New Writing Unit

This next school week (January 6-10) we will begin a new writing unit. It will be focused on opinion writing.  To introduce the students to the concept of fairly judging or forming an opinion with reasons for their opinion, we will be using collections.

Each child is welcome to bring in a collection of 5 items that are all in the same category.  Some examples might be 5 rocks or stickers, 5 writing utensils, or even 5 books they enjoy. I ask that all of their items fit inside of a shoebox or Ziploc. 

In order to start our unit on time, I ask that you please send your child’s collection with them on or by Tuesday, January 7^th. Please let us know if you have any questions. 

December 9th - December 14th

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week in reading I have been busy doing benchmark reading assessments to determine your child’s reading level. I have been so impressed with everyone’s progress. Please keep reading at home with your child so they continue to improve.

Writing: In writing this week we finished our nonfiction writing unit.  Your child drafted, revised, edited, and published a nonfiction chapter book.  To celebrate their awesome effort and hard week, we had a writing celebration! Ask your child what their published piece was about.

Math: This week in math we continued a unit on fractions.  We learned how to divide circles and rectangles into halves and fourths. Ask your child what the word partitioning means.

Theme:  During Theme Time this week, we learned the difference between wants and needs.

Tiger Pride Assembly

On December 20^th, your child is invited to wear their pajamas to school. During this day, the whole school will be wearing their PJs! Also, we will have our Holiday Party at 9:00 and our Tiger Pride Assembly at 10:45. Feel free to come and enjoy the fun!

Headphones Needed

We are very lucky to have 5 iPads in our classroom.  Your child has access to these devices on a daily bases. Because they are used so often, we are in need of some good quality headphones that will be able to withstand being used so frequently.  If you would be willing to donate some headphones to our classroom, your generosity would be GREATLY appreciated!

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

sat, read, run, she, sit, then, & he

Last week’s word wall words:

not, mom, out, now, of, put, & ran

Dates to Remember

December 20^th: School Wide PJ Day

December 20^th: Holiday Party 9:00

December 20^th: Tiger Pride Assembly 10:45

December 20^th: Dismiss at 12:30

December 21st –January 5^th:  Christmas Break

January 20^th: Make Up Snow Day

February 14^th: Make Up Snow Day 

October 4th - October 9th

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week we learned about character traits.  We used adjectives to describe characters on the inside and the outside.

Writing: In writing this week we really focused on revising and editing our nonfiction chapter books.  I have been so impressed with how much effort everyone has been using.  Ask your child what topic they have chosen to write about.

Math: This week in math we continued to learn about attributes of 2D shapes. Ask your child about how to play the game Guess My Rule.

Theme:  Your child learned about Veteran’s Day.  We incorporated math and writing while learning about this important holiday. We created a soldier using only 2D shapes and brainstormed adjectives that describe veterans.

Prize Box

Our prize box is pretty depleted these days. We are in desperate need of individually wrapped candy, stickers, tattoos, small toys, etc. If you would be willing to donate any of these items, your generosity would be GREATLY appreciated!   

Headphones Needed

We are very lucky to have 5 iPads in our classroom.  Your child has access to these devices on a daily bases. Because they are used so often, we are in need of some good quality headphones that will be able to withstand being used so frequently.  If you would be willing to donate some headphones to our classroom, your generosity would be GREATLY appreciated!

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

ball, as, be, by, & day

Last week’s word wall words:

had, they, will, too, & all

Fall Weather

Fall weather is on its way!  Please make sure your child is properly dressed for outside recess. We will go out every day as long as the weather is 32 degrees or above and the wind-chill is 25 degrees or above. There is a strong wind that blows across the playground.  Your child needs to have a jacket so they can enjoy recess comfortably! 

October 28th-November 1st

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week we learned about how to retell a story using story elements (characters, setting, problem, events, and solution). Ask your child about the strategy 5 Finger Retelling. 

Writing: We continued to write nonfiction chapter books.  We focused on how to use illustrations to help our readers understand our writing. 

Math: This week in math we started a new unit on 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. We learned the following terms: vertices, sides, square, rectangle, triangle, rhombus, trapezoid, half circle, and quarter circle.  Ask your child to explain these terms.

Parent Teacher Conferences

I am happy to announce that we had 100% attendance during Parent Teacher Conferences.  Thank you all so much for taking time to discuss your child’s progress.  I hope you found the Student Led format beneficial and it gave you insight into your child’s strengths and weaknesses.   I truly enjoyed meeting with all of you!

Book-It

A couple of week ago, I sent home a note describing a wonderful program called Book-It. If your child reads 20 books they get a FREE personalized pizza from Pizza Hut.  To help your child read good fit books, I also sent home several paper books on your child’s reading level. Please read these books with your child and have them fill out the Reading Record.  Also, your child can visit Raz-Kids.com to access books on their level as well. Happy Reading!

Veteran’s Day Assembly

The Veteran’s Day Assembly is scheduled for Friday, November 8^th at 9:00. We would like to invite all veterans to this memorable assembly.

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

had, they, will, too, & all

Last week’s word wall words:

get, come, got, play, & was

Dates to Remember

November 5^th- No School

November 8^th- Veteran’s Day Assembly

November 8^th- Fall Parties 2:00

November 12^th- PTO Meeting

October 14th-October 18th

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week we continued to learn about comprehension strategies.  We focused on how good readers make predictions to help them understand what they are reading.  When you read with your child work on making predictions!

Writing: We continued to write nonfiction chapter books.  While practicing writing informational pieces, we learned how to use commas in a series, and we learned how to combine two sentences using a conjunction.

Math: This week in math we continued our new unit on place value. We learned about the ones and tens place and how to compare numbers using the >, =, and < symbols.

Theme: This week we learned about pumpkins.  We carved a pumpkin and explored what was on the inside. We took the pumpkin’s seeds and are  trying to get them to sprout.  We also researched what pumpkins are, what pumpkins can be used for, and what pumpkins have.  Ask your child about what they learned.

Book-It

Last week I sent home a note describing a wonderful program called Book-It. If your child reads 20 books they get a FREE personalized pizza from Pizza Hut.  To help your child read good fit books, I also sent home several paper books on your child’s reading level. Please read these books with your child and have them fill out the Reading Record.  Also, your child can visit Raz-Kids.com to access books on their level as well. Happy Reading!

Student Led Conferences

Student Led Conferences give your child an opportunity to show you firsthand what they have learned in the first quarter.  This type of conference will give you insight to what your child’s strengths are and what skills they need to continue working on.   The room will be divided into several work centers.  Your child will take you to each center and demonstrate a specific skill they learned in class. At one of these centers, I will be privately presenting each of you with your child’s report card.  I will also discuss any achievements or concerns I have seen. I look forward to speaking with you all!

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

went, are, look, this, & for

Dates to Remember

October 19^th- Run for the Orchard 5K

October 22^nd and 24^th– Parent Teacher Conferences

October 25^th- No School

Class Celebration

I’m extremely happy to inform you all that our class has finally earned classroom celebration for awesome behavior! We voted on several activities we would like our reward to be.  The majority of the class chose to wear their pajamas to school. On Friday, October 18th, your child is invited to wear their most comfortable pjs and bring a SMALL stuffed animal/pillow that fits in their backpack.  Feel free to let your child wear their slippers as well.  However, I am asking that they bring a set of shoes for recess. So, congratulate your child on their awesome behavior and encourage them to keep up the good work.

October 7th - October 11th

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week we worked on comprehension strategies. We focused on making text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections.  Ask your child what the difference is between the three.

Writing: We started a new writing unit this week.  We moved away from narrative stories to nonfictional writing.  This week your child focused on writing true facts about a topic  they knows a lot about. Ask your child what they chose to write about.

Math: This week in math we started a new unit on place value. For the next two weeks, your child will learn about the ones and tens place and compare numbers using the >, =, and < symbols.

Theme: This week we learned about bats during our Theme Time. We researched what bats are, what bats can do, and what special abilities bats have.  Ask your child about what they learned.

Orchard Hills 5K

The Fourth Annual “Run for the Orchard” 5K Walk/Run will be held October 19, 2013 at Orchard Hills. Can’t wait to see you there!

Raz-Kids.com

This is a great website that allows your child to have access to hundreds of eBooks.

Website: www.raz-kids.com

User Name: Orchard1b

Happy Reading!

.

Guided Reading Envelops

Thank you all so much for reading your child’s guided reading book with them each week.  The more you read with your child the more progress they will make. Thank you for all your support!

Word Wall Words

This was the last week we reviewed all the word wall words we have learned so far. Please practice reading, writing, and spelling the following words:

the    I     to    a     is   go    my    on  me    like  and   in    we   it   so   see    up    at   he    do

you   an   can   no   am

Parent Orientation Night

Thank you all so much for attending WOHE’s Parent Orientation Night.  I hope you all found the meetings beneficial.  I know if we work together we can really see your child grow academically this year!  

September 30th - October 4th

What We Are Learning

Reading: We now have our guided reading and Daily 5 literacy block up and running!  Students are split up according to their independent reading levels.  While reading in small groups, your child will work on specific comprehension, accuracy, and fluency strategies. As a whole class, we worked on  using our schema (what we already know) to help us understand what we read. 

Writing: This week we wrapped up our narrative writing unit.  We focused on editing our stories to find errors in capital letters, punctuation, and spelling.  Ask your child about our writing celebration!

Math: We finished our unit on adding and subtraction numbers within 10. I am super proud of the progress students have made! Tell your child to keep up the good work!

Orchard Hills 5K

The Fourth Annual “Run for the Orchard” 5K Walk/Run will be held October 19, 2013 at Orchard Hills. Can’t wait to see you there!

Word Wall Words

For the next two week, we will be reviewing all the word wall words we have learned so far. Please practice reading, writing, and spelling the following words:

the    I     to    a     is   go    my    on  me    like    and   in    we   it   so   see    up    at   he    do    you   an   can   no   am

Raz-Readers

Last week I sent home information about a website called Raz-Kids. This is a great website that allows your child to have access to hundreds of eBooks.

Website: www.raz-kids.com

User Name: Orchard1b

Happy Reading!

Parent Orientation Night

Save the date October 7th from 6-7 p.m.  in your calendar. WOHE will host an informational night about our new standards based grading system. All the first grade teachers will host a short informational meeting informing you about important classroom information.  Then, you are invited to attend an informational meeting in the Commons hosted my Dr. Bishop on how to read the grade card and look at student progress.  

Dates to Remember

October 7^th-  Parent Orientation Night

October 11^th- Dismiss at 12:30

October 19^th- Run for the Orchard 5K

October 22^nd-24^th– Parent Teacher Conferences

October 25^th- No School

September 23rd - September 27th

What We Are Learning

Reading: We finally have all Daily Five Literacy Café elements up and running in our classroom! We “gently” jumped into guided reading groups for the year. Students are split up according to their independent reading levels.  While reading in small groups, your child will work on specific comprehension, accuracy, and fluency strategies. As a whole class, we worked on the  Cross Check strategy to help us with accuracy.  Ask your child what that strategy is.

Writing: Your child continues to draft small moment stories. This week we focused on editing our writing to find correct capitalization, end marks, and spelling errors. Ask your child about how M.I.N.T.S help us remember capital letters.

Math: During math this week we continued learning about adding and subtracting numbers using a number line and drawing pictures. We really focused our time on determining the difference between subtraction and addition word problems.

Parent Orientation Night

Save the date October 7th from 6-7 p.m.  in your calendar. WOHE will host an informational night about our new standards based grading system. All the first grade teachers will host a short informational meeting informing you about important classroom information.  Then, you are invited to attend an informational meeting in the Commons hosted my Dr. Bishop on how to read the grade card and look at student progress

Family Message Journals

Today your child will be bringing home a Family Message Journal.  I am so excited about this activity! Read your child’s letter and write them a quick letter back.  Your letter will really mean a lot to him or her!

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

you   an   can   no    am

Last week’s word wall words:

see   up   at    he   do

Orchard Hills 5K

The Third Annual “Run for the Orchard” 5K Walk/Run will be held October 19, 2013 at Orchard Hills. Can’t wait to see you there!

Dates to Remember

October 7^th-  Parent Orientation Night

October 19^th- Run for the Orchard 5K

September 16th - September 20th

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week we added the Listen to Reading element to our Daily Five Literacy Café. Ask your child about our 5 classroom iPads! We also learned two more strategies to help us read accurately.  Ask your child about Skippy the Frog and Stretchy Snake. We also finished DRA testing.  This test tells me your child’s reading level.  

Writing: Your child continues to draft small moment stories. We learned how to stretch out stories by looking at the small details. We focused on how to “unfreeze” characters by giving more information about the characters in the story.

Math: During math this week we continued learning about adding and subtracting numbers using a number line and drawing pictures. We really focused our time on solving subtraction word problems.

Theme: This week we used our Theme time to learn about apples. We made a Johnny Apple Seed book and read about apples in our Scholastic News Magazine.

Orchard Hills 5K

The Third Annual “Run for the Orchard” 5K Walk/Run will be held October 19, 2013 at Orchard Hills. Can’t wait to see you there!

Tiger Pride Assembly

Our first Tiger Pride Assembly is September 25th at 2:30.  Parents are more than welcome to attend! You never know when your child might be recognized for good character, teamwork, academics, or improvement!

Word Wall Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Word Wall Words. 

This week’s word wall words:

see   up   at    he   do

Last week’s word wall words:

and    in   we   it   so

Take Home Folders

Please make sure you read over and sign your child’s Take Home Folder on a nightly basis. This is a great communication tool for you and me. Also, it gives you some insight to how your child’s day was at school. 

Dates to Remember

September 25^th- First Tiger Pride Assembly

October 7^th- Parent Orientation Night

October 19^th- Run for the Orchard 5K

September 9th - September 13th

What We Are Learning

Reading: This week we added the Word Work element to our Daily Five Literacy Café. Ask your child about all the ways they can practice their word wall words! We also started DRA testing.  This test will tell me your child’s reading level.  

Writing: Your child continues to draft small moment stories. Their stories tell about something they did or something that happened to them. We also learned how to narrow down a story and have a beginning, middle, and end.

Math: During math this week we continued learning about adding and subtracting numbers using a number line. We really focused our time on subtraction this week. Your child learned how to subtract using a number line, drawing pictures, or counting backwards.

Theme: This week we used our Theme time to learn some reading strategies.  Ask your child about Chunky Monkey and Flippy Dolphin.  These two strategies help us read accurately.

Word Wall Words

Each week your child will be introduced to new sight words. Your child’s teacher last year probably called them Popcorn Words.  Willard is moving away from traditional spelling tests.  However, it is VERY important that you review these words with your child each week.  Even though they will not be tested on these words, please have your child practice reading, writing, and spelling them.  How well your child knows these words will be reflected on their grade card each quarter. 

This week’s word wall words:

and    in   we   it   so

Last week’s word wall words:

go    my    on    me    like

Box Tops

We are collecting Box Tops for Education.  For every Box Top you collect and turn into WOHE, we receive ten cents.  The class who brings in the most Box Tops each month gets to celebrate with a party! So cut those tops and return them to school.

Dates to Remember

September 20^th- Dismiss at 12:30

September 25^th- First Tiger Pride Assembly

October 19^th- Run for the Orchard 5K