Sunday, January 28, 2018

Wk 22 Jan 28th - Feb 1st.


Dear parents, thank you for taking the time to read our blog and stay informed on highlights and upcoming events. This past short week went by flying as the learning continued. It was good to see some familiar faces at the Math Parent Workshop held on Wednesday, we hope it was helpful, and we thank you for attending.
We want to remind you that the Core Value of the month is INTEGRITY, and we are sending home the book "The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade" by Justin Roberts. We want to get the conversation started at home about what integrity looks like in all the places where your children go. Thank you for all you do to support us at home.

From the Curriculum Corner:

Readers Workshop

Essential Questions:

- What reading strategies can we use to make sure our reading looks right, sounds right and makes sense?
- What can readers do to make sure they understand what they have read?

This week our first grade readers have big jobs to do. They are learning and reviewing skills that will help them to move from Learning to Read to Reading to Learn. They are reflecting on their weaknesses and strengths, setting goals, and using new strategies by themselves, but also coaching and being coached by partners. They will specifically learn word-attack strategies to solve tricky words such as: thinking about what kind of word would fit, slowing down to break up long words, and using words they know to solve unfamiliar words. It's going to be a week of discovery, where students will gain confidence as readers. You can support them at home by asking them what are they working on as readers, and what are their weaknesses and strengths.

First Graders in a fish bowl observing what partners do to help each other

Writers Workshop

Essential Question:

- How can I use writing to share my opinion

Last week ended on a great note with a mini celebration where students shared their best 2-3 pieces and were awarded with blue ribbons for their best piece by their own classmates. After celebrating their accomplishments, and setting a goal for their future work; students will continue this week to learn new skills. They will research other writers and find out what they used in their writing in order for it to be convincing, and they will try to do the same in their own writing. First grade writers will learn how to give a sneak peak at the beginning, provide more information, and tuck in personal anecdotes in their pieces. They will also learn to use a voice that talks right to readers and lastly, our writers will learn to compare their favorite item to other in order to convince their audience. It's all very exciting work! You can support them at home by having conversations about their favorite things: movies, books, restaurants; and by prompting them to give reasons and try to persuade you.

First we "judged" our partner's pieces using a checklist


Then we awarded a blue ribbon to the "Best in Show"

Lastly, we received feedback from our partner and we set goals

Math

Essential Questions:

- What are efficient ways to count?
- How does counting by tens and ones help you count larger numbers?
- What is place value?
- How does a digit's position affect its value?
- How can numbers be expressed and compared?
- In what ways can numbers be composed and decomposed?


This week our first grade mathematicians will begin Module 4, which will be the second of our three modules on place value. Students have learned all the basics and they will be building on what they learned on module 2. The concepts they will learn this week are: comparing the efficiency of counting by tens vs counting by ones; using the place value chart to record and name tens and ones within a two-digit number; interpret two digit numbers as a ten and some ones or all ones - which is the foundation for adding and subtracting bigger numbers; writing and interpreting two-digit numbers as addition sentences that adds tens and ones; identifying 10 more, 10 less, 1 more and 1 less than a two digit numbers; and by the end of the week they will learn about dimes and pennies as a representation of tens and ones.

Parent Tips Topic A


Interpreting a number either as a ten and some ones or all ones





Social Studies

Essential Questions:

- How do families grow and change over time?

This past week in social studies was fun. Students talked about important events in their life, learned how to order these events by date, and put together their timeline. We all enjoyed looking at each other's pictures, and listening to each other's anecdotes. This week we will learn other ways of recording family history such as journals, photo albums, and family trees. We will learn what a family tree is, and we will create our own.




It was so much fun to share out life stories and record them on a timeline!
CIRCLE SOLUTIONS:

1C This week we will continue our discussions about integrity and what that looks like inside and outside the classroom. We will also be playing games that build positive relationships and learning about each others strengths.

1M 
For the remainder of this month, and part of February, we will be working on the Core Value of the month: Integrity. Also we will continue with the Strength Gotcha cards' discussions and sharing that we have been doing for the last couple of months.


1S  This week we will continue to talk about our new core value of the month: integrity. We will continue to talk about what this looks like both inside and outside the classroom. We will also play some fun games to build classroom community and foster positive friendships between students.

Dealing with “I'm Not Tired”

Just about every parent, at one time or another, has heard the old "I'm not tired" line when it was time for their child to go to bed. And while hearing it may be something all parents go through, how you handle it will set the stage for many other "I'm not tired" nights to come!
Children and Sleep at Bedtime
There are many reasons why a child may claim they are not tired when it is time to go to bed. Sometimes, they really aren't tired. But that doesn't mean it should provide them with a "get out of bedtime free" card! If you let your kid stay up simply because they claim they are not tired, you will likely hear them exclaim it on many nights thereafter. If children really are not tired when it is time to go to bed, it is a good idea to look at what may be causing it. Perhaps they are falling asleep during the day, going to bed a little early for their age, or have been eating too much, too close to bedtime. Children in elementary school, typically go to bed around 8:00 p.m., give or take an hour. But if your child has been going to bed at 7:00p, perhaps it is time to change the bedtime to 7:30 or 8:00, and so on.
Winning the Bedtime Battle
When your child first says they are not tired, that's the time to nip it in the bud. Respond by explaining that they still need to go to bed and follow their bedtime routine. One of the best ways to encourage a healthy sleeping pattern and beat the "I'm not tired" battle is to establish a bedtime routine that you consistently follow. Even if your child says they are not tired, still follow their normal bedtime routine. If it is an isolated incident, it is not much to worry about. However, if it is a recurring problem, and they really are having difficulty, you will need to determine what is causing it and then address that issue. If you can't pinpoint a reason and are still having problems with it, be sure to bring it up with your physician.

Article link: Dealing with "I'm not tired" at bedtime





Important Dates to Remember:

January 30: 1C Assembly
February 7: ES Family Math Night (4:15 - 5:15pm)
February 8: ES Family Picnic (12:10 - 12:50pm)
February 13th: Field Trip


If you have any other questions or concerns about this week, please don't hesitate to contact your classroom teacher.

Your Partners in Learning,

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)
Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)
Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)

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