News from Fantastic 1st Graders!
Mrs. Leidig's Learners - a Weekly Newsletter
A few of the skills we'll be learning this week:
MTSS (Reading Switches): This week, we will not have regular MTSS time, due to continued PALS testing by some of the staff who normally takes students.
Handwriting: This week, students will be writing about what they would see/hear/smell/touch/feel, etc. if they were stuck in a snow globe! :)
Daily 5/Guided Reading: This week, during our stations of "Read to Self", "Read to Partner", "Listen to Reading", "Work on Writing", and "Word Work", we will be continuing our PALS testing, which includes spelling, word lists, and passages. I will also be doing some practice on passage fluency, as well as re-testing for those who might have raised their book levels. Thanks to those of you who are making efforts to help students get a small portion of their reading minutes on Lexia at home - it helps out greatly during busy (and short!) weeks!!
Phonics: Sight words - for many students, the pages of sight words will last for the year. For those who do finish, their next skill is phrases, and the next one will be to spell their sight words - one column per night. A timer is a great tool for helping students get used to the feel of decoding words quickly and moving their eyes to the next word. Using lists students have already mastered are a great idea for working on this fluency skill. Nightly books - Thank-you for reading with your child!! Also, please remember to send back to school the books I have my name inside of. :) Phonics Skill - Our skill this week is words containing the "ay" and "ai" sounds.
Math: We will continue in our weekly math journals, as well as our "calendar math". We're continuing to expand the concept of place value - ask your child what "10 more than" any number is (10 more than 26, 10 more than 74, etc.). This week we'll add "10 less". We're also working on the symbols for "more than/less than/equal to". If you are looking for math fact apps, there are lots, but one that we like at school is "Splash Math" for grade 1. Apps that help students practice addition/subtraction facts, telling time, and counting money are always helpful! Thank-you!
Science/Social Studies: The focus this week is on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his contribution in civil rights. The kids will also hear from a speaker about "bus safety" one day this week.
Odds and Ends
NO SCHOOL: There will be no school for students on Monday, January 19, due to teacher inservice.
Snack Cupboard: The kids have probably mentioned that it's getting low...thank-you to those who have sent a box of crackers!
A Reason to Celebrate!
100 Days of School: We will celebrate the 100th day of school this Friday on January 23rd - we will celebrate several ways throughout the day, but on Tuesday the kids will be bringing home a small paper bag that they can bring "100 of something" in for Friday.
Have a great week!
LeAnn Leidig