Sterling's Snippets: Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Throughout the year, our fabulous first graders will be highlighted for being smart, kind, caring, and everything awesome with our Star Student Program. Each student will have the opportunity to share, lead and feel just how wonderful they are! Watch the monthly calendar to see when your child will be highlighted in our classroom.

Meet Andrew

Have you met Andrew? If not, you are missing out! Andrew is this week's Star Student and he really shines! Did you know, Andrew loves gym and everything sports. His favorite sport is Football, yet can even be found on his very own baseball card! Andrew has a big sister, Danica, that shares the halls of Washington with him (I was lucky to have her in 1st grade too!). Though quite athletic, Andrew is also an exceptional reader and writer! This week, as Star Student, he lead calendar like a champ! Check him out in action below!

Can I send a HUGE shoutout to all of you for purchasing books thruogh Scholastic. I wanted to send a photo of what items I am able to get with a typical book order for our classroom! The students are loving the new Who Would Win books along with the sports themed titles! Thank you so much for helping build our classroom library!

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: This week we have been working hard to learn more about nouns, specifically possessive nouns. Students learned how to use an apostrophe in their writing to show possession of an object. We thought it was extra fun to say apostrophe out loud! We also took our first reading test. The focus for this week's assessment was phonics skills. Students will take a short reading assessment weekly, which will be sent home for you to view and review. Please remember to sign the test and return it to school. Feel free to call or email with questions.

Students learned to sit EEKK (Elbow, Elbow, Knee, Knee) style to read with partner this week.

Math: In math we worked on solving number stories using math tools including ten frames, number lines and 120's charts. Did you know that first graders will become fluent in addition and subtraction to 10 by the end of the year? If you are working with your child at home, encourage them to talk about the strategies for solving.

Writing: Wow! Our first grade writers are amazing! They have learned the four strategies for spelling and are using them successfully during writer's workshop. In writing we ask students to stretch words, find "snap" words on a word wall, use an alphabet sound chart, and spell new words using words they already know. As we near the end of our first unit, I will be sure to send some of their amazing writing home for you to keep.

Writer's working with a partner to begin the revising process with a partner.

Science: In science we are examining living things, specifically plants still. The students are making observations in their science journal. This week we explore the movement of water through a plant using celery and food coloring. We had so much fun seeing how the colored water traveled all the way to the tips of the leaves!