Ms. Soulas' Classroom 2019-2020

In reading we have been building our good reading habits! These are things that we have been practicing, because as readers we want to do these things without having to be told, just like brushing our teeth!  Here they are so you can reinforce them at home: Take a sneak peek at the beginning & check your sneak peek Do something at the end of a book (go back to your favorite part, retell the story, etc.) Read more and more Set goals Reread to smooth out your voice Wow! Our first grade writer's are blowing me away with their hard work, we even have first graders writing during recess, now that's dedication! The first grade authors are working on going through the writing process and are doing an incredible job adding more details. This week we also focused on spelling strategies for when we're stuck on a word. We never want to let tricky words stop us from writing our stories, so here are some strategies we practiced this week... Say it, slide it, hear it, w...

It was great seeing you all at Back to School Night - thank you so much for coming and for your continued support! We continue to practice and focus on the independent reading expectations (Stay in one spot, work quietly, work the whole time, start right away, and build stamina). As we practice what it looks like and sounds like, we are also building good reading habits. We have discussed that good habits are things that we remember to do without people telling or reminding us. The good habits that we focused on this week are taking a "sneak peek" (ex. looking at the cover, taking a picture walk, making predictions, etc.) of a book before you read it, and "doing something" when you finish the book (ex. rereading, asking questions, going back to your favorite part, discussing it with a friend, etc.). Super readers have good habits when they start a book  and  when they finish one!  In writing, we added the final step to our writing process: Revise! The first grade...

Highlights from our first full week... One of the major focuses in first grade is becoming a self manager. A big part of being a self manager is picking a spot on the carpet where you can learn best. We have discussed and acted out picking a good spot and a not-so-good spot. For reader's workshop this week, the first grade readers got to choose their spot! Each month the students will pick a designated spot where they independently read. This helps build focus and engagement while also supporting their independence and self-management.  In writer's workshop,  we started our Small Moments unit. The students are practicing the writing process and working on "zooming in" through their narrative writing. We have learned and been practicing the first two steps in the writing process: Think of an idea & Plan (touch, tell, sketch and write). When you are writing at home with your first grader, encourage them to plan out their writing before they start. This involves ...

Here are some highlights from our short, but busy week! We have continued to practice Independent Reading and have been building on Reader's Workshop expectations: Read quietly, read the whole time, start right away, and build stamina. We will continue to build and develop these skills as we practice this independent learning and work time. I am already seeing their stamina grow! In Writer's Workshop we are also developing our routine and goals - which happen to be the same as Reader's Workshop, but for writing! After the weekend, we always write our Weekend News. One way you can support this at home, is spending some time on Sunday reflecting on the weekend and having your first grader think about what they want to write about in their weekend news. This supports the brainstorming process and also eliminates the "I don't know what I did" conversation on Monday morning :) W e have been developing strong math mindsets through videos, discussions and explo...