Parent Night[2]

Campin g out In First Grade (1E)

Parent Information Book

Camp er Rules

1. Be Respectful 2. Be Responsible 3. Be Ready to Learn 4. Be Safe

Behavior

Have you been “beary” good today? Our Classroom Behavior System •

Everyday we start out with a green fish

• • • • • • • • • •

If we do not follow the classroom or school rules we have to move our fish Once we move our fish we do not get a chance to go back to another color Yellow is the first warning Orange is the second warning Red means that a note will be sent home that a family member must sign At the end of the day if we have a green or yellow fish we will get a power chip We can use power chips to buy prizes at our classroom store called the Trading Post Everyday we color in our calendar to match the color fish we had at the end of the day A family member must initial our calendar everyday The teacher will give special prizes to children who stay on green for the whole month

Have yo u fi lled a bucket Today?

A positive behavior strategy that I use is based off of a wonderful story that explains to children that we all carry an invisible bucket in which

we keep our feelings about ourselves. When our buckets are full, we are happy and when they are empty, we are sad. The children learn about two types of people: "Bucket fillers" People who help without being asked, give hugs and compliments, and generally spread their love and good feelings to others. "Bucket dippers" People who rob us of happy feelings by refusing to help with a task or by saying or doing cruel things. The children each have their own bucket in our classroom, which their classmates can fill with happy thoughts and compliments.

Snack s and Tr eat s

Snacks Every afternoon our class takes a snack break. Please makes sure to send in a healthy and mess free snack. Thanks! Treats

Birthdays- Treats for this special occasion are welcome. We have 18 children in our class so please be sure to send enough treats for everyone. Don’t forget plates and napkins if needed. Also, please keep in mind food allergies and how messy the snack is. Mystery Reader- Treats for this occasion is also welcome, but not necessary. Same rules as above apply.

Sp ecia ls Schedu le

Monday Music 9:50-10:10 P.E. 10:25-10:45 Art 2:20-3:00

Tuesday Library 9:20-9:50 P.E. 10:25-10:45 Wednesday P.E. 10:25-10:45 Library 10:50-11:20 Thursday P.E. 10:25-10:45 Music 12:30-12:50 Friday P.E. 10:25-10:45 Computer Lab 12:30-1:20

Field T rips

Tanner’s Orchard September 23 Lakeview Museum November 13

Children’s Discovery Museum March 10 Miller Park Zoo April 21 * Chaperone Sign Up Forms are being passed out on Curriculum Night

Star C amp er Each child has been assigned a week that they will be the “star camper”. This is very special week for each child. Below is the schedule for what we will be doing for your child when it is their special week.

Monday The class will interview the star camper. They will ask questions about the student’s favorite things. The information that is learned from this activity will be made into a book for the star camper to keep. The star camper will be given a poster to complete for homework. This will be put in a classroom display.

Tuesday The star camper will bring in a bag with special items to share to the class. They can include pictures, items that mean a lot to the students, and other favorite things. Please don’t send in things that can’t fit in a bag.

Wednesday The star camper will bring in and read their favorite book to the class. Please make sure to practice the story with your child. Also the story should not take longer then 10-15 minutes to read. *On this day the star camper will eat lunch with Dr. Nafziger*

Thursday Parents will write a letter to the class telling us how special your child is to you. Send the letter in a sealed envelope to school with your child, and I will read the letter to the class. The content of the letter is up to you, but you may want to choose from the following ideas: Describe special or funny stories about your child for the class to hear, write a silly or serious poem about your child, tell us some neat things we may not know about your child, send silly or special pictures with a letter describing the pictures. or write a short story with your

child a

Friday The star camper will be recognized by his or her classmates and will be presented with a special certificate.

Star C amp er Schedu le Grace Tyra- August 31st Emma Nguyen- September 28th Nathan Dahl- October 5th Cameryn Bromley- October 19th Jenna Hiller- October 26th Isaiah Roeder- November 2nd Evann Johnson- November 30th Erin Kuehn- December 7th Nicolo Crisler- January 4th Sarah McClone- January 11th Aidan Swift- January 25th Maxwell Morris- February 1st

Tegan Roberts- February 15th Brooke Barlow- February 22nd Audrey Joyner- March 1st Lucas Phillips- March 15th Calvin Haynes- April 12th Jackson Sale- April 19th

Myster y Reade r

I would like to invite any parents, older siblings, grandparents, relatives, or other special people to surprise your child by being a “Mystery Reader” this year in our classroom. Students LOVE having their family, friends, and relatives visit our classroom to share in our learning by reading a favorite story aloud to our class. Mystery Readers will visit us on Fridays at 10:05 am each week. Readers are asked to bring a book to read.

If you can find a date that works for you, please sign up to be a Mystery Reader! There are many open dates to choose from throughout the year. Remember, you are a mystery to the class, so try not to tell your child when you will be coming!

Mystery Reader Da tes

Below are the available Mystery Reader Dates. Please e-mail me or drop me a note with a couple dates that work for you so that I can best accommodate everyone. I will send home a “secret” note with your date when the schedule is set. When it is your day please bring a book or books that will take no longer than 20 minutes to read. Thanks! September 4th September 11th September 18th October 2nd October 16th October 30th November 13th November 20th December 4th December 11th January 8th January 22nd January 29th February 5th February 19th February 26th March 5th March 12th March 26th April 16th April 23rd April 30th

May 7th May 21st

Mo ose bo oks

Moose

Management Of Organizational Skills Everyday This system is a way of staying organized at school and at home. Organization is an important life skill that will be taught throughout first grade. Mrs. Herren is an extremely organized person and believes that if is she models this behavior that her students will quickly catch on.

What is in a Moose book? Zippered pouch- In the very front of the notebook there is a pencil pouch. This pouch will hold your child’s “Hiker Handbook” and any other important materials that can easily get lost like lunch money or box tops. Plastic Paper Protector- In the front of plastic protector you will find a weekly newsletter and on the back the weekly spelling list. Each week your child will update this section. I suggest making a special spot at home for all of the old newsletters. They are great resources! Folder- On one side of the folder is a section for things that your child is bringing home from school such as class work or school notes. On the other side is a section for things that need to go back to school so they can be returned to the teacher. Schedule- It is very important that each child clearly understands our class schedule so they feel confident and comfortable with the daily routine. A special section is reserved for the class schedule. Poetry Section- This section will also be updated weekly and will include the student’s very own copy of first grade poetry that we learn throughout the year. Reading Log- This is where we record what we read for homework. In first grade our only homework is to read because it is such an important life skill. Communication Section- This is at the back of the book and should be used for any notes that you need me to see right away. I check this section of the book every single day first thing in the morning so this is the best place to get a hold of me. Writing Section- This section will hold all of your child’s published pieces of writing from Writer’s Workshop.

Hom e Lea rn ing

Your Home Learning assignment each night is to read for at least 20 minutes. When you are done reading record the information in your Reading Log.

Rules 1. Read with or to an adult or older sibling. First graders are in the beginning stages of reading and will need extra support and guidance. 2. Try to pick “just right books” (books that are not too hard or too easy) so that you do not get frustrated. Reading is supposed to be fun! 3. Read for at least 20 minutes. You can split up the time anyway you please as long as it comes out to 20 minutes. Do what works best for you.

Firs t Grade Cur ri culum Reading In order to accommodate the diverse learners in our classroom a variety of teaching techniques will be used. Students will:  Read independently  Read cooperatively with a peer or in a group  Read with a teacher in a small group Independent Reading: Everyday the children will read independently. Children will be allowed to choose a “just right book” to read. The children will be taught that a “just right book” is a book that they can comfortably read by themselves without having to ask an adult for help. Shared Reading: Children will get the opportunity to read with a buddy or a small group. Small group reading will be done using Literature circles. Literature circles are similar to book clubs. Guided Reading: At the beginning of the year the children will be tested on a variety of reading areas including: phonics, comprehension, and fluency. The results of the tests will help me find each child’s reading level. The children will then be placed in flexible reading groups according to their reading level. Each group will focus on specific reading strategies that will help them become better readers. During Guided Reading time I will work with one reading group at a time while the other children work independently.

Math The children will learn math by working with math manipulatives, playing math games, and by working in the math workbook. Math areas covered include: addition, subtraction, graphing, number patterns, money, geometry, fractions, probability, measurement, time, calendar, two digit addition and subtraction.

Spelling

Each week your child will be given 10 new spelling words that are from the reading series. Every Friday your child will be tested on these words. Once a word has been covered your child is expected to use the word correctly in their writing.

Writing Writing will be integrated throughout all subject areas, but will also be taught through Writer’s Workshop. Writer’s Workshop: Everyday students will write in a writer’s notebook about topics that interest them. Writer’s workshop will begin with a mini-lesson on different writing topics like grammar and writing genres. Children will also learn about the writing process and will edit their papers and even publish them. *By the end of the year your child is expected to be able to write a five-sentence paragraph.

Social Studies

Topics covered include: Holidays, Map Skills, and Themes. Students will read non-fiction articles about current events in magazines like Scholastic News and National Geographic Young Explorer.

Science The students will be doing many hands-on activities through the use of Foss Science Kits. Topics covered during the year include: Air, Weather, Solids, Liquids, Pebbles, Sand, Silt, Balance, and Motion