H E L L O F I R S T G R A D E !

Welcome to the First grade web page! On this page you can find out what is happening in our First Grade classroom.

C l a s s r o o m N e w s

September 21

The first grade welcomed new student Jahzara Bey today!

We have been reading about what makes a fruit a fruit and how vegetables can be the stem, root, leaf, flower, fruit or seed of a plant.

We are looking forward to our up-coming trips to the apple orchard and the organic farm.

Remember to send in your permission slip!

Is it August already? Is it really time to start thinking about school supplies, setting up the classroom, and clothes for the first day? Nah! We still have a good few weeks of summer left! But stay tuned... We'll keep you informed of all you need to know about First Grade in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, stay cool and enjoy the sun!

Kindergarten News (from '09):

We are so excited about bread baking! Today we made Pan de Agua, a bread made with the basic ingredients -flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt. Tommorrow we will do a taste test of 3 different store-bought breads and choose a favorite. We will also make white bread with homemade butter. Delicious!

Later this week we will use our new knowledge of making butter to introduce another kind of writing called the "how-to." Together we will write the procedure for making butter. Everyone will write their own "how-to" on butter. The children will also have the opportunity to write the procedure for something they know how to do really, really well.

In reading we have been emphasizing the importance of going on a "picture walk" and looking very carefully at the pictures to get clues about what the story is about. The pictures are key elements in making predictions, anticipating vocabulary and overall comprehension.

The math games we play again and again build on your child's understanding of number. Today we made arrangements with six tiles. By following two rules -you must use only six tiles and all tiles must be touching in some way, the children were able to see different combinations adding up to six.

To enhance our bread study we will be taking field trips to local bakeries and restaurants. Check your child's white envelope for permission slips.

If you would like to make bread with a small cooking group one morning, let us know. And by bread we also mean flatbreads like tortillas and chapatis, too. Also quick breads like banana, zucchini, or pumpkin. Any kind of bread is welcome! Breads R Us!

We would like to extend our thanks to those who sent lovely valentine gifts before the vacation. You really do make us feel very special and appreciated!

January 20, 2009

We are very excited about a new member of our class. Her name is Gloria and she is our classroom pet. Gloria is a guinea pig. Her full name is Gloria Vanderbilt but you can call her by her nickname, "Gogo."

This month we will learn all about guinea pigs by observing Gloria and her habits very carefully. The Kindergarteners are very curious and have come up with lots of questions. Here are a few...

What do guinea pigs eat?

Do they blink?

Do they close their eyes when they sleep?

Why do they call them "guinea pigs?"

Do they run?

Why do they eat hay?

We will also learn how to take good care of our guinea pig and how to hold her safely.

We are reading familiar stories, fairy tales in particular, and talking about the different story elements like the characters, setting, and problem/resolution. We are also retelling favorite stories and making simple puppets to do our retells. When children retell stories it helps them internalize the language and structure of narratives and it improves their understanding of the story.

Last week completed our focus on pattern in math. We were very impressed by the sophisticated patterns the children made and their ability to identify the repeating units in their patterns. The math handout we sent home yesterday gives you some background on our next math focus --measurement.

The children are very excited about reading (and the prizes they get for every 10 steps of home reading!). Please keep up the home reading; listen to your child read to you, and also read to your child every day. You can also use reading time with your child to help her practice the sight words on her skill card (you can count word practice as part of your child's 15 minutes of reading). Remember, on the log sheet you are not writing down every book your child reads. You are writing one book title for each 15 minutes of reading time.

Oh, one more thing...

We all watched the inauguration on our smartboard yesterday. It was very exciting! If by chance your child thinks that our vice president looks a lot like Aretha Franklin, it's because the smartboard was frozen on her image when Joe Biden was being sworn in!

And another thing!

We appreciate the snacks families continue to send in on a regular basis using the snack schedule. We will try to get a list of popular snacks sent home to make it easier for you to choose what to get.

One thing that helps us with snack is to have enough of one kind of snack for all 21 children. So rather than sending in a few different kinds of snacks it works better to send in one kind.

August 20, 2008

The kindergarten room is just about up running for the start of school. We have lots of fun activities planned and look forward to getting to know everybody.

We had several families, some old friends and new visit today...Georgia, Ethan, Viviana, Shane, Kimberly and Lila. It was great to meet you all!

Please let us know if you have not received a welcome letter from your kindergarten teachers.

Don't hesitate to call or email if you have any questions for us.

If you would like to visit before the first day of school, we will be here from 12 to 1pm on Thursday and Friday. Hope you can stop by then!

Your teachers,

Esther, Ellen, and Jessie