Thirty-Third Day of School

Homework due today turned out to be bonus homework. Only half the class turned it in completed correctly so a new assignment on the same concept was assigned today for reinforcement for the test. We will review for the test tomorrow and take Topic 3 test on Thursday.

Today we learned about American Hero Roberto Clemente as our second notable American from the past. Tomorrow we will generate and post questions for oral language practice.

Please continue to retell "small moment" memorable stories (from their list) with your child to facilitate writing during workshop at school. Some students are having some difficulty articulating a memorable story fluently.

Please remember that school shoes should have some type of fastener for safety. Slip on style shoes are really not adequate for our purposes. 

Thank you to those parents that signed and returned their Unsatisfactory Notices. Some parents have come in for a conference already. Please remember that any day but Tuesdays are available for meeting. If you have any concerns about your child's progress, it may be a better time to come in for a conference now rather than at the October conference time.

At home practice activity: practice spelling words which have final consonant blend spelling patterns like, -nk, -nd, -nt, -st, -ft, etc. 

Unit 1 Week 5 Preview

We close out the unit discussing what we like to do with our friends and what we can accomplish with teamwork. Our oral vocabulary words are challenging, charity, admire, focus, offer. We will read, discuss, and generate question for a non-fiction selection about baseball and humanitarian great, Roberto Clemente. We will use our generated questions to conduct expert interviews about Roberto Clemente. Our sight words are help, now, use, very. We will develop our skill of identifying the author's purpose to develop the comprehension strategy of analyzing text structure. We will analyze texts where authors use description to give information. We will focus on final consonant blends (eg. -nk, -nt, -sk, -st, etc.) for decoding, and spelling.

For Social Science we will discuss the significance of Independence Day (HSS 1.3.2) and some national iconic symbols (HSS 1.3.3) (tested).

In P.E. we will be using teamwork to accomplish various goals as well as chasing and learning base running.

In Science we continue our exploration of matter with our second investigation of liquids.

For our upcoming unit it will be necessary for students to focus on a particular occupation of their choosing. Parents should be aware of their child's choice and possibly help their child research information about that occupation. Your child will need to know and be able to articulate where a person in the selected profession works, what they they wear, what tools they use, and what task they perform for an informational writing unit project.

Thirty-First Day of School

In Science today, we investigated different liquids to generate a list of some of their properties (tested). We discussed how our descriptions and words related to the language of the discipline through words like translucent, transparent, opaque, and viscous.

Yesterday we worked in pairs to complete our second math report of the year. We counted and recorded our counting methods of various collections of small items in order to build number sense (1.NB.1; 1.NB.2). Our focus for the activity was working cooperatively, planning, and choosing appropriate counting tools. The focus of subsequent counting reports will be accuracy and replicability of recorded data.

We will take Math Topic 3 test on Wednesday.

At home activity: practice spelling words with initial consonant blends like, sl-, cl-, bl-, fl-, st-.

You may find a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance with your child today. Please sign and remove bottom portion of the notice and return with your child to verify receipt. It is not necessary to discuss the contents of the notice with your child. I am available for after school conferences any day except Tuesdays after school. The dates for official parent conferences will be the week of the 13th of October.

Unit 1 Week 4 Preview

During week 4 we will tread lightly on the subject of pets. We will read/listen to various selections about pets including a nonfiction selection about White House Pets. Our oral vocabulary words are adorable, dear, needs, sensible, and train. We will continue the comprehension strategy of analyzing story structure using the skill of recognizing parts of the plot. Our sight words will be come, down, good, pull. In spelling we will focus on words having an initial consonant blend with the letter 'l' (fl-, pl-, cl-). We will continue working our way through seminar.  Students will continue publishing personal informational and writing personal narrative pieces. 

In Social Science we will discuss traditions in a variety of contexts, for example, the classroom, community, and family. (HSS 1.5.1) We will also begin comparing the past with the present (tested) reading a nonfiction selection titled Learn About the Past. 

Topic 2 Math Test Results

Of 21 recorded scores on the Topic 2 Math Test, 14 students passed with an adjusted score of 14 or better. One student scored 23.

Twenty-Fourth Day of School

We will very likely take Math Test Topic 2 on Thursday or Friday.

Notices of Unsatisfactory Performance will be sent home next week. Students not passing a significant portion of the dynamic reading indicator test or one or both of the math tests will likely receive an Unsatisfactory Notice. As discussed at Back-to-School Night, this is only to notify parents that their child could possibly score less than a 3 in Reading, Writing, or Math on the first reporting period. It is more than likely that your child does not even have to be aware that they are receiving an Unsatisfactory Notice at this time (unless there is an indication that their behavior or effort is less than satisfactory).

Unit 1 Week 3 Preview

In this week's instruction we focus on  how we will change and how we have changed as we grow. If your child would like to bring in a photo showing themselves as a baby, we could display these and guess who they grew into. We will also explore how animals change as they grow. We will draw conclusions about animals that change greatly and those that may only change in size as they mature. We will analyze text for character, setting, and plot. We will focus on spelling patterns: -in, -it, -iss. Our oral vocabulary words will be change, adult, learn, imitate, and practice. Our reading sight words will be be, ride, and run. In grammar we will distinguish between statements and questions. We will continue with digitization of our personal informational piece and begin on personal narrative.

In Social Science, we will discuss the difference between rights and responsibilities and what they mean for United States citizenship (HSS 1.1).

In Math we will finish up work on topic 2.

In Health we discuss how our relationship with our friends can affect our health.

In Science we continue comparing properties of various solids. We use our insight into these properties to perform an investigation.

In PE we continue to work with team members to accomplish goals. Due to weather considerations we may have indoor PE on Monday and Tuesday.

Twentieth Day of School

Students have begun to digitize their personal information pieces. As students continue to finish, we will begin our writing unit on personal narratives.

In Social Science we discussed traditions by way of comparison to Australian "First People."

Nineteenth Day of School

Today we began writing our personal informational writing paragraphs. Some students were able to complete the task. In Social Science the children were able to come up with the entire list of people/animal survival needs and prioritize them (tested). Our list is:

1. Air
2. Water 
3. Food
4. Shelter

Sometimes clothing and love (loved ones or companionship) are considered necessities outside of the top 4.

For discussion:

• What is the topic of your personal informational paper you wrote today?
• What are the basic survival needs of humans and animals in order from greater to lesser importance?
• Retell the story The Great Rope Tug

Eighteenth Day of School

Now that we have our list of small moments, each child will receive a yellow writer's folder to store work in progress. This folder will be sent home to be covered with parent's assistance. With child and parent working together, cover the folder with items of your child's interest. These images will be used to spark the writer's imagination when needed for writing details or writing topics. The items on the folder should be things which evoke memories or which the child is passionate about. Examples might include: photos of relatives, photos of memorable moments, logos from a favorite toy or game, invitations from a birthday party, or pictures of a favorite animal. Please return folders the week of the Sept. 15th.

Today we had our third drama lesson and practiced our newly acquired skills of focus and pantomime. Next week we will begin work on creating tableau.

For oral language we analyzed the structure and summarized a selection without a plot. The book was Eric Carle's Head to Toe. A summary is contrasted by a retell in that it is a one sentence account of the main parts of a selection. It will generally answer the questions where, when, who, did what, how/why, and what was the theme?

Once upon a time, a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood failed to heed her mother's instructions while walking to her grandmother's house to deliver baked goods.

 At home, a little boy named David, gets into trouble by not following rules and not using manners.

Summarizing is an excellent skill to practice after reading a book with an adult. It can be a shared activity.

Unit 1 Week 2 Preview

During week 2 we discuss how physical activity is an important part of our lives. We learn how activity keeps our bodies healthy and strong. Our oral vocabulary words are movement, energy, express, exhausted, and stretch. Our sight words are: it, over, too. We will analyze story structure to discover selections with patterned text. Examples of famous patterned text are Monday, Monday, I like Monday (Bill Martin Jr.), and The Important Book (Margaret Wise Brown). Ask your librarian for other examples. Patterned texts often become bedtime favorites and re-reading them is a good way to build fluency. We will not often use a patterned text for retelling purposes. We will read the West African folktale The Great Rope Tug and diagram the story together using a Flow Map to highlight the beginning, middle, and end. We will continue to encode and decode single syllable words with short vowels (a, e, i). We will listen to rhyme, movement, and rhythm in poetry.

In Social Science we will look briefly to the original people of Australia and learn that a tradition is a special way of doing something. often repeated annually that becomes part of a people's culture.

For discussion: What is a tradition? What traditions does your family share?

For Math we will continue our exploration of subtraction.

In Science, we will continue our exploration of matter. We will focus on solids by identifying various properties of solids.

In PE we will continues with tossing and passing balls and other objects.

Seventeenth Day of School

Today we retold the fantasy story Sam and Pam in pairs. Our retellings were judged on the criteria of clarity, completeness, accuracy, and interest.

In Science we discussed the forms of matter. We constructed a Tree Map for the 3 forms.

Mandatory Homework Assignment for Parents

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be focusing on the genre of personal narratives and for writing instruction and independent writing practice. As discussed at Back-to-School Night,  here is a description of your (the parent with input from student) work.

The Assignment:

Over the next few days, construct a list of memorable events. These individual events should be about moments which occur across a time span of approximately 20 minutes maximum in length. Each event should have an identifiable emotion (or two) attached to it (fear, happiness, surprise).

Examples of events which will not work:

• My Day at Disneyland
• Christmas Morning
• My Birthday Party
• The Winning Game

Examples of events which will work:

• Meeting Cinderella
• Opening My Favorite Gift
• Breaking the Pinata
• Scoring the Winning Goal

Try to make a list of at least 10 memorable moments. We will refer to this list as our list of Memorable Moments. Hopefully your child will be able to construct at least 3 narratives from events in the list. They will eventually be choosing from among those narratives one which they focus on for elaboration, revising, and editing for publication.

Please finish your lists up this weekend. If all goes as planned we should begin work with our lists next week.

Topic 1 Math Test Results

Of the 20 recorded tests taken 15 students passed with a score of 12 or better. One student scored perfectly, and another child scored a 23. There was a bimodal result of 16 and 19.

Fifteenth Day of School

Today we generated questions (CCSS R.1.1) based on our Alexander Graham Bell oral language reading. For Discussion:

• What did Alexander Graham Bell like to do?
• Why was he interested in sound?
• What did his mom teach him how to do?
• What was Alexander Graham Bell known for?
• What else can you say about Alexander Graham Bell?

Students should be able to answer questions fluently in complete sentences. This is an oral language activity.

Several homework papers were sent back home to be completed. Complete with y our child and return. Students with completed papers got a bonus. Homework bonuses will be awarded from time-to-time without notice.

Today we took our first Math Test (topic 1).

Please make sure your child comes to school on time. At only 15 days of school, some children are already developing a habit of tardiness. A tardiness not only affects the tardy child but takes instruction time away from the other children. A special thank you to those who get their children to time every day. This habit shows respect for your education, respect for the other people in your classroom, and overall dependability.

Again, thank you to those parents who have already turned in a flash drive.

If you have already turned in your child's small moments, they have been checked and were fine; your diligence is appreciated.