Week 24
Here are some highlights from the week...
We wrapped up our non-fiction reading & writing units this week. As a culmination check-in, the first graders had an hour to plan, write and revise an informational piece of writing - and wow, was I amazed! They were so focused, some of their pencils never even left the page! Their passion, knowledge and research on their topics was incredible to see! They are becoming such strong writers, readers and teachers!
We ended our non-fiction reading unit and started our new reading unit! This unit focuses on "Being the boss of your reading!" The first graders will be adding and practicing fluency and comprehension strategies to become stronger and stronger readers! The first grade readers are understanding the power and control they have over their reading :)
In math this week, we began to use our understanding of place value to compare and change numbers. The first graders built and wrote numbers and saw how they changed when you add 10 and take away 10. Our goal in first grade is to mentally be able to add and take away 10 from any number.
Friday was an exciting day... we had our second Art Literacy lesson! Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped the first graders learn about and create their own mandalas! This mindful art form is pretty incredible and the first grade artists did a great job demonstrating creativity, symmetry and focus!
On Friday afternoon the first grade engineers had another STEM challenge, creating a polar bear den using marshmallows and toothpicks. They planned, built, and revised their plans. At the end, not too many polar bears had livable dens, but the true learning takes place throughout the process!
Dialogue Journal:
This activity will support reading fluency and writing accuracy! This dialogue journal is a back and forth project you do together. It models good writing, plus helps kids learn to get their true thoughts down on paper.
What You Need: Spiral notebook (your child may choose a notebook with a fancy cover or you can decorate one together)
What You Do:
1. Tell your child to imagine that you have both lost your voices and will need to write things down,rather than speak. Introduce the dialogue journal by explaining what the word dialogue means, and tell your child that your journal will be used for communication once a day. In a way, it's kind of like the game of tag, but with writing, as you'll work back and forth on it. Decide upon an accessible spot to keep the journal.
2. The parent should write the first entry in the journal.Keep it short and light; write about whatever comes to mind and remember that your child will be responding to what you write.(You may include a few questions/prompts to make it easier for your child to respond.) The entry should only take about 5 minutes to write.
3. After school, your child will look at the journal and write their response.Encourage them to ask you a few questions, too, so that you can more easily respond. Questions like:“What do you think?” “What would you do?” “Can you tell me a little bit more about ______?” and similar prompts are good for soliciting rich responses.
4. Repeat Steps 2-3 as long as you wish to continue the journal.As you continue journaling, your child will enjoy a new, informal way to communicate his thoughts!
Reminders:
Here are some photos from the week...
We wrapped up our non-fiction reading & writing units this week. As a culmination check-in, the first graders had an hour to plan, write and revise an informational piece of writing - and wow, was I amazed! They were so focused, some of their pencils never even left the page! Their passion, knowledge and research on their topics was incredible to see! They are becoming such strong writers, readers and teachers!
We ended our non-fiction reading unit and started our new reading unit! This unit focuses on "Being the boss of your reading!" The first graders will be adding and practicing fluency and comprehension strategies to become stronger and stronger readers! The first grade readers are understanding the power and control they have over their reading :)
In math this week, we began to use our understanding of place value to compare and change numbers. The first graders built and wrote numbers and saw how they changed when you add 10 and take away 10. Our goal in first grade is to mentally be able to add and take away 10 from any number.
Friday was an exciting day... we had our second Art Literacy lesson! Thank you to the parent volunteers who helped the first graders learn about and create their own mandalas! This mindful art form is pretty incredible and the first grade artists did a great job demonstrating creativity, symmetry and focus!
On Friday afternoon the first grade engineers had another STEM challenge, creating a polar bear den using marshmallows and toothpicks. They planned, built, and revised their plans. At the end, not too many polar bears had livable dens, but the true learning takes place throughout the process!
Dialogue Journal:
This activity will support reading fluency and writing accuracy! This dialogue journal is a back and forth project you do together. It models good writing, plus helps kids learn to get their true thoughts down on paper.
What You Need: Spiral notebook (your child may choose a notebook with a fancy cover or you can decorate one together)
What You Do:
1. Tell your child to imagine that you have both lost your voices and will need to write things down,rather than speak. Introduce the dialogue journal by explaining what the word dialogue means, and tell your child that your journal will be used for communication once a day. In a way, it's kind of like the game of tag, but with writing, as you'll work back and forth on it. Decide upon an accessible spot to keep the journal.
2. The parent should write the first entry in the journal.Keep it short and light; write about whatever comes to mind and remember that your child will be responding to what you write.(You may include a few questions/prompts to make it easier for your child to respond.) The entry should only take about 5 minutes to write.
3. After school, your child will look at the journal and write their response.Encourage them to ask you a few questions, too, so that you can more easily respond. Questions like:“What do you think?” “What would you do?” “Can you tell me a little bit more about ______?” and similar prompts are good for soliciting rich responses.
4. Repeat Steps 2-3 as long as you wish to continue the journal.As you continue journaling, your child will enjoy a new, informal way to communicate his thoughts!
Reminders:
Saturday, February 23: Stephenson Auction @ Oregon Golf Club, 5:00pm
February 26: PTA Pizzicato Fundraiser Night, all day/eve
Here are some photos from the week...
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