October 5-9, 2015 Week 7

I hope that everyone had a nice weekend!  I am enjoying the cooler weather and excited about having many more days like today!  :)

WOW!  This is the start of the 2nd six weeks!  

I will be having parent/teacher conferences all week.  I'm excited to conference with you about your child's performance in class!  

This week we will read "Animal Park," it is a nonfiction story about animals in Africa.  Our reading skills are: blend and read short u words, identify cause and effect, identify exclamatory sentences (excited sentences), final consonant blends, and practice Saxon Phonics daily.

In Math we will compose and decompose numbers up to 20 by drawing objects and using manipulatives.

In Science we will learn about the 3 states of matter.  (solid, liquid, gas)

In Social Studies we will discuss the role of a good citizen.

We started an incentive called "Attendance Dollars!"  All students who come to school everyday will get a play dollar and at the end of each month they will be rewarded with a prize from the office.  Some days we will have double dollar day.  :)

Upcoming October Events... 

October 5-13  Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 8 - Early Release at 12:00

October 13 - Dallas Arboredum 

October  21- KONA ICE Snowcones

October 26-30  Red Ribbon Week

October 27 - Reading/Writing Night 

Each week we have a DOJO reward for good behavior!  Last Friday was 'luscious lollipops!" 

                                           

       We created birds in a nest to go along with last week's story "Get the Egg!"

                       We learned to tell time to the hour! 

                       "The Clean Desk Fairy" strikes again!  

Thanks for visiting our blog!  

See you next week!  :)

Sept. 28-Oct.2, 2015 Week 6

This week our reading story is "Get the Egg."  It is realistic fiction.  It is a made-up story that could really happen.  Our reading skills are main idea and details; interrogative sentences which are asking sentences; blend and read short e words; initial consonant blends (ex: br, cl, sn); abc order; and practice Saxon phonics.

In Math we will tell time to the hour on a digital and analog clock.

                       We worked hard last week on subtraction. 

                   We used cubes and our whole- part -part mats.

In Science we will identify the properties of matter.

In Social Studies we will discuss citizenship.

Upcoming Events...

October 5-13   Report Card Conferences

I will send each of you your day and time on Monday attached to newsletter.  Please sign and return.

HIP HIP HOORAY to Sam for being one of the top fundraisers for the CES Ball.  He was the top selling boy in first grade!  YAY !!!

                              Kamdyn was looking adorable!

      Awe! Aboss was so handsome!

        I was excited to see 2 of my former students represent NHS!   Makayla and Shamra!  They are Juniors now!  WOW!

                                

 Another former student Kendall, now a 

4th grader with her sister Greenlee.

Everyone looked like they had a "ball!"   LOL!

Friends T'annie and Zoe enjoying recess!  

The "Clean Desk Fairy" visited our classroom last week! 

 Congrats to Kamdyn for having a clean and organized desk!  

September 21-25, 2015 Week 5

Wow!  We are starting our 5th week of school!  Monday will be day 20.  I am very happy to share that we have settled in to our routines and classroom procedures.  Things are going well in class!  I am enjoying the boys and girls and they are enjoying each other. :)  

This week in reading our story is "A Fox and a Kit."  It is a nonfiction story about the life of a mother fox and her baby.  We will blend and read words with inflected endings -s, and -ing.  (EX: naps, napping); identify a declarative sentence (a sentence that tells a fact about something) We will also have our daily Saxon Phonics lessons where we blend and clap sounds, code, read, spell words, and read sentences.

In Math we will work on subtraction using cubes and continue to review addition to 10.  

In Science we will continue to study the weather.

In Social Studies we will keep learning about patriotic symbols and make the USA flag, and bald eagle. (We created the Liberty Bell)

BRAVO to the boys and girls for continuing to do a great job on their spelling tests!  I can tell that they are practicing at home.  The Tic Tac Toe sheet that I send on Mondays is just something extra that you can use to help your child practice their words.  They can also practice the weekly sight words using this too.  It does not have to be returned BUT please use it at home.  

Starting the 2nd six weeks I will take a grade on the sight words that we have each week.  I already have them read the words to me one on one after the reading test on Thursdays, but in a couple of weeks I will enter the grades as part of reading.  (I wanted to get them used to practicing them first)  Their sight word grade will be on the back of the reading test.  We play games with the words everyday, but they still need to practice them at home too.  Thanks!

If you have money for the "Back to School Ball" raffle tickets please send it by Wednesday.  The drawing for the winning girl and boy will be held on Thursday. They will be crowned Mr and Miss CES. The "Ball" will be from 6-8 pm in the cafeteria.  Hope to see you there!  :) 

In a couple of weeks I will be sending report card conference notes for 1st six weeks report cards.  I would like to conference with you about your child's classroom performance, strengths, behavior, etc. :)  When you get the conference note please let me know if this day and time works for you.  I will do my best to accommodate your work schedule. 


We had a busy week!  Here are some highlights from last week!  

The students get DOJO points for their behavior and each week we work toward a special treat or reward.  This weeks reward was to earn 10 pts and eat with me in the ArboReadum!  Great job guys!

Reading to each group during primetime!  

In science we've been learning about weather symbols, weather patterns and weather tools used to measure heat, cold, rain, and wind. We made a thermometer, rain gauge, and a wind vane.  We put these in our science journal.  We made a water cycle wheel and sang our water cycle song.

Have a super week and thanks for following us!  

See you next week!  :)

September 14-18, 2015 Week 4

This week in learning...

Reading:  The Big Blue Ox  (animal fiction); blend and read short o words; identify the character and setting; and Saxon Phonics lessons

Math:  We will continue addition and begin subtraction to 10.

Science:  Explore the weather

Social Studies:  USA Patriotic Symbols

Look what we did today...we took an AR test!  I know that it's early in the year but I wanted the boys and girls to see how much fun reading and AR testing over a book can be.  We read and took our first AR test in first grade!  BRAVO to all my little smarty pants!  They did a fantastic job!  :)

                            Way to go Levi!

                                   Keep up the great work Zoe!

                                                 

                                             Terrific job Tre'vion!

                          Elias was excited to see his score!

                                Sam was a pro because he had 
               taken tests before! Awesome job!

 Brooks was all smiles and did a fabulous job!

           Justin said he needed no help!  Way to go!

                  Ana was carefully paying attention                           to the answer choices. Super job!  

We took our AR tests during our reading primetime,  so everyone wasn't in the classroom with us!   Everyone will be included.  The other students will also have opportunities to test. 

 I am also sending your child's username and password along with the AR website in Monday's folder. Once you log on to the site then type your child's username and password and enter, then type in the title of the book and enter. Press start to begin the test.  

Please assist them with taking AR tests over our weekly basal stories, library books, and many of the paper books that I send home. This is a great way to increase reading comprehension skills.  Please let them use the book to go back and check for the answer if they get confused.  If you can't test at home just please read.  The important thing is reading everyday! https://hosted55.renlearn.com/224670/

Upcoming Events...

September 16 - Kona Ice will be here to sell snowcones.  The costs of the snowcones are on the  little purple flyer that I sent home in the folder. If you send money please send it in an envelope or baggie.  

September 17 - Picture Day and students will bring home their first six weeks progress report.  It will be sent home in the red folder.  

September 24 - CES Back to School Ball

FYI:  If you ever come to eat lunch with your child you can eat in the AboREADum.  :)

That's All Folks!  See you next week!

September 7-11, 2015 Week 3

I hope that all had a great Labor Day!  

This week in reading we will read a fictional story called "Pig in a Wig."  We will blend and read short i words; identify subjects (nouns) in a sentence; and practice Saxon Phonics skills.  

In Math we will work on addition facts to 10.

In Science we will learn more about weather patterns and tools used to measure the weather.

In Social Studies we will identify patriotic symbols of America.

UPCOMING EVENTS...

Wednesday September 16 ~ KONA ICE SNOWCONES 
Thursday September 17 ~ Picture Day and Progress Reports
Thursday September 24 ~ Back to School Ball

We were excited to watch the grand opening of our new "AboREADum!

We took a tour of all the cozy places to read!  There's a boat, a cave, a tech tunnel and many more places to relax and read a book, watch the fish, and explore new things on the ipads!  We will go in there for a special reading time this week!   :)

Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 2015 Week 2

YAY!  We made it through the first week of school!  Now we will start our regular instruction.  We will have homework on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  There will also be a take home reading book along with an attached reading log.  Please document on the log the title of the book.  Read as many books as you like but only use one log per night.  Return homework daily.  Thanks!

This week in our basal we will read a fictional story called "Sam Come Back."  Our reading skills are short a; digraph ck; character and setting; identify complete sentences; and location words.

In math we will continue to work on graphs, tcharts, and tally marks.

In Science we will explore weather patterns.

In Social Studies we will continue to review rules.

*We will alternate Science and Social Studies each week.

Upcoming Events...

September 9~Supper on a Stick @6
September 24~CES Back to School Ball

Reading with pals!

Thanks to all who sent cookies for our cookie graph last Friday.  We had a delicious time tasting all the cookies.  Yummy!

We celebrated the end of the first week by making "bubbles!"  We had a fun time with our new classmates!  :)

Thanks for following us!  See you next week!  :)

August 24-28, 2015 Week 1

Welcome Back!  I'm excited to start a new year filled with bright smiling faces!   Today was a great day as we got to know each other and reviewed classroom and school rules.  We read and then sequenced the story "The Day the Monster Came to School." 

ALSO in CLASS...I am assessing students academically so that we will be able to start our reading and math groups in the next couple of weeks.


Happy birthday to Zoe!  She turns 7 on August 25!

Rotation Schedule...

Monday- PE/Library
Tuesday- PE/Guidance
Wednesday- Rotate between PE/Guidance/Library/Art/Music
Thursday- PE/Art
Friday- PE/Computer

Our class got chosen to represent first grade as host to a group of students from China.  I am so excited for the students to have this experience!

We will start our regular routine on Monday.  Students will have have homework on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  Homework will come home inside their red folders and also attached inside will be a reading log that needs to be completed nightly.  I will send the basal reader on Mondays and other leveled books the other days. Students will also have their library books to read.  Please let them read to you, or with you, or you read to them and document on NO MORE than 2 logs per night. Students will receive a small treat when they complete their log.

Upcoming Events...

September 9 - Supper on a Stick/Class Mtg 
September 11 - Attend CHS Pep Rally
September 24 - CES Back to School Ball


Please revisit our blog this week because student pictures will be added to this post. I am waiting for all photo permission slips to be returned. :) 

Thanks again for sharing your child with me this year!  We are going to have a "blast" learning lots of new things.  If you have any questions please email me at dee.harris@commerceisd.org OR call CES at 903-886-3757.

There's nothing better than enjoying a snack and listening to Junie B!

Thanks for visiting our class blog!   :)