First Grade... Ride the Wave to Success

1. First Grade... Ride the Wave to Success

2. Welcome Parents! • Tonight we’ll go over basic expectations for a successful year in first grade. • We’ll provide information and recommendations for you to help your child be prepared. • We’ll provide hands on examples to take home with you.

3. Developmental Expectations It’s important to understand children do not develop and learn at the same pace or in the same way. It’s also important to realize the range of ages entering 1st grade vary from a young six (rarely a late five year old) to an almost eight year old.

4. Developmental Expectations Your child has been taught/introduced to the items we’ll discuss below in kindergarten. If you recognize your child needing “more time” in one or more area, let us know. We will be working closely with you to help strengthen their weaknesses, and keep us informed about what’s happening at home.

5. They will start off successfully if they… • come to school daily and on time. • know how to hold a pencil correctly. • recognize numbers 0 – 100 • know all of their letters and sounds. • start writing "at the top” – This is a skill we work on ALL year long. Developmentally it is a hard concept for them to grasp! • Are able to remain on task for up to 20 minutes.

6. Are able to follow 3 step directions. • Are accountable for their own things independently. • Are able to walk to the classroom, get settled and follow a daily routine from the beginning. (Set routines at home.) • Know their 7 digit lunch number – they will need this at lunch, in the library and computer lab.

7. Reading Success in First Grade is Strengthened By… A solid foundation that begins in your home and Kindergarten. Knowledge of all the letters of the alphabet and corresponding letter sounds. This knowledge enables readers to understand word structure and to decode new words. Rich oral vocabulary spoken and heard… this creates a strong background knowledge to enhance connections to reading and aids comprehension skills. The ability to recognize and read 100 of the most common high frequency words. These words make up 60% of all text in our reading and writing.

8. Sight Words • What are sight words and why do we need them? • In order for students to be able to read easy phonetic readers (for example, booklets with only short a or short u words), they need to know a few “sight” words. These are words that appear often in text and do not follow the usual phonetic rules, you can’t sound them out.

10. Reading Sample ~ Goal For End of 1 Qtr. Level 4 - Fiction

11. Level 6 - nonfiction

12. The Daily 5 This year the first grade team is using a program called the Daily 5 as a way to increase reading skills through: * oral language * phonics development * comprehension * independent reading and * vocabulary development *It is a structure that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working independently that will lead to a lifetime of literacy independence. (*Taken from website)

13. The Daily 5 • There are 5 components the children are able to choose on a daily basis: • Read to Self (independent reading) • Read to Someone (buddy reading) • Check for Understanding • Coach or Time • Listen to Reading (listening center, cd’s, Leap Frog, language master, computer) • Write about Reading • Word Work – ie. – spelling/phonics

14. The Daily 5 The daily 5 provides not only demonstrations but also holds students accountable as well as develops an urgency and purpose for doing what they do. In the book, Literacy at the Crossroads, by RegieRoutman, the book states the things we need to do to provide good solid reading instruction is: • Match children with appropriate books (Taught in the first few lessons of daily 5.) • No matter what the grade level, read aloud every day. (Shared read and Read to Someone.) • Provide sustained time daily for free-choice reading. (Happens daily with daily 5.)

15. Spend most of language arts reading time - reading. (Key component of daily 5.) • Give all children an opportunity to discuss excellent literature in a small group. (Done through share time and check for understanding.) The same is true of writing because “write about reading” is a key component to the daily 5. When asked what we can do to provide good, solid writing instruction, the response is: * Give daily time to write. (Write about Reading) * Model sharing and written response. (Write about Reading)

16. In first grade, your child will begin to blossom as a young author. Most students are able to: Write their name using a capital letter for the first letter and lowercase for the rest. Write a complete thought. Use spaces in between words. Use beginning, middle and ending sounds to form words (ex: L i k = Like) Write from left to right, and top to bottom Writing

17. The children are taught the 5 steps of writer’s workshop: 1. think (plan) 2. sketch (plan) 3. label 4. write 5. reread They are taught to write using “craft” as a way of making their stories more detailed and more interesting. Examples of such craft are … Writing

18. Sensory words – describing words that tell how something looks, feels, smells, tastes or sounds. The green, slimy seaweed felt cold on my feet. Vivid Verbs – action words that put a picture in your head. ~ We droveto the mall and walkedaround. Onomatopoeia – noise words ~ I heard a creak and a thump after the lights went out and yelled for mom. Transition Words – interesting linking words that move you through a story without saying “and then, and then”. We were watching TV when suddenly the lights went out. Simile – compares objects to real things. ~ The dinosaur was as long as a bus. Writing

19. A First grade writing sample

20. Math We have a new math series called “Go Math!” • It’s easy to use • It has lots of resources such as wipe-off white boards, centers, quality literature, and manipulatives. • It stresses higher order thinking (HOT) and lots of problem solving (word problems) • It teaches multiple strategies • It is fosters differentiated instruction • It is broken into 3 big ideas that are aligned with the sunshine state standards.

21. Math • Big Idea 1 – Algebra • Addition and subtraction strategies • Big Idea 2 – Number Patterns ; 10’s and 1’s, comparing numbers, and reading and representing numbers • Big Idea 3 – Geometry and Measurement

22. Math We know children learn best and retain what they learn by exploring and using hands-on materials to work through their thinking. Things you can do at home to help support their math: • show them math is everywhere! Have You Used Math Lately? (great book!) • help them learn their math facts • go to the library and find fun math stories to read. *see examples • ask them to explain their thinking

23. Science • This year, your child will be learning the 5 E’s of scientific inquiry. • Engage – activity to raise interest (check it out!) • Explore – activities to “experiment” (what if?) • Elaborate – determine patterns (try again & again) • Explain – talk about what happened (ah ha!) • Evaluate – check for understanding

24. Science • Science notebooks/folders are used to record investigations and findings. • Long term investigations (activities monitored over days/weeks/months) provide opportunities to discover and drawing conclusions. ** • We cover physical, earth, and life science. ** • The children work collaboratively and cooperatively in small groups. * • They learn how to record data. • They use a variety of science tools. **

25. Science Happenings! • We have a new science lab! ** • We will be renovating the outdoor • classroom for use again! ** • It’s a science fair year! ** • We will participate in the Science • Olympics. **

26. Recommendations For Success • Limit the amount of time spent watching television and playing video games. * • Read each night for at least 15 minutes now and by the end of the year, 30 minutes a day. * • Check comprehension so they know what they read otherwise they’re just “word calling”. * • Have meaningful discussions and conversations by asking, “Who..?, What…?, Where…?, When…?, Why…?, How…?”

27. More Recommendations • Don’t just talk “at” them but with them. • On the weekends, go places and explore! Visit the zoo, aquarium, park, beach, book store, library, museum, or other interesting places. • Encourage your child to write to someone about his/her experiences afterwards. ** • Cook or bake something together! (math/science)

28. Still More Recommendations! • Play learning games like Brain Quest, Dominos, Guess Who, and Bingo to encourage social interaction. ** • Play Word Sorts, Concentration, Word Hunt using old magazines and/or junk mail or cards. • Develop your child’s reading and writing skills by asking them to write notes, phone message, lists (i.e. grocery), cards.

29. Lastly…… • Plant a small vegetable or flower garden; label the plants, log how it grows, how fast, draw pictures. (science) • We’re here for you and your children. Help us help your children. It’s a win-win situation when we work together!