Portfolio Sharing

Thank you to everyone that came to portfolio sharing! The first graders had a great time sharing their work and accomplishments from the school year. Everyone worked so hard and was proud to share it!

 

 

212 News

Wow what a busy week! I can’t believe the end of the school year is coming up fast! I look forward to going back to Wisconsin this weekend to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, hopefully the rain will hold off.

Phonics: Our focus has been on the –oo sound which can heard in the words glue, screwdriver, broom and flute and the –ou sound which can be heard in the words cloud and owl. We practiced chunking and spelling different combinations of each sound. Students were challenged to find these words in their books during read to self and reading with a partner.

Reading: We have been practicing making inferences and drawing conclusions in both fiction and nonfiction books. We read a story about plants in their habitats. In this book we identified facts and then drew a conclusion from the fact. Next week we will start a new reader’s theater titled Mary Had a Little Lamb.

I met with students individually and in small reading groups this week. We continue to read and discuss books at each group’s reading level. Students were also tested on their fry words and guided reading level. More information will be available about each student’s fry words and reading level in report cards. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

Math: We continue to discuss fractions and review concepts from earlier in the school year. We practiced story problems and the frames and arrows routines. Students learned the parts of a fraction are called the numerator and denominator. We did some exploring to compare fractions using strips of paper to find out which fraction is bigger and smaller.

Public Library and Fire Station: Check our classroom blog for pictures from the field trip. We had a great time thanks to Patty and the fire fighters!

Raz-Kids: The Raz-Kids website will be available throughout the summer! Next week check your child’s take home folder for more information and reminder about how to log-in.

Portfolio Sharing: Portfolio sharing will be Wednesday May 28^th from 6:00-7:00. This is an opportunity for families to come in and see your child’s work from throughout the school year. Students will have an “agenda” of work to share such as pieces of writing, reflection cards from the beginning of the school year and books to read.  This is an opportunity for students to own their learning and be excited about sharing their accomplishments.

I’d like to have a snack including cookies and juice. Thank you, to those of you that have already contributed. If you are able to contribute to the snack please let me know. Hope to see you there!

Important Dates Coming Up:

Monday May 26^th- No School

Friday May 23^rd-All Library Books Due

Wednesday May 28^{th -}6:00-7:00 Portfolio Sharing

Wednesday May 29^th- Author Visit Amy Pleiming

Wednesday June 4^th-First Grade Picnic

Friday June 6^th -Last Day of School

Field Trip to the Public Library and Fire Station

The field trip to the fire station and library was very fun! First we went to the library. The librarian, Patty, talked about where books are located, how to get a library card and we even played a game of tic-tac-don’t you know. The class was very surprised to find out that they could check out 50 items from the library!

We then switched gears and went to the fire station. We got a tour of where the firefighters live and sleep. Students also got to see the fire trucks and different tools firefighters use to put out fires. The firefighters even let us go in the fire truck and we got to see some firefighters slide down the pole in the fire house! 

Patty quizzed the student's knowledge of the Public Library with a game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

Firemen sliding down the pole at the fire station.

Save the Date

Portfolio Sharing will be

Wednesday May 28^th, 2014

6:00 to 7:00 pm

Portfolio sharing is an opportunity for families to come in and see your child’s work from throughout the school year. Students will have an “agenda” of work to share such as pieces of writing, reflection cards from the beginning of the school year and books to read.  This is an opportunity for students to own their learning and be excited about sharing their accomplishments.

I’d like to have a snack including cookies and juice. If you are able to contribute to the snack please let me know.

The class is very excited to share their work, hope to see you there!

Firefighter T-Shirts

The Albert Lea firefighters visited first grade classrooms to discuss fire safety. They talked about what to do if there is a fire in your house and how to be safe around matches. Each student filled out a fire safety check list. When they brought the check list back to school firefighters returned with a t-shirt for each student. Check the class with our fire safety t-shirts! 

The Itsy Bitsy Spider Climbs Again

Last week we practiced the play Itsy Bitsy Spider Climbs Again, adopted from the song "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". This play had many parts and students were able to practice their expression and intonation. We practiced changing our voices to show if the character was happy, sad, excited, or anxious. Each student was assigned a role of either the Narrator, Spider 1, Spider 2, Itsy Spider, or the Water Spout. The final performance was on Friday. Each group did an excellent job reading with lots of expression and making their character sound happy or scared. Ask your child about their role!