Sterling's Snippets: Brrr! It is Getting Cool Outside!

Wow! The weather is definitely changing to fall. I think I am a little in denial, still wearing sandals, but the mornings are officially freezing! Please make sure your firstie brings a jacket and hat to school. Even if they don't need it, they will have it just in case!

We had another fun week in 1st grade. We began guided reading groups, and the students are so excited to meet with me! I am sure the novelty will wear off, but for now, I am all smiles as we learn together! Guided reading books will come home after a 2 day lesson, so expect a couple of books a week. I always encourage students to read the books to an adult or even older sibling within a night or two. Please initial the enclosed slip and record any notes or questions you may have. Many of the books that I will send home are from our new reading series, so these first graders are getting their hands on brand new books! Please help them take care the of the books.

Meet Jocelynn

This week we had the privilege of learning more about Jocelynn. If you haven't met her yet, she is all smiles and can always put you in a good mood! Jocelynn loves to spend time with her family, including her Papa, who is pretty special to her. She loves to sing and dance, and even brought a Frozen microphone on her show and tell day! We love having Joce in our class!

It was also Skyler's big day! Happy Birthday Skyler! Thanks for the yummy treats!

A Peek at Our Week

Reading: In reading we are working hard to compare two like texts of different genres. This week we read Curious George Goes to School as well as Schools Long Ago. While the topic may have been the same, the content was different. We learned about text features including photographs and labels. We also discussed author's word choice. We learned that sometimes authors use phrases like "You bet it is!" instead of simply saying yes.

Math: In math we are working hard to make combinations of 10. Ask your 1st graders about Mrs. Sterling's apple box issues! I explained how I went to Hornbachers looking for a mixed apple box for my two boys (who like red and green apples) and the boxes always had only red or green apples! I put them to work to solve this problem making apple box combinations. There were several huge "A-ha!" moments which was awesome!

Anabelle and Saad make combinations with unifix cubes.

Gabrielle and Anthony begin to record combinations.

Emily shares her writing.

Writing: We wrapped up our first writing unit this week. This unit simply launched the writing process and got the students writing. I was able to quickly observe their current understanding of the writing process so I know where to go in future units. Their learning, however, was amazing! From learning to extend their writing, add details, revise, edit and publish, the work was great! I'll save the published pieces for conferences, but some of their other work came home on Friday for you to see.