Week of April 30, 2012

Dear Parents:

Thank you to all of the parents who were able to join us at the Florida Aquarium last Thursday. It was a wonderful trip. The children were so excited to see so many of the fascinating creatures of the sea. Many came in today excited to tell me what creature they have chosen to research for their next project. I posted many pictures to our class shutterfly site. If you have pictures to add, please do! You may also send pictures to me as we will be making a slideshow for our program.

I can't believe May is here! There is still so much to do! These last few weeks will be filled with many exciting, important, and fun opportunities to learn! We began practicing for our program with the other classes today! The children are looking great! PLEASE continue to practice your child's speaking part at home! They need to be able to recite it from memory and with appropriate voice inflection.

Each Monday morning we are taking a little quiz on the ocean animal studied the previous week. The children use "clickers" to give their answer to ten questions. They love doing this! Last Monday we took a quiz on Dolphins and we answered everything correctly! This morning we took a quiz on whales and only had a couple of misses! Today we began learning about sea turtles. Hopefully, you will be learning some things about these amazing creatures this week from your child!

What else is going on in our class?

Reading/Language Arts: We continue reading non-fiction books as we practice using all the features of non-fiction texts such as the table of contents, headings, sub-headings, index, and glossary. We are learning how to research and find information in these texts. In essence, we are learning to read and reading to learn! We continue to practice using the many reading strategies and comprehension strategies that we have been working on this year. When reading with your child at home, please model appropriate expression with them. When reading many non-fiction texts, we practice using our "Discovery Channel voice" - ask your child about this!

Please remember that the words that your child is bringing home on their Ocean word ring are also the spelling words for the week. Each week the words will be vocabulary for the main sea creature that we will focus on that week. This week's words are listed to the right. Please be sure to practice these words daily with your child. The children need to be able to read them, spell them, and know their meaning. This will help in their understanding when both reading and writing.

The children will be bringing home books on the sea turtle this week. It is again IMPERATIVE that everyone return the book and the response journal no later than Monday.
 
Writing Workshop: We continue to use mentor texts to help us with non-fiction writing and will continue working on "All About..." books.

Math: We have begun unit 9. In this unit, we will continue to identify patterns in the number grid and use these to help us practice place value and add 2 digit numbers. We will also continue to learn more about fractions and have some fun with symmetry.

Science: This week we will be focusing on the different kinds of sea turtles found in our oceans. We will be reading and researching about them, writing about them, observing them, comparing their sizes, and exploring their shells and bodies. We also have a research lab set up in our classroom where we are using our skills that we are learning in reading to research lots of other interesting sea creatures as well.

One of the most exciting parts of this unit are the dissections that the children participate in! Upper division science teacher, Lisa Peck, partners with us to bring this exciting learning opportunity to our first graders! Last Friday, she brought squids to dissect. I will post pictures on our class shutterfly site soon! This Wednesday, she is bringing sea urchins and starfish to dissect with our students. On Thursday, May 17, she will bring blue crabs. On Monday, May 21, we'll dissect dogfish sharks! This is always a highlight in our unit! We can't wait! Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to help out with any of the dissections! 

Volunteers this week:

* Tuesday - Art - Mary Harris (12:05)
* Wednesday - Math Game - Mai Nguyen (1:15)
* Thursday - Library Check-out - Kimberly Burke - 12:05
* Friday - Parent Reader - Kelli Cross (2:15)

Other Important Reminders/Dates/Information:

First Grade Program: Commotion in the Ocean is Friday, May 11th at 8:30 a.m. Mark your calendars! You don't want to miss the best show at Shorecrest! The children made t-shirts to wear to the program. They should wear jean shorts/skirts/or skorts with these t-shirts. The shirts will come home Thursday, May 10th.

Splash Day May 18th. A flyer will be coming home Tuesday. Children should wear swimsuits under their uniforms. They need to have a towel, water shoes, or a change of shoes, to wear the rest of the day. Please be sure to send underwear and socks to change into as well. 

End-of- the- Year Party - Thursday, May 24th - Students again may wear their "Commotion in the Ocean" t-shirts with jean shorts, etc.

Last Day of School - Wednesday, May 30th, noon dismissal

Have a great week!
Susan  

Dear Parents:

Following is a link to a photo gallery that John Schiaparelli sent me of photos he took at the aquarium today. As soon as I am able to, I will post photos to our shutterfly site that I took as well as some that parents are forwarding to me. Don't forget to post pictures to our shutterfly site if you can! Or send them to me. We had a great time today! Thank you to those of you that were able to join us!

Susan

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/28551803/1/Whitecage%201st%20Grade/Aquarium%20Field%20Trip?h=24eddd

Week of April 24, 2012

Dear Parents:

What a week we had celebrating the arts at Shorecrest! We had so much fun! Enjoy these pictures and check out e-bytes for more pictures!

In our class this week...

Reading/Language Arts: Please work with your children on their ocean word rings this week. They need to be able to read the words, spell them, and understand their meaning. We are reading mostly non-fiction books, using all the features to help us research and learn from these texts.

The children will be bringing home books about the whale this week. It is IMPERATIVE that everyone return the book on Friday as we will be passing them on to another class for next week.

Writing Workshop: We are really enjoying our non-fiction writing unit. Last week I introduced "All About" books. The children spent time during the week reading about dolphins, researching, and writing books "All About Dolphins". We will continue with non-fiction writing during the next few weeks.

Math: We did not get to take our unit 8 math assessment last week. I felt the children needed extra time working with some concepts. We'll take it this week and begin unit 9. During this unit, we'll work on identifying patterns in the number grid, practice place value, add 2 digit numbers, and continue to work with fractions. In addition, we will compare the lengths of the different types of whales we learn about this week. Last week, Mrs. Engleby from Ms. Hawley's class gave a presentation to the children on whales and brought a blowup of a life-size baby whale. It was amazing and gave the children some perspective of the size of these giants.

Science: The children are LOVING the ocean unit! Our main focus this week will be whales. We will be reading and researching about these gentle giants of the sea, writing about them, observing them in video, comparing their sizes, and exploring many attributes about them. On Wednesday, we will experiment to see how their blubber helps them in the cold oceans of the world. Then, on Friday, we will be dissecting squids with Mrs. Peck!

Volunteers this week:

* Tuesday - Art - Kimberly Burke (12:05)
* Wednesday - Math Game - Natalie Ames (1:15 - time may change)
* Thursday - Library Check-out - Kimberly Burke - 12:05
* Friday - Parent Reader - Mai Nguyen (2:15)

Other Important Reminders/Dates/Information:

Our last field trip is this Thursday. We will be leaving school about 9:00 a.m. to go to the Florida Aquarium. All parents are welcome to join us. You may either follow the buses or meet us at the aquarium. If you did not pay in advance, you will need to purchase your ticket at the door.

First Grade Program: Commotion in the Ocean is Friday, May 11th at 8:30 a.m. The children made t-shirts to wear to the program. They should wear jean shorts/skirts/or skorts with these t-shirts. The shirts will come home Thursday, May 10th.

End-of- the- Year Party - Thursday, May 24th - Students again may wear their "Commotion in the Ocean" t-shirts with jean shorts, etc.

Last Day of School - Wednesday, May 30th, noon dismissal

Week of April 16, 2012

Dear Parents:

Last week we celebrated Abby's birthday! Then on Wednesday, Reid was honored as the first grade Citizen of the Month! Congratulations Reid!

This is Celebrate the Arts week! It will be filled with wonderful exposure to the arts! We began this morning with a special preview of Sound of Music at Town Meeting! How exciting to have our own Grace in it! On Wednesday morning, we have a special storyteller coming. Then on Thursday morning, we will be treated to some bluegrass music! We'll also be taking an Art Walk to view multiple art displays by members of our own Shorecrest community, including students, faculty, and parents. On Friday morning, the lower division will be filled with visiting artists. Our class will enjoy time with artist, Marc Levasseur and concert celloist, Grace Juliano. Then the students will be performing at 11:00 in the Quad. Come enjoy! At 12:00, we'll have our picnic lunch. All parents are invited for both the performances and then to stay for lunch. Parents will need to bring their own lunch whether or not your child is having the SAGE lunch. First graders are to wear GREEN shirts on Friday. They may wear jean bottoms or uniform bottoms.

In addition to all of the activities for Celebrate the Arts, we have a lot to keep us busy in the classroom!

ReadingWorkshop/Language Arts:
Please read the homework calendar carefully as there are some changes now. The words that your child is bringing home on their word ring will also be the spelling words for the week. Each week the words will be vocabulary for the main sea creature that we will focus on that week. This week our main focus will be on dolphins. Please be sure to practice the words daily with your child. The children need to be able to read them, spell them, and know their meaning. This will help in their understanding when both reading and writing. In both reading and writing workshop our focus will be non-fiction. We will be reviewing the features of non-fiction texts and learning how to find information in them. The children will have the opportunity to read about dolphins and many other sea creatures. We will continue to practice using the many reading strategies and comprehension strategies that we have been working on this year. We will also continue to work on alphabetical order, compound words, and contractions.

Writing Workshop:
We will be using non-fiction mentor texts to help us with our non-fiction writing. We'll finish up our How To books and begin to concentrate on writing All About books.

Math:
We will continue to practice making change, naming fractional parts, adding and subtracting 10s. We will take our unit 8 assessment on Thursday.

Science:
We are also beginning our study of the ocean this week! The children are so excited. This will prove to be a lot of fun! Our learning will be evident in our first grade program, "Commotion in the Ocean" on May 11th. This week we will be focusing on dolphins. During the next several weeks, we will also have a research lab where the children will be able to research lots of other interesting sea creatures. We also begin our next project, which will be on a sea creature. In the next couple of weeks the children will choose a sea creature to research and report on. These will be individual projects. Most exciting during this unit is that we will again be doing some dissections with Mrs. Lisa Peck. On Friday, April 27, we will begin with the squid! Also, this Friday is Earth Day so we'll have some activities in the afternoon to celebrate our planet!

Volunteers this week:

* Tuesday - Art - Eva D'Agostino (12:05)
* Wednesday - Math Game - Susannah or Brian Malison (1:15)
* Thursday - Library Check-out - Kimberly Burke (12:05)
* Friday - Parent Reader - Kevin Williams or Marion O'Mullane (2:15)

Other Important Reminders/Dates/Information:

Celebrate the Arts is this week! Don't forget the Upper School production, The Sound of Music, has performances in the evenings Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If you have never been to one of our productions, you are missing out on incredible shows! Our very own Grace is one of the performers this year! Come support her!

First Grade Program: Commotion in the Ocean is Friday, May 11th at 8:30 a.m. Mark your calendars! You don't want to miss the best show at Shorecrest!

Field Trip to Florida Aquarium April 26th

Have a great week!
Susan

Week of April 9, 2012

Dear Parents:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter or Passover or just a great weekend with your families! My family (unfortunately, minus my daughter and her family in Texas) traveled to St. Augustine for a cousin's wedding and had a great time with extended family.

Last week we celebrated Colin's 8th birthday! Happy Birthday, Colin!

Today is "Wear Your Hat to School Day" to remind us all of the importance of protection from the sun! We wore them at Town Meeting this morning and will also be wearing them at PE and recess. If your child does not have a hat to wear when outside at school, please send one for them to keep at school.

If you have not sent in a NEW, CLEAN white t-shirt for your child, please do so this week!

Next week is Celebrate the Arts Week! Many wonderful activities are planned. On Wednesday, we will enjoy a storyteller on stage in the LD quad. On Thursday, we'll be entertained by a blue grass band. On Friday we will have sessions with visiting artists in the morning from 8:10 - 10:45 and then student performances at 11:00. After that, we will have a picnic lunch at 12:00. If you have not turned in the form regarding lunch that Friday, please do so! The office has indicated that there has been some confusion over the lunch form for Friday, April 20. The only sack lunches being ordered will be for students. When you check "joining for lunch" on the form, it is for head count purposes only - not lunch. Parents will need to bring their own lunches.

Also, don't forget that the school spring production, The Sound of Music, will be next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If you have not been to one of these productions, you are missing out! They are amazing! An added bonus this year is that our own classmate, Grace, is a member of the cast! I can't wait to see her perform on stage! Come and support Grace and prepare to be amazed at all the talented students Shorecrest has!

I have posted a number of new photo albums to our class Shutterfly site. Check them out!

In class this week...

Reading Workshop/Language Arts: In reading workshop, we will revisit non-fiction, delving deeper into these texts. Our spelling focus will be reviewing the long vowels i and o. We will be learning when to use the verbs go and went. I need to have everyone returning their word cards on time this Thursday! Please work extra hard with your child in reading and spelling the words.

Writing Workshop: Thank you to those of you that were able to come to our writing celebration on Thursday afternoon. The children loved sharing their stories and revision strategies with you! Thank you for the encouraging comments that you wrote to them. The children were beaming with pride! This week we begin our unit on non-fiction writing and will be writing how-to books.

Math: We will be working on counting up as a strategy for making change. This is tricky. Please work on this with your child at home. Play a shopping game where you are shopping and your child is the store clerk. You can use the grocery store ads or just make up shopping number stories to help them practice counting up to make change. We may also begin to learn about fractions this week! We will divide objects and shapes into equal parts to build understanding of fractional parts of a whole. We'll also introduce unit fraction notation.

Science/Social Studies: We finish up our Florida unit this week and begin our ocean unit next week!

Volunteers this week:

* Tuesday - Art - Mai Nguyen (12:05)
* Wednesday - Math game - Kimberly Burke (1:15)
* Thursday - Library Check-out - Kimberly Burke - 12:05
* Friday - Parent Reader - Beth Lastinger (2:15)

Other Important Reminders/Dates/Information:

Celebrate the Arts is next week, April 16 - 20. If you have not turned in the form regarding lunch on Friday, please do so!

First Grade Program: Commotion in the Ocean is Friday, May 131th at 8:30 a.m. Mark your calendars! You don't want to miss the best show at Shorecrest!

Field Trip to Florida Aquarium April 26th - Mark your calendars! Parents are welcome to join us! Don't forget to turn in the forms regarding whether you will be joining us and regarding your child's lunch that day. The forms are due Friday. Please note the discounted admission price for parents if you pay in advance!

Have a great week!
Susan

Writing Celebration!

Dear Parents,

We have just finished our writing unit on the craft of revision. If you are able to, please join us at 2:00 tomorrow (Thursday, April 5) to celebrate all that we have learned about revising our writing. One of the first things you may notice in the work in their revision folders is that there are strips stapled to their stories, post-its, marks and re-writes with purple ink, and speech bubbles every where. When we teach children how to use these tools, they often over-use them! Their stories may not seem "improved" to you. In this unit it actually seems like they’ve lost their sense of how a story sounds because they are so focused on the revision strategies and tools we teach. That’s okay. The purpose of this unit was for the children to experience and approximate the revision process, think about their writing, and, hopefully, get more writing on the page. Whether you are able to join us tomorrow or not, ask your child to tell you about revising their stories. They should share things such as: planning their revision by rereading, making a movie in their minds, and using post-it notes; revising by adding to the sketches and the writing; adding dialogue by using speech bubbles in the sketches and quotation marks in the text; adding details by using tools for revision such as paper strips or post-its, carats, asterisks; taking away parts that don't help the main idea; and showing not telling about feelings. As you listen to your child (and others) share the stories, compliment on the revision work that has been done. If a part isn’t clear, you might ask, “Can you say more about this part?” After it’s been cleared up orally, you might say, “Maybe you could add that part.” Then, you may see the revision tools at work! Hope to celebrate with you!

Susan