Hey Fantastic Families!
I hope the last two weeks of summer have treated you well and it was wonderful seeing you all at Open House this week. It's not the best time to get information from me so if you'd like to continue any discussion anytime, let me know. I am available for before school meetings most any day of the week, should I get adequate heads-up. I'm always glad to sit and touch base.
In literacy, we have started partner reading and are working to get the hang of it. It can be tempting to chat about things other than books when sitting with a friend! We will also be introducing listening to reading on the computer as well. We use a program called Tumblebooks, should you want to investigate it. We will also be starting reading groups on a regular basis once we are finished our reading assessments, next week.
In Writer's Workshop we have begun our discussions about sentences and what they are. The kids are really getting the hang of noticing when a sentence does not make sense, which is the first step. You have to know that it doesn't sound right before you know it isn't written correctly. We are also continuing our hard work on our handwriting. It is our goal in the 1/2 this week to make sure that the kids are really solid on these foundational skills before embarking on formal writing pieces.
We will begin our study about light and sound waves in the coming weeks as well in science. We will also be starting to rotate through some science centers in the morning that involve the weather, investigating a physical science question and an observation station. The kids have been practicing reading a thermometer and graphing the weather each day. They are making some great progress!
I think that's about it for now. Again, never hesitate to get in touch about celebration, questions or concerns.
Enjoy the start of autumn,
~B
Friday, September 23, 2016
Friday, September 9, 2016
Week 2 News
Happy Friday, everyone! We have continued to have a wonderful time in our class getting to know one another, getting familiar with our surroundings and schedule, and building great work habits. The kids and I are having a ball!
In literacy we have introduced two of our choices, reading-to-self and writing. We have been able to build up to 15 minutes of each and are working on transitions between choices. We are working our stamina up to 1 total hour. Next week we will be practicing partner reading.
We are about to kick off our annual fall assessments, so please try your best to make sure that your kids are rested and ready to go. We do a phonological assessment (for some students), a reading assessments, math assessments, an upper and lower case letter name/sound assessment and a spelling assessment. We make sure to spread these out so as not to tire the kids out and to avoid losing as much instructional time as possible. We will be able to talk about any of this information at any time after it is done, should you want to, as well as at parent/teacher conferences.
In Writer's workshop we are continuing our work on handwriting as well as responding to a choice of books that we have done for read-aloud. The kids are enjoying doing this work and are working hard at it. We will discussing and practicing sentence writing next week as well. The goal is to see kids making the connection between the work they are doing in their handwriting and their independent writing. I will be starting to differentiate during this time to work with smaller groups on more discreet skills that are germane to their current skills. Right now I am getting a read on their needs and ho best to meet them.
We will begin morning science tables next week. My plan is to have them rotate through three science tables, one per week and then resetting the activities after the third week. We will have a weather station, observation station and a inquiry/investigation table. They will do these jobs 2-3x per week. We will be learning how to do these stations one at a time and then splitting up the groups and rotating weekly.
Next week we will continue our work in building our class atmosphere, talking about Rumney CARES as well as activities that build our cohesion as a group and classroom expectations. I always find that giving the class a couple of weeks before getting into this work is helpful, as we need to know one another a bit before entering this work, as trust and knowledge of one another, albeit just a small bit, helps. Even without this work, the kids have been doing a great job. Chris and I have been so pleased with how these kids treat one another.
As always, be in touch with any celebrations, questions or concerns.
Enjoy your weekend!
~B
In literacy we have introduced two of our choices, reading-to-self and writing. We have been able to build up to 15 minutes of each and are working on transitions between choices. We are working our stamina up to 1 total hour. Next week we will be practicing partner reading.
We are about to kick off our annual fall assessments, so please try your best to make sure that your kids are rested and ready to go. We do a phonological assessment (for some students), a reading assessments, math assessments, an upper and lower case letter name/sound assessment and a spelling assessment. We make sure to spread these out so as not to tire the kids out and to avoid losing as much instructional time as possible. We will be able to talk about any of this information at any time after it is done, should you want to, as well as at parent/teacher conferences.
In Writer's workshop we are continuing our work on handwriting as well as responding to a choice of books that we have done for read-aloud. The kids are enjoying doing this work and are working hard at it. We will discussing and practicing sentence writing next week as well. The goal is to see kids making the connection between the work they are doing in their handwriting and their independent writing. I will be starting to differentiate during this time to work with smaller groups on more discreet skills that are germane to their current skills. Right now I am getting a read on their needs and ho best to meet them.
We will begin morning science tables next week. My plan is to have them rotate through three science tables, one per week and then resetting the activities after the third week. We will have a weather station, observation station and a inquiry/investigation table. They will do these jobs 2-3x per week. We will be learning how to do these stations one at a time and then splitting up the groups and rotating weekly.
Next week we will continue our work in building our class atmosphere, talking about Rumney CARES as well as activities that build our cohesion as a group and classroom expectations. I always find that giving the class a couple of weeks before getting into this work is helpful, as we need to know one another a bit before entering this work, as trust and knowledge of one another, albeit just a small bit, helps. Even without this work, the kids have been doing a great job. Chris and I have been so pleased with how these kids treat one another.
As always, be in touch with any celebrations, questions or concerns.
Enjoy your weekend!
~B
Friday, September 2, 2016
Week One News!
Hello, Everyone!
I hope you and your child have had many rich discussions about their first week in school. From my perspective, it has been such a wonderful, calm start to the year.
We are easing into our literacy block, revisiting expectations as well as practicing. We use a modified "Daily 5" model. You can find more information about the Daily 5 here:
https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5
We have been practicing read-to self time and the kids are doing a great job. We have discussed the concept of "good fit" books and where to find them in the room as well as how to know if they are indeed a "good fit". We will be introducing more and more components of the literacy structure over the next few weeks.
Rumney CARES is an important part of our school philosophy and we have begin to talk about the different components. We have introduced greetings and games during morning meeting and throughout the day to build the cohesion in the group. The kids are learning the names of their classmates and laughing together. This feels like a great place to start.
We will also be starting science stations in the morning. The kids will be beginner meteorologists, observers and experimenters. I look forward to slowly rolling these out and having kids practice these skills. Also, I will be bringing in clay from my house for the kids to start exploring. The cool part about this clay is that we can form it, let it dry and fire it. When it is fired, it turns orange due to the ferric nature of the clay on my property. If you are a potter at home, I welcome you to get some and try it out!
I teach first grade math and the kids have been settling into our schedule and working hard on counting, stretching their brain, and doing some work with dot cluster cards. We will be launching into using cuisenaire rods and place value/adding 1 in the coming weeks. I love watching their math skills emerge!
As always, folks, please get in touch with me about celebrations, questions or concerns. I always enjoy talking to you all! I also invite you to check out the new Rumney Website. Don't forget to do your Rumney Family Handbook scavenger hunt!
Thanks for a great week, and I look forward to many more!
~B
I hope you and your child have had many rich discussions about their first week in school. From my perspective, it has been such a wonderful, calm start to the year.
We are easing into our literacy block, revisiting expectations as well as practicing. We use a modified "Daily 5" model. You can find more information about the Daily 5 here:
https://www.thedailycafe.com/daily-5
We have been practicing read-to self time and the kids are doing a great job. We have discussed the concept of "good fit" books and where to find them in the room as well as how to know if they are indeed a "good fit". We will be introducing more and more components of the literacy structure over the next few weeks.
Rumney CARES is an important part of our school philosophy and we have begin to talk about the different components. We have introduced greetings and games during morning meeting and throughout the day to build the cohesion in the group. The kids are learning the names of their classmates and laughing together. This feels like a great place to start.
We will also be starting science stations in the morning. The kids will be beginner meteorologists, observers and experimenters. I look forward to slowly rolling these out and having kids practice these skills. Also, I will be bringing in clay from my house for the kids to start exploring. The cool part about this clay is that we can form it, let it dry and fire it. When it is fired, it turns orange due to the ferric nature of the clay on my property. If you are a potter at home, I welcome you to get some and try it out!
I teach first grade math and the kids have been settling into our schedule and working hard on counting, stretching their brain, and doing some work with dot cluster cards. We will be launching into using cuisenaire rods and place value/adding 1 in the coming weeks. I love watching their math skills emerge!
As always, folks, please get in touch with me about celebrations, questions or concerns. I always enjoy talking to you all! I also invite you to check out the new Rumney Website. Don't forget to do your Rumney Family Handbook scavenger hunt!
Thanks for a great week, and I look forward to many more!
~B
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