Reading With and To Your Child

Children and Parent Reading Books Together

Suggestions for Parents

• Choose a variety of types of books to read and include stories with long text, stories with rhyme, picture books, chapter books and factual scientific books.
• Read books over and over again. Increase familiarity with the story and content of the book opens doors for more complex discussion.
• Discuss some aspect of the book before and after reading. It helps to be familiar with the book before starting to read it to your child.
• Vary intonation: use different voices to enhance comprehension and interest.

 by Jeanne DeTemple

Presentations - Reading Together.pdf

Resources

Hello Parents,

The December newsletter is now up.  As the break approaches, please remind your child that even with all the excitement of the holidays, at school they still need to be practicing the 3 R's daily; Be respectful, ready and responsible.  Please check their December calendar to see what color they have been on a regular basis.  It's hard to contain all the excitement of this time of year, but I know they can do it!  If you have any questions, email me or call.   

If your child heard about the incident in Conn. or you have an older child, here is a link that has some good tips about assuring them about safety; APA (American Psychological Association) Aftermath Care.  Mr. Raff is preparing something to send/email parents as well.  I do not intend at all to discuss the incident, but be aware that your child might overhear something on the bus or from other children.  Please send some healing thoughts for the community involved and our country.  

Thank you for the many donated class books from the school book fair!!  I've had the opportunity to read some already and the kids love them.  They'll be in our library center for them to enjoy as well.  We will be returning to reading little books (fiction and nonfiction) in January, after finishing up learning about poetry this week.  

Enjoy your weekend and give your child an extra hug from me!! 

Fun Poetry Sites to Explore!

Silly Poems

Shel Silverstein website for kids

Jack Prelutsky  website for kids and parents

Who are Jack and Annie?

Our class started reading our first Magic Tree House book as a read-aloud about a week ago.  Students are thoroughly enjoying following Jack and Annie on their mission to save the last unicorn.  To complete the mission, they have to read a poem and follow the directions within the poem...Just like our class is learning about poems; understanding their meanings and their elements (rhyme, rhythm, repetition, humor, shorter length, and descriptive language).  

Click on the first link below to learn more the Magic Tree House book!

Blizzard of the Blue Moon

About the Magic Tree House Series

Read a summary and sample pages from the books.  Your child can also build their own wishlist and read sample pages from all the books in the series, even the nonfiction Magic Tree House books.

Parent Resources for Magic Tree House Series

November Book-It participants - Congrats!

Author Jan Brett

Link for Jan Brett website

Which Books have you read??  See Jan Brett books with cover photos

Students writing in their turkey fact journals.

Sara is doing a great job putting spaces between her words and Jake is using his helping hand to hold his paper correcting.  Both are sitting in the WOW position!!

Olivia got caught using the b/d trick!  Yay!! (The class is getting very comfortable in front the camera! :)

December happenings

Dear Parents,

The homework books will go home tomorrow night with the green December calendar glued in.  Please complete each daily activity along with the reading assignment for the day.  If you want to work ahead, that is fine too.  I would like to still have students bring in their HW books on Friday for me to check their weekly assignments.  As noted, there will be some additional writing and math work sometimes in their take home folders so please check that nightly.  The December HW calendar is on the homework tab on the blog.

Library books should be sent back to school by Friday, so students can check out books on Monday.  The book fair has started, so we won’t be checking out books this week or next.

I added some games to the blog for math unit 4 (greater than, less than).  Hopefully you’ve been able to enjoy the Thanksgiving song that was uploaded as well as a glimpse into our Everyday Counts! Calendar routine.  The class is learning to be very resourceful in using the different tools on available to them when decomposing: Today was the 57^th day of school so 50+7=57, 40+17=57, 54+3=57.  Some of the tools they are referencing include; the 100’s chart, coins, tens frame and place value straws (showing groups of tens and ones that represent the days we’ve been in school).

In Language Arts, we are working on a paragraph about winter.  We will be discussing facts and opinions this week, as well as sequencing a story this week.  Next week, we will start studying the elements of poetry. 

Today students practiced writing sentences from dictation.  This is a new quarterly test from the county that we’ll be completing at the end of quarter 2 in mid-January.  Reversed letters are counted as incorrect per the county on the assessment.  If you see your child is writing letters reversed while completing homework, point it out and see if notice their own mistake first.  Otherwise, ask them to correct it.  We just completed our turkey journals with facts where they called the COPS on my facts. Those will be sent home tomorrow with two of their very first writing pieces.  Make a big deal of their incredible growth as writers!!  J 

In Social Studies, we will be studying the various traditions of people around the world and the holidays they observe.  This is a fun time of year, where we learn about each other’s traditions and how many of them originated from countries overseas. 

Pizza Hut Book It November calendars are due!  I’ve received about 7 and will be sending them home with certificates tomorrow and the December Book It calendars will come home also. 

Thanks for your continued support of your child at home, checking their folders and completing homework with them.  I truly enjoy watching them grow and learn each day!

Mrs. Gowin 

My writing buddy tonight...Willow :)

What Pre-Algebra looks like in first grade...

Thanksgiving Day

Reading Comprehension Strategies

 Reading = Thinking and Making Meaning

These are our cute and cuddly reminders to help us understand what we are reading better.  

Ask your child if they can identify which strategy each animal represents or means.  If they don't remember them, they should have their reading comprehension bookmark in the back pocket of the red folder.  We have been focusing on Iggy the Iguana, Spinny the Spider, Questioning Owl and Digger the Dog.  There are 2 birds there for the same strategy - the parrots for Jabber the Reteller.

Veterans Day song

Veterans Day anthems

Last Friday and earlier this week, we've been learning about the different branches of the Armed Forces.  All of these songs have been bookmarked on our YouTube channel.

Click here to view videos.

Look for the 1/5 on the bottom left of the video and use the forward and back arrow to advance through the play list. 

Thank You notes for Vets delivered!

Our class was proud of their completed notes on Friday...

The notes below are ones they wrote on their own.  Another note was copied after we brainstormed some important words we wanted to use and wrote two good sentences together.

Veteran's Hospital, Martinsburg, WV

Trevor was excited to help deliver the notes!

Honoring Veteran's Day and American Education Week

Hello Parents!

Yesterday in class, your child learned about Veteran's Day and wrote a thank you letter to veterans.  This weekend, I'll be dropping them off at the Veteran's Hospital in Martinsburg, VA.  Check out the blog Sunday evening for some photos on our blog of our class with their letters and them being delivered.  We'll being learning more on Monday about a day in the life of a soldier by reading the book Hero Dad.  Part of the homework will focus on your child's family history and if they have relatives that have served in the armed forces.  Please complete the homework with your child and share this important part of their family history with them.  

You are invited to come visit the classroom next Friday from 1:00-1:45 in honor of American Education Week.  We will be writing what we are thankful for and completing a turkey.  This is always a fun time and students always enjoy the chance for mom and/or dad to visit their classroom!

Scholastic books are due next Friday, Nov. 16th.  You can access the Scholastic site from a new tab at the top of the blog.  The activation code is already entered for you.  The PTA book fair is in December and I won't be sending book orders home that month.  

Your child brought home Chapter 1 and 2 Go Math! pages this week.  You are welcome to complete them (or not), but they do not need to be returned.  This upcoming week, Chapter 3 will be coming home also.  Students just completed the Unit 3 math test covering, 2-D shapes (composing and decomposing), measurement comparison, and fractions.  During this quarter, we will be focusing on using doubles as a strategy for addition and subtraction (sums up to 20), fact families, and numbers up to 120.

In Language Arts, we will resume spelling tests and be learning about some new reading comprehension strategies. Students will be adding a beanie baby reading comprehension strategy bookmark to their resources in the back of the red folder.  We've already covered making connections (spinny the spider), asking questions (questioning owl), and digger the dog (digging for information).  We'll be talking about how to apply the new strategies to fiction and non-fiction.  We are adding detail to our writing by answering the 5 W questions (what, when, who, where, why).  In word study we have covered all the short vowels and almost all the long vowels.  This week, we'll study our last long vowel, I (ie, i-e, igh), and review the other long vowel pattern up until our Thanksgiving break.  I'll be sending their green dot word study books home to show you all the patterns we've been learning as part of homework.

Enjoy this Veteran's Day weekend with your family!

Mrs. Gowin

Fall Party!

A good time was had by all!

Mummy wrap demo!

Hello Parents,

Homework is on one of the tabs on the blog and spelling words are listed at the bottom.  Here is a Kids National Geographic game we played today while learning about maps and globes; http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/maps-tools-adventure-island/kd/?ar_a=3.   It will be on the blog as a game also.  We are learning about big ideas and details in paragraphs and writing a fall paragraph using an organizer.  In reading, we are looking at non-fiction and fiction text fextures (think photos, tables of contents, index and story elements-characters, setting, problem, solution).  In math, we are exploring subtraction and using different strategies to find the difference. 

I’ve made some changes to homework books and behavior management recently that hopefully will be helpful for everyone.  Homework books (yellow dot) can STAY HOME during the week so it’s one less thing that might be left at school. J  Since our last day of school is Thursday this week, please make sure they have all their homework finished and ready to turn in on that day. 

So you can stay informed as to your child’s behavior, in the back pocket of their red folder is a monthly calendar.  The color key written on the side of the calendar explains the color they have colored in the box for the day.  If your child has moved their clip on the school wide behavior chart up by the end of the day, they will color either yellow or red on the box.  If they do improve their behavior, then they will color in green for the day.  We are working hard as a class to remember to raise our hands, use our listening ears, and follow directions.  Some of you may wish to use the calendar as an incentive for a reward.  It does not have to cost money-free rewards like your time and attention are often the most desired. J  For example, if your child has green all week, then they get to pick a movie or tv show to watch as a family.  They may get to pick out a board or card game to play together (board games encourage patience, good turn taking skills, sometimes math skills, and they are fun!). 

The Book-it Pizza Hut program green papers are due at the end of October.  Please don’t forget to complete the bottom of the paper, with you and your child’s signature.  This should be a positive incentive to get them reading!!  Reading homework can count towards their minutes.

If you want to order Scholastic Books the orders are due by this Thursday, Oct. 18th.  Remember, there is a link on the class blog.  You can browse and pay for books from the SeeSaw, Lucky, and Tab (for grades 6-8…my daughter never brings home a book order, but I still can use the points for class books).  I ordered 6 free books for our class just from two parent orders last month. J I can’t wait to read the Pete the Cat books to them! 

Don’t forget our Fall Party is coming up soon on November 2.  BUT, because our specials start at 1:55, I’d like to move up the party to 12:45-1:50 to ensure we have enough time for students to pack up and get to specials on time.  If you are coming to help set up, please be here by 12:30 so we are ready to PARTY at 12:45.  Thanks again to our room moms, Mrs. Vicari and Mrs. Jeram, and to the many parents volunteering by sending in supplies, food, and coming in on November 2nd! 

  

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

We had great weather for our field trip this time. As you can see from the pictures, we had a blast! The bus trip on the way home was very quiet compared to the bus ride to the patch. We were worn out! :)

Summer's Farm Pumpkin Patch

Field trip on Wednesday!

Yeehaw!  We have five chaperones planning to join us for the Summer's Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday.  Thank you!!  

Parents, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather (70 degrees and 10-20 mile winds) and the venue...you may even want to pack a change of clothes, including shoes, as they will be going into the corn pit, down slides, and jumping on the bouncy pillow!!  Send their packed lunch if you indicated on the permission form they will have one from home.  Buyers will pick up their bagged lunch from the cafeteria in the morning.  

This trip is usually a favorite, so I can't wait to share some fun pics of our adventure tomorrow!


Please see the 10/5 blog post on MATH if you haven't read it yet...it explains the commutative property...pre-algebra in first grade! :) 

Also, the website has a new, clean, layout thanks to some FCPS tech help...tabs are at the top for your reference; homework, daily schedule, recommended links, etc.  Don't forget, Scholastic is on the recommended links with our class activation code and you can order from SeeSaw, Lucky and Tab (for middle schoolers or your older children).

Have a GREAT Wednesday!!
Mrs. Gowin
  

Commutative Property of Addition OR in first grade lingo "equal sums on both sides of the equal sign"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzvcV3YpIfg&feature=player_embedded

Math - diving into unit 2

In the first weeks of school, we reviewed addition and some math vocabulary; plus sign, number sentence, equation, addends, sum, counting on, counting by 10's and 1's and place value (counting models of tens and ones and identified how many groups of tens and ones composed the number).  We also solved horizontal and vertical math problems and how the equal signs are different for both. Students explored flip flop number sentences, where the addend just flip flop and the sum is stays the same (5+1=6 and so 1+5=6).  We used a double tens frame and cubes to explore this concept.  At the end of last week the class took our Unit 1 test.  Monday you'll receive a score sheet for your child with their grade and concepts they passed or did not on the test.  I was happy to see so many students understood the concepts!  We have some budding mathematicians!!  If your child did not pass the assessment please remember we constantly review all concepts previously taught, so there is ample time throughout the year to master concepts.  Any test is a snapshot and is not the one and only assessment tool when determining if a child "gets it".  

This week we began talking about decomposing numbers and looking for patterns...(Example from Wed. night HW; 10+0=10, 9+1=10, 8+2=10) and from there are beginning to explore the commutative property of addition...if 5+1=6 and 1+5=6 then does 5+1=1+5?  We are such super mathematicians we are now testing to see if 5+1=2+4 while use our manipulatives, like unifix cubes and tools such as number lines, tens frames and drawing pictures.  We are not however, substituting letters for numbers like in the video below...it is just a reference for you to "brush up" on some math vocabulary.  :)

As you can see, we have been quite busy!  Encourage your child to use other tools, even coins to practice counting by tens and ones (dimes and pennies) AND to try to their best.  We want them to be risk takers and to have the confidence to make an educated guess instead of worrying about being right, therefore not trying or participating in their own learning.   

We've been learning about U. S. Symbols and all of the boys and girls have really enjoyed listening and reading some of the traditional patriotic music and lyrics.  Here are some links to share with your children.  Be vigil and BE WITH THEM when going on youtube, always.

Grand Old Flag youtube link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKp29Luryc
Star-Spangled Banner - Our National Anthem

http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=America_the_Beautiful&video_id=6182
Great rendition of America, the Beautiful

Back to school goodies

Wow!  The first two weeks of school are already over!  We have been getting back to the routine of school, building our classroom community and learning about rules and expectations in first grade.   In Language Arts we are reviewing, syllables, short a, handwriting, and writing complete sentences.  We've read a few books, such as The Kissing Hand and Leo, the Late Bloomer and have made meaningful connections during our reading time, as well as identifying sight words (high frequency words) and color words.

In math, we've already dived into our Go Math! books and are discussing pictographs, bar graphs and will begin discussing addition next week (although we are decomposing the number of the day during our calendar time).

Along with learning our rules in our classroom, we are discussing the importance of rules in our community and country for our Family and Community Social Studies unit.   We will be learning to identify symbols of the United States and why they are important.

I really enjoyed seeing many students and parents at Open House in August and hope you can make it to Back to School Night this Wednesday, September 12 at 6:30-7:30 for first grade.  Please come directly to my room and Mr. Raff will begin speaking at 6:30 over our announcement system for 10-15 minutes.  The rest of the time, I'll be sharing a PowerPoint and have time for questions after the presentation.