It was fun to see so many friendly faces at the auction on Saturday. What a fun event and it is wonderful so see the support from our community!
We started our new writing unit this week. Students are learning all about opinion writing! We started by looking at a small collection of items where they follow the 4 rules for "Judging Fairly". 1. Put everything in a lines. 2. Compare the same thing in each. 3. Decide which is the best and give reasons. We are now also discussing how to convince our reader. We will be writing lots about our opinions for the next few weeks. In reading we started our Readers Have Big Jobs to Do. We made a chart that not only lists different strategies and tools to try but questions to ask ourselves when we try to solve hard words. The questions are: Does that look right? Does that sound right? and Does it make sense? These are great prompts to use with your readers as they try multiple tools to read unfamiliar words. In math we continue to work with the open number line to solve 2-digit addition problems. This week we compare the heights of the rockhopper penguin and the king penguin to our own heights. Students then had to choose one penguin and find how much taller they were compared to that penguin. We are looking for volunteers for our next Art Infusion lesson on Friday, March 13th. It's an activity where the more adult help - the better! You can sign up on Konstella or let Maren Williams (williams.maren@gmail.com)know that you can help out! Tuesday, March 10, 8:15 am PTA Meeting Friday, March 13, 12:45 - 2:00 Art Infusion Friday, March 20 Spirit Day - Farm Day March 21 - March 29 Spring Break
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We have finished up our nonfiction units and it has been so great to see the development in both reading and writing. Students continue to put the finishing touches on the books they are creating using the Book Creator app. Be on the look out for some of the writing they have been working on during the last month or two.
We are also beginning a new phonics unit and there will be a lot of hard work ahead! This unit is focused on vowel teams which can be really tricky for beginning readers. The newest tool for our social-emotional learning toolboxes is the Apology and Forgiveness tool. A letter will be coming home that explains more about this very valuable tool. The Glencoe Auction is coming up this weekend. I am so grateful for the support our families show for the the school. There will be many great things to bid on and some Buy-in events. I know I have my eye on a couple things! If your child is feeling crafty be sure to sign up for my Craftacular event - #903 in the auction catalog. Students will stay after school for some crafting fun and light snacks. Friday, March 6, 1:00 pm Red Yarn Assembly Saturday, March 7, 5:00 - 9:00 pm Glencoe Auction Tuesday, March 10, 8:15 am PTA Meeting March 21 - March 29 Spring Break We have really been enjoying this winter sunshine! We have one more week of our nonfiction units in reading and writing. In reading students have been working on identifying the topic of their text and then telling at least two key details about what they read. We had lessons around how the title can be sometimes be the same as the topic but not always. We ask ourselves, "What is this book about?". Understanding the difference between a key detail and a supporting detail can be tricky so we worked on determining importance and ask ourselves, "What does the author want me to know?".
In writers workshop students continue to write on topics of their choice. They are also working on a final project using the online app Book Creator. Students are enjoying selecting photos of their animal to add to their pages and adjusting the size and style of their font. When finished, they will be shareable with families. In math we are continuing to work on identifying and counting coins. We are also creating graphs and writing about the data. This is all in addition to keeping our computation skills sharp. We worked with the open number line again this week to solve subtraction problems. The first grade auction artwork is on display in the showcase so stop by and admire the colorful collages! Wednesday, February 26, 2:30 - 3:00 pm Rock Wall Open House Saturday, March 7, 5:00 - 9:00 pm Glencoe Auction Tuesday, March 10, 8:15 am PTA Meeting March 21 - March 29 Spring Break The week ended on a high note with our valentines celebration. One of the things I love about this is watching the genuine delight as students open and read their cards and then search out their friend to say thank you. I loved my cards too - it was a real love fest!
One of our Toolbox tools for this month is the Taking Time tool. The phrase that accompanies it is, "I take time-in and I take time-away". Time-in means taking some time to check in to see what we need or are feeling. It's an opportunity to think things through or cool down. Taking a Time-In doesn't always require a physical removal from a situation; it is more of a turning inward in order to have a period of self-reflection. We had a great discussion on listening to our bodies and identifying feelings - taking time to look "in". Time-Away allows us to physically remove or distance ourselves - allowing us space to calm down and understand how we are feeling and thinking. During our discussion we identified when this is helpful. We also talked about what spaces were available where we could take time away. It was nice to hear all the different ways students are taking this time away at home and school. I shared with students how this is a tool for everyone - that there are many times when I need to take time away and think about how and why I am feeling a certain way! Our 100th Day of school was on Wednesday so we did a few fun activities to celebrate - and we are still going strong! We another special activity on Wednesday. As part of the Techsmart grant that has provided the K-3 classes with a half-class set of chromebooks and a part time coach, there was a lab day where coaches came in and led a lesson in our classes. Our class learned a new app called Book Creator. Students worked in pairs to create a page or two for an All About Us book. I am learning more about this tool and think it will be a great addition to ways students can express themselves in writing. There is also a way to share this through See Saw so once I figure that out I hope to get it out to everyone! Monday, February 17 President's Day Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Art Infusion Training Friday, February 21, 6:00 pm Family Movie Night Saturday, March 6, 5:00 - 9:00 pm Glencoe Auction Two of our favorite activities were highlights of the week. One Tuesday we went to the Newmark Theater to see the play Dragons Love Tacos. This is one of our favorite books and it was so much fun to see the dinosaurs come to life. I was so proud of how everyone was a polite, enthusiastic audience.
On Friday we had our latest Art Infusion lesson. I am so appreciative of our parent volunteers who plan and lead these lessons. This week students learned about space and our galaxy, studying where they saw dark and where they saw light in the book Galaxies Galaxies! They also got to see photos from the Hubble telescope. Students used watercolors to create a piece inspired by what they saw. We continue our nonfiction reading and writing units. In reading we looked at two books on the same subject (snow) to talk about what information was the same in both books and facts that were different. We worked together to write a fact that was the same and then sentences for each book of what was different. Students then added more facts on their own. We will continue working on this skill during readers workshop. We finished our snow booklets during writers workshop and then went back to writing on a topic of our choice. We then started adding chapter headings to organize our pages and looked at how a table of contents is connected to these headings. Valentine's Day is coming up! A note went home with a list of student names. If you need another copy, please let me know. Remember, as an inclusive community, if your child would like to bring valentines - they need to bring one for each student in the class. Report cards came home on Friday. Please keep the card but sign and return the envelope. I will reuse this envelope in April when the next report card is sent home. I am excited about all the learning to come during the second half of first grade! Tuesday, February 11, 8:15 - 9:15 am PTA Meeting Wednesday, February 12 100th Day of School Friday, February 14 Valentine's Day Friday, February 14 Spirit Day - Favorite Color Monday, February 17 President's Day Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Art Infusion Training Saturday, March 6, 5:00 - 9:00 pm Glencoe Auction Our time with Red Yarn as our artist in residency was fabulous. A great time for everyone involved. A parent in Mr. Roddis' class who is a videographer has been shooting behind the scene footage - I will let you know more about this when I can. Thank you for supporting our little artists!
Speaking of artists - I believe there are still slots for a couple more volunteers for this Friday's art infusion lesson. You can check out the information on Konstella. Big plans are underway for the upcoming Glencoe Auction. Envelopes went home asking for donations to support the Auction on behalf of first grade. Be sure to write Schiada or Room 108 on the envelope when returning the envelopes. I'm working on putting together an after school craft activity as my donation to this wonderful event. More details to come! Valentine's Day is also coming up in a couple of weeks! Students will decorate a bag in class to hold the valentines from their classmates. If your child would like to bring valentines, I am sending home a separate letter with a list of classmates' names.. Tuesday, February 4 Fieldtrip to the Newmark Theater Friday, February 7, 1:00 pm Art Infusion Tuesday, February 11, 8:15 - 9:15 am PTA Meeting Wednesday, February 12 100th Day of School Friday, February 14 Valentine's Day Monday, February 17 President's Day Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Art Infusion Training Saturday, March 6, 5:00 - 9:00 pm Glencoe Auction Red Yarn Performance
The first grade has been working with our artist in residency, Red Yarn. Each class has learned a different folk song and created puppets to go along with their song. We would love to share our new talents with you. Each class will perform their song at a performance on Tuesday, January 28th from 1:45 – 2:05 in the cafeteria. We’d love to see you there! I have been updating assessments and just love seeing the growth. One of my favorite things about teaching first grade is watching the dramatic gains in learning throughout the year. They all are working so hard and yet still having fun learning! We read The Story of Snow this week and we're using this text to practice our reading and writing of informational texts skills. We used our schema (prior knowledge) to list facts we already know about snow. After reading through the book one time we recorded some of our new learning. We also moved some of our prior knowledge to the misconception column if we needed to adjust our thinking. We also started to use a graphic organizer to help us plan our writing. Students identified a topic and at least four facts they could write about. They then started to write more about each fact. This is really going to help us organize our thinking! Our phonics skill this week was learning about the "Tricky Y" and consonant blends at the end of words. Ask your child to give you some examples of both kinds of words. Upcoming Dates Monday, January 27 No School - Teacher Planning Day Tuesday, January 28, 8:15 am Principal's Coffee Tuesday, January 28, 1:45 pm 1st grade Red Yarn Performance Tuesday, February 4 Fieldtrip to the Newmark Theater Friday, February 7, 1:00 pm Art Infusion Well this week certainly ended on an exciting note! The late opening did not put a damper on our super hero enthusiasm! We took time to talk about what traits a hero today might have. We read and learned about Ruby Bridges who as a first grader became a hero to many. Students felt that being brave and having perseverance were her "superpowers". We continued to talk about our newest tool - using the right words, in the right ways, at the right time for the right reasons. We worked on a project inspired by the book, Martin's Big Words to make collages of our own "big" words. These will be up on our classroom bulletin board to remind us of how Martin Luther King, Jr. used this tool in a powerful way.
In reading and writing we are learning about using text features to read and write nonfiction texts. We added two features to our list - photographs & illustrations and captions. We talked about how these can help us learn more about a topic and not to skip over them as we read. In math we continued to work with the number line as a tool, using it solve story problems. We are also working on place value - identifying the tens and ones in 2-digit numbers. Red Yarn came back to work with us on Tuesday. He also was kind enough to add a little science to his visit, demonstrating how the strings on his guitar make sound and how that sound can be changed by the tightness of the string. We experimented with this concept before his visit by making head harps - taking a piece of string and pulling it across our ears and making the string vibrate. Here is a link to that lesson: https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/head-harp Students started to create their puppets and will add details next week. Mark your calendars for our quick performance on Tuesday, January 28th at 1:45 in the cafeteria. Upcoming Dates Tuesday, January 21, 9:05 am Artist in Residency - Red Yarn Tuesday, January 21, 6:30 pm Art Infusion Training Monday, January 27 No School - Teacher Planning Day Tuesday, January 28, 8:15 am Principal's Coffee Tuesday, January 28, 1:45 pm 1st grade Red Yarn Performance Tuesday, February 4 Fieldtrip to the Newmark Theater We are back into our routines in first grade! This week brought a new year and new units in reading, writing, phonics, science and math. We will be spending the next few weeks on reading and writing nonfiction texts. Students traded in the books in their book boxes for a set of just right nonfiction books. They are reading about animals, people, places and more. In writers workshop students are choosing a topic that they know a lot about, that they can teach to others. We reviewed the steps to write a teaching book 1. Think of a topic 2. Plan - Say it on your fingers and sketch across pages 3. Write the words. Some of our topics include pet cats, walruses, Helen Keller and fruits. In math we are adding and subtracting with unknowns in all positions. We can solve equations 9 - ? = 5; ? + 3 = 7; 8 = 2 + ?. We are also creating story problems to match the equations. We are beginning to use a new math tool - the number line - to solve these problems. Light & Sound is our current science unit. We began learning about sound by using our bodies to create the sounds of a rain storm. We also began exploring vibration using rulers. The arts are alive in Room 108. We had a latest Art Infusion lesson. Be sure to stop by and see the Oaxacan woodcarving illustrations outside the classroom. Students explored techniques such as stipling, hatching, cross hatching, back and forth stroke and a new to me vocabulary word, scumbling. We also started our artist residency with Red Yarn. We started learning our song and created a plan for our puppet. We will start making our puppets next week. We are having so much fun! Get your capes ready because Super Hero Day is Friday the 17th! Upcoming Dates Tuesday, January 14, 8:15 am PTA Meeting in the cafeteria Tuesday, January 14, 9:05 am Artist in Residency - Red Yarn Tuesday, January 14 Hot Cocoa Day Thursday, January 16, 10:20 - 10:45 am Hearing and Vision Screening Friday, January 24 Super Hero Day Tuesday, January 21, 8:15 am Principal's Coffee Tuesday, January 21, 9:05 am Artist in Residency - Red Yarn Tuesday, January 21, 6:30 pm Art Infusion Training Monday, January 27 No School - Teacher Planning Day Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed a restful break.
We ended 2019 with such a fun day. Pajama is always a favorite and it was so great to see the whole school out in the hallways and common areas snuggling up with a book. I've posted some photos of our readers on the Photos page. Our first Artist in Residency session starts this week. We are working with Andy from Red Yarn. This is the 4th year the first graders are working with Andy and it is a great experience. You may have seen his performances around town too! He will be teaching each class a folk song and leading them in creating sock puppets to accompany their song. This week we will begin learning our song and students will create a plan for making their puppet. When we make the puppets and we could use some help from parents. I will send out a request through Konstella. The first date is Tuesday the 14th at 9:05 and the next is Friday the 21st again at 9:05. We will be performing our songs for parents on Tuesday the 28th at 1:45 in the cafeteria. Upcoming Dates Wednesday, January 9, 8:20 am Wednesday Morning Meeting Friday, January 10, 12:45 pm Art Infusion Tuesday, January 14, 8:15 am PTA Meeting in the cafeteria Tuesday, January 14, 9:05 am Artist in Residency - Red Yarn Thursday, January 16 Hearing and Vision Screening Tuesday, January 21, 8:15 am Principal's Coffee Tuesday, January 21, 9:05 am Artist in Residency - Red Yarn Tuesday, January 21, 6:30 pm Art Infusion Training Friday, January 24 Super Hero Day Monday, January 27 No School - Teacher Planning Day |
MS. SCHIADAI teach first grade in southeast Portland where every day brings a new adventure!
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