I wish I was able to describe those magic moments that happen in the classroom with an accuracy that would allow you to experience it also. There are so many elements to teaching and happenings in the classroom - direct instruction, guided instruction, discussion, reteaching, directions, procedural practice, counseling, and independent work. Several times every day there are magic moments when the students are working independently (every single one of them) and there is a low murmmer of engaged, happy, confident concentration. Those are the moments where I step back out of the way, and the scholars move forward on their own momentum.
SPALDING: I am no longer embarrassed to say that I was the world's worst speller when I was in school. My parents would spend hours every week helping me memorize spelling words and create clues to help me yet I would still miss most of my spelling words. How wonderful Spalding is!!!!! I wish I had Spalding when I was young! Everyday we study words and discuss why one word is spelled with a c and another with a k. Everyday we discuss why a vowel says one sound in one word but a different sound in a another word. This past week students learned new spelling rules - why we have to double the t when writing setting but drop the e when writing coming. Spalding is a very interactive subject. Teachers don't just give a list on Monday and say, memorize the words for the test on Friday. Spalding homework is very interactive too. Spalding homework is NOT a copy work assignment. It is not a case of the student looking at the word list then copying it onto their homework paper. Below is a reminder of Spalding homework directions: 1. Say the word to your scholar. Say the word in a sentence. Say the word again. 2. Have your scholar spell it on his/her fingers and then write the word with markings. 3. If the word is spelled correctly, go on to the next word. If the word is spelled incorrectly, stop, show him/her the word and allow for correction. 4. Go on to the next word. GENERAL ACADEMICS: Spalding - Students will learn 10 new words on Monday and 10 new words on Tuesday. The review of the 20 words will be on Wednesday. The spelling test is on Thursday. Math - Number to 120 The current focus is on number sense which includes place value, identifying ones, tens, and hundreds, estimation, and number order. Science - We are finishing the habitats unit this week. A study guide was place in the red homework folders today. We will be reviewing the key points during the entire science block today and have another review before the test on Tuesday. Literature/Writing/Grammar - Sam the Minuteman Poetry - Poetry recitations for "There Once Was a Puffin" begin on Tuesday. *Note - The poems that we are studying are always included on the homework log. UPCOMING DATES: Thursday, April 1 - K-5 Athenian Field Day, Half Day Dismissal at 12:00 PM / ATE In-service, *Trivium Spirit Day* Friday, April 2 - No School: R&R Weekend Please see the Weekly Athenian Echo for more information about field day and other school events. HAPPY EASTER!
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Learning to tell time is almost as exciting for first graders as it is to learn how to read. Telling time to the hour is pretty easy for everyone. Telling time to the half hour gets a bit more challenging. We spent an extra day with classroom clocks in hand to practice.
LITERATURE BOOKS: Everyone has their Sam the Minuteman book! Yay!!!! We will be reading George the Drummer Boy when we are finished with Sam the Minuteman. If you have not already done so, please make sure to send George the Drummer Boy to school with your scholar this week. GENERAL ACADEMICS: Spalding - Students will learn 10 new words on Monday, 10 new words on Tuesday, and 10 new words on Wednesday. The spelling review of the 30 words will be on Thursday. The spelling test will be on Friday. Math - Monday is the first day of the Numbers to 120 unit. The first section of "Friendly Notes" for this unit will be sent home in the red homework folders on Wednesday. Please keep the "Friendly Notes" pages and use them as reference when helping your scholar with homework. - We are also going to be sending black and white photocopies of base ten blocks home on Wednesday as well. I highly suggest that you cut out the ten sticks and the ones and place them in a zip-lock bag. They will be very helpful with the current math unit. Science - Habitats Literature/Grammar/Writing - Sam the Minuteman Poetry - "There Once Was a Puffin" UPCOMING DATES: Thursday, March 25 - The Great Gatsby Parent Seminar, 5:30 PM, via Zoom Friday, March 26 - Deadline for K-4th Grade Re-enrollment March 26-April 1 - PSO Water Bottle Drive for St. Mary's Food Bank Saturday, March 27 - "Great HeART Hunt" PSO Family Event Water Bottle Donation Drop-off in West Parking Lot, 8:30-11:30 AM Thursday, April 1 - K-5 Athenian Field Day, Half Day Dismissal at 12:00 PM / ATE In-service *Trivium Spirit Day* Friday, April 2 - No School: R&R Weekend Please see the Athenian Echo for more information about upcoming dates. ON A PERSONAL NOTE: The beginning of 4th quarter is, what I call, the magic time. The students are on top of things! The classroom discussions are amazing. They take what they have learned and apply it to what they are learning. Usually, sometime around the end of April or beginning of May, students move into the blank-stare-you-want-me-to-learn-what?-you-want-me-to-listen-to-what?-you-want-me-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-how-long? mode so I always treasure and truly appreciate the magic time for the first weeks of the last quarter. :-) NAME THE GOOD: 4th quarter always was so many fun things going on. Even this year, different as it is, there are still so many fun things! Have a fun week! Hi! I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break!
LET'S SEE. WHERE DO I START? OH YES! SAM THE MINUTEMAN!: We began our literature unit on Sam the Minuteman for today. We will also be reading George the Drummer Boy this quarter. Please send the books school with your scholar tomorrow. REPORT CARDS: The report cards have been posted on the Power School parent portal. When report cards were posted for 2nd quarter a parent took the time to write out the easiest way to access the the report cards. I posted that in my blog. I decided to save her explanation for future quarters for because it was clear and to the point. I Please see below: "Here’s how I look at the grades on my iPhone. I’m not sure if it will look different on android phones. I open the link sent by the school and log in. I then turn my phone sideways to get the biggest view of the website. It really helps!!! At the top left corner, directly under the students names, there are 2 arrows. One Up/down arrow and one side to side arrow. Open the side to side arrow by clicking on it. This opens a menu on the left hand side. The menu has links for report card, grades and grade history and some other items that don’t seem to give any real information. Click on The report card link. That gives access to your comments and number grades for each subject. You have to keep scrolling down to see everything. This gives the most information. It also gives last quarters grades so you can compare. The grades link is where I find the “IP” and “P” grades for classes including specials. The Grade history link shows me kinder and first grade “P” and “IP” grades. I find the report card and grades to be the most beneficial links in the menu. GENERAL ACADEMICS: Spalding - Students will learn 10 new words Monday, 10 new words on Tuesday, and 10 new words on Wednesday. The 30-word review is on Thursday and the test is on Friday. Math - Telling time to the hour and half hour using an analog clock and a digital clock - A "Friendly Notes" information page was placed in your scholar's red homework folder today. Literature / Writing / Grammar - Sam the Minuteman *Note - During 4th quarter, 1st grade grammar lessons are incorporated into the literature and writing lessons. Science - Habitats Poetry - "There Once was a Puffin" By Florence Page Jacques ON A PERSONAL NOTE: Whew! *Big sigh of relief!* We are back. Last year at this time we were notified of an extended spring break and then it felt like 4th quarter was taken away from us. Those weeks were very difficult for me. I wanted my kids back in the classroom! With me! I shed a lot of tears during those beginning weeks. While technology comes easy to some, it does not always come easy to me. I did not know how to run Google Classroom or make a Google Doc. I had no idea how to create, much less download instructional videos. I didn't understand how to create and run Zoom meetings. I needed to teach my kids, but there was so much I didn't know. I remember Mr. Scott and Mrs. Miller finally meeting with me separately. I was so overwhelmed that Mrs. Miller finally had to start with, "See the red x in the corner? Click on it." I did it. I learned an incredible amount of stuff in an extremely short time. I made math videos. I created plans for parents to follow. I learned how to hold Zoom meetings so I could connect with my students. I did it and I am so much better for it! I don't have to do it again! This year my students will be in my classroom with me in all their chattering, quirky, amazing glory for the rest of the school year! Whew! NAME THE GOOD: My students are with me in the classroom. We get to have 4th quarter in the classroom!! Happy 4th quarter in the classroom! |
AuthorMs. Spencer Archives
May 2022
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