Class News

We're loving this spring weather and we're even more excited about our new playground equipment!!! Here's a look at what's new:

We also had a great time on our field trip to the Atlanta History Center. I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as I did!

Here's what we're working on in class:

Phonics: Syllables!!! This week we focused on identifying and reading closed syllables (syllables with short vowel sounds), and next week we're moving on to open syllables (syllables with long vowel sounds).

Reading: The class is continuing to listen as I read aloud Charlotte's Web. We will be asking and answering questions about the characters, main idea and key details of each chapter.

Writing: Next week we're beginning our final writing unit centered around realistic fiction. I think the kids are going to really enjoy coming up with their own characters and problems for their own series of stories.

Grammar: Adjectives!!!

Math: The kids have been having a blast composing and decomposing shapes in class, and now we're working on fractions. Geometry is always a fun unit and we're going to wrap it up before Spring Break.

Science: We have begun our final science unit about weather. We are learning about temperatures and conditions, and we're even collecting weather data each day.

Social Studies: We finished our learning of many amazing American heroes, and now we'll begin exploring different landforms. After spring break, we'll examine several National Parks to see what kinds of landforms the visitors can find there.

Don't forget (who could?)... spring break is right around the corner! There will be no school April 4-8. After that, we only have 7 weeks left of first grade!!! I can't believe how quickly time has passed. Your children have grown and learned so much this year! I couldn't be more proud.

Class News

Greetings Parents! We've had a busy week packed with celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday and learning all kinds of new things in all subject areas. For Read Across America Day, students from Georgia State University visited the classroom and read some of their favorite Dr. Seuss books to us.  We also read Dr. Seuss’ newest book, What Pet Should I Get?. The story inspired us to create our own pets and write a friendly letter to persuade our parents to let us keep them.  They are proudly displayed on our bulletin board in the hallway, so please stop by to check them out!

In other news, we are back in the habitat for recess while our playground is being worked on for the next few weeks. It gets really muddy in the habitat after it rains, but that won't stop us from playing there. It's important for the kids to go outside each day if the weather allows. Please consider sending rain boots or a pair of play shoes to school if the weather has been rainy. I'm happy to have your child change shoes before and after recess so they don't ruin their regular school shoes. Today, I had the kids take off their shoes before coming back into the classroom because of all the mud on their feet. If you send in extra boots or shoes, be sure to keep them in a plastic bag so they won't get your child's backpack muddy too.

Here's a look ahead to next week's skills:

Reading: R controlled vowels (see other blog post for specific info about these sounds)

               Character analysis - we are starting our new chapter book, Charlotte's Web!

Grammar: Contractions

Writing: Persuasive writing - the kids are writing me friendly letters to persuade me to give them the classroom job they want.

Math: Continuing our new Geometry unit!

Social Studies: American Heroes - George Washington Carver and then Theodore Roosevelt

Science: We're beginning our new weather unit - fun!

Growling R

Students will often incorrectly reverse the "r" and the vowel. In many words reversing the two letters will still produce a real word (barn/bran, arm/ram) but the meaning is completely different.

Growling ‘r’ Story:

After we visit the bank, we run into the very lonely Growling "r" tiger. He realizes that because he always growls he has no friends. We feel so bad for the tiger that we decide to help him learn to make friends.
We set out to the jungle to meet some friends. First we meet a tiger named "e" and the Growling "r" tiger tries to introduce himself to "e", he tries not to growl, but he cantt help himself and growls /er/. "r" does not let "e" say her name or sound.
He moves on and tries to introduce himself to "u" the turtle, but he growls again: /ur/. He does the same thing with "i" the bird. He doesn't let them say their name or sound.
Then he says, “I am going to try really, really hard not to growl when I meet "a" the armadillo.” He growls a little less and just says his name "r".
Then he meets "o" the stork and does even better. He let "o" start to say his name, but then falls back into his old habit of growling: /or/.
“I guess I'm just a growling tiger, and you can't get a tiger to change its stripes!”
Hand Motions Make both of your hands look like claws. As you tell the story, say /er/ like a tiger and hold your claws in the air.

Point out that ‘er’ is the most common spelling (40%), ‘ur’ is the second most common (26%) and ‘ir’ is the least common (13%). When all else fails, it will help the student make an educated spelling guess.

Borrowers

Borrowers are letters that do not have a sound of their own. These letters "borrow" their sound(s) from other consonants and vowels. These letters (graphemes) are often confused with others that create the same sound.

Story: "After we finish our smoothie from the blender, we realize we have no money to continue our adventure. We go to the bank to borrow some money."

Hand Motions: Hold both hands out in front of you with both palms facing up. Open and close your hands, as if someone were giving you money.

The sounds are organized based on the frequency of usage for that particular sound-symbol in the English language. For example, the /k/ sound for "c" is more frequently used than the /s/. Therefore, the /k/ sound is listed before the /s/. The same is true for the other sounds in the bank of borrowers.
Sounds also vary depending upon where the borrowers are found in a word.

The four pronunciations of "y" are listed below:
/ee/ can be found at the end of multi-syllable words, as in "happy".
/ie/ can be found at the end of a syllable, as in "my" (open syllable, cy/cle).
/i/ can be found between two consonants in words of Greek Origin, as in "gym" (closed syllable).
/yuh/ (/ee/ sliding to a vowel) can be found followed by a vowel at the beginning of words, as in "yellow".

The three pronunciations of "x" are listed below:
/ks/ can be found at the middle or end of words, as in "axis" and "tax".
/gz/ can be found at the middle of words, as in "exam" and "example".
/z/ can be found at the beginning of words, as in "xylophone".

The two pronunciations of "c" are listed below:
/k/ can be found before an a, o, or u, as in "cat", "cot", or "cut".
/s/ can be found before an e, i, or y, as in "cell", "city", or "cycle". (C Cycle Rule will be taught later)

The only pronunciation for "qu" is listed below:
/kw/ can be found at the beginning or middle of words, as in "quit" or "bequeath".
Remember "qu" is actually a consonant blend.
The mnemonic to help students remember the Borrowers is: You box coins quickly.

Class News

I hope everyone is able to get outside and enjoy today's beautiful weather!

Next week, our class is responsible for the morning announcements. The kids are thrilled! Please check your child's folder to see if they have lines to read. They do not need to memorize the lines, but you should have them practice reading over several times so they feel comfortable reading it aloud to the entire school. No pressure. :) If they don't have lines to read, they will be saying the Pledge of Allegiance for the announcements. Announcements begin at 8:00am, so please make sure your child is at school on time each day so they don't miss their time to shine.

In your child's folder yesterday, you should have received his/her most recent CAAS test score data. This information is for you to keep. I do not need it signed or returned. The kids will take this assessment later in the spring for their final first grade score. They are learning and growing so much!! On Monday, I will send home their STAR Reading test results which documents their reading level and growth. Their new reading level might be helpful if you plan on placing a book order with Scholastic this week. Check your email for more information about book orders from Scholastic.

After our much needed break, we are back on track next week with a full week of learning. Here's what to expect:

Reading:  Cause and effect, possessive pronouns
SMART: Words with beginning and ending blends
Writing: Opinion/Persuasive writing
Math: Addition and subtraction with 2-digit numbers (test on Friday - please use TenMarks to review skills)
Social Studies: George Washington Carver
Science: Finishing up our light and shadow unit

Finally, I'd like to say thank you for the sweet valentines from last week. They sure made me smile. :) I have the best class at Mary Lin!!! Thanks so much for everything!!!

Have a great weekend! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sweet Math!

We had a great time with conversation hearts for Math today! I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break (and Valentine's Day... and Presidents' Day)!

Homework Help - blends

Blends are two or more consonants with no vowel between them. Blends and digraphs are often confused. Blends (bl, fr, sk) come together but each consonant retains its sound. Digraphs (wh, sh, ch) are two letters that come together to make one sound.
These blends should be pronounced /b//l/ as in "blue" not /bluh/.

Here's the story that goes with our phonics program: “We are very thirsty after our long journey through the Vowel Valley. We decide to put strawberries and bananas into a blender to make a smoothie. We can still taste the 2 separate ingredients in the smoothie.”

TenMarks

I'm so excited to introduce a new tool that our class will be using for Math. TenMarks provides personalized online math practice and enrichment programs for first through twelfth graders using a structured approach of practice, on-demand hints, video lessons and real-time results.

TenMarks’ approach is based on three core principles:

• Personalized learning
• On-Demand instruction and assistance
• Practice helps

In your child's folder this afternoon, please look for a parent letter with login information. Because we are limited to 4 classroom computers, students won't have much time to complete the assignments in class. I encourage you all to log your children in at home to give them additional practice with the math skills we're learning in class. This is not mandatory, but certainly beneficial.

I have assigned standards on TenMarks that will be tested on our next unit assessment. This will be good practice for the kids! I will close those assignments on February 29th and then assign the next set of standards for March.

Thanks so much for your support!

New Year, New Info... and 100 DAYS!!!!!

Hi Parents,

It’s been a great transition to the new year in our class.  Have you heard we now have TWO new students in our class?? This brings us to an even number of 24 students. We're one BIG happy family now. :) On Thursday, we had a great time celebrating the 100th day of school. I can't believe how quickly this school year is breezing by! 

Read To Succeed forms were placed in your child's folder last week.  Your child can earn a free ticket to Six Flags for logging just 6 hours (total) of reading.  This is a simple program with a fun reward.  Just return the form back to me by February 26th.  The tickets will arrive in May.

This week, our class will begin learning about persuasive writing. We will use a strategy called "OREO" to help us organize our thoughts (Opinion, Reasons, Examples, and Opinion restated). It's typically easy for kids to declare an opinion... especially when it comes to something they want. That's what makes this topic so much fun! Getting a pet is a popular persuasive writing topic, so we're incorporating literature about pets and animals to help us form some reasonable opinions and examples. I apologize in advance for the upcoming persuasive requests you're going to hear from your child. Ha! In addition to writing, we will also tackle the skills listed below.

Reading/Writing: Opinions and Persuasive writing/literature
SMART: The 'ow' sound as in cow
Language: Proper nouns - months, days, and holidays
Math: Addition and Subtraction with 2-digit numbers
Science: Wrapping up our Sound unit and introducing our Lights/Shadows unit
Social Studies: Lewis and Clark with Sacagawea

I also want to remind you about my remaining Phonics training dates. I will be out of the classroom Monday and Friday of this week (January 25 and 29) and the following Friday (February 5). After that, we will have our Winter Break (February 12-16). When we're together, we will certainly be busy in the classroom, making every minute count!

Valentine's Day is also approaching, but it happens to fall in the middle of our break. If your child would like to bring valentines for the class, we will have time to exchange them on Thursday, February 11th. We won't have a party, but the kids will have time to pass out valentines in the afternoon. Whether they are homemade or store-bought, it would be great if your child wrote the valentines by themselves. They can use the class list below to ensure they have something for each of their classmates.

I think that's all for now. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!

Big Thanks and Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all the kind words, sweet treats, and thoughtful presents... especially, the very generous class gift. I am beyond grateful. I would also like to thank Julie, Sam, and Shannon for taking over the class this morning so I could enjoy a fun breakfast with my coworkers.

I hope everyone has a wonderful winter break filled with love, peace, and family. I can't wait to spend time with my family... the two girls pictured below in particular. I just hope they're happier to spend time with me than they were with Santa this year. ;)

Happy holidays to everyone! See you in 2016!!!!

Class News

Happy December!  I can't believe only 10 school days remain this semester.  We are almost halfway through first grade! The past few months have been a delight.  Your children have learned so much and are always eager for more.  That's one of the many reasons I love being their teacher.

Next week, we have some exciting things happening at school. First, Hour of Code kicks off on Monday with a brief assembly in the auditorium. The kids will learn what the Hour of Code is all about and how they are going to participate. Our class will serve their hour on Tuesday, 11:00am-12:00pm in our computer lab with Mr. Hicks. You can find out more here.

Next week is also Inclusive Schools Week. This year's theme is "Sharing Our Gifts in Inclusive Schools." Our Mary Lin community, teachers, staff and students will all be celebrating the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors. Mrs. Stroman, our school counselor, has been working with our students this past week and will continue next week sharing the message of “No Place For Hate” which is an APS initiative to prevent bullying. Our students will also read books regarding inclusion with Dr. Johnson during media center time, and do other activities next week including signing a banner along with creating a school-wide "inclusion tree" for our entire community to enjoy. Activities for the week are as follows:

Monday-Friday, 12/7-11 "Commitment Days"(Sign the banner and hang your leaf on the Inclusion Tree.)
Monday, 12/7   "Pin Your Ribbon"(ISW Ribbons will be provided.)
Tuesday, 12/8  "Mix It Up Lunch"(Students will be allowed to sit with students from other classes as long as it's on the same grade level. The goal is to find out something they didn't know about that person.)
Wednesday, 12/9  "Unity Day"(Students and Staff wear Navy Blue or come as close as you can in shades of blue.)
Thursday, 12/10   "No Place for Hate"(Students & Staff wear black, gold/yellow and white. NPFH stickers and pins will be provided.)
Friday, 12/11   "Mary Lin Spirit Day"(Students & Staff wear Lin spirit wear.)
*Special Thanks to the Mary Lin PTA Special Education Committee and Parent Volunteer, Peggy Edwards for all their hard work.

On Thursday, our class will participate in our in-school field trip with High Touch High Tech. The program is called "What's That Sound" and the kids will conduct several sound experiments with a scientist!

On Friday, December 18th, the Mary Lin staff has been invited to a holiday breakfast and administration is looking for volunteers to cover each class so that homeroom teachers can attend (7:45-10:00am). So far, we have one volunteer (thank you Julie!!) and we need one more. I promise to make it SUPER EASY!!!! The first grade team has decided that it would be a great time for the kids to watch "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (rated G) so they can compare the story we've been reading aloud to the movie. There's also time for a craft if you'd like to do that with the kiddos. There must be two volunteers for our class so that I can attend the breakfast. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your consideration!! 

With only two weeks left of the semester, we have a lot to do in a short amount of time! Here's what you can expect:

Reading: Chapter analysis of our read aloud: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and identifying main idea and details of short reading passages.

SMART: /ue/ sound - there aren't many words with this vowel team, so our spelling list is short this week.

Grammar: Questions

Writing: Informational Writing

Math: Applying properties of operations to add and subtract (commutative and associative properties) and understanding subtraction as an unknown-addend problem (using addition to solve subtraction problems)

Science:  Finishing our magnet unit and beginning our sound unit

Social Studies: American Hero, Benjamin Franklin

As always, thank you for all you do. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I'm here to help!

Class News

Hi all! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week despite this dreary weather. We've been staying busy this week in all subject areas. The kids took their STAR reading test and you should have received an updated reading level for your child in their homework folder. I am so proud of their growth in just two months! We also finished up our animal poster presentations today. The posters will be displayed in the hallway, so come check them out!


Next Week's Skills:

Reading: Continuing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory character analysis
SMART: Vowel team 'oe'
Writing: Continuing informational books
Language: Subject and Verbs
Math: Addition and subtraction strategies (counting on, counting back, add 10, subtract 10, and doubles)
Science: Magnets!
Social Studies: Continents and Oceans

Progress Reports will be sent home on Wednesday. Please look for them in your child's homework folder. You can keep this at home - no need to sign and return.


Thanks again for all that you do, parents! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Class News

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Now that we've made it through fall conferences, Fall Fest, fall break, and the kick off to our fall fundraiser, O-LIN-PICS, I can finally catch you up on what we've been up to and where we're headed.

First, thanks to the folks who donated food for our Plant Party. It was a huge success and a great way to end our plant study. Every single plant part was devoured by the kids. Ask your child which part was their favorite!

Our Writing Celebration was another wonderful and successful event. Thanks to all who were able to come and hear the narrative stories our students have worked so hard to create.

Last week brought us two exciting events - the O-LIN-PICS Opening Ceremony and an in-school field trip led by our very own class parent, Rebecca Jennings.

Thanks to your help with donations, our class reached our goal of $1200! We were so close to winning one of the top three prizes, but ended up in fourth place. The kids handled the news pretty well. Mostly because they know they're earning their very own class prizes. So far they've earned extra recess, a no-homework pass (to be used this week), and a picnic lunch. If the class reaches $1500 in donations, they will be awarded a Pajama Day. If they raise $2000, they will be awarded a Movie Day! They are eager to win, so we would definitely appreciate your help in asking for donations. Remember, 100% of the funds raised through this fundraiser goes directly to our school. Please help the Mighty Mexican Mustaches go for the gold! Closing Ceremonies take place this Friday at 8:45am. We'd love for you to join us on our school lawn. See you there!

Here's a peek at our in-school field trip from last week, Weather Watchers! We're so thankful to learn from the experts!

So, what's next? Here's a look at the skills we will be working on in the classroom.

SMART: vowel sounds /au/ and /aw/
Reading: character analysis of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory AND nonfiction text features
Writing: informational text
Math: review of number order, place value, comparing 2-digit numbers, and data collection. We will take a unit test of these skills on Thursday.
Social Studies: map skills and location (our city, county, state, country, and continent)
Science: animal characteristics (body covering, movement, growth)

Phew! That's all for now. Thanks again for all of your amazing support. I appreciate it more than you know!

Chattahoochee Nature Center

Thankfully, the rain cleared so we could enjoy this wonderful field trip. Here's a peek at our day...

Class News

Happy Fall Y'all! September has been a busy month and October will be no different. I have really enjoyed the conferences that have already taken place and I look forward to meeting with the rest of you during the next couple of weeks. If you missed the sign-up, have no fear... there are still time slots available here.

Our first field trip is this Wednesday, September 30th. We are headed to the Chattahoochee Nature Center to study plants and observe animals. Please check the weather forecast and dress your child appropriately. We will be walking quite a bit! Also, if you're packing your child's lunch for the field trip, please try to keep everything disposable (even the lunch bag).

Also this week, on Friday, our class is having a Plant Party! The kids will be tasting a variety of edible plants, but we still need donations. If you're able to send in some food items this Friday, please check out our sign-up here. I appreciate your help in making this a super fun activity for our class.

SAVE THE DATE for Wednesday October 7th, 12:00-12:30pm, because our class will host a Writing Celebration! The students will be publishing their favorite narrative story during the next couple weeks and read it aloud at our celebration. We would love for you to join us as we commend all the hard work the kids have put forth during our Writing Workshop this quarter.

Don't forget, Fall Break is October 8-12. When we return, we'll be ready to "go for the gold" for Mary Lin PTA's super fun fundraising event - O-LIN-PICS!!! Stay tuned for more details!

Here's what we'll be working on this week in class:

Reading - As a class, we will work on sequencing events in a story. Individually, your child will be reading and conferring with me about their reading goal. Our phonics sound this week is the short u sound.

Grammar - We will identify and create complete declarative sentences.

Writing - We will continue working on narrative stories, bringing our stories to life, and studying the work of other writers.

Math - We will continue practicing place value.

Science - We are wrapping up our plant unit with an Edible Plant Party!

Social Studies - We will be learning about America Folktale Hero, Davy Crockett.

That's all for now! Please let me know if you have any questions/concerns.

Lori