Dear Families,

Happy holidays!  Here's what's happening in Room 24...

Last week, we read many versions of the Gingerbread Man.  We compared the characters, setting and major events in the story.  I think the children really enjoyed The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.  We have continued reading more of these versions this week.

In reading groups, we have been "reading closely" using non-fiction text.  The children all read a book and put a sticky note on a page where they learned an interesting fact.  Then they shared their fact with the group and drew a picture and wrote their fact.  These are hanging on our bulletin board in the hallway. If you are in the building, check them out!

In Fundations, we have started discussing basewords and the suffix "s".  We have talked about how "s" can either have the "s" sound or the "z" sound such as in the word cats and bugs.  We have also discussed sigular vs. plural (cat/cats).

In math, we have begun Topic 5.  In this unit, we will learn about missing addends, true and false equations and adding 3 addends.

In Writer's workshop, we are finishing up our narrative unit and when we return from winter break we will start learning about non-fiction writing.

In science we have begun learning about solids and liquids with Mrs. Elrick's and Mrs. Pollock's class.  We will be looking for volunteers to runs some science centers when we return from break. More to come on this..

Exciting news... all the first grade classrooms just received 6 new iPad minis as well as new headphones!!!  This past week we have used the ipads for Raz-kids and also during math.

Lastly, I wanted to thank all the families for donating for Brooke's presents.  We raised so much money that we were able to put the extra toward a 12 year old little boy named Ryan's presents!!!  THANK YOU AGAIN!  I think it was a great lesson to teach the children what the holidays are really about, so thank you again for your generosity!  Here are some pictures of the gifts that were purchased.

Thank you for all your support and if you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at hherring@email.medfield.net

I hope all your families have a wonderful holiday and a relaxing break so you can spend some quality time together!!!

Heather

Dear Families,

It has been so great meeting with each of you and discussing your child's progress in the classroom!  Thank you for taking the time to meet with me:)

This week I had many requests for the list of sight words to be sent home.  With that said, know that the children have only been explicitly taught list 1 and that is the list they are responsible right now to be able to read and spell.

In Fundations,  we continue to talk about words with bonus letters (words that have short vowels and end in s, l, or f-miss, fall, puff)  We have also started talking about glued sounds.  Have your child show you how to tap out a word with the glued sound of -all.

In math, we have switched gears a bit and have started talking about subtraction.  The children will continue to work on addition to 20 throughout the year.

In writer's workshop, we continue to write small moment stories.  It was fun to share some of those stories with you at the conferences.  Next, we will be looking at the stories they have wrote and learning about about editing their writing.  I will be teaching the children that their writing should have an uppercase letter at the beginning of a sentence, some sort of end mark, lowercase letters, finger spacing between words, and spelling the trick words correctly.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Heather

Dear Families,

I hope you had a nice weekend.  It will be nice to have 5 days of school this week, because the children definitely thrive off that consistency.  Here's what's going on in the classroom...

In Fundations, we will be focusing on the digraphs sh, wh, ch, and th.  Last week, we learned how to tap these digraphs with one finger because they make 1 sound.  Ask your child to show you how to tap out a word with these digraphs (example: ship, chat, thud).  We also have learned 4 new trick words which we will be building, reading and writing throughout the week (as, has, to, into)

In reading groups, we will be reading 2 fiction stories this week and practicing how to retell a story using first, next, then and last.

In math, we are finishing up Topic 2-fluently adding and subtracting within 10.  We have practiced using a part-part-whole mat, the number line, counting on, using doubles, and the tens frame.  Topic 3 will focus on addition facts to 20 and using efficient strategies.

In writer's workshop we continue to write small moment stories.  The children are getting really good at writing across a 3 page booklet!

Thank you to all the families who have donated wikki stix to the classroom. I can't wait to have the children build words using them!

I placed our October scholastic order on Friday, so hopefully we will get the books by this Friday:)

Here is a great picture that Mrs. Groden took in library class.  The children were exploring with the castle blocks and made this great creation!  They begged Mrs. Groden to take a picture of it before they knocked it down:)

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at hherring@email.medfield.net

Heather

Dear Families,

I hope you have had a nice week. We have been working hard in Room 24 to continue learning routines that will set the groundwork for the rest of the year.  One thing we have been focusing on is a whole body listening look.  A whole body listening look is when we are being a good listener with our eyes, ears, brains and shoulders (which are pointing at the person speaking).  These things are considered "on" (and green on our visual) while our arms, legs, and mouths are "off" (red on our visual).  This is a great conversation piece that you could discuss with your child to support the learning environment in our classroom.  Thank you for your help with this!

Here are some things we have been focusing on the past 2 weeks...

We continue to work on the Daily 5 (Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing).  The children are doing great with this and we are now introducing word work stations.

In Fundations, we continue to practice tapping CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words, building them with letter tiles and writing them on whiteboards.  We have also introduced 6 new "Trick Words" (a, and, the, is, his, of) Trick words are words that the children need to know in a snap and can't be tapped out. These will be the words that we focus our word work on throughout the week.  They are also words that can be practiced at home (reading and writing them).

In Writer's Workshop, we continue to write small moment stories about either things we like to do or something that's happened to us.  We have learned to plan a story by touching the pages, sketching a picture to hold our thoughts and then go back and do the writing.  We have also learned that when we are unsure how to spell a word, we can tap it out, use the Trick Word Wall and if neither of those work, write the sounds we hear, underline the word,  and continue writing.  This way, we get our thoughts on the paper and know we will go back and figure out how to spell the word we were unsure of.

In math, we have worked hard on addition and subtraction story problems.  We have learned to show our thinking by using "pictures, numbers, and words".  By this I mean, drawing their picture to match the story, writing an equation and labeling the answer.


A few things...

*  Next week I will be introducing Raz Kids.  We will be up and running by the end of the week and I will send home the log in cards.

*  Poem notebooks will also come home next Thursday.  We have learned enough poems to start singing at home:)

*  donations- thank you for the extra paper towels and tissues that have been donated.  If you are looking to donate to the classroom we would love these items:

-wikki stix-we will use these to build words during word work

-colored copy paper-we will use this during writer's workshop to put a cover on our stories

Thank you again for all your support.  If you have any questions or concerns feel free to email me at hherring@email.medfield.net

Heather

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Dear Families,

Welcome to our classroom website!   I will be putting any important information on this site as well as updates on what's going on in our classroom.  I usually update the website every other week.  My goal this year is to send out a class email each time I update it.  Here's what we have been working on for the last 12 days of school!!!!


In the past 2 weeks, the children have worked really hard at learning the routines for our literacy block.  This is the time when I will be working with groups of children in reading groups.  We have now learned 2 of our Daily 5 jobs: read to self and read to someone.  The children have built their stamina and can independently read a full 7 minutes!  They should be very proud of themselves.  We have also learned how to work with a partner reading.  They have learned how to sit EEKK (elbow, elbow, knee, knee), how to choose a partner, where to sit, and whether to help their partner when they are stuck by coaching (helping them decode the word) or giving them time.  This week we will focus on work on writing.

Here are some  photos of the children doing Read to Someone.


 

In Writer's Workshop, we have begin our narrative unit.  The children are learning how to write a true story about something they do or something that has happened to them.  They are doing a great job at this and seem to really enjoy it!  We have worked hard to put spaces between our words and use lowercase letter.

In Fundations, we have reviewed all the letters and the sounds thye make.  This week, we will begin tapping out short vowel words using our fingers. and learn a few "trick words" (high frequency words)  On Friday, ask your child to show you their tapping skills (this will give us the week to practice:)

In math, we have reviewed counting and are learning strategies that are flexible and efficient for addition and subtraction.  The children have learned some fun games and worked hard in their math journals on word problems.

Scholastic update... On Friday I sent home an order form for Scholastic books.  There are some great selections in the catalog.  The children have really enjoyed the Elephant and Piggie books in my classroom.  The Bob books are also great to practice sight words and the just right readers packs are good for your child to be reading on their level.

I hope you have a great week and I really enjoyed meeting all the families at parent night.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at hherring@email.medfield.net

Heather

Dear Families,

I hope you are enjoying the nice weather!  We have had a great week in Room 24.  Thank you to all the families who sent in lilacs.  Our classroom looks beautiful and smells divine!!!

Here's what we have been doing in Room 24.  Ask your child...

*  what 3 attributes describes a 2D shape (sides, vertices, and is a closed shape).

*  what are the 4 American symbols we have been learning about (the bald eagle, the American Flag, the Liberty Bell, and Statue of Liberty)

*  what they are writing a review on in Writer's Workshop (a restaurant, toy, place, song, etc)

*  what book they have read in reading group this week

*  what silent e at the end of a word does to the vowel (makes the vowel say it's name) and what a syllable is (a word part-1 breath for each word part)


Here are some photos from when Curious Creatures came to visit us!

"Heads Up"

In the next week or so, I will be sending home an invitation for our Open House.  I will be looking for families to donate coffee, munchkins, fruit, muffins, etc. for our special morning...more to come on this.....

Thank you for all your support!  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at hherring@email.medfield.net

Heather

Upcoming Events

Dear Families,

I wanted to give you a “heads up” on upcoming events that will take place from now until the end of the year.

• The last day to check out books from the library is May 31st.  The books are due back in the library by June 1st.  Please continue to check for overdue books and return them to the library as soon as possible.

• The children will participate in Field Day on June 1st.  Be sure your child wears   sneakers, hats, and sunscreen on this day.

•  The Book Envelopes will end on June 10th.  At this time, all books should be returned to the classroom, so that the book carts can be organized and restocked for next year’s class.

• The Flag Day Performance will be on June 14th at 9:30 AM.  This will take place in the gym.

• Our Open House is June 14th following the Flag Day performance.  This is a time to come and see our US Symbols slideshow, hear our opinion writing, and enjoy snack with us.  Please remember that due to the amount of people coming that day, we are not inviting siblings.

• On June 16th at 11:45, we will have our end of the year picnic with Mrs. Elrick’s class.   Each family is invited to bring a picnic lunch and eat outside behind the library with us.

* On June 16th we will have a Book Swap. Children are invited to bring in up to 5 books that are in good condition and grade 1 appropriate to swap for new books to read for the summer!

• Transition Day will be June 22nd.  This is when your child will take a bus over to Wheelock to meet next year’s teacher.

• The last day of school is a half day and is on June 23rd.

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I hope that this is helpful when planning any future plans in the upcoming weeks!

Mrs. Herring

Dear Families,

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend!  I wanted to thank all the parents who came into the classroom for our 2 science days.  The children were able to observe 4 plants from the aquarium and terrarium as well as 4 critters which is all part of our organisms and their habitats unit.  We were also lucky enough to have Marla from Stony Brook come in and talk to the children about habitats and what a habitat needs for organisms to live (food, water, shelter, air, space).  Marla also brought a friend from Stony Brook to visit:)
                                         




Here are some of the areas we are focusing on in the classroom...

In Fundations, we continue to learn about basewords and suffixes.  This past week we reviewed the suffix "s" and learned how to add "ing" and "ed".

In math, we have learned about measurement and how to use inch tiles to measure "fish" and tapes on the floor.  Here is a few photo of this activity.
                                        

We also continue to learn about place value.  We have talked about the >, <, and = signs.  We have learned how to look at the tens place to compare numbers.  If the tens are the same we then look at the ones place.  We have learned how to use mental math when adding on 10 to another 2 digit number.


In reading groups, we have read many brand new non-fiction books that Mrs. Cooney worked hard to get us.  These books support the organisms and their habitats unit as well as focusing on non-fiction.  We have worked hard at finding evidence in the text to support our thinking.

In Writer's Workshop, we have started the opinion unit.  The children are learning how to form an opinion and then support their opinion with reasons why.  All the children have done a great job picking out 1 favorite from their collection they brought from home and supporting their opinion with reasons why it's their favorite.

This past week we have also read aloud many Kevin Henkes books and learned about his style of writing.

Helping Hands
At this point in the year, we find ourselves running out of supplies.  If any family could dontae a box of tissues to our classroom we would greatly appreciate it:)

As always, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to email me!
Heather

Dear Families,

Happy Spring!  (I know the weather isn't feeling the same way this weekend)  It was really nice meeting with all the families the last 2 weeks and talking about your children!  We have been working very hard in first grade since we returned from February vacation.  We have celebrated Read Across America week (and read lots of Dr. Seuss books), Presidents Day (we learned about George Washington and Abe Lincoln), and now St. Patrick's Day.  Here are some other exciting things that are going on in Room 24!

In Fundations, we have learned about blends and digraphs.  We have learned about closed and open syllables (and how to mark them).  We are now starting a new unit where we will be working with closed syllables with 5 sounds, and suffixes s, ed, and ing will also be introduce.

Last week in reading groups, we focused on plants and seeds and solids and liquids.  Each group read a different non-fiction text which ties into our science curriculum.  Ask your child something they learned during our book talks.

In writing, we are finishing up our informational unit on "teaching books".  Our next unit will be opinion writing.  The children usually love this unit.  More info to come on this.

In math, we continue to learn about place value and have introduced money.  The children learned the names of the coins, their value, equivalent values (5 pennies = 1 nickel), and combining coins.  A fun home connection would be to give your child a handful of coins and have them name the coin and it's value.  This week, we will also start to learn about measurement.

In science, we have finished the unit on solids and liquids and have been focusing on plants and seeds.  The children have all planted seeds and are very excited every morning to see how much their plant has grown.  This week we will be building terrariums and aquariums.  We will start learning about habitats and organisms.

Homework Schedule Reminder

Below is the homework assignment for each night.  I will be increasing the math homework to 2 pages on Monday nights.  If your child has difficulty completing this feel free to take a few days to work on it.

Monday-math
Tuesday-Book envelopes
Wednesday-Raz-Kids
Thursday-Poem notebook

If your child completes their homework quickly, reading is always encouraged :)

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me!
Heather

Dear Families,

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  I would like to thank all the families for their generosity.  Thank you so much for the Target gift card.  I love that store and can't wait to buy myself something there:)

I also wanted to welcome Raphael to our class.  Raphael joined our class right after the break.  The children have been so helpful making Raphael feel right at home!

A quick reminder that once there is snow on the ground, all children need to bring snow pants, boots, hats and gloves if they would like to play on the playground.  If your child does not have all of these items, they will need to stay on the hardtop because no one wants to spend the afternoon in wet shoes and clothes.:)

We have been very busy these past 2 weeks in Room 24.  Here are some things we are working on...

In math,  we are working on Topic 5.  We are learning how to add 3 addends in equations and word problems.  We have talked about one strategy, which is to combine 2 addends that work well together.  They may make 10 or a doubles fact.  Then add the 3rd addend.

example:  6+3+6=   (add the doubles fact then add 3) or 3+5+7= (add the 3+7 to make 10 and then add 5 more.

We have also worked on equations with missing addends in all parts of an equations.

example: _+5=11 or 11=_+5 (this type of equation is tricky for the children so we have talked a lot about whatever is on one side of the equals sign should be the same or equal to the other.  I have also had the children circle the equals sign to help them visually.

In writing we have started our non-fiction unit.  We have talked about how we re switching gears from telling stories to writing "teaching books"  the children seem to love this kind of writing because it gives them the opportunity to share what they know or are an expert on.  They have learned so much this past week about the differences between a story book versus a teaching book (fiction vs. non-fiction).  One way you can help your child with this type of writing in the classroom is to brainstorm all the things they can "teach" their reader about.  This way, they have topics ready to go when we start writing!

In Fundations, we have introduced some new glued sounds.

-ang (fang)  -ong (song)  -ing (ring)  -ung (lung)

-ank (bank)  -onk (honk)  -ink (pink) -unk (junk)

These sounds are tricky because they sound so similar but the children have been doing great so far.  This is also an area where practice at home could include having your child either build or write words that are dictated to them and talking about the different glued sounds.

In reading, we continue to read leveled text at each child's reading level.  This week, we have continued to focus on retelling a story by using a fun tool called "Brady".  Brady is used to support children in retelling a story including the characters, setting, "kickoff" (beginning of the story), the events that follow, and an ending.  Ask your child to tell you about Brady and how he works:)

As always, if you ahve any questions, feel free to email me at hherring@email.medfield.net

Thank you,
Heather