Mrs. V's All Star Learners Classroom: 10/5/13 Newsletter

Dear Parents of First Grade All Stars,
     Can you believe it is October already?! Yikes! The good news is that our kiddos seem to be learning as fast as the days are passing by!
     We continued to develop and practice the "foundation" to our literacy work. We modeled and practiced things good readers do, ways to read books, what "just-right" books are, and how to find just-right books. The children had a chance to reevaluate the books in their personal book bins and "shop" for new books to practice reading-to-self building focus and stamina. You'd be amazed at how many times this week I have complimented students for NOT answering me. Does this sound strange to you? Well, the reason I'm happy they did not answer me is because they were truly "lost in their books"! Hooray! We have also started reading, discussing, and practicing our October poems. This week I finished listening to individuals read to me to evaluate "base lines" for accuracy, fluency, ability to self-correct, and comprehension. Now we will begin our intensive word work, decoding skills, ways to check for understanding, etc. with whole-class lessons, group work, partner work, and one-on-one "check-ups". I wish to extend a HUGE THANK YOU for all the awesome at-home reading logs you've been sending in. The children are very proud to hand them in to me and to share what they are reading at home. Reading to, with, beside your child is not only a fun together time, but also a tremendous motivator that helps to build the love of reading as well as skills. I truly appreciate your at-home reading time with your child!
     We have finished reviewing the upper-case and lower-case formations of letters and sounds with the letters V through Z. Of course, the practice continues. We started our study of alphabet books. As I read to the children it is their job to be looking for different themes, different techniques in these books they might use when they begin to write their own alphabet books. We discuss these after our reads. Several students have already started "rough-draft" attempts in their writers' journals. I love the enthusiasm! No wonder I love working with this class! So far we have read and analyzed On Market Street, by Arnold Lobel, A to Z, by Sandra Bounton, and G is For Goat, by Patricia Polacco.
     During our writers' workshops the children continued to work on personal narrative writing. When the students take out their writers' journals they are asked to first READ something they wrote, then THINK, SKETCH to get ideas if needed, and then WRITE. The very first five minutes of writers' workshop we attempt to have silence. We have talked about exactly what silent means...not a "peep"...not even a whisper. Definitely NOT EASY for first graders. In fact, the writing "gurus" tell us that when the students start to "lose it" before five minutes is up, congratulate them on the time they were able to sustain this atmosphere. Well, here comes a SO-PROUD-of-my-first-graders story. As they children thought and wrote, I was working an individual at the reading table. After TEN minutes of silent writing passed I let the children know they had surpassed the "expected" time. They were surprised, which makes the accomplishment even better! I just love it when they groan when I say it is time to put the writers' journals away. Little do they know they have just set the bar higher for themselves!
     On Thursday the kiddos took the PREtest for the short a (-at) first-grade base words. So on Monday the children will get their Unit 1 spelling list and we will begin our regular spelling routines and practices. Base words the students missed on the pretest will be on their lists for the week. The base words they got right, will not be on their lists. Any "open" spots for their ten words will be filled with missed Priority Words and/or more challenging words that fit the pattern for the week. The students will have their lists in their spelling journals for our in-class practices. On Monday the children should bring home a sheet that has "Pretest" on one side and "Your Words This Week" on the other side. The "Your Words This Week" are their words for at-home practice. (Please let me know if this list does not make it home on Monday.) Then on Friday the kiddos will have their first "official" first-grade spelling test. I'm betting they'll love this as much as they did the first math chapter test!
     We started the next math chapter work this week with an interactive math story in our math big book: "Subtraction Dance Party." We first worked to show how you can find the answers for subtraction by using some of the skills we already know from our addition work: missing addends. ( eg. 5 + ? = 7......   7 - 5 = ?)   We then practiced finding "missing parts" with our math dominoes and pictures. We moved on to learning subtraction terms, expressions, exactly what subtraction means, how to write subtraction sentences, how to read subtraction sentences, and problem solving with stories about "taking away."
   During our science lessons we continued our seed work. We read and discussed The Little Flower Seed. We worked on what a diagram is, how to read a diagram, and ways you can use a diagram. The children then practiced making a diagram by labeling plant parts. This week we DID have time to read together and discuss the latest "Scholastic News" edition entitled "Slurp!" This was about bats and the five senses. The students got SO EXCITED when they discovered this issue had a science diagram! In fact, you could hear, "Oh, a DIAGRAM!" from lots of kiddos! (One might think that the connection and discovery of the diagram was planned....LOL!) That "Scholastic News" issue should have made its way home to you yesterday for rereads and/or discussion. Please let me know if it did not come home.
        Yesterday our fourth-grade buddies came in to work with the first graders on a science project. The students created a mini-booklet to practice reading, following directions, and terms and meanings of plant parts. We were again so pleased with how very well the buddies worked together. Having fun while learning with older peers just seems to come naturally during our "Buddy Work" sessions!
     If I must be out of school on Monday, please know it is because I have been summoned for Jury Duty. Last June I had taken a postponement because I did not want to be out of school. I was hoping they would forget about me. No such luck. I guess that is under the category of: "You can run, but you can't hide." I will call tomorrow and see if "my number is up." Please, please please keep your fingers crossed that they do not want or need me!
     Thank you again for all your fantastic support at home.
    Respectfully,
    Mrs. V.