Week of February 21st

Happy President's Day!

Enjoy your day off of school and we'll see you on Tuesday.

Week Review:  In reading groups this week, we will focus our attention on building words or reading strategies.  Level E will continue to work on middle sounds.  This week we will be addressing the "when two vowels come together, the first one says its name and the second one is silent."  For example, treat, or boat.   Level F will be chunking parts of the word into sounds or blends that they already know.  Students will be expected to know and practice blends such as st, bl, tr, sh, th.  Level G will be building words in a pattern or sequence as found in Patricia Cunningham's book Making Words, 1st Grade and continuing to practice their expression and fluency.  Level H will be making predictions before we read, and during our reading.  We will be using a graphic organizer to help guide our group discussions.  Levels I and above will also make predictions, but they will be discussing how their predictions are made.  What sort of resources are at our disposal to make a GOOD prediction?  The title, the picture on the front cover, the Table of Contents (if applicable), and the summary in the back of the book (if applicable). 


Book/Author Suggestion:   If I Ran for President* by Catherine Stier and illustrated by Lynne Avril.
This story is described as a multicultural cast of children imagining what it would be like to run for president.  It is also wonderfully jam-packed with facts, procedures, campaign humor, and constitutional rules.  The story is so sweet that I forgot I was learning a lot while I was reading :)  It concludes by saying, "And what I would do when I became president?  Well, that's another story."  Which leads me to the Parent Tip... 

* indicates if it can be found in the Sappington Library. 

Parent Tip:  Have you ever asked your child what they would do if they were president?  My 4 year-olds' preschool teacher asked their class and the answers were awesome!  Some said they would have people help clean their house or sort the laundry!  Others said they would have people help clean up our world.  It is amazing what ideas and plans our children pick up from our example.  Take the time this week to ask your children to dream, to imagine, what they might do or change if they were president.  Better yet, ask them to write it.  "If I were President I would..."  and then save it.  This is one that you will enjoy looking back on later in their life :)

Week of February 7th

Whew!!! What a week we have had!  With the weather and Chinese New Year celebration, our five-day week of reading got shortened to TWO!  I will be carrying over a lot of the same reading goals as last week and furthering them as the new week progresses.  Hopefully the ground hog was right and there will be no snow days in our future :)

Week Review:  In reading groups this week, we will compliment our stories with writing. We will be writing sentences or filling out complimentary Graphic Organizers.  Level E will be writing sentences that include at least one word with a long vowel sound that follows the rule of having a silent "e".  (hide, came, home)  Level F will also write a sentence that follows that vowel pattern, but they will also be writing a sentence that answers a question about the story.  Level G will be writing a two part sentence that is joined by an "and, or, but".  Level H will continue with their work on main idea and supporting details.  They will be displaying their knowledge of main idea through the sentences that they write.  Levels I and above will be discussing predictions and writing a descriptive prediction using our book covers, Table of Contents and perusing through our stories. 

Book/Author Suggestion:   Jump Rope 4 Heart will conclude on Friday, February 11th.  A wonderful program encouraging children to make a difference and exercise doing it!  Here is a silly story to get your child in the mood to jump :)
Jimmy's Boa and the Bungee Jump Slam Dunk* by Trinka Hakes Noble; pictures by Steven Kellogg.  This is a humorous story that will keep your first grader laughing and help them practice sequencing, too!

* indicates if it can be found in the Sappington Library. 

Parent Tip: It is important to find a book that is 'just right' for your child to read.  Knowing their reading level from school can help, but only if you have the level of the book that they are reading.  I have a couple of sites that help with this search.  You can find them at my website.  There is also a "Five Finger Rule" that can be done with any book.  Visit the Reading Rockets website for more information.

Week of January 31st

Week Review:  In reading groups this week, we will compliment our stories with writing. We will be writing sentences or filling out complimentary Graphic Organizers.  Level E will be writing sentences that include at least one word with a long vowel sound that follows the rule of having a silent "e".  (hide, came, home)  Level F will also write a sentence that follows that vowel pattern, but they will also be writing a sentence that answers a question about the story.  Level G will be writing a two part sentence that is joined by an "and, or, but".  Level H will continue with their work on main idea and supporting details.  They will be displaying their knowledge of main idea through the sentences that they write.  Levels I and above will be discussing predictions and writing a descriptive prediction using our book covers, Table of Contents and perusing through our stories. 

Book/Author Suggestion:   We are celebrating our counselor, Mrs. Toomay, this Friday.  It is "Counselor's Day".  She is such an important part of our school.  One of her many important lessons is to express your feelings in a healthy way.  Teaching children the difference between expressing our feelings with words versus with actions.  The first step, for younger children is simply to find a word or a name for the 'feeling' that they are having.  There is a wonderful book series in our Sappington Library that helps put pictures with feelings.
                           The Way I Feel Books* by Cornelia Maude Spelman and the one I chose to start with is "When I Feel Sad".  The language is simple and is used to identify, handle and reassure young children on their feelings of sadness and how to successfully relate to others.  You can also go to our library catalog and review some of the other optional titles. 
                            Is a Worry Worrying You?* by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz.  This story is a cute way to personify a worry.  The word "worry" flips back and forth between an action and a monster.  I believe this will empower your first grader to spend their time finding SOLUTIONS to their problem rather than worrying about it.  Plus it is highly entertaining!

* indicates if it can be found in the Sappington Library. 

Parent Tip: I want to pass on a resource that you may not have considered when furthering your first grader's reading ability.  The Teachers' Lounge is a parent/teacher store.  They offer classes, parent workshops and story hour (most Monday's for about 30 minutes which might be a nice resource for your younger children).  The number of events increase dramatically over the summer.  You can visit their website for a calendar of scheduled events.  Keep in mind when you attend events or just go there to shop, you can often walk the aisles for ideas, and when you get home, create your own, cheaper version.                     

Week of January 24th

Week Review:  In reading groups this week, we will continue to focus on the same skills as last week. Our snow days have delayed some of the concepts that I feel need to be mastered before we move on.  Level D will be searching for words with a consonant blend at the beginning of the words, then changing the endings.  (Grandma, great, grin, grab, grill, etc.) Level E will be searching their books for vowel patterns, mainly focusing on the "vowel, consonant, silent e pattern".  Level F will be able to locate words following the same vowel spelling pattern, but they will also be producing more that are not found in their story.  Level G will be building words in a pattern or sequence as found in Patricia Cunningham's book Making Words, 1st Grade and continuing to practice their expression and fluency.  Level H will be introduced to a main idea and then several supporting details.  This week we will be using a graphic organizer to help guide our group discussions.  Levels I and above will continue to work on Very Important Points as they read.


Book/Author Suggestion:   A Snowy Day* by Lola M. Schaefer.  This story is a nonfictional text that uses simple text and photography to explain the formation of snow and what people do in it.  Obviously, your child can make connections to what goes on in this book and our latest weather!!!  This book is a wonderful introduction to understanding nonfictional text.  The Table of Contents can be a wonderful tool, IF your child knows how to use it.  Since A Snowy Day includes a simple Table of Contents, you and your child can take the time to "use & practice" with it. 
Ms. Schaefer has a "What Kind of Day Is It?" series that supports the National science standards on basic features of the earth.  The simple text should allow your child to read this book on their own and give you an opportunity to hear how far they have come and begin asking comprehension questions. 

* indicates if it can be found in the Sappington Library. 

Parent Tip:                              Nonfiction
In many cases, you will find that your child will be more successful if you take the time to explain the text structure found in nonfiction stories; Table of Contents, Headings, Glossary.  It is also important to look for key words or phrases in the text that will help guide them while they read nonfiction.  Scholastic has created a table of text structures that need to be introduced and discussed with children to help them learn from nonfictional stories. Some of the text structures that are common in nonfiction writing is: sequencing, compare & contrast, problem & solution, and cause & effect.  Understanding these Reading Skills takes practice.  Don't forget to include nonfiction stories in your home libraries or your library "wish lists".  The more your child has an opportunity to practice, the more confidence they will gain when reading both nonfiction and fiction.