Week 4

Wow! I cannot believe the first month of school is already over! Time flies in first grade...

Picture day was on Friday and wow do these first graders clean up good! They all looked so adorable and I can't wait to see their big smiles!

First week of homework done and they all did an amazing job! It was great checking all of their homework and seeing the variety and creativity. I am impressed by the number of students that did the math challenge and I also loved reading some of the stories that were written! The homework will be coming back home in their Green Go Home Folders along with their homework for this week.

This was an exciting week because we added a new choice to Daily 5 - Word Work. Research has repeatedly shown that spelling tests do not improve spelling. I have seen first hand students get 100% on every spelling test yet not be able to apply or spell those words correctly in their own writing. However, spelling is an important piece of both reading and writing. Exposure and practice with these words is what will help improve their understanding of spelling patterns and words. In our Word Work bin, students can choose to write the words of the week (and challenge words) using pipe cleaners, or they can choose to use whiteboards. As we get more comfortable using these as tools to learn spelling, I will introduce more Word Work activities (spelling with beads, play-do, scrabble letters, etc). All of the first graders did an excellent job being responsible with the materials, and it is pretty cool to see first graders spelling stamina and respect out of pipe cleaners!

Just like in reading, in math we are also working on our fluency. The students took their first timed addition check-in. It is more for the students to assess their own understanding and for them to be able to see their growth in a couple of weeks. We will be doing these throughout the year to build their math fluency and to make sure they are "basic math fact masters" - try to say that 3 times fast :).
We are also working on different strategies to use when adding and subtracting (number line, using their fingers, friendly numbers, etc). The more strategies (or tools) that they have in their tool belt the more comfortable and successful they will be when they get into more advanced math!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend...here are some photos of your amazing first graders in

Room 112: