1A Classroom Update 4
October 28, 2016
Dear Families,
Where has the time gone? Can you believe we are already done with the month of October! Nonetheless, we are happy to inform you that our friends have been achieving some great things these past couple of weeks. Here is a breakdown of the amazing things happening in 1A!
Through these past couple of weeks our friends have been introduced to some puppets that love to join us for Readers and Writers Workshop. All of our friends met King How who comes from the Land of Questions. King How joined our Writers Workshop to ask how do we make our small moment stories come to life! Our marvelous authors explained how they learned to add on actions and descriptive language to make our readers feel as if they were reliving their small moments. In order for this process to get started, friends organized their stories with a story planner that divided the beginning, middle, and, end into different sections. They focused on writing the beginning and middle of our stories by adding these new strategies. Friends were encouraged to include who they were with, where did they go, and what happened in their story by adding action and a more thorough setting. Please encourage your child to tell you about their small moment stories and how they can make them come to life on paper!
Reading
Readers Workshop has had some crazy twists! Friends have met Ms. Garcia's twin sister, the fortune teller, who needs help predicting what is going to happen in the future. She brings her crystal ball that only lights up when friends are making predictions from books they are reading as well as connections. This past week, students were introduced to the concept of making a text-to-self connection. We read Bailey Goes Camping and spoke about how Bailey was too young to go camping and how this reminded some of our 1A friends how they were not able to do something they really wanted to do because they were too young. Some friends mentioned they were "too little to get on a roller coaster, too young to go to a pajama party, or too young to join their older cousins for a party." We then discussed how the character was feeling and how this reminded them of a time they felt sad or that a situation was unfair. As they raised their hands and told the fortune teller their life experiences, the crystal ball kept lighting up in different colors to let these friends know the ball could also be used to see something that happened in the past!
Math
Our scholars have been so hard at work in their math! We have been continuing our work with word problems where the change is unknown (4+?=7). And believe it or not, our mathematicians have made their way to subtraction problems! After much hard work working on both addition and missing number problems, our 1A friends have embarked on their next mathematical step into the wonderful world of subtraction. We've also been studying the concept of a number line and how it can help us when doing addition and subtraction problems by "counting on" or "counting back". This helps us see how subtraction is related to addition by using the same numbers but in a different way. In Number Stories, we have also explored subtraction problems by asking "how many more" of something Person A has than Person B. We encourage continued conversations of this at home so that our friends actively think about what it means that something is "more" and how to find out "how many more" there is of something (e.g. How many more apples do we have than bananas?"
I can tell the future!
The Fortune Teller
All Smiles
What do you see?
My Prediction!
Look into the past!
Important Announcements
- Yellow Take Home Folders will go home on Monday! In it includes detailed instructions of how to log in to RAZ-Kids (info below) as well as student work. Some of the work is not yet finished so please feel free to complete these at home with your child. Also remember to return the empty folders by Friday!
- 1st grade will now be at Fort Greene park from 9:45 - 10:30 am on Fridays starting Friday, November 4th. This change will allow students to have Lit Block on Fridays when they return to school. If you have already signed up as a chaperone, please check that the new time still works for you. Thank you in advance for being an extra set of eyes for our class!
READ! Read a Book!
As you know, this year BPCS students will travel back in time — fueled by reading. Please be sure your traveler is reading outside of school everyday — Anytime, Anywhere!
Important Dates
- Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade (2:15 - 3:15PM)
- Tuesday, November 8 - School IN SESSION
- Friday, November 11 - Veterans Day: No School
- Monday, November 21 - Thanksgiving Recess
- Monday, November 28 - Classes Resume
Each student now has access to an online reading site (www.raz-kids.com) that is customized to each child’s reading level! We will be sending login information home on Monday in your child's yellow take-home folder. The login information sent home tomorrow will give you step-by-step instructions. However, you can already access your child's account through the teacher username 1classroom0. Each child's password is his or her first name (capitalized).
On the website, students can read books independently and answer questions. The books are customized to the student’s current skill level ("just right" reading levels). It moves students onto more challenging books when they have shown mastery over reading those books.The site is great for students to practice independent reading at home, as well as to give families an idea of what types of books the students are currently reading on their own in class. Students love being able to read independently at home and show their families how hard they are working. Please let us know if you have any questions and happy reading!
Reading in the Library
Partner Reading
Boards Up!
Meet King How!
Friends!
Learner Profile of the Month: Risk-takers
As an IB World School, BPCS strives to foster the growth of students both academically as well as internationally minded citizens who are aware of the world outside of their local environment. To do this, the school incorporates the IB Learner Profiles into the classroom. The IB Learner Profiles describe a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities and, in turn, embody traits of a well-rounded individual. The Learner Profiles are: Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, and Reflective.
Throughout the year, we will be discussing the Learner Profiles in the classroom as a way to bring to life the traits. Starting in September, our school focused on how a person demonstrates they are Caring and for the month of October, how they are Risk-Takers. Students who are brave show how to be courageous and trust in themselves and stand by their beliefs. Students who are risk takers are always ready and willing to try new things without really being worried about the outcome.
This month, our risk-taking friends are Gen, Isaiah R., and Saniyah!
TOWN HALL MEETING
Singing School Song @ Town Hall
Looking for Magazines!
As part of our first grade IB Investigation of Families, inquirers will create collages in the style of artist, Romare Bearden (1911-1988). We are looking for magazines, wallpaper samples, paint chips, and other types of decorative papers, please, to create our collages! MANY THANKS!
Specials Update
Grooving With Ms. Siby
Happy Fall, families! In our weekly dance class, students have been honing their sculpting skills, well, body sculpting skills, that is. I’m not talking about the class offered at your favorite gym but the artsy, Donatello (not the turtle) version. Using wands, dancers molded their partners into unique high, low, balancing, angular and curvy, body shapes - live masterpieces.
Oh! First graders are also learning a few popular social/community dances. Check out our video!
A Science Update From Ms. Rosabal!
yes yes yes islanders!
Contact Us
Email: dtes1a@brooklynprospect.org
Website: brooklynprospect.org
Phone: 718-722-7634