1.1 Classroom News!!!!
From Ms. Jordan Week of 3-17-14
News and Announcements
*Thank you for making Wednesday, (meaning bringing literature to life day) so successful! I appreciate YOU taking the time to dress your child in their costume and having them bring a book that they based the costume off of. The parade was a huge success and all the kids looked great!
*This week there will be a reading log sent home in your homework packet. Please make sure your child reads to you at least 4 nights during the week and that you sign the book log in their homework packet. This coming week I will also be allowing students to take books home again. However, I am still missing two of our class books. Please look through your bookshelves at home to see if they got lost with the rest of your child's books.
*Next week MAP testing begins! This is the special test on the computer to see how much growth your child has made this year in the areas of reading and math. We took this test in the fall and now we are measuring our progress through the spring MAP (Measure of Academic Progress). We have our first test this coming Friday (March 21st) and then we continue testing into the next week. The ONLY way you can prepare for this test is to make sure that your child gets a good night's sleep, has a healthy and filling breakfast before coming to school, and to encourage your child to do their BEST. Do those three things and your child will be good to go!
*There will be a change in the procedure of celebrating birthdays in class. You may still come in, bring treats, and have us sing to your child but the ONLY time it can happen is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday from 11:40-12:05. There will be no exceptions to this new policy.
*Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.
*Homework packets are being completed and turned in to me! That is AWESOME! Please make sure to have your child do their homework even if you need to take more time on it than 1 week. I am not worried about the due date, instead I want your child to be getting the extra practice. If the homework is WAY too hard for your child, please email me and let me know. Together we can come up with a solution so that they are still able to get the extra practice. Homework should be something your child should be able to complete with a large amount of independence. Again, please let me know if that is not the case.
*Please make sure your child brings their library books back to school by Friday of each week or they WILL NOT be able to check out a new library book on Friday.
*Also, make sure your child bring back their take home books each day. We are still missing many books!
*If you are having a birthday party and you are not inviting ALL the girls or ALL the boys in the class then the invitations may not be passed out at school or by me. You need to contact the people you are inviting by bringing the invitation to their apartment or by contacting them by phone or electronically. Otherwise not everyone in the class feels included and there are hurt feelings. Please make sure to follow this school policy.
*LAST REMINDER! If your child is taking a different bus than usual or you are picking your child up, please contact the elementary office. I CANNOT send your child to a different location without a note from the office. THANK YOU!
Bringing Literature to Life!
Bringing Literature to Life!
Bringing Literature to Life!
Targets for Next Week (Our Goals):
These goals are based on the Common Core Standards, and have been
written in 1st grade friendly language. The expectation is that each student
will reach the following goals by the end of the unit.
Literacy: Winds of Change
Oral Language/Listening Skills
I can use personal pronouns.
I can use basic conjunctions (and, but, or, because, so).
I can identify cause and effect based on signal words.
Reading
I can identify a cause and effect relationship in a text.
I can ask and answer questions about a text.
I can give evidence as to why I think the way I do.
Writing
I can write using personal pronouns.
I can write using basic conjunctions.
Math: Unit 7
I can sort objects based on their attributes.
I can complete basic addition facts.
I can identify basic shapes and their characteristics.
Science: Weather
I can describe the weather in different seasons.
I can understand how to prepare for and respond to severe weather.
I can identify types and characteristics of severe weather (hurricane and tornado).
I can compare and contrast severe weather from everyday weather.
Bringing Literature to Life!
Bringing Literature to Life!
Bringing Literature to Life!
Words, Words, Words, Oh My!
Vocabulary:
These are the words your child will be learning in school this week. Any additional
exposure to these words at home will help your child have a better understanding of
their meaning. Students should be familiar with these words, but they are not for the spelling test.
Science
weather
severe
hurricane
tornado
funnel
storm cellar
eye (of a hurricane)
evacuate
Literacy
pronoun
conjunction
relationship
cause
effect
Math
attribute
sort
triangle
square
rectangle
hexagon
circle
rhombus
trapezoid
Spelling:
REVIEW!!
This week we are focusing on more long vowel patterns. This time it is
patterns that are less commonly found in English.
We will focus specifically on:
long u (sound) long u (sound)
ew ue
Here are some examples:
crew true
new blue
screw glue
Popcorn Words:
I recently attended a training that had me think about the popcorn words a bit differently. While I continually assess whether students can read these words or not, I do not always focus on whether they are able to write them correctly. Therefore, this coming week I will be dictating sentences which will help me see how well students are able to write the popcorn words. Due to this assessment, there will be no new popcorn words for this week.
Home Fun!
Next week we will be reading a lot about severe weather and trying to find the cause and effect relationships that are created because of severe weather. For example. There was a hurricane so many houses were destroyed. I am including some youtube videos of severe weather that you could watch at home if you would so choose. As usual, I hope you have a wonderful week and weekend! Please email me if you have any questions. My email is jrjordan@isp.edu.pa Thank you for all your support!
Sincerely,
Julie Jordan