Subtraction games

We have been playing some subtraction games this week to improve fluency with subtraction facts. We have played "roll and record" and "5 in a row subtraction". 

Dr. Seuss Week

Next week we will be doing some special activities in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday and our love of reading!

Here are a few things to make note of:

Dr. Seuss Night!! Tuesday, March 1 @ 6:00
**First Graders who choose to attend will be performing some songs at 7:30**

Whole School PJ Day is next Friday, March 4

A Message From the Music Teacher

Dear 1^st Grade Parents and Guardians,

Dr. Seuss night is just around the corner! You are welcome to attend the festivities at Shenandoah Valley Elementary. The activities will take place on Tuesday March 1^st from 6:15-7:45 and include crafts, stories, games, cookie decorating and singing to end the night. You are welcome to come anytime for the activities. 1^st graders will be singing a few pieces of music from “Seussical the Musical” at the end of Dr. Seuss night at 7:30. The performance is optional; if students choose to perform they should plan on meeting in the Shenandoah Valley Elementary Gym at 7:25. It will be a fun filled of and Dr. Seuss activities, we look forward to seeing you there!

Word Work

This week we are working on the -ide spelling pattern. Today students are working in pairs to brainstorm and find words with this chunk. 

More Challenging Crayon Puzzles

Our story problems continue to become more complex. Here are a few examples we will be working with this week. We are practicing carefully reading the question so we know what it is asking. We are also working on identifying information that's already given to us in the problem.


I have 10 crayons. Some are blue and some are red. I have the SAME number of each color. How many crayons do I have?



I have 8 crayons. Some are blue, some are red, and some are green. MOST of the crayons are blue. How many of each color crayon could I have?



I have 12 crayons. 3 crayons are blue. How many are red?

Conferences

Conference week is already under way! You should be receiving an e-mail reminder from sign-up genius with your day and time. Thank you for arriving promptly for your appointment so we can honor everyone's time. Many conferences are back to back so it is important for me to stay on schedule. I look forward to discussing your child's progress with you!

Writing Celebration

Today we shared our published books with Miss Jones' 4th grade class. 

Character Study - New Reading Unit

This week we started our character study reading unit. During this unit we work hard to study characters and their feelings, motivations, and traits.

Here are the essential questions for this unit:

- How do readers get to know their characters well?
- What can readers learn from characters and their experiences?

Students will understand:
-Readers become emotionally connected to the characters in their books.
-Readers use a variety of strategies to understand their characters well.
-Readers learn alongside characters.
-Readers use their knowledge of character types to enhance their comprehension.

So far this week we have talked about character traits - words we use to describe a character's personality/attitude. Look for a character trait list coming home so you can have conversations with your child during your reading time! Students will also be comparing themselves to characters they read about.

Soon we will move onto identifying character's emotions, which includes making inferences based on what the text says and the situations that are occurring.

Place Value Games

Here is a link to some online games that help reinforce the place value skills we have been learning.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm#placevalue

Access Ebooks At Home

Did you know you can access the Tumblebook Ebook library from home? You can find an ebook link on the Shenandoah Valley library page, or follow this link: http://www.tumblemobile.com/Home.aspx

Happy Reading! :0)

Reading goal!

Wow we are so close to already meeting our class reading goal for the month of February! Way to go!! 

Magic House

We had a successful trip to the Magic House!! A BIG thank you to all the parents who came! 

Instructions for Wednesday

Wednesday is our trip to the Magic House! The kiddos are super excited! While there, we will be learning about American government and American symbols. The program we do is called Star Spangled Banner. If you are a parent attending, I will be placing a few students with you. This will helps us keep track of everyone ;) Here is some information:

1. We are leaving promptly  in the morning, so please make sure students arrive no later than 9:20 AM. Please be sure students are to school on time so they do not miss the bus!
2. We will be returning to school after our regular lunch time, so we will be eating in our classroom. Please send a sack lunch with a drink for your child on that day.


Let me know if you have any questions! See you Wednesday (some of you) :0)

Valentine Reminder

This is a reminder that students who wish to pass out valentines will be able to do so Thursday afternoon. If your child chooses to bring in valentines, please be sure they have one for each student in the class. See my earlier post with a class list if your child wishes to address the cards. Students will bemaking bags here to collect their cards, so there is no need to send a valentine box from home. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Math Fun

Students are working on using objects to represent two-digit numbers. We are practicing counting groups of ten with some left over. We are also working on using < and > symbols to compare these numbers. Through these activities, students will learn that the idea of written numbers communicate information about the value of each place - tens and ones. We've done some work with hundreds also. 

Conference Sign Up

Hello! It's that time of year again! Please follow the link below to sign up for a conference time.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4fa5ae22a4fa7-mrs

I look forward to meeting with you all!

Six Flags

This is a reminder that the Six Flags Read to Succeed reading log is due 2-17 if your child is participating. Thanks!

Reading Non-Fiction

We are continuing to work with non-fiction during reading. Students are asking questions, looking for answers, and noticing their learning. Students are having fun reading books on a variety of topics. This week we introduced the "KWL" chart so students can practice:
1. Thinking about and recording what they already know about a topic
2. Identifying questions around a topic
3. Reflecting on learning

Also, we are discussing how non-fiction comes in different forms such as websites, guide books, instructional manuals, magazines, journals, cookbooks,etc. If you have any examples at home I encourage you to show these to your students and see what they notice about non-fiction in different forms. At school we will specifically explore web and magazine media.

I am currently working on assessing reading levels. It is SO much fun seeing how much your students have grown! Keep up the reading at home -- and thanks for all your support!

Black History Month

During the month of February we are working on a research project about a famous African American - Wynton Marsalis. Wynton is a talented musician. Thank you for helping with the research part on this week's homework. Students will be working in groups to make posters with pictures and facts. Since each classroom is studying a different person, we will have the opportunity to share with others and teach them about Wynton Marsalis.

Trivia Night

Hello First Grade Parents!

  Trivia Night is right around the corner, and each grade has been assigned a themed basket to contribute to the Silent Auction part of Trivia Night.  The first grade theme is Legos.  I can pick up the items for the basket (lego books, movies, gift cards, etc), and am gathering donations to pay for the items.  Please send cash donations in to school with your child marked as "First Grade Trivia Night Auction Basket".  I will collect the donations and spend accordingly.  Please have your donations in by Wednesday, February 10th.




Thank you!

Valerie Harris

Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day

This year we have decided to create Valentine’s Day bags here at school to collect Valentine cards from our friends.  We will not be having a Valentine’s party, but will allow the children to pass out cards/candy to their classmates on February 11th.
Your child is NOT required to give out cards/candy. Below is a list of the 22 students in our class if your child chooses to address their individual Valentine cards. Please make sure your child has a valentine for every student in class. Thank you very much for your help!

Daniel
Frankie
Aditi
Elise
Jacob
Solena
Maya
Everette
James
Aiden
Maddie
Lilato
Jessica
Anish
Max
Daphne
Paulina
Megan
Contrell
Abbie
Likitha
Umair