I hope everyone stayed warm last week…glad we are back and in the swing of things!

• Reading: We continue to study Story Elements.  Story Elements include characters, setting, plot/problems, and solutions.  This week we continue to focus SETTING- when and where the story takes place. We are using a variety of Robert Munsch stories to work on Story Elements.  We also are reviewing our Daily 5 to get back in to the swing of things as well!
• Word Wall Words: play, talk, this, us, your
• Writing:  We continue to zoom in and write about small moments from our lives.  We will really focusing on finger spaces, word wall words to be spelled correctly, capitals, and ending marks.  We continue to work on our handwriting too!
• Math:  We are beginning our new unit this week Unit 5: Ten-Structured Applications! We are working on grouping and adding dimes and pennies, adding tens, and counting teen coin amounts. (Lessons 1-4). 
• Social Studies:  Students continue the new unit Families in their Neighborhoods. This week they finish creating the characters (family members) and will discuss families more in depth.  We will talk about family characteristics and create family “coat of arms”!
• Computer Lab:  None this week, as older grades are testing in the lab.

Reminders:

• Keep working on your Random Acts of Kindness and send a note or email them to me!
• Homework came home today from last week and is still due Friday…
• See our Room 24 Calendar for ALL events & the Specialists Schedule !!

Miss M.

mickelsonj@riverview.wednet.edu

425-844-4759

Students helped to create the settings for this video.  Click the link below to watch…Enjoy!!

Winter Wonderland Settings

Happy 2012 and Welcome Back!  I hope each family had a restful and great break!

• Reading: We have begun a new study on Story Elements.  Story Elements include characters, setting, plot/problems, and solutions.  So far we have focused on Character-who are the characters, who is the main character, and describing/comparing the characters.  We will continue this week to discuss the setting- when and where the story takes place.  We are using a variety of Robert Munsch stories to work on Story Elements.  We also are reviewing our Daily 5 to get back in to the swing of things as well!
• Word Wall Words: all, day, has, that, they (last week) & do, eat, have, new, of (this week)
• Writing:  Students wrote about their winter breaks, and are finishing up those stories.  First, they brainstormed a variety of things that happened.  Then they chose one to write about in detail.  We are using the writing process to pre-write, draft, edit, and publish our great writing! This helped get back into the swing of writing our small moments!  We will write about things that have happened in our lives.  We will really focusing on finger spaces, word wall words to be spelled correctly, capitals, and ending marks.  We continue to work on our handwriting too!
• Math:  We will be finishing Unit 4: Basic Ten-Structured Concepts this week! We are working on adding into new decade numbers through Counting on and justifying our answers.  We will also review the unit in preparation for students to “show what you know” at the end of the week through the curriculum and state tests (Lessons 13-15, Review, Tests). 
• Social Studies:  Students have begun a new unit Families in their Neighborhoods. We have created our 3-D neighborhood in our class room, and will begin to create the characters (family members) that live in our homes this week!
• Computer Lab:  This week in the lab students will create winter scenes and write about their scenes!

Reminders:

• At-home Learning Practice went home last Friday and will be due this Friday.  We will be back on our normal Friday to Friday routine thereafter. :)
• See our Room 24 Calendar  for ALL events!  Specialists schedule can be found on our Room 24 Calendar, too!

I am excited to continue to work with the students and families in our classroom in this new year! Enjoy your week!

Miss M.

mickelsonj@riverview.wednet.edu

425-844-4759

• Reading:  We are reading many winter and seasonal stories to continue such as The 12 Days of Christmas, The Hat, Olive the Other Reindeer, and The Snowy Day to practice Text-to-Self and Text connections.  We are meeting the next three “H Brothers”, sh, ph, and wh.  We continue to work hard during Daily 5 too!
• Word Wall Words: REVIEW
• Writing:  Students continue to write Small Moments, focusing on writing words in a snap, focusing on the most important part, and writing close-in story endings.
• Math:  We continue Unit 4: Basic Ten-Structured Concepts! We are working on teen addition strategies, such as Make-a-Ten.  We are also really focusing on the idea of Tens and Ones. (Lessons 5-8)
• Science: Students will finish our unit of study about Water!  We will study temperature changes water, How to identify “pure” water, and how objects react when placed in water (dissolve, sink, float, etc.)!
• Computer Lab:  This week students will do water research on scientific websites!

Reminders:

See our Room 24 Calendar  for ALL events!  Specialists schedule can now be found on our Room 24 Calendar, as well!!

Enjoy your week!

Miss M.

425-844-4759

…was a big success!  Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers that came to help!  And this is all I can tell you because our projects are top secret!

P.S.  There will be some make up sessions at recess this week for students that were absent…

On Friday, December 9th, all first grade will be having a winter craft day!  It would be wonderful if I had a few extra helping hands.  If you can come from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. please let me know!  Any help is greatly appreciated-thank you!

• Reading: We are reading many different versions this week and next week of the story The Mitten to practice Text-to-Text connections.  We are working on our phonics skills with making words, tongue twisters, and guessing covered words, meeting the first “H Brothers”, ch.
• Word Wall Words: his, my, off, on, very
• Writing:  Students continue to write Small Moments, specifically writing about their Thanksgiving Break.  Students are zooming in to just one small part to write about across several pages and working to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the sounds out in words they write.
• Math:  We are finishing Unit 3: Story Problem Strategies.  Students continue to find unknowns in addition and subtraction! (Lessons 13-15).  We will take our unit tests at the end of the week!
• Science: Students will begin a new unit of study about Water!  We will study how water moves, the “shape” of water, and how water can change objects (or not)!
• Computer Lab:  This week students publish a project about how water moves and what they can do with water!

Reminders:

• Friday, December 9^th: First Grade Winter Craft Day!!  I am looking for several volunteers who can be here from 9:30-11:30 to help out…let me know if you are available!!
• Book Orders are due Friday, December 2nd!
• See our Room 24 Calendar for other events!  Specialists schedule can now be found on our Room 24 Calendar as well!!

Enjoy your week!

Miss M.

• Reading: We are reading several stories this week to practice Text-to-Self/Text connections, including Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs and The Plump and Perky Turkey.  We will also be reading several books about the Pilgrims and beginning Text-to-World connections.  We are working on our phonics skills with making words, tongue twisters, and guessing covered words, as well as during Leap to Read.
• Word Wall Words: are, had, him, me, zoo
• Writing:  Students continue our new unit in writing called Small Moments.  Students are zooming in to just one small part to write about across several pages.
• Math:  We continue Unit 3: Story Problem Strategies.  Students continue to find unknown partners in subtraction this week! (Lessons 6-10).
• Social Studies: We continue to learn where we fit into the world!  We will be finishing our Me on the Map study this week with our country, continent, and the world!  We will begin to learn about Pilgrim Families this week and next week as we turn our focus in Social Studies to Families!
• Art: Students will create self portraits this week evoked by feelings and color!  They will be up in the hallway to admire!
• Computer Lab:  This week students publish a project about being thankful!

Other Info & Reminders:

• Book orders just arrived!  Look for those to come home, or if I am holding yours stop by and pick them up!
• Please be watching for conference reminders to come home Thursday!
• Friday, November 18: Early Release
• November 21-23: Family/Teacher Conferences
• See our Room 24 Calendar for other events!

Specialists:

Monday- Library (Day 5)

Tuesday- Music (Day 6)

Wednesday- P.E. (Day 1)

Thursday- Computer Lab (Day 2)

Friday – Music (Day 3)

Enjoy your week!

Miss M.

• Reading: We continue to work hard during Daily 5 time.  We are reading several stories this week to practice Text-to-Self and Text-to-Text connections, including Something Special for Me and The Art Lesson.  We are working on our phonics skills with making words, tongue twisters, and guessing covered words, as well as during Leap to Read.
• Word Wall Words: car, get, her, with, you
• Writing:  Students continue our new unit in writing called Small Moments.  Students are zooming in to just one small part to write about across several pages.
• Math:  We continue Unit 3: Story Problem Strategies.  Students work to find unknown partners in both addition and subtraction this week (Lessons 3-6).
• Social Studies: We continue to learn where we fit into the world!  We are branching out to our state and country this week. We continue to use Me on the Map as our inspiration for our place in the world!
• Art: This week our wonderful art docent will come and we will create an art piece that uses bright contrasting colors and a “surprise” element!
• Computer Lab:  This week students will refresh their learning about Magnets and also use Mega Math to enhance our math lessons for the week!

Reminders:

• Thursday, November 10: Veteran’s Day Assembly at 2:30 p.m.  All are welcome to join!
• Friday, November 11: No School
• November 21-23: Family/Teacher Conferences
• See our Room 24 Calendar for other events!

Specialists:

Monday- P.E. (Day 1)

Tuesday- Computer Lab (Day 2)

Wednesday – Music (Day 3)

Thursday – P.E. (Day 4)

Enjoy your week!

Miss M.

• Reading: We continue to work hard during Daily 5 time.  We are reading several stories this week to practice Text-to-Self and Text-to-Text connections, including Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet, Ira Sleeps Over, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  We are working on our phonics skills with making words, tongue twisters, and guessing covered words.
• Word Wall Words: it, did, like, she, we
• Writing:  This week we will start a new unit in writing called Small Moments.  Students will begin to learn how to narrow a story down to just one small part to write about it, and eventually have that small moment go across several pages.  I will read A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams as an example of a small moment in writing.
• Math:  We will review Unit 2 and take our curriculum and state unit tests.  We will also begin Unit 3: Story Problem Strategies and explore and discover unknowns in story problems (Lessons 1 & 2).
• Social Studies: We continue to learn where we fit into the world!  We are branching out to our neighborhood and town this week. We continue to use Me on the Map as our inspiration for our place in the world!
• Computer Lab:  Finishing up our Fall Harvest Project!

Reminders:

• Wednesday, November 2: The PTA has asked for all of our volunteers to come on in the morning to have their picture taken for a volunteer badge.  These badges are free for all volunteers.  This will help our volunteers to become more uniformed and add a nice little touch to their services at Cherry Valley!
• Thursday, November 3:  Please return the conference form by this date.  Thank you to those I have already received!
• Friday, November 4: Early Release @ 12:30
• See our Room 24 Calendar for other events!

Specialists:

Monday- Computer Lab (Day 1)

Tuesday- P.E. (Day 3)

Wednesday – Music (Day 4)

Thursday – Library (Day 5)

Friday-  Music (Day 6)

Enjoy your week!

Miss M.