First Graders are off to an amazing start this school year! Although the August school month was short, First Graders were busy bees! There were many highlights of the month, such as our First Day Jitter Juice Party, the neighborhood walk, and taking our first spelling test!
During the month of August, First Graders became familiar with their new classroom, rules and expectations, and learned about what the school year has in store for them! Here are some of the things we covered in August:
- Leadership and Responsibility- First Graders demonstrated their ability to be positive leaders during recess with the younger students, walking in the hallways, as well as during SK/First Grade Math Buddies time.
- Leadership and Responsibility- A way for students to demonstrate responsibility and leadership in the First Grade is through weekly classroom jobs. The “Student Teacher” is an example of one of the jobs. This student takes on a strong leadership role each day. The Student Teacher is in charge of leading our daily Pledge of Allegiance, daily calendar and weather graph tracking, tallying the school days, passing out materials, and any other odd jobs that may arise. First Graders
are already demonstrating a strong sense of pride for their classroom. Students are treating their materials and one another with kindness and respect. - Reading: During the month of August, First Graders learned about spelling patterns. First Graders also began using their Sight Word Journals to aide in recognizing important sight words quickly! Students were thrilled to begin using Daily 5, a program for reading. They are AMAZING at Read to Self, which is independent reading with books that are “just right” for each student. First Graders began to “book shop” this month, learning how to pick books that were not only interesting to them, but level with their abilities. Students started both individual and class reading logs, in order to practice reading both at home and school! They are VERY excited about the reading logs and take pride in bringing them back to school with parent signatures.
- Spelling: First Grade is the first year students are able to take weekly spelling tests! Students were happy to hear that they also have “Mighty Words” (challenge words), such as elephant and sketch! First Graders learned the expectations of test-taking during the month of August and did an excellent job on their first two spelling tests! Students are working on a Second Grade curriculum and covered spelling words with both the short “a” and short “e” sounds this month.
- Math: Singapore Math is popular in First Grade! The program focuses on concepts and skill development through hands-on instruction. It is a challenging program that gives First Graders the foundation he/she will need to prepare for future grades! During the month of August, First Graders reviewed reading and writing numbers, skip counting, ordering numbers, and making number patterns.
- Handwriting: In August, students learned the importance of legible handwriting. First Graders worked on proper letter formations of both lower and capital letters, appropriate finger spacing, and practiced the four keys to legibility: shape, size, slant, and spacing. Students take pride in their handwriting and started self-correcting written work at the end of the month.
- Project Approach: First Graders work with the Second Grade students during Project. Students worked together to discover ways to work as a team, develop personal responsibility, and learned new strategies to communicate within small groups. During the month of August, students completed non-verbal exercises and activities to learn the importance of teamwork. They are excited to begin their first big Project in September!
are already demonstrating a strong sense of pride for their classroom. Students are treating their materials and one another with kindness and respect.
August was a fun month! Stay tuned to find out the amazing things that unfold in September!
– Ms. Coleman
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