Reading Workshop
During our reader’s workshop time, students engage in a variety of tasks aimed at developing reading and writing skills. As part of the reader’s workshop students will engage in whole and small group lessons and work independently. Whole group mini-lessons are designed to teach an important skill, these are brief and last about 10-15 minutes. Afterward, students break into smaller groups or work individually on various literacy tasks. This work time generally lasts for about 20 min. After completing one cycle of the workshop, the process will repeat 1-2 more times. If you were to enter our classroom during the independent work time portion of reader’s workshop you might notice the following:
Students will be:
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reading to themselves
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reading with a partners
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listening to reading (on a CD, tape or computer)
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working with words (spelling, phonics, etc).
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writing about reading (writing a response about something they have read)
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working at an assigned station for specific skill practice (ie. working on making predictions)
Teacher will be:
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working with students in small groups
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conferencing with individual students about reading skills
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working on assessments
Our district uses the Reading Wonders program. Built on research-based best practices Reading Wonders will challenge students to read closely and support thinking with evidence from the text. The pieces of the wonders curriculum will be woven seamlessly into our existing reader’s workshop format. Wonders offers many opportunities for students to practice skills online and at home. Stay tuned for more information on how to access and best use these for your child.
Word Study/ Spelling: Spelling comes from the Reading Wonders program. Spelling words are sent home on Mondays and the test happens on Friday. Word study and spelling practice will be a part of homework expectations.
Writer's Workshop
Writer’s workshop is a time in our day that is dedicated to the process of becoming a better more productive writer. Students learn how to take and idea from a seed, through the process of drafting, revising and editing all the way to publication. Throughout the year we will work on developing the 6+1 traits of good writing.
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Ideas- What am I writing about? What is my main message?
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Organization- Have I put my ideas in an order that makes sense?
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Voice- Does my writing sound like me?
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Word Choice- Have I pick the best words get my message across?
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Sentence Fluency- Does my writing flow and sound nice when read aloud?
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Conventions- Am I following the “rules” of writing? (spelling, punctuation etc)
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Presentation- When I finish my final draft, have I done my best work? Does my writing look like quality work?
Students will have opportunities to write for multiple purposes throughout the year. Examples include- using a writer’s journal to respond to a prompt, writing about reading, writing a friendly letter, developing a narrative story, writing an informational piece, poetry and many other forms.
The Reading Wonders curriculum supports the use of the Zaner Blozer (ball-and-stick) approach to handwriting instruction. When I correct their handwriting, I place a star or smiley face above their best work. Letters that need attention are circled to be rewritten. At the start of the year students will also trace their names to practice proper writing habits.
Mathematics
Students need a firm and comfortable understanding mathematical concepts and problem solving skills, and basic skills. In our classroom our math workshop is set up to provide students with the tools they need to succeed. We will be using the district adopted curriculum, Math Investigations to guide students to success. The curriculum is designed to:
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Support students to make sense of mathematics and learn that they can be mathematical thinkers
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Focus on computational fluency with whole numbers
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Provide significant experience in several important areas of mathematics- rational numbers, geometry, measurement, data, and early algebra- including how these pieces fit together.
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Emphasize mathematical reasoning skills.
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Engage learners in the understanding how math “works”
The grade 1 math curriculum units are as follows:
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How Many of Each?- Addition, Subtraction, and Number System
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Making Shapes and Designing Quilts- 2-D Geometry
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Solving Story Problems - Addition, Subtraction and the Number System 2
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Fish Lengths and Animal Jumps Measurement
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Number Games and Crayon Puzzles - Addition, Subtraction, and Number System 3
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What Would You Rather Be?- Data Analysis
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Two's, Five's, and Ten's - Addition, Subtraction, and Number System 4
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Blocks and Books-3-D Geometry
Science and Social Studies
1st Grade Science Units
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Earth Science: Air and Weather
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Physical Science: Solids and Liquids
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Earth Science: Animals and Plants
Additionally, we will be practicing important scientific skills like making observations, designing experiments, predicting, hypothesizing, analyzing data, and making conclusions.
1st Grade Social Studies:
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Families and Communities
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Economics
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Holidays and Celebrations
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Virtues
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2nd Step Non-Violence Curriculum
This year you can expect lots of crossover between social studies/ science and both language arts and fine arts. This year I am excited to integrate our social studies and science themes with our writer’s workshop time. We hope to create lots of quality work to share with everyone.
Being able to understand, appreciate and create art allows students to think abstractly and express their ideas and feelings in a creative manner. In our classroom we will focus on viewing, understanding and creating a variety of visual arts using many different types of materials.
Our art time will generally be in the afternoon once a week. We will focus on developing observational skills, responding to the art we view and creating our own art. Throughout the year our studies will center around the five elements of design; line, color, shape, pattern, and texture.
We will have opportunities throughout the year to incorporate what we have learned about the arts into our other classroom projects. Integrating the arts into our classroom makes for a richer more diverse learning environment.
Inquiry is at the heart of science and social studies. Our exploration of these topics is driven by the curiosity that comes naturally to this age group. This means lots of questions and lots of learning about how to find the answers! By guiding students through the inquiry process I can help prevent them from developing misconceptions.