Wonderful Wednesday!

How did I get SO lucky? I've been doing this job for a "few" years...AND this might be ONE PERFECT class...Wonderful parents with WONDERFUL pups! (Yes, WONDERFUL is my word of the day!)

Homework 

I just want to follow up on a question some parents had about homework...I will start sending books home for guided reading as soon as I complete literacy assessments.  We completed the computer based assessment on Friday.  From that I need to look at the data and do individual one on one reading and phonemic awareness testing. As soon as that is all done I will be able to send home books that BEST fit your child's needs at this time. 

As for spelling...as a district we do not officially start spelling lists and tests until the 2nd 9 weeks.  However, with that being said...we as a team decided several years ago that our little ones need some practice with the test taking process.  We will begin practicing this process with our Kinder word wall words.  The list will include 3-5 words a week and a dictation sentence. I will post words on the blog along with some suggestions for studying these words through out the week.  We will have a pre test on Monday and a final test on Friday.  

I hope this is helpful...BUT if you EVER have any questions or concerns about homework or anything in our classroom...I hope you will feel comfortable enough to come to me (through email, phone or in person...I don't bite...I promise)

Also, as you have noticed...there will be some special homework through out the year! (all about me posters, favorite books, bring in a pumpkin...)

Reader's Workshop

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this video.  

In my mind I could not ask for a MORE perfect Reader's Workshop model.  Just listen to the voice level...is it SILENT? NO WAY... is everyone working on the SAME thing? NO WAY...is everyone engaged in some sort of LITERACY ACTIVITY? YOU BET!  Doesn't it just make you want to be a first grader again? I'm going to say it again WONDERFUL!!!

Today we made connections to our story Friends by Helme Heine.  A connection is what the story makes us think about...something we do, another text or movie or maybe a real world connection. (I will not add a photo of this particular anchor chart...my handwriting was not at it's VB this morning!) This book made us think about...

other fiction books being not real. -Samantha

my Grandpa's chickens.  -Miles

riding my bike. -Jack

the time my Grandma had a mouse in her house.  -Matthew

my dog who ran away.  -Claire

a book I have called Jelly Beans where the animals dance.  -Eliette

my Grandpa's farm.  -Paige

my uncle's chickens and my chickens.  -Savannah

We used pictures and words to make our connections in our Reader's Response Journals.  

When we finished responding we picked (or attempted) to pick JUST RIGHT books to read.  We will use Friends for one more day.  We will talk about some of the vocabulary in the story and try to figure out what the words mean.  Another way to respond and grow as readers!  

Please use these ideas as ways to discuss the books you read with your children at home!

Science

We discussed tools scientists use to do their job...and reviewed the tools we used.  Guess what? We even made a real world connection to the pipette (just to help us remember it)...Jack said, "It's like a turkey baster!" 

Math

Counting by tens and place value!  Today, I had a bag of buttons (you would have thought they were DIAMONDS or something!  OOOOOHHH can we take them home?)  I asked the pups, "do you know how many buttons are in this bag?  Claire said there were TOOO many to subitize, unless maybe you were really really smart!" So, I asked..."Well, how do you think I should go about counting them?" Jack suggested grouping them by 5's.  GREAT idea!  Someone else suggested grouping them by 10's! "OH! I like that idea since we are talking about place value!" I said.  How do we group our straws at calendar time...YEP everyone shouted by TENS! So that's exactly what we did...(My mind is drawing a blank cuz that's what happens when you turn 100 and are trying to keep up with 6 and 7 year old pups ) Someone said we should put them in lines and each line should have ten. Okay then and that's exactly what we did.  After we got a line of ten I wondered out loud, "How can I make sure I don't put anymore in that line?" "CIRCLE them!"  I started to draw a circle and we decided that circle wasn't the right word...RING was better.  Once I had put a ring around my SET of ten it was CLOSED for business!  We continued to do that until I couldn't make any more sets of ten...BUT I still had 9 left over.  Everyone agreed we could not ring that set. It was still open. "It has room for one more button." some one told me! And then I asked, "How many buttons do I have now?" Several shouted, 49!  "But...WAIT!  How did you know that so fast...I didn't see anyone counting buttons with me!"  BECAUSE Miss Guy if we count by 10's there are 40 and 9 more makes 49! "WOWZERS!" That's what I was thinking!  But then...Mayson says, "Hey, if you do 10+10+10+10+9 then you have 49!"  HEY??? did he just make a number sentence? I THINK HE DID! We were all excited to give this a try on our own. 

 Everyone got busy...I'm walking around and I hear Miss Claire say, "Miss Guy, I only have sets of 10s!"  So we talked about that I asked her how many sets do you have? She said 5.  How many left overs do you have? She said 0.  As she was filling in her place value boxes she said FIFTY!!!! We counted her sets just to make sure and YEP she had EXACTLY 50!

 Catherine has a special Korean message for her mom!  Hmmmm? Wonder what it says?  But look at the way she labeled her buttons as she was grouping them!

 Arabella didn't think the buttons had to be in straight lines...I think I agree!

 BUT WAIT A MINUTE...are my little pups writing ON the desks? You know it!  One of our favorite things to do...and guess what that dry erase marker wipes right off!  Way to SAVE A TREE first grade!

T-Shirts

Money has been turned into Mrs. Boor! Can't wait to get our shirts! I will send them home as soon as we get them!  

PTA

Well...Today's family made our class percentage (drum roll....) 90% turned into me! I am so happy that you are investing and getting involved in your child's education!  PTA is a wonderful organization and I know they are looking forward to doing some GREAT things here at Robertson! Two more families and we are DONE! Wouldn't it be COOL to be the first class in the school to get to 100%?  We are looking forward to that Carnival Recess...Let's not let any other 1st grade classes beat us! 

BOOK ORDERS

Deadline is FRIDAY! 

To order online click HERE

LIBRARY

We will go to the library on Friday. Please help your pup remember to bring his or her book to school that day! Also, practice, practice, practice that id number! Punches will be given out to those that KNOW it! YIPPEEE

I really wish I had more hands to video and photograph what goes on in here...It definitely is a great place to be...BUT...here's a glimpse of what my technology looks like...

YIKES...not sure I can handle much more! 

Thanks again for all you do to support your child, our class and Robertson Elementary! Enjoy your WONDERFUL evening!