This last week was certainly a busy one. On Monday we worked on the first grade auction project. I can't wait to see it all put together! On Wednesday we watched a performance by Portland Taiko - one of my favorite assemblies. I took a Taiko class last fall - another reason I love this art form so much. I showed the class a video of myself and my classmates performing our student recital. It was definitely humbling! When we came back to the class parent volunteers were waiting to lead us through part one of our latest Art Infusion lesson. Students learned about the color wheel, primary and secondary colors and painted paper. They will be using this artwork to create a project during part two in a couple weeks. Tuesday is Tie Day! Students are encouraged to wear a tie - they can make one that expresses their personality. For homework this week students are bringing home a Family Interview sheet. I am hoping they will have an opportunity to interview a family member some time this week. You can help them with recording the answers - I want this to be a fun experience to everyone involved! This time of year is always a good reminder to reflect on all we are thankful for. Students came to school on Tuesday to find themselves on the receiving end of Random Acts of Kindness with encouraging notes on every locker. It is the perfect example of why I am so thankful to be here at Glencoe. Each day is reminder of how fortunate I am to surround myself with thoughtful, kind, enthusiastic students. They encourage and support each other and there is never a shortage of volunteers if someone needs help. I want to express my thankfulness to you all for making this such a positive year for your children and their teacher! I have posted some pictures on the Photos page - take a look!
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First off I want to say thank you to everyone for meeting with me for Parent Teacher Conferences last week. It was great to have the opportunity to get to know you all better and share with you all that we have been working on in first grade. While this is the only formally designated conference time for the year please know that you can contact me any time you would like to meet. I am looking forward to the upcoming week - 5 full days!! It will be so nice to be back into our routines. Our next Social Studies unit begins this week. We will take time during the next few weeks to read about, explore and discuss families and traditions. Often families will have culture based traditions and celebrations. This is a wonderful opportunity to come in and share those traditions with our students. Just let me know if you would like to come in and we'll find a time that works. Our second Art Infusion lesson is this Wednesday. We also have an assembly that morning with Portland Taiko - one of my favorites! A special thank you to families who added to our classroom library from the Book Fair. Here's a peek at the books I selected with your generous donations. I can't wait to share them with the class! November is off to a great start and promises to be a very busy month. We have finished up our unit on spiders - I have a feeling some kids will continue exploring these fascinating arachnids!
Volunteers The calendar is posted on the Classroom Notes page using the Volunteer tab. Let me know if you would like one (or more) of the slots and I will add you to the calendar. Homework This is a two day week for students. I will send homework on Monday but it can be returned the following Monday. Conferences The big news coming up is Parent-Teacher Conferences. I am looking forward to meeting with you and talking about our favorite people - your kids! I have been spending the last couple weeks updating some of our assessments and will share where students were in August, progress they are demonstrated and goals for the coming months. One area we will be discussing is reading. One question I am often asked is how parents can support their readers at home. Here is a little information you may find helpful. Readers use three cueing systems. Graphophonic - Visual, Syntax - Structure and Semantic - Meaning. Students using graphophonic cues use letter/sound relationships to read unfamiliar words. You can support this system by asking, "Does it look right?". Students using Syntax cues use grammar and sentence structure to read unfamiliar text. They may make a substitution of a word with one from a similar form of speech, i.e. walk/run, fast/quick. You can support this system by asking, "Does it sound right?". Students using semantic cues use the meaning of the text i.e. what they have already read and picture clues. You can support this system by asking, "Does it make sense?". Fluent readers use a combination of all three cueing systems to read, choosing the best strategy for the situation. Example: Text: The boy went to the park. Student reads: The boy went to the play. They are using the first letter as a cue (visual) so you would not ask them if it looks right because to them it does. Instead ask, "Does it sound right?" to focus their attention on the structure of the sentence or "Does it make sense?" to focus their attention on the meaning. Often beginning readers will rely on one cueing system as their go-to problem solving method so we can best support them by calling their attention to all three systems. |
MS. SCHIADAI teach first grade in southeast Portland where every day brings a new adventure!
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