Things have been busy in 1st grade since the winter break. It doesn't help that it has been cold and the students haven't been able to get sufficient recess breaks. We are still the same wonderful class, just a bit more chatty! It is fun to hear their stories and tales! We began the winter assessment period district wide last week. The older students began MAP testing, but at the younger, grades it means a few different assessments. Students participated in AIMSweb reading assessments last Friday and I am performing a number of assessments in the classroom as well. This may be why you haven't seen as many guided reading books coming home, as I am assessing during my small group block, as most assessments are to be given 1:1 at the 1st grade level. I actually love assessing the students as their growth is amazing! It is normally around January of 1st grade when reading takes off and everything they have learned starts falling into place.
We also began our new science curriculum this week. As you may remember, our 1st grade team is the pilot team for the district for new science curriculum. Our new curriculum is published by TCI and is called Science Alive. Our first unit is "Objects in the Sky" and students are learning about the sun, moon and stars. We conducted our first investigation today on the path of the sun in the sky. Students had to construct a house and then put 3 windows in their house which would provide optimal light based on the position of the sun in morning, midday and afternoon. The discussion with science partners was amazing. They were testing their predictions and some great work took place. I think so far, they are really enjoying this new program, and so am I!
Here a student records data in his science journal.
 |
| Aubrey and Brookelyn add windows to their house before testing. |
 |
| Hazel and Tinah are testing their house. They later determined they needed a window on the roof. |
Next week I will be attending a training with the 1st grade team with the publishers of our new reading curriculum on Tuesday morning. I will return at lunch. In addition to science, we will begin piloting the new reading curriculum next week. The program is Journeys and I am eager to learn more about it. Students will enjoy several Martin Luther King Jr. activities on Tuesday morning with a substitute teacher.
All students in our class will be participating in the North Dakota Young Writer's Challenge. Students in first grade are to select a past president and then create a campaign button and slogan as to why he would make a good president today. We will be researching using PebbleGo in the computer lab and spending a few days perfecting our buttons. Submissions will be sent to the local Valley Reading Council to be judged. Perhaps a winner will be chosen from our classroom!
Just a reminder, the Reading Trophy program has begun! Please return full sheets at anytime and your child will be given a new sheet. A goal should be to read at least 15 books per month to meet the goal of 50 books by the end of April. A classroom display will soon be up to highlight student accomplishments. This really motivated students last year and I hope it will be equally successful!
This week we celebrated a birthday in 1st grade! Preston turned 7! Happy Birthday Preston!
Upcoming Events:
January 18: No School for Students
No comments:
Post a Comment