20187-2018 SCHOOL YEAR Week 38 It's been a great 2017-2018 school year! Students learned a lot and are excited to continue their learning next year in 2nd grade! Though I'll miss everyone dearly, I hope everyone will have a fantastic summer break!
Week 37 We had a busy week this week! Grade 1 students celebrated their hard work in music by performing at the FP summer music concert, we finished up our portfolio projects, and are getting ready for our JeoparBee game next Wednesday. We will review our skills on Monday and then take our final end-of-the-year test for math!
Reminder that next week will be hectic. Your child will be coming home with work they've done throughout the year in their backpacks. Please remember to empty out their backpacks each night to make room for more stuff the next day. Thank you!
Week 36 In Grade 1 this week, we continued to build on our social studies knowledge on traits of a good citizen and the three types of government. We've also been working hard on typing our poems on google docs for writing! The students are getting really good at understanding some features of google docs. With our understanding of motion, we started making objects that can spin, roll, or slide. The students have been very creative with their objects and are excited to share them on their T5 science portfolio. Also, we have finished up our unit 9 for math and are reviewing in order to take the end-of-the-year test that will encompass everything students learned about in Grade 1.
Week 35 This week in Grade 1, we completed our MAP math and reading tests. It was our last time doing it for the year and the students really showed what they learned! We're finishing up our math unit this week, we'll review early next week, and test the unit on Wednesday. After that, we have our last math unit for the year which is a review of everything we've learned! I can't believe it's already towards the end of the year! In writing, we're learning about/writing different poems and we're starting to type them up in Google Docs. For this term, we're learning about different story elements in reading. In science, we're learning about different forces and in social studies, we're learning about the 3 types of government.
Week 33 In this full week, we continued learning about motion and force in science, citizenship in social studies, place value in math, story elements in reading, and poetry in writing. We worked on wordly wise words this week for 'spelling and will continue to learn more wordly wise words next week.
Week 32 Term 5 has officially started! We're in the home stretch of Grade 1 and the students are ready to learn more. We started talking about motion in science, good citizens in social studies, place value and number patterns in math, and poetry in writing.
We will not have a spelling the next few weeks because we're working on more Wordly Wise words to practice for our upcoming Jeoparbee.
Week 31 As our Term 4 comes to an end, we're finishing up our portfolio projects. We also had our Sports Day and Cultural Day celebration this week! Thank you to all students, staff and parents involved in those events! It was AMAZING!
Coming up, we'll have our Spirit Day on Monday where students can wear anything CDS in the past related or CDS apparel. Tuesday or Wednesday, we'll take our math unit test on money and fractions. Also, we'll have our Term 4 assembly on Wednesday!
Week 30 We did a lot this week! In math, we started learning more about fractions and how they're equal parts of a shape. We talked about halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and eighths. During writing, we continued our opinion writing and even celebrated our nonfiction research book writing! For science, we started talking more about animal life cycles and how they're similar to plant or animal life cycles. In social studies, we talked about many different types of jobs someone can have. These jobs will help us save money for goods we need and want.
We also had our Grade 1 picture day on Thursday!
Next week, we're going to be having our FP Sports Day on Thursday (April 26th) and Culture/Diversity Day on Friday (April 27th)!
Week 29 This week, we started to review on our knowledge on opinion writing from kindergarten and added more components to gain a deeper understanding of that type of writing. In math, we reviewed counting up money and how to write the amount in two ways. In social studies, we talked about how best to save money in order to buy goods that they need and want. For reading, students continued to build on their curiosity with reading by writing down 'tricky words' that they may not know the meaning of in a book and talking to a friend about what that word could mean in a sentence.
The last day of the week, we had parent-teacher conferences to talk about your child's progress in school.
Week 28 This week, we finished up our unit on geometry unit on shapes for math and are gearing up for unit 8 (coin review and beginning fractions). For reading, we learned how to monitor any 'tricky words' we might come across in our reading and how we can try and figure out what the word might mean. In writing, we finished up our nonfiction animal/insect research project that will be part of the CDS writing book this year. The students all worked very hard on their book and learned a lot. I'm very proud of them! We're starting our opinion writing unit next week. Since it was a short week, we talked about what animals need for science and reviewed needs and wants for social studies.
Next week, we have parent/teacher conferences on Friday. Don't forget to sign-up for a time!
Week 27 We're finishing the week before Spring Break and it's been super busy! We had book week this week so not only were we practicing AR more, but we had global readers on Monday, animal reading buddies on Tuesday, dress as your favorite book character on Wednesday, Brynn Barnard (the author) came to talk with us on Thursday, and our book swap on Friday!
Besides book week, we were pretty busy learning in Grade 1! For math, we've been learning geometry and what features make up a polygon shape. In writing, we're continuing to work on our animal research project. For social studies, we focused on what goods and services are in our community. We're learning all about different types of animals in science. In reading we're continuing to learn about how to solve hard words we come across in our books. Spelling this week focused on the short oo pattern but we did not have a spelling test on Friday. I am very proud of how hard the students worked this week!
Week 26 This week, we continued learning about geometry in math, wants vs. needs in social studies, and animals in science. We also started using AR regularly in Grade 1 as a reading tool to help us practice reading comprehension! We also had our field trip to Job World AND the book fair this week to celebrate Book Week next week! There are a lot of fun learning activities!!
Week 25 We've had a lot to do on this first week of Term 4! We finished up our math unit on math facts. For social studies, we started talking about needs vs. wants. For writing, we learned how to take notes and started researching information on our insect/animal we chose. This information will eventually be put in our nonfiction chapter book project! In science, we introduced animal aspects for Life Science. In reading, we took the STAR reading test as another tool to see where our reading level is at. We've also been practicing reading comprehension with AR in Grade 1.
This week, we also stopped by the 4th grade store! We got some pretty cool used objects/food and our money went to donations for a charity! We love helping our community!
Week 24 We've finished all of our portfolio projects this week and you can view them on Seesaw! We also chose our new labs for next season which will start on March 12th.
Week 23 This week, we've been continuing to work on our portfolio projects. For math, we've been creating a math fact board game where the students are making math fact equations to help grow their brains. In social studies, we're using our imaginations to think of what an object may look like in the future. The students then draw what that object will look like! In reading and writing, we're diving even deeper into nonfiction and focusing on projects related to nonfiction. On Friday, we had our Jumping for Healthy Hearts event in FP!
Week 22 This week, we had our MAP testing in Grade 1. The students all worked hard and tried their best! We also started working on portfolio projects to show off what we've learned so far in Term 3. I'm very proud of these students!
Week 21 We've had a very busy week with JeoparBee and our second FP Library Day! We finished up Unit 5 for math this week and are going to be starting Unit 6 which is all about math facts! We've been continuing our learning about matter in science and past, present, and future in social studies. We're also finishing our editing/final drafts of our first nonfiction books!
I wanted to remind everyone that our second round of MAP testing starts next Wednesday. This is a computer test that assesses what the students know about math and reading. This is not something they should study for as we're assessing where they are currently. Please make sure you're child gets enough sleep for school on Wednesday and Thursday! Also, please make sure they eat a good breakfast to help their brains!
Week 20 It's been a very cold week in Grade 1! We've had indoor recess most of the week but are still working hard to learn during class time. We're working on finishing up our Unit 5 for math (test is next Wednesday). Keep practicing math facts and spelling words at home!! For writing, we're continuing with writing our nonfiction chapter book and we're talking about nonfiction features in reading. In science, we're learning about matter and in social studies, we learned about how things in the past are different from things today (present).
Week 19 This week in Grade 1 we started writing our nonfiction book with chapters! We also learned how to write a good topic sentence for our chapter before telling the reader what we know about the topic. In math, we focused on comparing numbers using greater than (>), less than (<), and equal to (=). The students practiced and became very good at not only putting the correct symbol but saying the complete sentences when comparing two things. Awesome! For science, we continued talking about types of matter and we learned more about solids. We continued learning about past, present, and future in social studies and started talking about Native Americans.
We're starting to get ready for the Grade 1 JeoparBee in a few weeks so we did some practice for that, as well! We'll continue to practice in class over the next week or so.
Week 18 This week was pretty busy! After our long winter break, we started this week by remembering the rules we learned and got back into our daily routines. We started learning about making a ten strategies and place value in math, talked about our nonfiction research writing project, started learning about history for social studies, and all about properties of matter for science. We also started our new guided reading groups and focused on consonant blends in spelling.
Week 17 This week in Grade 1 was filled with finishing up units, assessments, and projects. We have our Candle Light Ceremony tomorrow to kick off our winter break and afterwards, students will get to go home with their parents! It's been a wonderful couple of terms in Grade 1!
A few things to remember, the students are bringing home their water bottles and p.e. shoes. Please wash them during our break and bring them back when we start again on January 8th! Also, the students are getting a "Winter Break Packet" to take home. I would like them to work on it for at least 10 minutes a day so that they can practice the skills we learned since the beginning of the year. They do not have to finish it but I would like them to work on it. Have a great winter break! Week 16 Winter break is near! We celebrated it by having our FP Winter Concert yesterday! The students did a phenomenal job singing, dancing, and speaking. I could not be more proud of them! This week, we've been working on finishing Unit 4 for math to which the test for that will be next week. In writing, we've been working on creating another "how to" book and in reading, I've been assessing the student's reading abilities through the DRA.
I wanted to remind you that before break, since we'll be gone for 3 weeks, I've put together a 'winter break packet' of practice for your child. I would like them to work on the packet for at least 10 minutes a day so that they can practice and remember what they learned. If they turn it in to me the week after winter break (doesn't have to be done as long as they show me they worked on it), I'll give them a special treat. Week 15 We're getting ready for the end of T2 and our Winter music concert! We had our first music concert this Wednesday and we'll have one next Tuesday as well. Our winter concert will be next Thursday, December 7th from 1-3:30pm. Grade 1's are to dress all in black to represent their animal (mandrills).
Week 14 This short week has been full of many activities. Since it's Thanksgiving this week, Grade 1 took some time to talk about what that means. We learned about how to be thankful and giving, what that means, and how to practice that every day. They're really doing a great job!
For math, we've finished up Unit 3 this week and will start Unit 4 (measurement) next week. In writing, we're working on our final drafts of a 'how to' story and we're getting ready to share them with PreK and K students.
Portfolio projects for Term 2 are being worked on! This link is a hand-out for the music program! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pPD2AugcEREvt__uNE7OcDOf1iiW3epA4XZqBCv5mmE/edit
Week 13 What a week! Grade 1 students worked hard to complete their landform maps and posters. They'll be coming home with the students soon so please look forward to that! We've been continuing working on 'how to' teach someone about a topic that your Grade 1 student is an expert on. Our plan is to share these with PreK and Kindergarten students in the future. For math, the class is getting really good at looking for patterns/coming up with the rules in a series of numbers (the rule is 'add 2' starting from 7, 9, 11, 13, etc.)
This week, we've been working on our reading routine in our class. Our routine is to (everyday) take their reading folder home, read 10 minutes, then bring their reading folder back to school. We still have some students who struggle with this so we'll continue next week. It's important for students at this age to read every night so they can get exposed to new words and work on reading comprehension. Week 12 We started some unit projects this week for Term 2! We've started to use what we know about landforms and map components to create a new world! The students (and I) are very excited about this project. We've been working on creating "how to" stories in writing and are soon going to be making "how to" stories to teach someone how to use a reading strategy we've learned about. In math, we've also been learning how to tell time to the half-hour (half past __).
Week 11 It was a very busy week in Grade 1! We celebrated Halloween, ended our Spirit Week, received a new student, and completed conferences! We continued to learn about patterns with numbers in math (working more on even and odd numbers), learned more about land forms on Earth in science, and focused on map features in social studies.
Week 10 This week, we had our first field trip to the Seoul Grand Park Zoo and started spirit week! Pajama Day, Twin Day, and Class Color Day? It's been a very busy and fun week in Grade 1!
Just as a heads up, we are finishing spirit week next week, are celebrating Halloween on Tuesday, and have our first parent/teacher conferences on Friday. Don't forget to sign up!
Week 9 This week, we were finishing up all of our projects and units for Term 1 as well as our T1 Portfolios. Please sign up on Seesaw to view your child's portfolio if you haven't already! Term 2 officially started on Thursday!
Week 8 We've had an amazing week and finished it with our Jog-a-Fest!
This week, we finished up our math, social studies, and science units to get ready for term 2 next week. We'll finish our narrative writing unit next week and celebrate all of the hard work we did as writers! Term 1 ends on Wednesday. I'm putting together the student portfolios and I'll e-mail you a link to that so you can look at it when they're all uploaded onto Seesaw.
Week 7 Our last week of September was a great one! We've started learning about clocks in math, writing and adding to our narrative stories in writing, and completing guided reading centers at reading time. We've been continuing learning about plants in science and all about the continents in social studies.
Here's your friendly reminder that we have Uniform Free Friday tomorrow and no school next week for Chuseok break! Week 6 We've been diving into learning more about all subjects! This week in math, we learned all about number grids and how they help us count to larger numbers. In writing, we've been learning how to stretch out our small moment stories even more by adding details and stretching out sounds of words to work on spelling. During social studies, we've been learning about the oceans and 7 continents. Science, we've been continuing learning about seeds, plant parts, and the life cycle of a plant. We even planted our own seeds so we could watch them grow throughout our unit!
As a teacher, I'm thrilled about the student's excitement for learning! Week 5 Another week of school has come and gone! This week, the students took their MAP-reading and math tests on their Chromebooks, created their own number stories for math, continued learning about small moment stories, and officially started guided reading! Please make sure to have your child read 10 minutes every night. They can read from their library folders (that should go home every night) or from a book they have at home. Our class has library time set up for Wednesday and Friday so they can check out books on Wednesday and if they finish reading them, they can check out 2 new books on Friday.
I'm very happy to see such a great turnout for Library Day this week! The students were very excited to read with parents at school.
If you received information about AR reading quizzes at Library Day, I would like you to know that Grade 1 has that as a resource but will not be utilizing it until most of the students are ready to read independently on their Chromebooks and answer questions about their reading. I'll let you know when we start that. Thank you! Week 4 Wow! I can't believe we've had 4 weeks of school already! Time sure is flying.
This week, we started our writing unit on small moments (narrative), continued learning about different ways to count in math, practiced our spelling, worked on learning about community helpers in social studies, and reviewed/tested on what we learned about plants!
For guided reading, since we now know how to successfully do each center, we practiced transitions in between them. Transitions are hard for students at this age but I know we'll get better and better at it as time goes on!
We do have our MAP testing next week on the computer. Please make sure your child gets a good nights rest and a healthy breakfast every day so they're ready for this test. Since this is on the computer, I e-mailed everyone to have their child please bring in one pair of headphones so that it's easier for them to listen to the questions. Thank you! Week 3 This week was a big week in first grade! We've been continuing Everyday math, our handwriting, and our spelling routines (get new words on Monday and test on Friday). This week, we started learning about families and classroom rules for social studies and plants in science. We will be starting writing next week. Reading is really important for young minds and we are incorporating it in our daily routines but are not ready to start up guided reading groups just yet.
One reminder for the weekend is to have your child write 3-5 good sentences about their weekend in their journal and return it on Monday. I do look at these journal entries as part of a grade and it's important for students at this age to continue writing when they're not in school. I've had some parents ask about the log-in information for arcademics.com at home. We do not have a school log-in but if you'd like to use it at home, you can just go to the website, click on Grade 1, and select a game to play. It's great practice for building math fact fluency! *I do apologize for the "Uniform Free Friday" mishap today. I had them write it in their notebook that we had that today and I was mistaken. If your child wore their normal clothes today instead of their uniform, that was okay!
Week 2 We've just finished the first full week of school! I have updated pictures under the tab "About Our Class" if you'd like to look at those! This week, we started using Everyday Math and getting into our math routines, did a couple of fun science experiments, and finished a lesson on Growth Mindset. Growth mindset is used when a child comes across a problem that is hard for them to solve. We focused on how to grow their brain muscles to try and work through the problem instead of giving up. One reminder for the weekend if to have your child write 3-5 good sentences about their weekend in their journal and return it on Monday. I will also have the children write that as a sentence in our assignment notebook.
End of Week 1/Introduction to Week 2 We've almost finished the first few days of school! The students are getting into the groove of 1st grade, meeting new friends/connecting with old friends, and having fun! I'm very excited to enjoy Grade 1 with this class of amazing students!
On Wednesday, I sent home a "Welcome to 1st Grade" packet in the student's take-home folders. Today I sent home my homework policy. If you have any questions about them, please don't hesitate to contact me! Also, please make sure your child brings his/her take-home folder back to school with them every day. They will get their first homework assignment tomorrow! Every Friday, they will bring home a journal booklet. I'm asking them to write 3-5 good sentences about some things they did over the weekend and bring it with them to share on Monday. An example of a good sentence is "I played outside with my friend." or "I watched a good movie with my parents." Please remind the students of capital letters in the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end of a sentence. Thank you!
As for next week, we are going to be starting our first unit of math which focuses on good math routines. I will also discuss good reading habits with the students next week but with other subjects to assess, we may not start guided reading for another week or so. It's important to get the fundamentals of learning a subject down before going more in-depth!
Please check the the website for any more updates throughout the week! I will for sure update by or around Friday every week but I may put reminders on here and/or your child's take-home folder.
Have a great weekend! Miss Bahr
Week 1 Welcome back to CDS! I'm excited to get to meet everyone! We're going to have a great year. I will hand-out a packet with more information about Grade 1 during the Back to School Day but for the first week of school, I'll give a brief overview of some important pieces of information.
Arrival and Dismissal Our school begins at 8:00am. I will be outside to greet your child at 8:00am at the First Program Playground. The academic day ends at 3:00pm but all of our students attend FP Lab from 3:00pm-4:00pm. Students must enter the school with parents for both drop-off and pick-up. For the first month or so, please come up with your child to tell me you're picking them up until I get to know everyone. Thank you! *Also, Fridays are our schedule is a bit different and we end our day at 2:45pm.
Snacks In Grade 1, we have two snack times built into our schedule. The school provides a healthy morning snack for the children. Please bring a healthy snack for your child for the afternoon snack time.
Water Bottle and Outdoor P.E. Shoes Please have a water bottle that your child is able to use and fill up at school everyday. This will make it easier for the students to avoid distractions and focus more on learning. Also, please remember to bring outdoor P.E. Shoes.
If you have any specific questions that were not answered in this small information notification, please don't worry! I will go over this and more at the Back to School Day.