Our Field Trip to the Zoo!

Yesterday, we took our first class field trip to the zoo! We could not have asked for better weather. The nice cool breezes even encouraged some of the more timid creatures to be out and about for our visit. We saw everything from giraffes and elephants to komodo dragons and giant snakes. We even saw a baby jaguar! What a fantastic day with all of the animal kingdom!

Fun with Science!

Here are a few of our fun experiments from the first quarter! We have learned how to make predictions, record our observations and use our five senses to learn about the everything around us!
In our first experiment of the year, we made predictions about what would happen if we added Mentos to Diet Coke. Our class was certainly surprised to see the Diet Coke erupt on our playground! Since then, our scientists have conducted many experiments. To name a few, we have used all 5 senses in our "Senses Study", compared different kinds of packing peanuts, taken soil studies to study items under a hand lens, and studied and compared various kinds of rocks. We have also used our "Magic Color Pot" to combine different waters colored with food coloring. In our experiment we conducted at Open House, we even made snow!
As a class, we are learning about the scientific process and how important it is to make detailed and careful observations about the happenings in our environment. Stay tuned as we delve deeper into the exciting world of Science!

Our First Mystery Reader is...

MRS. HUFFMAN!!! She shared a wonderful story called, Velma Gratch & the Way Cool Butterfly. It's about a little girl named, Velma, who's entering first grade. It's hard to believe because everyone has marvelous memories of her two older sisters, who were practically perfect first graders, and no one even notices Velma. But all that changes on a class trip to the butterfly conservatory, a place neither of her sisters has been. When a monarch roosts on Velma's finger and won't budge for days - no one will ever forget it . . . or her! Our class enjoyed reading about butterflies, from migration to metamorphosis, as they follow Velma's own transformation.
Mrs. Huffman had the class created the 4 stages of the Butterfly Cycle with dried pasta noodles and sent them on their way with a Butterfly Sweet Treat! Thank you Mrs. Huffman for sharing your love of reading with us!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Friday, October 1st - Kindergarten and First Grade Movie Night

Friday, October 1st - PTA Reflections Begins

This year's theme is "Together We Can". Students may submit work in any of six art areas: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Musical Composition, Photography, Visual Arts. Each entry must be the work of one student only.


Monday, October 4th - Home Room Parent Meeting at 9:30 in Teacher's Lounge


Open House Schedule

Thursday, October 7th: ESE 5:30 - 6:30; Kindergarten 6:00 - 7:00; 2nd and 5th Grade:7:00 - 8:00 Thursday, October 14th - 1st Grade 6:00 - 7:00; 3rd and 4th Grade 7:00 - 8:00

Tuesday, October 12th - Fundraiser Delivery at 3:00

Monday, October 25th - No School; Teacher Planning Day

Conferences

We're in the midst of Beginning of the Year Conferences and are very pleased with your response in attending. We're meeting with all parents to review their child's assessments and discuss where we'll need to go from there to ensure a successful school year.
Due to our class size we have allocated 15 minutes per conference therefore, we ask that you arrive promptly at your scheduled time to maximize our time. If for any reason you need to meet with throughout the school year, please contact us and we'll be happy to schedule an appointment at our earliest convenience. Thank you for your support!

In the SEA of SCHEMA

Our First Mates have been drifting in the Sea of Schema these past couple of weeks learning more about themselves as readers.

We've used the analogy of a filing cabinet in their head to understand how reader's have to "thumb thru" their mental files of specific topics. It might be places they visited, things they've done, and all of their experiences to make them who they are. Very simple, it's their life story/background knowledge.

Readers activate their schema before reading-to help them make connections, during reading-in which their schema can also grow, and how after reading, we may realize that what we had in our schema was not correct and our schema can change. Most importantly they are learning that "reading is thinking!"

Every week your child is receiving very specific comprehension strategy instruction during Reader's Workshop. In this format, your child watches and listens to the teacher read a lot of books while the teachers shares out loud and models what she's thinking while we read. Eventually we release more responsibility of the strategy to the children and as each child becomes more independent at using the strategy and begins to use it on his/her own.

This week we begun working on our first strategy called, "Making Connections." This means students connect their schema/life story to the text they are reading. When students read something from the text it triggers a memory in our schema/life story. When this happens, we are connecting- joining together the two stories, one from the text and one from our lives. The purpose of this strategy is that readers comprehend better when they actively think about and apply their knowledge of the books topic, their own experiences, and the world around them.

You can help your child at home by asking them the following questions while they are reading:
*What does the book remind you of?
*What do you know about the books topic?
*Does this book remind you of another book?

HAPPY READING!

The Reading Report

Before we begin our year long voyage into the deep ocean of reading, we first need to know about your child as a reader.
Therefore, this past week we began DRA assessments- Developmental Reading Assessments. The DRA is intended to identify students’ independent reading level, in which a student reads a text and is scored specifically on the criteria of accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Its purpose also includes identifying students’ reading strengths and weaknesses, planning instruction, and monitoring reading growth. After we assessed your child, they received their Books-in-a-Bag. This bag contains their independent reading level books- 3 are "just right" books (on level), 1 is a "some day" book (challenging), and 1 is "easy cheesy". These books will stay at school until we decided when they are ready to take them home to read with you. Prior to that, we will notify you with a letter, if you're interested in participating in our "Take Your Books-in-a-Bag Home" Reading Program.
This week the assessments continue with a state assessment called F.A.I.R (Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading)which is administered on-line. Your child's results will be in a letter form as well as suggested activities in order for you to help your child at home. Your child will be assessed on F.A.I.R 3 times a year; the beginning, middle, and end of 1st grade.
We will definitely need "All Hands on Deck" as we sail these seas and hope for your continuous support!

Achors Aweigh!

We have successfully set sail! Yay!

This week students are learning what "anchors" us and that's daily rituals and routines. A ritual tells how things are done in class- the point being that an activity is always done the same way and the routines of the class tell what is always done' the overall structure of the class period. The purpose of establishing this is to move students toward becoming independent learners.

We begin our day with a morning meeting and Calendar Counts. This is when we talk about our Guiding Questions for the day, in each subject area, and then discuss elements of the calendar such as days of the week, months of the year, numbers, patterns, etc.

Next is Skills Block. This week, we're reviewing the alphabet and their sounds. We started our morning off with a "phonercize". It's a fun way to review our letters and sounds AND get our heart pumping too!

After that is Reader's Workshop. This week we're learning about different components of the workshop such as a read-aloud, independent reading, and shared reading. Student's found a favorite place to read, their own personal "book nook" for the year and practiced how to read in that spot independently.

In Writer's Workshop, we're discussing how to be a great writer and have already begun our first piece of Narrative writing.

We explored math manipulatives during Math Workshop, by making some noticing and learning the difference between unifix cubes, pattern blocks, and geoblocks.

Needless-to-say, we had a very busy day "on deck" and I can assure you that as we get into "deeper waters", we'll provide you with "deck plans" to ensure a "smooth sailing".

Meet our "FIRST MATES"

Kamryn A.
Taijshiah B.
Kyle B.
Brett B.
Connor C.
Riley C.
Ben D.
Gigi G.
Kristine H.
Caden H.
Janie J.
Makayla L.
Joshua M.
Hayden M.
Angie M.
Alejandro M.
Ian M.
Gracie P.
Lily P.
Annie P.
Kartik P.
Julia S.
Ashley S.
Kristian T.
Sheen W.