Week 20

Here are some highlights from the week...

The first grade readers have been becoming experts on non-fiction topics, and they have been strengthening their reading fluency and comprehension! This week we practiced, "Read, Cover, Remember, Retell," as a strategy to check our understanding as we read. After each page, they cover it and remember what they read from that page. Then they retell it in their own words. If they are able to do all of those things, they are ready to move on to the next page, if they get stuck, they reread! I really encourage you to practice this at home to support your first grader's comprehension.

We have integrated our study of rocks with our nonfiction writing. The first graders have been working hard on creating their own rock books. We have completed our Igneous and Sedimentary chapters and we have one left, Metamorphic. We have been developing the structure of our  nonfiction writing: introduction, 3 key details and conclusion.

In math, the first graders have been solving story problems that involve measurement comparison. We are taking our addition and subtraction skills to the next level by using them to compare different objects (ex. My shoe is 15 cubes long, your shoe is 9 cubes long. How much longer is my shoe?) The mathematicians are working on not only solving the answer, but also showing their work!

Our walk to word study is going strong and the kiddos are making incredible growth! We switched the groups around and kiddos are continuing to receive targeted phonics instruction at their level. I am so excited for the continued growth this next quarter!

The week ended with an amazing cultural assembly! We were lucky enough to "Experience the fast feet, the rhythmic sounds, the noise, and the funk of Tap Dance!" There also was a "multimedia journey will be taken through history and world cultures, as they converge to create the uniquely American art form known as Tap!"

Here's a way to encourage strong spellers at home!

Engage the entire family in this fun word-building activity. “This fun interactive or independent game challenges your child to build as many words as he can. It allows your child to recognize word patterns, gain strategies and experience successes as well as observing great spelling strategies modeled by family members!”
What You’ll Need
  • Magnetic, paper or tile letters
  • A white board, paper or laminated paper
  • Markers
  • Time (optional)
Here’s How To Do It
Pick a word family (at, ab, ag, an, am, ap, ar, ed, en, et, id, ig, in, ip, it, ob, og, op, ot, ub, ug, un, ut, um). Each person has their own paper, marker and individual letters (consonants). Set the timer for one minute (optional). Each player then builds as many words as they can using the letters (consonants) and the word family (for example: c + at = cat) and writes the list of words on their paper. When the timer goes off, each player then reads all the words they have built. Make sure they are real words and not nonsense words. To extend this activity, write sentences using the words that were built!
Reminders:
Saturday, February 8: Stephenson Auction @ The Oregon Golf Club — 5:30pm 

 Here are some photos from the assembly...






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