Welcome to First Grade!

1. Welcome to First Grade! Fall 2013

2. Meet The Crew • Room 4- Ms. Crary & Ms. Sarmartzsis • Room 5- Mrs. Rosenberg & Ms. Schorer • Room 6- Mrs. Burke & Mrs. Lemoi • Room 7- Ms. Kearns • Room 8- Mrs. Narang

3. Nuts & Bolts • Daily Logistics • School starts at 9:15, ends at 3:17 • Snack is in the morning • Lunch is at noon • Recess is in the afternoon • We try to go out every day. Please dress appropriately!

4. Dismissal Changes • PLEASE call the office if there is a dismissal change after school has started. • Email us if you have a dismissal change before school starts.

5. Nuts & Bolts • Homework- September is handwriting • Regular homework will start October-ish • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday- read for 15+ min. • Thursday- practice math • “Calendar” will come home weekly, we will collect it on Fridays • Contact • Email is the best way to contact us

6. Dates to Know • Fall Conference • Surprise Pilgrim Visitor • January Report Card • Spring Conference • May Museum of Science Visit • June Author’s Tea • June Report Card

8. Reading Workshop • Hemenway’s new approach to teaching reading. It replaces center approach used in previous years. • Why change? Research proves that the more time students spend with eyes on text, the better readers they become.

9. What Reading Workshop looks like in the classroom… Students will participate it it daily. There are 3 parts: • Focus Lesson • Independent Reading • Teacher works with students 1 on 1 • Teacher works with small groups based on need 3. Share

10. Shared Reading and Read Alouds Shared Reading • Students read aloud a text with the teacher • Practices fluency • Text is at many of their “just-right” levels Read Alouds • Teacher reads aloud to students • Explicitly models strategies readers use • Text is too hard for students to read independently

11. Home/School Connection • Books will be coming home daily. Please make sure they come back every day. • The books may look too easy, but we want to make sure students can read their books independently to practice reading successfully and set good reading habits. • Homework is based on reading these books. • Less worksheets will come home.

12. Tips for Reading at Home • Be a reader at home. • Read with your child as much as possible. • Ask your child questions about their reading like… • What happened in the book so far? • What do you think will happen next? Why? • Which character is your favorite and why? • What was your favorite book you read today? • Don’t automatically tell your child a word they are stuck on. Ask them to use strategies they have learned at school like: • Sound it out. • Look at the picture. • What is the first sound? • What word would sound right?

13. Fundations • Fundations makes learning to read fun while laying down the groundwork for life-long literacy. • Fundations provides children of varying learning abilities with a foundation for reading and spelling. • Differentiated groups: Spelling classes based on students’ current abilities.

14. Fundations • Program Highlights • Letter formation • Phonological and phonemic awareness • Sound mastery • Phonics • Vocabulary • Irregular (trick) Word Instruction • Fluency • Comprehension • Written composition

15. Writing Workshop • Another component of our balanced literacy approach is writing workshop. • An approach to writing where students are in charge of their writing. • Goal is to help students go through the same thought processes as real writers. • Makes writing a lifelong habit.

16. What Writing Workshop looks like in the classroom… • Focus Lesson: • Teacher teaches a new strategy or skill to the whole class. Students can use this skill during their writing that day. • Write and Confer: • Students return to their seats and write. The emphasis is on fluency of ideas, logical story ordering, and the connection of thoughts from page to page. • Teacherconfers with students on individual needs. • Share: • Students return to the rug to share with the class or a partner.

17. Writing Units • Writing Small Moment Stories with Independence • Bringing Small Moment Stories to Life • Writing like Authors • Fixing and Fancying Up Our Best Work • Non-Fiction • Poetry

18. Math • Standards based • Provides practice in basic skills • Also develops conceptual understanding and problem solving abilities

19. Math Think Math! focuses on the processes of: Problem Solving Reasoning and Proof Communication Making Connections Representation

20. Math A typical Think Math! Lesson has • A headline story Jack has some red and blue beads. • Teaching points • A game or puzzle • A LAB (Lesson Activity Book) page Children move from whole class, to small group, to individual work daily.

21. Science

22. Social Studies

23. Open Circle • Social/emotional curriculum which teaches students skills needed to form positive relationships • Held once a week for about 20 minutes • Topics include listening well, including others, problem solving, getting calm • Can be used to address larger world events

24. Inclusion in First Grade • Students assessed in math, spelling • Groups are formed across grade level based on skill • Flexibility allows students to receive instruction they need based on their ability • Groups change throughout the year • Students love getting to know other first graders and first grade teachers

25. Inclusion in First Grade • All first grade students eat lunch and have recess together • Sub-separate classrooms partner with standard classrooms for specials • Grade-level activities occur throughout the year

26. Thank you! • Now is the time to go back to your child’s classroom. • Please sign up for a Parent Teacher Conference and a Mystery Reader. We look forward to a great year together in first grade!