May
19
Field Trip!
May 19, 2013 | Room 104 | Leave a Comment
We are looking forward to our field trip to the zoo on Wednesday! We are going to hope that the rain comes before or after our trip, but we will go RAIN OR SHINE! We do need $1 from each student to cover the cost of the trip. Our PTC has graciously covered the raining fee for us. Please send $1 to school with your child before Wednesday in an envelope with your child’s name on it. Thanks so much!
May
18
Reading Update!
May 18, 2013 | Reading | Leave a Comment
This week, we continued to work on inferring. We have been working on inferring what is happening in a story, but we zoomed in this week to focus on new vocabulary words. We realized that when we come to a new word, we can use the picture clues, word clues, and our schema to infer the meaning of a new word. In the book Owen, we came across the word ESSENTIAL. The kids had heard of it, but weren’t quite sure what it meant. We used clues from the pictures and words to figure out what it meant. We read the book Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, by Mark Teague. He put together a very funny story about a tricky dog. There is some vocabulary that is unfamiliar to our students and makes for the perfect opportunity to use the text, pictures, and our schema to infer what is happening on each page.
I have been working on my end of the year reading assessments. It has been truly amazing to watch the progress that your readers have made from the beginning of the year until now. First graders makes such tremendous gains and this group is no exception. Please start talking with your child about what you will do to keep up their reading habits over the summer. I will be posting some reading incentive programs on the blog that might be of interest to you and your first grader!
May
14
Math Update!
May 14, 2013 | Math | Leave a Comment
We ended the week by starting a lesson on measurement. We discussed how in the old days before rulers were invented, people used to use their body parts to measure objects. Our mathematicians decided a human foot and finger would be the best ways to measure an actual foot in length or an inch in length. But there was one problem with measuring this way… our feet and fingers are different sizes!
We introduced the word “length” and talked through how to line up measurement tools properly to get the most accurate measurement. We used paperclips to measure objects.
Our measurement problems looked similar to this:
May
13
Book Share!
May 13, 2013 | Reading | Leave a Comment
Click on the picture below to see more photos from our book share!
May
12
Math Update!
May 12, 2013 | Math | Leave a Comment
We are wrapping up Unit 7 with learning about 3-dimentional shapes! We touched on the following shapes…
May
10
Thank You!!
May 10, 2013 | Georgetown, Room 104 | Leave a Comment
To tell you that I have enjoyed Teacher Appreciation Week is a complete understatement! The notes and gifts have been so sweet and I am truly grateful for your kindness! Thank you so much!
I am so appreciative all of the support each and every one of you provides for your first grader and our class as a whole. This year has been such a wonderful one and it is so fun to look at where our first graders are at this time of the year and remember back to who they were when they first came in to Room 104. First grade is a year full of tremendous growth and it is an honor to be here witnessing the students’ growth first hand. In the last few days of first grade, we get to spend some time thinking ahead to 2nd grade and making goals for their future. I know these first graders will be able to attain many great things with the learning support system that you have helped build for them. Thank you for helping to make your child’s year in first grade a successful one!
May
9
Reading Update!
May 9, 2013 | Reading | Leave a Comment
This week, we focused on inferring what was happening in a story. We really tried to dig deep and figure out what an author wants us to know about the story beyond just what the words tell us. The class has been using the key words ‘I’m thinking…because…’ to help them share what they think is happening and then give us their reason for thinking that. We used some of David Shannon’s newer series David in Diapers about the trouble a younger, baby David causes. These books are mostly dialogue that a parent would say to a child. That leaves a lot of space for us to infer what caused the parent to make the comment on each page. The kids are doing a great job of connecting the picture clues and their schema to help them make sense of the stories.
May
8
Field Trip Reminder!
May 8, 2013 | Room 104 | Leave a Comment
Just a reminder…
Wednesday, May 22, we will be going on a field trip to John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids to learn about animal life cycles. We would like to thank our Georgetown Parent’s Club for providing the cost of admission for each student. So, we do not need any payment from you for your student to go on the trip with us.
Just a few things for you to know:
All parents are welcome to join us for this trip. You will need to have a background check on file at school prior to the date of the trip if you plan to join us. If you need the paperwork for this, please let me know ASAP because this does take some time to process. Parent chaperones need to pay $5.00 for their admission upon arrival to the zoo. Siblings are more than welcome. The cost for a child (ages 3-13) is $4.00, all children 2 and under are free. If you have a Zoo pass, feel free to use that!
- You will need to pack a sack lunch for your child the day of the trip. We will be picnic-ing at the zoo.
- Send your child dressed for an outdoor trip. The zoo is an outdoor classroom and we will be spending most of the time outside.
- Discuss with your child that school behavior is expected. It is also important that your child stays with their group leader at all times.
If you plan to join us:
- Please let us know, so that we can make sure to put your student in a group with you for the tour groups.
- You will need to meet us at the zoo around 9:45. Feel free to follow the bus from the school to the zoo, but you will need to drive separately. We will only be taking one bus, so there will only be enough room for the students and teachers.
- All students will need to come to school before the field trip. We will need to take attendance before we leave. So, plan on your child riding the bus with us.
- Departure time: 9:15 am-We will leave on a bus and be at the zoo around 9:45
- Return time: 1:15 pm-We will be back to school in time for your student to finish out the school day.
