Mrs. Wallach's Firstie Flyer
Friday, November 13, 2015
Happy Fall!
News and Events
Recent News and Events
Ledyard Bank visit - As part of our social studies unit on community, we visited the bank on Tuesday to get a behind the scenes look into what goes on there.
Upcoming News and Events
Tuesday, November 17th: Next Valley Terrace visit
Friday, November 20th: Parent-teacher conferences - no school for students
Tuesday, November 24th: Last day of school before Thanksgiving break.
Academic Updates
Mathematics Focus
- finding as many 2-addend combos of a number as possible
- proving that all the possible combos have been found
- solving a problem in which the total and one part are known
- finding and exploring relationships among combinations of number up to 15
Making sense of and developing strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems with small numbers
- developing counting on as a strategy for combining two numbers
- finding the total of two or more quantities up to a total of 10 by counting all, counting on, or using known number combinations
- visualizing and retelling the action in addition and subtraction situations involving removal
Using manipulatives, drawing, tools, and notation to show strategies and solutions
- recording solutions to a problem
- using numbers and standard notation to record
- connecting written numbers and standard notation to the quantities and actions they represent
- using the equal sign to show equivalent expressions
- using the number line as a tool for counting
Grammar
Introduction to proper nouns
Introduction to plural nouns
Introduction to possessive nouns
Writing
Writing Workshop has begun!
- the workshop routine
- assuming the identity of author!
- making transition from mini lesson to writing
- thinking about a story from real life
- drawing and writing all about that story
- adding more to pictures and words
- starting a new piece when finished ("when you're done you've only just begun!")
- using writer tools appropriately
- generating ideas
- writing a sentence to tell about something true from your life
- adding one or two more sentences to tell more details
- drawing a picture to match the words
- sharing with the class in a loud clear voice
Phonics and Snap Words
- phoneme segmentation
- consonant digraphs (wh, ch, sh, th, ck)
Snap Words
- as
- has
- to
- into
- we
- he
- she
- be
- me
- for
- or
Guided Reading Groups
- Red Jaguars: Once There Was a Little Frog
- Orange Iguanas: Up A Tree
- Green Monkeys: Bubbles; The Farmers
- Blue Barracudas: Looking for Taco; Jump
Social Studies
What is a community?
What kinds of communities are we part of?
Who helps in communities
How do people get what they need in communities
Wants vs Needs
Read Alouds
November Author of the Month: Ezra Jack Keats
Comprehension focus:
- giving opinions
- making connections to self and other books
- asking questions
- agreeing and disagreeing
Classroom Needs
Right now we need...
Starting in second and third grade, students keep their own pair of headphones at school or in their backpack in a plastic baggie...if possible, it would be helpful to start that trend in first grade for when we do use the ipads or computer lab. There are communal headphones available but they are oftentimes being used or broken. If your child has their own headphones, you can put them in a plastic baggie with their name on it and send them to school so they can use them here!
Also, my sony boombox from middle school finally broke - and so our listening center broke along with it! If someone has an extra music player they no longer use, OR (even better) an old iphone or ipod that is no longer in use - we would happily take it off your hands for our listening center.
THANKS!