1B Family Update
October 14, 2016
Dear Families
Wow. It has been a great two weeks. The Rockstars continue to be so enthusiastic about learning and have already begun to challenge themselves and others by asking thoughtful questions and asking for higher numbers in math! The Rockstars are already becoming more independent in their classwork and social interactions...it is incredible to see! Let's catch you up on what we have been doing:
Lit block and math block are in full swing! Students are in small groups with students working on similar skills. They rotate through 3 or 4 centers that are tailored to their group's needs.
In literacy, we have reviewed the sounds and correct letter formation of all the lowercase letters. In reading, we have been working on making appropriate predictions in our books based on our prior knowledge (what we already know from real life) and things we see when we take a book walk or preview of the book. We have discussed that sometimes our predictions are wrong, but all the matters is that we are thinking about our books in meaningful ways. In writing, we have started our first unit on small moments. This is a narrative writing unit in which students will plan, edit, revise and publish a true story about something that happened in their lives. They will learn to add details and make their stories come to life. So far the students have brainstormed possible topic ideas and planned one story using a graphic organizer that shows the beginning, middle, and end.
We are becoming mathematicians more and more each day. Your children have been learning new strategies to solve math problems. We have listed some of our classroom math games you can play at home.
Dice Addition
- Roll two dice, write a number sentence, and then solve. For example, 3+6 = 9
Compare
- Use a deck of cards (without the face cards) to compare numbers. Each player takes a card from the deck and flips it over. The person who has more says: "I have more because 8 is more than 7." Then the player returns the card to a discard pile and the players begin again. If there is a tie, players each flip over another card until their is a tie breaker.
We encourage you to work with your kids on practicing their number formation. We’ve been having a blast writing our numbers using play dough. You can also use shaving cream. This is something fun and exciting you can do at home with them as well, but be careful it can get a little messy!
Amy Czaja and Kendra Thomas
Join us at the park!
If you are available during this time, please sign up to join us on a park trip! Please note that if the weather is bad (rain), we will not be going to the park. You can always call the school on the day of if you are unsure if we will be going. We will go every Friday until the weather turns unsafe (usually until snow is on the ground), so also make sure to dress your child appropriately for an hour of outdoor play on Fridays!
Link to sign up: FIRST GRADE PARK SIGN UP
Take a Break!
Inquiry Visit From Ms. Monique
To answer our questions, Monique Sierra (our amazing school social worker) visited our class. The students asked her their questions and learned important things, especially that no matter what happens with adult relationships, adults always love their kids and it is never the child's fault! Ms. Monique even shared her own experiences as a child whose parents divorced and remarried.
Risk-Taker of the Week #1: Santiago
- -You have been a risk-taker by doing stuff that is important that you haven't finished yet while eating your breakfast.
- I saw Santi writing and heard him say that he already edits stuff before you taught us how to edit it .
- I saw you being a risk-taker by doing math and not asking for help with a big math problem.
- He lost a tooth or at least it was wiggly and he didn't really tell people to go away when they checked on him.
- Santi's in front of me on the rug and now he tries his best.
- You've been a risk-taker by standing up for what you believe by saying sorry when you bumped someone.
Risk-Taker Student of the Week #2:
- How he's been a risk-taker is he has been brave by listening to the teachers.
- He answers a lot of questions and you're very good answering them
- You're a risk- taker by asking questions
- He help friends and you're caring
- He always takes care of his friends by asking them are they okay
- Martyn sits quietly on his spot while the teachers are talking
- When there are distractions in the room, he ignores the distractions.
1B Announcements
- Please check your child's backpack each Friday afternoon and empty their orange take home folder. The folder should be returned empty Monday.
- Monday, October 17th students will begin learning new 1st grade sight words. They should be able to read and spell them. Next week's words are: girl, boy, will.
- RAZ kids online reading accounts have been set up for your children.
- Please dress your child appropriate for outdoor play each day, especially now that the weather has begun to get cold.
Classroom Photos
Playing with finger puppets during choice time
Israel shared his small moment writing idea
Martyn sharing his small moment writing idea
Billy leads morning meeting
Ruby fills in missing letters in our morning message
Reilly and Anjoola count the days of school
Derby and Gregory brainstorm Small Moment writing topics
Reading on bean bags during quiet time
POD group meeting
POD groups worked together ( without a teacher!) to come up with their group's name
There was voting involved
And they came up with...
Fun at Fort Greene Park
Specials Update
P.E Update from Coach M&M!!!!!!
Exciting news coming to you from COACH M
We were selected to participate in a NEW YORK ISLANDERS sponsored event where they are going to provide us with a two week curriculum on a modified hockey game called "Floorball". We will take a break from project adventure for 2 weeks starting on October 24th and take part in this fast and fun hockey activity.
A Science Update From Ms. Rosabal!
¡1B en Español!
1A started the school year in full Spanish Immersion. ¡Sí! No inglés. Solo español.
Every day in our class we use music, theater and total physical response to explore the Spanish Language. We learned how to greet, how to introduce ourselves, how to express our feelings and now we are exploring how to move in different locations using Spanish commands such as - Levántate, siéntate en la silla. Levántate ve a la puerta, ve a la pizzara...
We are developing our listening, speaking and WRITING skills in Spanish.
Muchas gracias Cerebro Multilingue- Thanks Multilingual brain! ¡We are going to learn MUCHO ESPAÑOL!
Here you can find our Spanish Hits! Keep practicing at home!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o1eSouQy3l_TCfpKSYRwRdxoYl6rJovd8t16GiIOQ-g/edit
There are plenty of ways you can support our learning experience and encourage your student to grow her/his interest in Spanish by reading books at home and listening to music in Spanish. Participate in a cultural event in your community that expose your student to the Spanish culture, such as plays, concerts, and festivals.
Also, Spanish Course is looking to expand its BOOK collection and resources. We would be very thankful for any Spanish book donations.
Questions:
Muchas Gracias,
Maestra Rosado y Maestra Nivia