FIRST GRADE FLASH
May 27th
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
MAY 27TH BEACH DAY
MAY 30TH NO SCHOOL MEMORIAL DAY
June 3rd First Grade Talent Show
June 7th Volunteer Tea
JUNE 9TH FIRST GRADE MUSICAL
JUNE 9TH MRS. ARNOLD'S BOOK BRUNCH
JUNE 10TH SCHOOL TALENT SHOW
JUNE 13TH LAST DAY MUSTANG MEETING
Happy Memorial Day...no school on Monday!!
Coming events next week.
Friday: First Grade Talent Show
DIGGING IN...
We took fluency check ups on Monday.
We went to the zoo on Tuesday.
We had the school cookout on Wednesday.
We had Beach Day on Friday.
We read Ebb and Flo.
We researched whales, dolphins, seals and sharks and ocean animals.
DIGGING DEEPER...
We will read Sand Castle.
We will learn words with oo and ew.
We will make memory books.
We will practice for the musical.
WORDS STUDY TEST ON TUESDAY
cow
wow
down
frown
pout
out
found
round
sound
WORD STUDY
tooth
soon
noon
room
new
grew
flew
drew
stew
we released the butterflies...they were so relaxed in our hands.
Butterfly/Insect Thinglink
The Monarch Burtterfly Song
Butterfly Feeder
Thanks to Mrs. Dager and Mrs. Rosati for volunteering to chaperone.
YOU ARE INVITED...
MARK YOU CALENDARS! If you can't be there please send a grandparent.
YOU ARE INVITED...
DINOSAUR DAYS
Genius Hour
Videos
Motivation: Pep Talk by Kid President
What Is Genius Hour?
Change the World kid president
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR 2 IMPORTANT DATES
OPEN HOUSE
OPEN HOUSE
On Wednesday, May 11th 6:00-7:30 the first graders will share all the have done throughout the year at our SHOEMAKER OPEN HOUSE.
FIRST GRADE MUSICAL
On Thursday, June 9th the first graders will perform a First Grade Musical for parents and school friends.
BOOK BRUNCH
On THURSDAY, June 9th Mrs. Arnold's Class will also have a Book Brunch where students will share books they have made and we will watch our end of the year school video.
Look for invites in the future.
STEM
STEM ACTIVITIES
Spring is in the air! As we prepare for spring we are not only planting seeds of kindness but planting seeds of learning. We will be busy doing many hands on STEM related projects including planting and observing seeds, planting our school yard garden, learning about animals, especially backyard animals, rainforest animals, going to the zoo, learning about rocks, fossils and dinosaurs and learning about Earth Day.
Plant Seeds of Learning...Our Butterflies and TREES ARRIVED
RAISE BUTTERFLIES and PLANT TREES
In April, we will be raising caterpillars and watching how they transform into butterflies. We will be bringing home trees to plant in honor of Arbor and Earth Day. Please plant them and water them often until they take root.
Earth Day Centers
First Grades Rock Kindness
DINOSAUR DAYS
Talent Show is on June 3rd for 1st graders.
SPELLING STARS!
Click on link below to access SPELL CITY:
Reinforce and practice spelling words by weekly lists on Spell City. Start with the bottom list of words and work up.
KICKING IT MATH
Xtra Math
How to Practice with your child...
Practice Sheets-When your child comes home with a practice sheet, have him/her erase any work from earlier that day. Then have him/her read each fact (not just the answer) aloud along with the answer. If you hear either the slightest hesitation or you child makes an error, give them extra practice by immediately giving your child the answer and asking him/her to repeat the problem and the answer again. Your child should then back up three problems and begin again. If there is no hesitation or mistake, be sure to praise your child. If you would like to have them practice writing the answers, wait at least an hour or try again in the morning. When working on memorizing facts, two short sessions with time in between is much more helpful than one very long session.
Flash Cards–When using flash cards with your child, use only 12 flash cards at a time (9 cards should be cards with facts that your child has already mastered. Brain research states that it is better to learn a small amount of new material mixed with a larger amount of mastered material. Cards are numbered at the bottom to let you know what order to switch new cards in. Start with the original 12. When your child is able to answer all 12 correctly in a cold read (the first time you practice), switch out #s 1-3 for #s 13-15. You will repeat this process each time switching out the oldest cards for newer ones as your child masters new facts. Do not rush to swap out cards, make sure your child has really mastered the facts. The old cards will go into a review deck which should be used every 4thtime you practice.
Spend about 2 to 3 minutes running through the cards. Your child should read each fact (not just the answer) aloud along with the answer. If you hear either the slightest hesitation or your child makes an error, give them extra practice by immediately giving your child the answer and asking him/her to repeat the problem and the answer again. Have your child repeat the fact and answer three more times. Put the card back three cards from the front so that your child has an opportunity to practice it again.
Math Fact Automaticity
What is Automaticity With Math Facts?
When students first begin learning math facts, they learn them to the level of accuracy –they are able to solve the problems correctly, if they take their time and concentrate. As they continue practicing, they develop fluency –the ability to solve problems quickly without making mistakes. The final stage is automaticity –students are able to solve problems quickly without errors and without much conscious attention. A student who has automaticity with math facts is able to perform other tasks at the same time (problem solving, multi-step problems, etc.). Students who have automaticity in decoding are able to read flashcards of the word without even thinking about it. Likewise, a student who has automaticity with math facts can’t help but to say the answer when they see the math fact.
Students who lack automaticity with math facts often complete higher leveled math problems riddled with tiny computation errors. These errors stem from not knowing their math facts to the level of automaticity. The student can either focus on the steps of the math problem, or focus on solving the math fact correctly, but they can’t do both. Helping students learn math facts to automaticity will improve their ability to learn and retain higher order math skills because they won’t be distracted with remembering their math facts.
How this program works: Rather than the usual sequence of learning math facts by factor (all the ones, fives, nines, etc.), this program introduces 2 new facts (and their reverses) per sheet so that students do not have too many to learn at a time. Students often fail to learn their facts because they are asked to learn too much at one time. When facts are introduced too quickly, students begin to confuse what they have already learned with newly introduced facts.
In addition, some of the more difficult facts are introduced midway through the sequence rather than at the end so that students have more time to work with them. Research seems to indicate that students often have more difficulty with these facts because they don’t have as much time to work with them, and they are learned late in the sequence when students have more facts they are trying to keep track of.