What's Happening in Room 103

This week we read several Jan Brett books including The Mitten, The Hat, and Annie and the Wild Animals. We did our best to identify important story elements, such as genre, setting, characters, and sequence of events.  We also discussed the similarities and differences in each of these books.

The Elf on the Shelf continues to visit the our classroom. Each day the children look forward to finding the new location of Abraham Lincoln.  We chose a great name for our elf.  The presence of our elf has added excitement in to our classroom.

The children took a Chapter 5 Math Test on Tuesday.  We will continue to review related facts even though we are moving on to Chapter 6.

In grammar we continued to work on plural nouns and nouns in a sentence.  Our new concept is action verbs.  Students learned that a verb is an action.  We had fun demonstrating different verbs!

What We’re Learning Next Week:

Reading: All aboard!  First grade will embark on a journey with The Polar Express.  We will read this wonderful book and also watch the movie.  As good readers we will identify story elements which will include genre, characters, setting, and identify our favorite part of the book.  The kids will receive a movie ticket prior to viewing the movie for admittance to the first grade theaters.

Math: Chapter 6 Numbers and Operations in Base Ten (also known as place value).  Please practice counting to 120 by 10’s, 5’s, and 1’s.  We will use manipulatives to help demonstrate our understanding of tens and ones.

Grammar: Students will be practicing action verbs.

It's December!

Can you believe it is already December?  I can't believe how fast this year is flying by, anyways…

We all know what it is like to have a bad day and this week we read about a character named Alexander in the story Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, who has one really awful day.  We looked at character traits and what type of character Alexander is based on his actions and words.  We also talked about plot and beginning, middle, end.  We looked at the different settings in the story and how Alexander is feeling as the story progresses.  We even began to write our own story about our made up “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day”. 

A special friend also visited our classrooms.  The Elf on the Shelf made an appearance to each of our rooms.  He is watching us closely to see how we act.  We are journaling each new day with the Elf.

 In math we worked on basic facts to 20 and ways to make 20.  We looked at how to choose an operation when it comes to word problems and figuring out if we are to use subtraction or addition.  We also worked some more on related facts.  We will be taking our chapter 5 test next week on Tuesday.  Please practice by doing the enrichment packet.

In grammar we worked on plural nouns and nouns in a sentence.  We found the different nouns in a sentence and are now able to recognize that a sentence always has a noun.

What We’re Learning Next Week:

Reading: We will be doing a Jan Brett author study this upcoming week.  We will be working on comparing and contrasting the different texts she has written.  Students will work on writing an alternate ending to the stories and being able to explain their favorite parts.  We will work on writing and explaining what we would do if Santa were stuck in our chimney.

Math: Coming up we will be reviewing chapter 5 and then having our chapter 5 test on Tuesday.  We will begin chapter 6.  In chapter 6 we are going to work on counting by ones to 120 and counting by tens to 120.  You can easily practice this skill at home.

Grammar: Students will be practicing action verbs.

Thanksgiving Is Here!

This Week:

This week we compared and contrasted a fiction and a nonfiction text.  We looked at the similarities and differences between the two and our reasons for why we might choose to read a fiction or a nonfiction text.  We talked about how we read nonfiction to learn new information and to learn, and we read fiction for entertainment.  We also started a mini unit reading A Turkey for Thanksgiving.  Students had the opportunity to work on a variety of comprehension skills as we read this story.  We talked about character traits, cause and effect, problem and solution, and the plot of the story.

We continued with chapter 5.  We worked on identifying related facts and understanding how we know if addition and subtraction facts are related.  We also worked on using addition to check subtraction and how to use a related to find a missing number.

What We’re Learning Next Week:

Reading: When we come back from break we will be reading the story Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  As we read we will be working on character traits, problem and solution, and identifying words and phrases that appeal to ones feelings.

Math: Coming up students will work on choosing when to add and when to subtract word problems.  Students will work on adding and subtracting in different ways to make the same number up to 20.  They will continue with more algebra and deciding if a number sentence is true or false.

Grammar: Students will practice plural nouns by adding an (s).

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday.  I am looking forward to seeing all your children rested and rejuvenated for the final few weeks heading into Christmas Break.

Week of Veteran's Day

Classroom News

Reading: This week we continued to work on main topic and key details.  We applied this skill to a nonfiction story about pilgrims.  We read about the pilgrims voyage to America.  We made a turkey that listed the key details from the text and the main idea.  It was a fun activity to do to display our knowledge of main idea and key details.

Math: We just began chapter 5.  We started working on making models to add and subtract and how models will help us to solve the problem.

In grammar we worked on holidays, months, and days of the week.  We know that these should always be capitalized.

Grammar: Thank you parents and guardians for coming to parent-teacher conferences.  We appreciate your time and your interest in how your child is doing in the classroom.

What We’re Learning Next Week:

Reading: Next week we will be comparing two texts on Thanksgiving.  One will be a nonfiction text and the second will be a fiction text.  We will examine their similarities and differences.  We will look at plot, main idea and key details, characters, setting, problem, and solution.  It will be a busy week and will lead us all the way through until Thanksgiving.

Math: We will continue to work on Chapter 5.  We will be working on related facts.  We will identify related facts, use addition to check subtraction, and find the missing numbers.

Grammar: We are working on nouns and sentences.  Students will start to have grammar homework.  Please be on the lookout for these worksheets. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Please don't forget that parent-teacher conferences are this week.  They are on Wednesday and Thursday.  Check to make sure that you know what time you are supposed to come in.  I look forward to seeing you all to discuss the progress of your child.  If you don't remember your scheduled time please contact me so I can let you know when you are supposed to come in.  Have a great week and I will see you in the next few days!

First Week Of November!

Classroom News

This week we really worked hard on main topic and key details in a nonfiction text.  We read a variety of nonfiction texts to aid in our understanding of finding the main topic and the key details that support it.  We read many books on heroes.  We looked at different heroes from different time periods and focused on why they were important.  We also talked about Veteran’s Day.

We finished up with Chapter 4 in math and are going to be beginning Chapter five this upcoming week.  Chapter 4 was a difficult chapter but we are happy to move on!  This chapter focused more on the concepts behind subtraction, but we understand many students are able to use their own strategies to solve problems.

In grammar we worked on proper nouns and titles.  We even started to recognize proper nouns in our writing and reading.

What We’re Learning Next Week:

Reading: Next week we will be continuing to explore main idea and key details.  We will be reading nonfiction texts about pilgrims and Thanksgiving.  Students will be learning important information about Thanksgiving while also learning how to find the main idea and the supporting key details.  We will work on some important vocabulary words like pilgrim, Plymouth Rock, Mayflower, harbor, crop, plantation, village, and trundle.

Math: We will begin to introduce chapter 5. This new chapter will focus on addition and subtraction relationships.  Next week we will work on problem solving, how to record related facts which helps us to find missing numbers, and how to identify related facts.

Grammar: We will be continuing to work on titles and move on to holidays, months, and days of the week.

Important Halloween Information:

Hi Parents,

Please don't forget that on Halloween we have a different schedule.  Students will be dismissed at 11:45 for lunch.  They must leave school grounds.  There will be no one on lunch duty to watch them.  If you will not be home or need to work, please make arrangements so your child has somewhere to go.  Your child is expected to be back at school at 1:30 dressed in their Halloween costumes.  The Halloween Parade will start at 1:45.  I hope to see you all at the parade.  Let's hope for great weather.  At least a little bit warmer then what we have been having lately…

Have a great week!

We Explored Poetry!

Reading:

This past week the students were introduced to poetry.  We talked a lot about or five senses and different words to use for different feelings.  We explored our senses and feelings as we read various poems.  We noticed that different poems can make us feel different ways and can cause us to think activate our senses.  We went on a nature walk to really activate our senses and explored the five senses of fall.

Math:

We finished with chapter 3 in math this week.  We pulled all our strategies together as we took our chapter 3 test. We definitely put forth our best effort.

Grammar:

In grammar we learned that a noun is a person, place, animal, or thing.  We worked on identifying different nouns.

What We’re Learning Next Week:

Reading: 

This upcoming week we are going to go back to exploring fiction texts.  We are going to do it in a fun and Halloween way by studying Fictional Halloween texts.  We will work on asking and answering questions about key details in a text, how to describe characters in a text and how to use words and phrases that help us examine feelings from the text.  Using different Halloween stories will make this upcoming week exciting and keep the students enthusiastic about Halloween!

Math:  

We will be beginning chapter 4.  We will be working on subtraction strategies to use.  We will start with counting back, thinking about addition to subtract, and using a ten frame to subtract.  

Grammar: 

We are going to be talking about proper nouns and what makes a proper noun

It was a "Batty" week...

We learned about an adorable little bat named Stellaluna this week.  We focused on quite a few different skills.  We worked on using adjectives to describe characters.  We talked about the story plot, the setting, and the problem.  We even compared and contrasted bats and birds.  It was a busy week for us!  We really enjoyed the story Stellaluna; it taught us that it is okay to be different and still be friends.

In math this week we worked on making tens to add.  It took some practice but we are getting the hang of it.  We worked on adding three numbers and adding three numbers with algebra.  We were hard at work using our best math skills.  We are learning a lot about how numbers fit together and the different addition concepts. 

Next Week…

Reading: We are taking on a whole new genre and tackling POETRY!  We are going to explore poetry by reading poems that activate our five senses and evoke different emotions.  We are really going to focus on those words and phrases that cause us to feel a certain emotion or activate our senses.  We are going to do some really fun activities to help us learn these different words.

Math:  Next week we are going to be giving our math chapter 3 test.  We are finishing up the chapter with problem solving using addition strategies.  We are going to then review and take our test.  We will then begin chapter 4, which focuses on subtraction strategies.   Students will learn counting back as a subtraction strategy and how to use addition to help them subtract.

Grammar: We are beginning to learn about nouns and how a noun is a person, place, or thing.         

Important Dates:

10/25: Quarter 1 Ends!

10/20-10/25 Red Ribbon Spirit Week! 

Monday: Athletic Wear Day

Tuesday: Crazy Hats Day

Wednesday: Wear Read Day

Thursday: Hawaiian Day

Friday: School Spirit Day

Class News 10/11 - 10/18

This past week we further investigated penguins!  We read a nonfiction text on penguins and then compared and contrasted real life penguins with a fictional penguin named Tacky.  This helped us to see how different fiction and nonfiction texts are when compared side by side.  We did some great writing this week, too.  We wrote some wonderful facts about penguins and did our best writing!  Our writing is now hung on a bulletin board in the primary hall for the whole school to see!

We did a fun craft with our doubles facts.  We came up with a "Batty Doubles" fact in honor of Halloween.  We are really starting to know those doubles facts!

In math we continued to work on adding within 20.  We practiced the many strategies we have learned.  This week we also we learned how to add using a tens frame.  This took practice, but we are getting the hang of it.

Math Tip:  Please remember to have your student login to xtramath.org and practice their math problems everyday.  It only takes about 5 minutes a day but you will notice a significant change in their math fluency if done daily! 

Don't forget about reading those 100 minutes a week.  This is considered to be a part of your child's independent reading grade.  This is also critical practice for your child to apply their reading skills and get that extra practice at home.

Finishing off September!

Classroom News

This past week we continued working on reading nonfiction text.  We went further into Africa and learned about why animals live in groups through the story Safety in Numbers.  This text guided us as we learned how to formulate our own questions and wonderings as we read and how to look for the answers to these questions.  We had a lot of different questions about animal groups and the way different animals live.  We were also very curious about predator and prey relationships.  We learned new vocabulary this week.  Our vocabulary words we practiced were charge, herd, flock, colony, shelter, predator, prey, and calf.  We practiced these all week long!!  We learned colony, herd, and flock are different names for different types of animal groups.

In math we continued working on subtraction and learned how to take away all or zero.  We also practiced taking away from 10.

Important Info:

Student's need to work on mastering their kindergarten sight words.  These words are essential to becoming a proficient reader.  Once these sight words are mastered students will then be able to move on and work on mastering their first grade words.  Please practice these words at home with your child.  A sight word is a word that you cannot sound out and it does not follow any specific phonetic pattern.

What We’re Learning This Week:

Reading: We will be continuing with nonfiction text reading about Big Cats and how they are different from normal house cats.  We will continue to work on finding the main idea and key details to support the main idea.  Our vocabulary for the week is: food chain, litter, camouflage, stalks, bursts, dodges, throat, and stole.

Math: We are going to be having our Chapter 2 math test on Tuesday.  Work on the enrichment packet for more challenging work.  We will begin Chapter 3.  Students will learn to add in any order, count on, and add doubles.

Grammar: We will be working on telling sentences.  It is a statement.  It begins with a capital and usually ends with a period.

Just So You Know

Hi Parents,

I just wanted to remind you that there is an informational RTI meeting tonight at Giles.  It is at 6:30 in Anderson Hall.  All students are involved in the RTI process so it would be beneficial to come and hear about the process and what RTI involves.

A second note- parents who are interested in ordering scholastic books online may do so.  They will be able to see a wider selection of books and can order through our classroom and they will be delivered here to Giles.  It is super easy to get started.  Simply go to clubs2.scholastic.com say that you are a parent.  Then it will ask you for your teacher's code.  Our classroom code is: JD2DZ.  Simply enter that in all caps and you will be good to go!  I know this is sometimes easier than sending in checks or worrying about cash etc.  Just wanted to let you know!

Also, some of your children went on the enriched spelling list this week.  Please check their F.R.O.G. folder's for their list.

Have a great rest of your week.

Justinne Nikchevich

Classroom Happenings

Classroom News

Thank you to those parents who came out to our curriculum night on Thursday.  We really appreciate you coming out to hear all about first grade. 

In reading this week we talked about events in a story.  We did this by reading the story The Napping House.  We talked about all the different events in this story.  We then worked together by reading the story Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse and students placed the events in order with guided practice.  They recognized that stories have a beginning, middle, and end.  Thanks to our practice with setting and character students were also able to point this out while reading.

In math this week we worked on addition to 10.  We also had our first chapter test after lots of reviewing.  We are confident our students put forth their best effort.

Looking forward to learning about non-fiction text next week.  Have a wonderful weekend and a great week next week.

Miss Nikchevich 

Welcome!

Welcome to First Grade!

I hope you have all had an amazing summer!  I am so excited for this year to begin.  I am looking forward to a wonderful year.  Your child will make many great memories and learn so many new things.  I am sure your child is just as excited as I am for the year to start.  During the first week of school we will get to know each other and establish classroom routines.  It will be a fun week to get us all back into the school routine.

I can't wait to start this year off on the right foot!  Let me know if you have any questions along the way.

Looking forward to a wonderful year!

Miss N.