Dear Parents,
I wanted to share a few highlights about first grade with you!
Reading
We’ve sure been busy reading our “Good Fit Books” in class! A Good Fit Book is one that fits you just right. It is one where you….
*Know most of the words, (I even told the kids they should be able to read all of the words… their idea of “most” is different than mine!),
*You understand the book – we talk a lot about how important it is to understand what we read. We are always asking ourselves, “Does this make sense?”
It is important for the kids to read from books that are on their level to improve their reading. We read from our Good Fit Books everyday.
We’ve also talked about the things that readers do when they come to a word they don’t know. Most first graders rely on sounding out words and often get stuck when that strategy doesn’t work. This is not the best strategy to use as there are many words that cannot be sounded out. Some steps to take when you come to a word you don’t know are:
1. Look at the picture
2. Say the beginning sound – or try sounding out the word
**Point and slide under the word, say each sound, then blend them together.
3. Skip the word, read to the end of the sentence. Then go back and reread the sentence. **This is my favorite strategy!
4. Try a word and ask yourself: Does it make sense?
Does it sound right?
Does it look right?
Other strategies to try:
*Cover part of the word and look for little words in big words, or parts of the word you know.
*Look for word patterns: day, say, way… ow says “ow” like in cow, ing says “ing”
Another important concept we learn about reading is that reading is thinking… readers are always thinking about what they are reading. We track our thinking in class by writing it down on sticky notes. We might ask questions, predict, or think about what we've learned. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about one kind of thinking readers do... they make connections when they read, thinking about what their reading reminds them of. I hope you saw the letter I sent home about making connections. When you read with your child share the connections you have!
We are also practicing connecting what they know about a topic (their background knowledge or schema) with any new learning. We talked about listening to our “inner voice” – the things we are thinking in our mind when reading. We shared some words/phrases we might hear in our inner voice when we learn something new… things like, “Wow!” “I didn’t know that!” “That’s cool!” or “Amazing!” We talked about how you can merge your schema or background knowledge with new learning. We need to pay attention to what we are learning as it might change our thinking. Practice sharing your inner voice when reading.
We are also practicing connecting what they know about a topic (their background knowledge or schema) with any new learning. We talked about listening to our “inner voice” – the things we are thinking in our mind when reading. We shared some words/phrases we might hear in our inner voice when we learn something new… things like, “Wow!” “I didn’t know that!” “That’s cool!” or “Amazing!” We talked about how you can merge your schema or background knowledge with new learning. We need to pay attention to what we are learning as it might change our thinking. Practice sharing your inner voice when reading.
Raz-Kids: Everyone has the opportunity to use this reading program from home. We also use it at school. This is a great way to have access to books on your child’s reading level. As they finish one level the program will automatically move them to the next level. If you have any questions about Raz-Kids, please let me know.
Writing
We are working on narrative writing and telling “small moment” stories from the events in our lives. A “small moment” focuses on one moment from our day… one small story, like loosing a tooth, baking cookies with Grandma, or falling out of bed. We’ve talked about the steps writers go through when writing:
1. Think of an idea
2. Plan – touch and tell – Kids meet with a partner and touch each page of their story as they tell it aloud. Sketch – sketch a picture for each page as a plan for what will go on that page.
3. Write!
4. Revise – "When you're done, you've just begun!" Did you answer the questions Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why? (This stage is the hardest for the kids! They have a hard time going back and adding to a piece they think was finished!)
5. Publish – We haven’t made it to this stage yet, but we will be “publishing” stories this year.
We will be working on adding details and strong words that help our readers picture what happened, and trying not to just tell, but show how their characters feel. We work a lot with “mentor texts” – reading great literature and using it as an example of great writing.
We also talk about using lower-case letters, adding punctuation, and using what we know about letter sounds to spell words correctly. Of course I don’t expect all words to be spelled right! But I do tell the kids that I expect them to use what we have to spell words. This includes our Word Wall and any words you can find around the room.
The kids love to write and share their writing with each other! Try and find authentic opportunities for your child to write. Have them help you write the grocery list, write down their chores, write a letter to a friend or grandparent (and they will LOVE getting letters back!), or write in a journal.
Math
In math we are well into our first unit on addition. We review this concept throughout the year. This first unit focuses on counting accurately, combining two small quantities accurately, beginning to learn and memorize basic math facts, interpreting and solving addition story problems, and finding more than one combination of addends for a number up to ten. We learn, practice, and discuss various addition strategies. Many of the kids use a strategy called “counting all” – meaning they count all of the dots or pictures of the items they are adding together. This is OK! It is the first developmental stage. They will move to “counting on” – they begin with saying one of the numbers in their head, then count on from there. (6+5 They will say “6”, then count on, “7,8,9,10,11.) The next stage is “use what you know” (“I know that 5+5 is 10, so one more is 11.) This helps us learn and memorize the basic addition facts that we can use later when adding larger numbers. Our next unit will be on geometry, focusing on two-dimensional shapes and the relationships among them.
Social Studies & Science
We've been busy building our class community and discussing what it looks like to go for the G.O.L.D. at Gold Rush. We've made our Class Promise (rules), and discussed how to keep this promise in all areas, including specials, at recess, and in the restroom. We've read many books about being responsible, keeping our friends, and even one about what happened to a little boy who tattled too much! We are beginning our science unit on rocks called "Pebbles, Sand, and Silt" this week.
As you can see, we've been busy first graders! I look forward to sharing some of their work with you at our conferences coming up this Thursday and next Tuesday, September 18th and 23rd. As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Sincerely,
Stacie Martino
The kids love to write and share their writing with each other! Try and find authentic opportunities for your child to write. Have them help you write the grocery list, write down their chores, write a letter to a friend or grandparent (and they will LOVE getting letters back!), or write in a journal.
Math
In math we are well into our first unit on addition. We review this concept throughout the year. This first unit focuses on counting accurately, combining two small quantities accurately, beginning to learn and memorize basic math facts, interpreting and solving addition story problems, and finding more than one combination of addends for a number up to ten. We learn, practice, and discuss various addition strategies. Many of the kids use a strategy called “counting all” – meaning they count all of the dots or pictures of the items they are adding together. This is OK! It is the first developmental stage. They will move to “counting on” – they begin with saying one of the numbers in their head, then count on from there. (6+5 They will say “6”, then count on, “7,8,9,10,11.) The next stage is “use what you know” (“I know that 5+5 is 10, so one more is 11.) This helps us learn and memorize the basic addition facts that we can use later when adding larger numbers. Our next unit will be on geometry, focusing on two-dimensional shapes and the relationships among them.
Social Studies & Science
We've been busy building our class community and discussing what it looks like to go for the G.O.L.D. at Gold Rush. We've made our Class Promise (rules), and discussed how to keep this promise in all areas, including specials, at recess, and in the restroom. We've read many books about being responsible, keeping our friends, and even one about what happened to a little boy who tattled too much! We are beginning our science unit on rocks called "Pebbles, Sand, and Silt" this week.
As you can see, we've been busy first graders! I look forward to sharing some of their work with you at our conferences coming up this Thursday and next Tuesday, September 18th and 23rd. As always, if you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Sincerely,
Stacie Martino
