students to write a story about their life, and they had to finish the whole story in 30 minutes without any help from me. This differs from our regular writing workshop routine. I got around the reading a lot of them finally today and I was blown away, truly. These pieces were some of the best mid-year narrative pieces that I have ever seen. The reason being is that this group of students is one of the most hard-working groups I have had the pleasure of seeing. These kids know what they are good at and know what they need to work on, and they work. They are strategic and get better each day. Not only did the students improve in the structure and content of their writing, but their spelling and handwriting have grown by leaps and bounds. I hope you have been noticing the difference as well!
This week in reading the students have been developing their decoding strategies. As books get harder, the strategies we use need to have a little bit more power to them. In the beginning of the year students learned to look for picture clues to figure out tricky words, but now when books have less picture support, they need to think about what's happening in the story and have that context help them instead of just relying on a picture. These new strategies will carry them through these next higher levels.
In writing the students have been working on writing their opinions, so far just about their collection. The students have been excited about this new genre, and their is a buzz in the air during each writing workshop period. This week we finished our first bend in the unit using collections to judge, and next we will be moving on to writing reviews about lots of different things like movies, books, restaurants, and more!
In math we have been focusing on subtraction, subtraction strategies, and and solving word problems. I am seeing a lot of improvement in understanding of the concept, but students are still struggling a bit with the automaticity of their facts. I will be adding a page to their morning binders of addition and subtraction facts to give them another opportunity to practice.
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
I am so sorry that is has been a while since my last newsletter! The beginning of a new year is always a little hectic, but this year adding on turning 30 and moving on New Year's Day made it much more so! I hope you all are settling into January nicely, and I can't wait to tell you about all of the exciting things we have been doing in our class.
Firstly, I just want to say how proud I am of each of your children. January is the time of the year where we do a lot of general assessments, and the amount of growth that each of the students has made so far this year is incredible. On the first day that we can back from break I did something called an On Demand assessment for Narrative Writing. This just means I asked all of the students to write a story about their life, and they had to finish the whole story in 30 minutes without any help from me. This differs from our regular writing workshop routine. I got around the reading a lot of them finally today and I was blown away, truly. These pieces were some of the best mid-year narrative pieces that I have ever seen. The reason being is that this group of students is one of the most hard-working groups I have had the pleasure of seeing. These kids know what they are good at and know what they need to work on, and they work. They are strategic and get better each day. Not only did the students improve in the structure and content of their writing, but their spelling and handwriting have grown by leaps and bounds. I hope you have been noticing the difference as well!
This week in reading the students have been developing their decoding strategies. As books get harder, the strategies we use need to have a little bit more power to them. In the beginning of the year students learned to look for picture clues to figure out tricky words, but now when books have less picture support, they need to think about what's happening in the story and have that context help them instead of just relying on a picture. These new strategies will carry them through these next higher levels.
In writing the students have been working on writing their opinions, so far just about their collection. The students have been excited about this new genre, and their is a buzz in the air during each writing workshop period. This week we finished our first bend in the unit using collections to judge, and next we will be moving on to writing reviews about lots of different things like movies, books, restaurants, and more!
In math we have been focusing on subtraction, subtraction strategies, and and solving word problems. I am seeing a lot of improvement in understanding of the concept, but students are still struggling a bit with the automaticity of their facts. I will be adding a page to their morning binders of addition and subtraction facts to give them another opportunity to practice.
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Wednesday December 23, 2015
Hello all!
Have a wonderful holiday and winter break and see you in the new year!!
I'm looking forward to next year!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Have a wonderful holiday and winter break and see you in the new year!!
I'm looking forward to next year!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday December 11, 2015
Hello all!
Our room has been buzzing with learning all week! Between book clubs, writing groups, and new math strategies, the students have been making huge strides!
In reading this week we began our first book clubs, focused on nonfiction. The students are broken up into groups of two, and then they chose a basket of books on a specific topic that most interested them. The clubs we have are "Creepy Crawlies", "Up, up, and Away!", "Is it Hot in Here?" "Brr..Cold Animals", "Here Kitty, Kitty", "Wild Weather", and "Under the Sea". Each group is working together to find answers to questions, locate key words, figure out new vocabulary, and build their knowledge on these exciting topics. I have seen such amazing reading work in these clubs, showing me how well students' work in independent and guided reading is transferring to the work they do throughout the day!
In writing this week we continued on with our two groups. The group working on writing for readers is really blowing me away. All of their writing has become so much more readable, and they are becoming such strategic and brave spellers. I know I can pick up any of their pieces and read it all the way through, and they can too! This week they worked on putting finger sized spaces between words, using the word wall, and spelling new words using word wall words. Their hard work is really paying off! MY Kevin Henkes author study group is also growing to new heights. They are working hard on writing detailed and focused small moments, with tons of creativity. They have been working on using some craft moves that Kevin Henkes does in his writing in their own books, such as repeating lines, beginning lines and ending lines that are circular, making lists, and more. The excitement for writing small moments is definitely at an all time high!
In math this week I noticed some students were still having difficulty with some basic addition facts. I saw some students staring blankly when they were faced with certain problems, and I realized I needed to do something. In reading when students get stuck, they use their decoding strategies or nonfiction strategies, or any number of strategies we have on charts around the room. But in math, we have done a lot of talking about strategies, but not making them as concrete as a chart. So i took the strategies the students already knew, and put them into a chart that looks very similar to the decoding strategies. With this tool, those students now no longer stare blankly, but instead choose a strategy, and try with optimism. It has already made a big difference!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Our room has been buzzing with learning all week! Between book clubs, writing groups, and new math strategies, the students have been making huge strides!
In reading this week we began our first book clubs, focused on nonfiction. The students are broken up into groups of two, and then they chose a basket of books on a specific topic that most interested them. The clubs we have are "Creepy Crawlies", "Up, up, and Away!", "Is it Hot in Here?" "Brr..Cold Animals", "Here Kitty, Kitty", "Wild Weather", and "Under the Sea". Each group is working together to find answers to questions, locate key words, figure out new vocabulary, and build their knowledge on these exciting topics. I have seen such amazing reading work in these clubs, showing me how well students' work in independent and guided reading is transferring to the work they do throughout the day!
In writing this week we continued on with our two groups. The group working on writing for readers is really blowing me away. All of their writing has become so much more readable, and they are becoming such strategic and brave spellers. I know I can pick up any of their pieces and read it all the way through, and they can too! This week they worked on putting finger sized spaces between words, using the word wall, and spelling new words using word wall words. Their hard work is really paying off! MY Kevin Henkes author study group is also growing to new heights. They are working hard on writing detailed and focused small moments, with tons of creativity. They have been working on using some craft moves that Kevin Henkes does in his writing in their own books, such as repeating lines, beginning lines and ending lines that are circular, making lists, and more. The excitement for writing small moments is definitely at an all time high!
In math this week I noticed some students were still having difficulty with some basic addition facts. I saw some students staring blankly when they were faced with certain problems, and I realized I needed to do something. In reading when students get stuck, they use their decoding strategies or nonfiction strategies, or any number of strategies we have on charts around the room. But in math, we have done a lot of talking about strategies, but not making them as concrete as a chart. So i took the strategies the students already knew, and put them into a chart that looks very similar to the decoding strategies. With this tool, those students now no longer stare blankly, but instead choose a strategy, and try with optimism. It has already made a big difference!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday December 4, 2015
Hello all!
It feels like a long time since we have spoken because of the mini holiday break! It was so lovely to see you all at conferences and talk about your wonderful children! Thank you so much for taking your time to sit and chat and for always being so supportive about what we do in our classroom. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This week we accomplished a lot! In reading, the students got ready to be in an awesome nonfiction book club. Starting on Monday, the students will be partnered up and will study a nonfiction topic during reading workshop, instead of their independent reading. (Independent reading will switch over to partner reading time during centers.) So this week, the students learned how best to share the information they are learning from their books. They learned to mark interesting parts with post-its, to read each page matching the feeling on that page, to find and define keywords, and to figure out the special organization of their book. They are ready and excited to start this next new chapter! Stay tuned!
In writing this week, we began a different kind of workshop. The students finished up how-to books, and when I thought about what the student's really needed to work on next, I found myself being torn. Some students needed to spend time making their writing more readable. They needed to work on spelling, letter formation, spacing, etc. Other students didn't need this as much, but could use work on making their writing more detailed and engaging. So, I decided to split the class into 2 groups. Both groups are working on writing small moments, but with a different focus. The first group to meet with me is learning lesson on how to write for a reader. Our lessons have been focused on using lower case letters, putting spaces between words, making sure each word has a vowel sound, stretching out long words, and being a brave speller. The second group to meet with me has been doing an author study of Kevin Henkes. They have been learning how to make each of their small moments have a problem and a solution, and noticing craft moves that Kevin Henkes does in his writing that we might be able to try to. It has been so much fun doing writing this way, and I know for sure that each students is getting exactly what he or she needs.
In math this week we finished up our unit on Addition and Subtraction facts to 12. Next, we are going to focus solely on addition facts, and dig in to facts up to 20. We are going to work again with familiar topics like doubles and doubles plus one, but make them even more cemented in our minds.
As always I am looking forward to next week!
Fond;y,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
It feels like a long time since we have spoken because of the mini holiday break! It was so lovely to see you all at conferences and talk about your wonderful children! Thank you so much for taking your time to sit and chat and for always being so supportive about what we do in our classroom. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This week we accomplished a lot! In reading, the students got ready to be in an awesome nonfiction book club. Starting on Monday, the students will be partnered up and will study a nonfiction topic during reading workshop, instead of their independent reading. (Independent reading will switch over to partner reading time during centers.) So this week, the students learned how best to share the information they are learning from their books. They learned to mark interesting parts with post-its, to read each page matching the feeling on that page, to find and define keywords, and to figure out the special organization of their book. They are ready and excited to start this next new chapter! Stay tuned!
In writing this week, we began a different kind of workshop. The students finished up how-to books, and when I thought about what the student's really needed to work on next, I found myself being torn. Some students needed to spend time making their writing more readable. They needed to work on spelling, letter formation, spacing, etc. Other students didn't need this as much, but could use work on making their writing more detailed and engaging. So, I decided to split the class into 2 groups. Both groups are working on writing small moments, but with a different focus. The first group to meet with me is learning lesson on how to write for a reader. Our lessons have been focused on using lower case letters, putting spaces between words, making sure each word has a vowel sound, stretching out long words, and being a brave speller. The second group to meet with me has been doing an author study of Kevin Henkes. They have been learning how to make each of their small moments have a problem and a solution, and noticing craft moves that Kevin Henkes does in his writing that we might be able to try to. It has been so much fun doing writing this way, and I know for sure that each students is getting exactly what he or she needs.
In math this week we finished up our unit on Addition and Subtraction facts to 12. Next, we are going to focus solely on addition facts, and dig in to facts up to 20. We are going to work again with familiar topics like doubles and doubles plus one, but make them even more cemented in our minds.
As always I am looking forward to next week!
Fond;y,
Miss Strauss
Friday November 13, 2015
Hello all!
I just now realized that today was Friday the 13th! I guess that is a sign that we had a great day in first grade!
In reading this week, we continued our work, digging deeper into nonfiction texts. The students learned some brand new strategies to help them figure out words, and they really struck a chord! The first was to crash word parts together. This means that students can take words and look at them as groups of chunks or spelling patterns and not just a string of letters. So the word crash, for example, can be seen as /cr/ and /ash/. Then the students can say the parts separately, noticing the patterns, and then crash them together to say the whole word. Students are already using this strategy a lot! Another great one was to do a s-l-o-w check through their words. Sometimes when first graders are reading, they say a word that doesn't make sense. This strategy reminds them to slowly check and point and slide through the words and say all the sounds they hear. This really reinforces looking through a whole word, instead of just at the first few letters.
In writing this week, things really started to gel. More than ever the students chorused "We love writing!" and "Oh no, writing is over!" and "I can't wait for writing!". I can attribute this to a few things. One: this unit on how-to writing is one that feels more comfortable to them because they wrote how-tos in Kindergarten. Two: they are all feeling more confident as writers and the process is becoming smooth. Three: they are all feeling more confident as spellers, and tackling tricky words is becoming less of a challenge. Whatever the reason may be...I like it!
In math this week we began working on doubles and doubles plus-one facts. The students got their first set of flash cards, and have begun sorting their flash cards during Math on My Own. Knowing doubles facts and doubles plus one facts really opens up a lot of doors for students in addition and subtraction, and we are on the right track!
We had our first spelling assessment this week. I will pass it back to you on Monday, as I did not have time to correct and put in their folders before the end of the day. The students did really well and were able to hold onto the pattern in unknown words. I am very pleased!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
PS- Ask your child about bullfrogs....trust me =)
Hello all!
I just now realized that today was Friday the 13th! I guess that is a sign that we had a great day in first grade!
In reading this week, we continued our work, digging deeper into nonfiction texts. The students learned some brand new strategies to help them figure out words, and they really struck a chord! The first was to crash word parts together. This means that students can take words and look at them as groups of chunks or spelling patterns and not just a string of letters. So the word crash, for example, can be seen as /cr/ and /ash/. Then the students can say the parts separately, noticing the patterns, and then crash them together to say the whole word. Students are already using this strategy a lot! Another great one was to do a s-l-o-w check through their words. Sometimes when first graders are reading, they say a word that doesn't make sense. This strategy reminds them to slowly check and point and slide through the words and say all the sounds they hear. This really reinforces looking through a whole word, instead of just at the first few letters.
In writing this week, things really started to gel. More than ever the students chorused "We love writing!" and "Oh no, writing is over!" and "I can't wait for writing!". I can attribute this to a few things. One: this unit on how-to writing is one that feels more comfortable to them because they wrote how-tos in Kindergarten. Two: they are all feeling more confident as writers and the process is becoming smooth. Three: they are all feeling more confident as spellers, and tackling tricky words is becoming less of a challenge. Whatever the reason may be...I like it!
In math this week we began working on doubles and doubles plus-one facts. The students got their first set of flash cards, and have begun sorting their flash cards during Math on My Own. Knowing doubles facts and doubles plus one facts really opens up a lot of doors for students in addition and subtraction, and we are on the right track!
We had our first spelling assessment this week. I will pass it back to you on Monday, as I did not have time to correct and put in their folders before the end of the day. The students did really well and were able to hold onto the pattern in unknown words. I am very pleased!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
PS- Ask your child about bullfrogs....trust me =)
Wednesday November 4, 2015
Hello all!
Thank you so much to those of you who made it to our writing celebration today! It is always so fun to see the students share their hard work proudly! I hope you enjoyed it as much as they did!
It was a short week, but we managed to fit in a lot! Here's a brief rundown...
- We read and read and read nonfiction, and even had a little "walk and talk" party sharing what we learned, just like an adult party!
- We learned even more strategies for writing how-to books. The students are experts on so many topics, and they are learning to list their steps in order, make pictures that teach, and include exact details so people can learn from their books.
- We did a lot of problem solving this week. First, we had to figure out how to measure a wall using shoes! We learned about estimating and measuring length with lots of different kinds of objects. Today, the students worked on problem solving how many jars they would need to fit 24 insects, if each jar could only fit 4 insects. I am seeing the students become much more independent in their problem solving abilities!
Have a great long weekend!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Thank you so much to those of you who made it to our writing celebration today! It is always so fun to see the students share their hard work proudly! I hope you enjoyed it as much as they did!
It was a short week, but we managed to fit in a lot! Here's a brief rundown...
- We read and read and read nonfiction, and even had a little "walk and talk" party sharing what we learned, just like an adult party!
- We learned even more strategies for writing how-to books. The students are experts on so many topics, and they are learning to list their steps in order, make pictures that teach, and include exact details so people can learn from their books.
- We did a lot of problem solving this week. First, we had to figure out how to measure a wall using shoes! We learned about estimating and measuring length with lots of different kinds of objects. Today, the students worked on problem solving how many jars they would need to fit 24 insects, if each jar could only fit 4 insects. I am seeing the students become much more independent in their problem solving abilities!
Have a great long weekend!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday October 23, 2015
Hello all!
What a lovely week we have had! We had some great discussions about Violence Prevention. The main take away the students had about how to prevent violence was to get to know someone before you decide they are an "enemy". We learned from the book "Enemy Pie" that an enemy is just a friend you haven't gotten to know yet! The students decorated our door with their own recipe for how to stay safe and prevent violence: 1 cup of kindness, 4 tbs getting to know each other, 3/4 cup asking others to play, 2 cups following the rules, 1 tsp helping others!
In reading this week, we finished our first reading unit on building good habits. We talked a lot about all of the habits each student already has, without even needing to be reminded. However, we said that even though this unit is over, our work on these good habits is not. We need to keep up these good habits, and the students also made a goal for the habits that they might not be doing every day. Today we started talking about non-fiction. Next week we are going to create our very own non-fiction library, and beginning reading books that teach!
In writing this week we finished up our small moments. They are almost ready for publication and our celebration. If you did not see the note sent home, our writing celebration will be November 4th and 2:15. I hope you can make it!
In math this week the students finished their first unit on subtraction. They all understand what subtraction is, how to subtract in many different situations, and how to use multiple strategies. Today the students did a whole group problem solving activity to solve this problem that I posed::
John loves to ride a Big Wheel (because it has 3 tires). He likes to go to the playground because there is a place just for Big Wheel riders and bicycle riders to use.
When he got to the playground, he joined 2 other Big Wheel riders and 3 bicycle riders. How many wheels were on the playground?
They all solved this problem in different ways, and some even went for a challenge!
I am looking forward to next week...and Halloween!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
What a lovely week we have had! We had some great discussions about Violence Prevention. The main take away the students had about how to prevent violence was to get to know someone before you decide they are an "enemy". We learned from the book "Enemy Pie" that an enemy is just a friend you haven't gotten to know yet! The students decorated our door with their own recipe for how to stay safe and prevent violence: 1 cup of kindness, 4 tbs getting to know each other, 3/4 cup asking others to play, 2 cups following the rules, 1 tsp helping others!
In reading this week, we finished our first reading unit on building good habits. We talked a lot about all of the habits each student already has, without even needing to be reminded. However, we said that even though this unit is over, our work on these good habits is not. We need to keep up these good habits, and the students also made a goal for the habits that they might not be doing every day. Today we started talking about non-fiction. Next week we are going to create our very own non-fiction library, and beginning reading books that teach!
In writing this week we finished up our small moments. They are almost ready for publication and our celebration. If you did not see the note sent home, our writing celebration will be November 4th and 2:15. I hope you can make it!
In math this week the students finished their first unit on subtraction. They all understand what subtraction is, how to subtract in many different situations, and how to use multiple strategies. Today the students did a whole group problem solving activity to solve this problem that I posed::
John loves to ride a Big Wheel (because it has 3 tires). He likes to go to the playground because there is a place just for Big Wheel riders and bicycle riders to use.
When he got to the playground, he joined 2 other Big Wheel riders and 3 bicycle riders. How many wheels were on the playground?
They all solved this problem in different ways, and some even went for a challenge!
I am looking forward to next week...and Halloween!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday October 16, 2015
Hello all!
Before the students left today I gave them all a huge compliment. I have seen this class come together so wonderfully this week, really hitting a stride with all of our classroom routines, behaviors, and academic growth. I am seeing your children become such amazing and thought readers, writers, math solvers, and most importantly, classmates and friends. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group!
In reading this week, the students finished learning all of the good habits for solving hard words that they need as first graders. We practiced using multiple strategies, which is what we will continue to work on all year long. When a reader can independently move from one strategy to the next, a whole new world of reading is unlocked for them!
In writing this week we began our first round of publishing on our small moment pieces. Each student chose the piece that was his/her favorite, and starting next week we will begin revising, editing, illustrating, and making covers for these books. We will then have a celebration! Each student felt excited to choose their final piece because they looked through all of their other pieces, and they started to see how much they have grown - even since September!
In math this week we worked on multiple strategies for solving subtraction problems. Your child has many ways to solve the 3 different types of subtraction problems (compare, take away, and missing part). Some of those strategies are: count backwards, use objects, use ten frames, use a part-part-whole model, use the 120 chart, and draw a picture.
Please check out our new Class Photos/Videos page for some adorable peeks into our Lightbulb Lab (creative play center).
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Before the students left today I gave them all a huge compliment. I have seen this class come together so wonderfully this week, really hitting a stride with all of our classroom routines, behaviors, and academic growth. I am seeing your children become such amazing and thought readers, writers, math solvers, and most importantly, classmates and friends. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group!
In reading this week, the students finished learning all of the good habits for solving hard words that they need as first graders. We practiced using multiple strategies, which is what we will continue to work on all year long. When a reader can independently move from one strategy to the next, a whole new world of reading is unlocked for them!
In writing this week we began our first round of publishing on our small moment pieces. Each student chose the piece that was his/her favorite, and starting next week we will begin revising, editing, illustrating, and making covers for these books. We will then have a celebration! Each student felt excited to choose their final piece because they looked through all of their other pieces, and they started to see how much they have grown - even since September!
In math this week we worked on multiple strategies for solving subtraction problems. Your child has many ways to solve the 3 different types of subtraction problems (compare, take away, and missing part). Some of those strategies are: count backwards, use objects, use ten frames, use a part-part-whole model, use the 120 chart, and draw a picture.
Please check out our new Class Photos/Videos page for some adorable peeks into our Lightbulb Lab (creative play center).
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday October 9, 2015
Hello all!
It has been quite a respectful week in our class! Not only have we been learning and reading about respect, sharing about what respect means to us, and showing respect with our outfits today, we have also been learning about empathy. The students have discovered that empathy and respect are very much linked. When you empathize with someone, you feel what they feel. When you respect someone, you feel what they feel and try to act in a way that will make them feel good. To that end, we have also been working on our "force-fields" as a way to keep respectful distances with our classmates. Each student has an invisible force field around them that other students can't break unless given permission. Showing respect at all times is always a work in progress, but using this language at home with your child is a good way to help reinforce what we are learning in class!
In reading this week, the students have continued to work on building good habits for solving hard words. They have learned to point and slide through a word, how to skip over the word and reread the sentence, how to check to make sure the word looks right, sounds right, and makes sense, and how to give themselves a running start by popping out the first 3 sounds of a word before reading the whole thing. All of these strategies are helping your child become more independent as word solvers in their reading!
In writing this week the students have been continuing their work on adding details to their small moment stories. They learned that not only can you tell what emotion you were feeling, you can show it by describing what you looked like, said, or thought. They have also been working on when to use capital letters in their writing, using our favorite Elephant and Piggie books as mentor texts!
In math this week we began working on subtraction. So far, your child has learned several strategies to help him/her subtract: using a ten frame, using objects, and using a part-part-whole model. They have learned that subtraction means both taking away, and also it means comparing two amounts and finding the difference between them. Their favorite game this week was Subtraction Firecracker!
As always, I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
It has been quite a respectful week in our class! Not only have we been learning and reading about respect, sharing about what respect means to us, and showing respect with our outfits today, we have also been learning about empathy. The students have discovered that empathy and respect are very much linked. When you empathize with someone, you feel what they feel. When you respect someone, you feel what they feel and try to act in a way that will make them feel good. To that end, we have also been working on our "force-fields" as a way to keep respectful distances with our classmates. Each student has an invisible force field around them that other students can't break unless given permission. Showing respect at all times is always a work in progress, but using this language at home with your child is a good way to help reinforce what we are learning in class!
In reading this week, the students have continued to work on building good habits for solving hard words. They have learned to point and slide through a word, how to skip over the word and reread the sentence, how to check to make sure the word looks right, sounds right, and makes sense, and how to give themselves a running start by popping out the first 3 sounds of a word before reading the whole thing. All of these strategies are helping your child become more independent as word solvers in their reading!
In writing this week the students have been continuing their work on adding details to their small moment stories. They learned that not only can you tell what emotion you were feeling, you can show it by describing what you looked like, said, or thought. They have also been working on when to use capital letters in their writing, using our favorite Elephant and Piggie books as mentor texts!
In math this week we began working on subtraction. So far, your child has learned several strategies to help him/her subtract: using a ten frame, using objects, and using a part-part-whole model. They have learned that subtraction means both taking away, and also it means comparing two amounts and finding the difference between them. Their favorite game this week was Subtraction Firecracker!
As always, I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday October 2, 2015
Hello all!
Thank you so much for sending your child in with apples today! We made delicious Cinnamon Applesauce, and the recipe is in your child's take home folder if you would like to try it someday at home!
In reading this week things really began to click! Everyone was seen in a conference with myself during independent reading, and I began guided reading with a few groups. I am feeling really good about all of the great reading habits the students are developing, and beginning to do so without any reminders! These habits will take them far in learning how to read this year! We began studying some new habits this week, these having to do with solving tricky words. The students have been learning to look for picture clues before and during reading, to get their mouth ready for the first sound of a word, to look through the whole word reading all the different parts, and to ask themselves if the word they are reading looks right, sounds right, and makes sense according to the story. We will continue to work on these and more strategies!
In writing this week the students began learning about details. They learned that in order for their stories to come to life, they need to include places to show what that their characters did, what they said, what the felt, what they thought, and to tell the story in itsy-bitsy steps. These are details that will take them through all of first grade writing and beyond!
In math this week we had our first math assessment. I told the students to think of an assessment as a tool more for me to see what I taught them well and what I need to teach them more of, instead of what they know or what they don't know. We are still getting used to first grade math, so these assessments will continue to improve. We also had a lot of fun doing some hands-on activities this week with problem solving. We did an activity with indirect measurement, trying to determine which of two giraffes was taller using only a strip of paper. The students learned that in order to measure accurately, one needs to measure both objects from the same starting point. Today we did an activity in which the students have to place animals in 3 different pens on a farm, knowing that they only had 10 spaces, and only one animal could go in each pen. This was an exercise in practicing independent problem solving, addition number sentences, reasoning, and combinations of 10. I was really impressed with everyone's hard work!
In science this week we studied apples. We did two apple experiments. The first was a blind taste test to see if we could tell the difference between apple types only by tasting them. (Results: half and half!) The second was an experiment to see the effects of lemon juice on a chopped apple. (Results: lemon juice acts as a new "skin" for the apple, protecting it from the air and keeping the fruit white!)
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Thank you so much for sending your child in with apples today! We made delicious Cinnamon Applesauce, and the recipe is in your child's take home folder if you would like to try it someday at home!
In reading this week things really began to click! Everyone was seen in a conference with myself during independent reading, and I began guided reading with a few groups. I am feeling really good about all of the great reading habits the students are developing, and beginning to do so without any reminders! These habits will take them far in learning how to read this year! We began studying some new habits this week, these having to do with solving tricky words. The students have been learning to look for picture clues before and during reading, to get their mouth ready for the first sound of a word, to look through the whole word reading all the different parts, and to ask themselves if the word they are reading looks right, sounds right, and makes sense according to the story. We will continue to work on these and more strategies!
In writing this week the students began learning about details. They learned that in order for their stories to come to life, they need to include places to show what that their characters did, what they said, what the felt, what they thought, and to tell the story in itsy-bitsy steps. These are details that will take them through all of first grade writing and beyond!
In math this week we had our first math assessment. I told the students to think of an assessment as a tool more for me to see what I taught them well and what I need to teach them more of, instead of what they know or what they don't know. We are still getting used to first grade math, so these assessments will continue to improve. We also had a lot of fun doing some hands-on activities this week with problem solving. We did an activity with indirect measurement, trying to determine which of two giraffes was taller using only a strip of paper. The students learned that in order to measure accurately, one needs to measure both objects from the same starting point. Today we did an activity in which the students have to place animals in 3 different pens on a farm, knowing that they only had 10 spaces, and only one animal could go in each pen. This was an exercise in practicing independent problem solving, addition number sentences, reasoning, and combinations of 10. I was really impressed with everyone's hard work!
In science this week we studied apples. We did two apple experiments. The first was a blind taste test to see if we could tell the difference between apple types only by tasting them. (Results: half and half!) The second was an experiment to see the effects of lemon juice on a chopped apple. (Results: lemon juice acts as a new "skin" for the apple, protecting it from the air and keeping the fruit white!)
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday September 25, 2015
Hello all!
Thank you to everyone who signed up for our Remind alert system. If anyone has not signed up, please follow the instructions on the Remind tab!
This week in reading, the students learned about what a just right book is, and how to use the 5-finger rule. The students tried out the 5-finger rule with some of the books they already had in their book baskets, and realized that they had some books that were a little too tricky for them. This is totally OK and they know that each time they book shop, they are going to know themselves better and better as readers. They are starting to notice that when they have books that are too hard to read during reading workshop, that it can feel difficult to sit and read their books the whole time. I am almost done with all of my reading assessments, so I am looking forward to beginning individual reading conferences and guided reading groups to start doing some targeted instruction!
In writing this week, the students learned all about how to be a really brave speller, and how to focus their stories. We know that first graders can't spell every single word they want to write perfectly, so we talked about writing down the sounds that you hear right now, and being brave! Once all the sounds are on the page, then the students can back and read through the word, and maybe add even more letter sounds they might have missed! A small moment story is one that is short, true, and happened to you. However, the short part can sometimes be tricky. Short doesn't mean short in length, but something that happened in a short amount of time. This is why we learned this week the difference between a big heavy watermelon topic, and a tiny, focused seed idea. This is something we will continue to work on, as focus is a big goal for first grade writers!
In math this week, the students began creating addition number sentences to go with the combinations of 6, 7, 8, and 9. You also saw their first homework assignments! I hope these problems went smoothly, and please let me know if there are any comments or concerns regarding this!
We have been studying flexibility and optimism this week, and how we can use these tools to help us through tough moments. When we feel like something might be too hard, we are optimistic and say "I can try!". When we do something one way, but it doesn't quite work, we can be flexible, and tell ourselves "I can try another way!" We have been seeing our characters in our books be flexible and optimistic, and I have been telling true stories about students in our class showing optimism or flexibility during our class storytelling time. These are great things to talk about and use as self talk when things feel tough or go wrong at home!
I am looking forward to our first full week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
Thank you to everyone who signed up for our Remind alert system. If anyone has not signed up, please follow the instructions on the Remind tab!
This week in reading, the students learned about what a just right book is, and how to use the 5-finger rule. The students tried out the 5-finger rule with some of the books they already had in their book baskets, and realized that they had some books that were a little too tricky for them. This is totally OK and they know that each time they book shop, they are going to know themselves better and better as readers. They are starting to notice that when they have books that are too hard to read during reading workshop, that it can feel difficult to sit and read their books the whole time. I am almost done with all of my reading assessments, so I am looking forward to beginning individual reading conferences and guided reading groups to start doing some targeted instruction!
In writing this week, the students learned all about how to be a really brave speller, and how to focus their stories. We know that first graders can't spell every single word they want to write perfectly, so we talked about writing down the sounds that you hear right now, and being brave! Once all the sounds are on the page, then the students can back and read through the word, and maybe add even more letter sounds they might have missed! A small moment story is one that is short, true, and happened to you. However, the short part can sometimes be tricky. Short doesn't mean short in length, but something that happened in a short amount of time. This is why we learned this week the difference between a big heavy watermelon topic, and a tiny, focused seed idea. This is something we will continue to work on, as focus is a big goal for first grade writers!
In math this week, the students began creating addition number sentences to go with the combinations of 6, 7, 8, and 9. You also saw their first homework assignments! I hope these problems went smoothly, and please let me know if there are any comments or concerns regarding this!
We have been studying flexibility and optimism this week, and how we can use these tools to help us through tough moments. When we feel like something might be too hard, we are optimistic and say "I can try!". When we do something one way, but it doesn't quite work, we can be flexible, and tell ourselves "I can try another way!" We have been seeing our characters in our books be flexible and optimistic, and I have been telling true stories about students in our class showing optimism or flexibility during our class storytelling time. These are great things to talk about and use as self talk when things feel tough or go wrong at home!
I am looking forward to our first full week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
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Friday September 18, 2015
Hello all!
What an amazing week we have had in first grade! With back to school night, getting more comfortable with our routines, having so many parts of our classroom up and running, things are really starting to come together!
In reading this week, as we talked about at back to school night, all students shopped for their first set of independent books. These books were chosen by interest, so the students are just getting a feel for what it is like to book shop in first grade. We will continue to develop these skills. As the students are all now in independent book boxes, I am beginning some reading assessments. It is so great getting to know your children as readers!
In writing this week, the students began to get into true writing workshop, getting the feel for how minilessons go, and what the work they do on their own looks and feels like. I have been able to have at least one individual conference with every student, as will continue to be my goal each week. We are off to a great start, and I can't wait to teach them all that small moment writing has to offer in the coming weeks!
In math this week the students began full math centers. They began with a topic 1 pre-assessment, and then we had our first official math lesson on Thursday. The student now know how each part of our math workshop goes, and are getting more and more comfortable each day. They know how to independently work at Math on my Own, how to work with partners at Math with Friends, and how to learn and grow at Math with Miss Strauss. They also know that at the end of each math workshop we go back to the carpet to share what we learned or can do after the three centers.
In social studies this week the students finished creating our classroom rules. They wrote and chose all of the rules, and signed their name as a promise to follow them as best they can. We also talked about after school safety, knowing what to do if you ever don't see the person who is supposed to pick you up outside. All students know that when in doubt...they always go back into the office!
It was so nice meeting a lot of you on Wednesday night! I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
What an amazing week we have had in first grade! With back to school night, getting more comfortable with our routines, having so many parts of our classroom up and running, things are really starting to come together!
In reading this week, as we talked about at back to school night, all students shopped for their first set of independent books. These books were chosen by interest, so the students are just getting a feel for what it is like to book shop in first grade. We will continue to develop these skills. As the students are all now in independent book boxes, I am beginning some reading assessments. It is so great getting to know your children as readers!
In writing this week, the students began to get into true writing workshop, getting the feel for how minilessons go, and what the work they do on their own looks and feels like. I have been able to have at least one individual conference with every student, as will continue to be my goal each week. We are off to a great start, and I can't wait to teach them all that small moment writing has to offer in the coming weeks!
In math this week the students began full math centers. They began with a topic 1 pre-assessment, and then we had our first official math lesson on Thursday. The student now know how each part of our math workshop goes, and are getting more and more comfortable each day. They know how to independently work at Math on my Own, how to work with partners at Math with Friends, and how to learn and grow at Math with Miss Strauss. They also know that at the end of each math workshop we go back to the carpet to share what we learned or can do after the three centers.
In social studies this week the students finished creating our classroom rules. They wrote and chose all of the rules, and signed their name as a promise to follow them as best they can. We also talked about after school safety, knowing what to do if you ever don't see the person who is supposed to pick you up outside. All students know that when in doubt...they always go back into the office!
It was so nice meeting a lot of you on Wednesday night! I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Friday September 11, 2015
Hello all!
I am so happy to be writing to you after our first five days of school! It has been an exciting whirlwind and I want to tell you a little bit more about what we did each day.
In reading workshop this week, the students began their journey as first grade readers. Right now we are building stamina for reading, so we have been reading just a few minutes each day. First we read for 3 minutes, then 5, then 7, then 10, then 12. The students have been reading from group baskets, and we will be moving towards independent book boxes next week. So far, we have been reminding ourselves of good habits that readers have. Good readers take a sneak peek of their book before they read, good readers do something when they finish a book (reread, retell, look at favorite parts), and good readers read a lot of books each day. I am excited so far by all of the growing readers in our room!
In writing workshop this week we learned the routines for getting supplies, picked writing spots, and had 2 days of real writing workshop time! The students are learning how to write small moment stories (stories that are short, true, happened to you). They are learning that you write a story by first thinking of an idea. This idea can come from a thing you do or a thing that happened to you. Then they plan their story, then write. Once students are done they learned that they can then 1)add to the pictures 2)add to the words and 3)start a new story. Writing workshop is quickly becoming our favorite time of the day!
In math the students are beginning to learn our structures and routines for math workshop. They did guided discoveries of some of our math materials, learned how to use the chrome books, and learned how to use a tic-tac-toe choice board for independent work. We should be up and running for full math centers next week!
In other parts of the day, the students have been reviewing color sight words from Kindergarten, practicing handwriting of 2 o"clock letters (c, d, a, f, g, q, s), and creating hopes and dreams for first grade. These hopes and dreams are helping lead into a discussion on the formation of class rules. We have also read a ton of books for read aloud, and have worked on a shared reading of the book Ollie the Stomper. So much fun for just 5 days!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Hello all!
I am so happy to be writing to you after our first five days of school! It has been an exciting whirlwind and I want to tell you a little bit more about what we did each day.
In reading workshop this week, the students began their journey as first grade readers. Right now we are building stamina for reading, so we have been reading just a few minutes each day. First we read for 3 minutes, then 5, then 7, then 10, then 12. The students have been reading from group baskets, and we will be moving towards independent book boxes next week. So far, we have been reminding ourselves of good habits that readers have. Good readers take a sneak peek of their book before they read, good readers do something when they finish a book (reread, retell, look at favorite parts), and good readers read a lot of books each day. I am excited so far by all of the growing readers in our room!
In writing workshop this week we learned the routines for getting supplies, picked writing spots, and had 2 days of real writing workshop time! The students are learning how to write small moment stories (stories that are short, true, happened to you). They are learning that you write a story by first thinking of an idea. This idea can come from a thing you do or a thing that happened to you. Then they plan their story, then write. Once students are done they learned that they can then 1)add to the pictures 2)add to the words and 3)start a new story. Writing workshop is quickly becoming our favorite time of the day!
In math the students are beginning to learn our structures and routines for math workshop. They did guided discoveries of some of our math materials, learned how to use the chrome books, and learned how to use a tic-tac-toe choice board for independent work. We should be up and running for full math centers next week!
In other parts of the day, the students have been reviewing color sight words from Kindergarten, practicing handwriting of 2 o"clock letters (c, d, a, f, g, q, s), and creating hopes and dreams for first grade. These hopes and dreams are helping lead into a discussion on the formation of class rules. We have also read a ton of books for read aloud, and have worked on a shared reading of the book Ollie the Stomper. So much fun for just 5 days!
I am looking forward to next week!
Fondly,
Miss Strauss
Dear First Grader,
I hope you are getting excited for the new school year and being a 1st grader! All summer I have been thinking about our classroom and the wonderful things we are going to do, and I am so happy I get to share everything with you soon.
This year is going to be a very special one. We are going to be reading lots of wonderful books together and on our own, we will be writing stories about our lives, we will be scientists discovering new things through experiments, and we are going to learn so much about numbers and math. The most important thing I want you to discover this year is how many amazing things you are able to learn and do!
There are a few items that you will need to bring in to get the year off to a great start. On the back of your welcome letter (or on this website) you will find your supply list. Also, on the first day of school please bring in a snack, your lunch, and your name written on the name tag attached to this letter!
I cannot wait to meet you and the rest of your classmates. We are going to have such a fun year together! This is the website for our class, where you can learn more about me and all of the things we will be doing together this year. You can check the website throughout the year because I will always be adding new things for you! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I will meet you on the first day!
Your Teacher,
Miss Strauss
This year is going to be a very special one. We are going to be reading lots of wonderful books together and on our own, we will be writing stories about our lives, we will be scientists discovering new things through experiments, and we are going to learn so much about numbers and math. The most important thing I want you to discover this year is how many amazing things you are able to learn and do!
There are a few items that you will need to bring in to get the year off to a great start. On the back of your welcome letter (or on this website) you will find your supply list. Also, on the first day of school please bring in a snack, your lunch, and your name written on the name tag attached to this letter!
I cannot wait to meet you and the rest of your classmates. We are going to have such a fun year together! This is the website for our class, where you can learn more about me and all of the things we will be doing together this year. You can check the website throughout the year because I will always be adding new things for you! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I will meet you on the first day!
Your Teacher,
Miss Strauss