Fairy Tale Last Assignments

This year our Fairy Tale ending took a very Happily Ever After turn. Years past we ended our Fairy tale Museum of Homemade Dioramas. This year Toontastic took over! We recreated our Favorite Fairy Tale in an app called Toontastic. We used the basic app and "retold" our story using the story elements we learned in our Fairy Tale Unit. Please visit often as we will be adding our Presentations to our Blog!

We can view from home. Please keep your eyes open for information!

Self Assessing our Own Writing

April/May 2014

Writing is difficult for children and some adults too!  Over the next few weeks our students will be self assessing their own writing.  We will be looking at penmanship, beginning middle ending of a story, story elements: such as characters, the setting, the problem of the story and the solution how the problem gets fixed. 

We will also be looking at our writing at the mechanics (punctuation), of a sentence, a capital letter in the correct spots, a noun and a verb in a complete sentence. (The subject and the predicate). We will be exploring these assessments to finalize a complete writing assignment through editing our own work.

Our First Writing Rubric will look very similar to this...

Level 5: Best Work Possible

·      Name is on project and written neatly.

·      Coloring is in the lines and nearly perfect.

·      Writing is neat with correct spacing.

·      Punctuation and Capitalization are used..

·      Illustrations are detailed, have background and at least 6-7 different colors.(Depending on age)

Level 4: Quality Work

·      Writing has good spacing and is mostly correct.

·      Name is written on the project.

·      Coloring could be neater and needs to be improved. There are white spaces or colors that seem out of place.

·      Writing could be better. It looks rushed and is missing letters and other conventions..

·      Illustrations are not complete. They need additions in details, backgrounds and maybe number of colors.

Level 3: Fair Work

·      Name is written on the project.

·      Coloring could be neater and needs to be improved. There are white spaces or colors that seem out of place.

·      Writing could be better. It looks rushed and is missing letters and other conventions..

·      Illustrations are not complete. They need additions in details, backgrounds and maybe number of colors. 

Level 2: Poor Work

·      Name may or may not be written on the project.

·      Coloring is minimal and not complete.

·      Writing is minimal and needs improvements in several areas.

·      Illustrations lack completion. 

Level 1-Unnacceptable

·      Name may or may not be written on the project.

·      Coloring is missing and not complete.

·      Writing is missing.

·      Illustrations are not complete.

·      This project is not finished.

Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales are the topic of our reading this month. We have been reading many different types of Fairy Tales!

Our first fairy tale we read was the original Goldilocks and the Three Bears followed by 4  different types, "Fractured Fairytales" Goldilocks and the Three Bears books, which we found played close attention things that were the same in each story and the things that were different in each story. The we wrote about our Favorite Bears Story.

The First Goldilocks was...

The Second Goldilocks story was...

 The Third Goldilocks was 

The Fourth story we read was

And the Last Goldilocks story was  

*****Come check out our bulletin board outside our classroom to find out which Goldilocks was your child's favorite!!!*****

Spelling City

I have been trying to dabble into Spelling City forever… This week we are going to try it.

our class link is ...          Our Spelling City Class Link

My school has been talking a lot about teaching typing to the kids.  As an educator I am having a hard time with this.  I have been working very hard, teaching my students the importance of handwriting and the formation of each letter.

So this week will try a few activities that could involve handwriting and/or typing! 

You can scan this QR Code directly from your screen if you wish to reach spelling city through a different devise then your on right now.

Homework

Homework is sent home Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. If your child does not bring home their folder or homework then you can supplement the homework with IXL for Math and Raz-Kids for Reading.

If you would like your student information again please let me know.

Typically I send home a math Home Link and or a writing activity. Please send back the following day.

I also have been sending spelling words on Mondays with a few activities to practice spelling over the week.  These activities are for you to keep at home and for your child to practice daily.  This is up to you and your schedule. Also you may keep these activities no need to send them in. 

Cam Jansen

Some of our students have been working on Cam Jansen

                 Cam Jansen        

                          Wouldn't it be really cool if we all had a photographic memory?

Ok starting to put together my Cam Jansen things.  I have so many books but now need some supplies to go with it!  So this will be my sharing post.

 First I googled Cam Jansen and came across this website http://www.camjansen.com! Check it out!

I think I will look at her first book Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds

Here on the website is a quick little study guide you can look through while you read the story.

Study Guide

Our next Math Unit-Unit 4

Math Unit 4 Everyday Math

I just came across this awesome parent website if you ever need copies of our daily homework. Check it out!!!

Grade 1 Everyday Math For Parents

As you can see it is full of ideas and items that are part of our Everyday Math Program. If you search through the site you will be able to see what we will be working on over the next few weeks.

This unit has some new routines and introductions to new skills.

First our students will be introduced to Math Messages and these are daily independent problem solving activities that our students will soon be able to do their own thinking and answer questions independently about Math.

We will be measuring with a ruler and tape measure during this unit. It's funny because my daughter is actually measuring things in the house with other things. So I see development milestone as the next step is inches and cm. so now 6-7 years learn to measure by inches and centimeters. 

How much is a foot?

How much is a centimeter?

How much is an inch?

Think of different ways to measure one object

.

Top to bottom

Left side to right side

Height 

Length

Depth

Our program is a spiraling program which means we will continue to practice math facts, money and time!  Looking forward to this unit. 

Oh Spelling Words here we come!

Spelling City for Our Class

Spelling in Mrs. Smith's 1st Grade has begun!  

Please notice the Welcome to Spelling Letter is going home.

•               Week of January 13 each student will be on list 1

•               Week of January 21 each student will have their own list plus the challenge words.

•               Week of January 27 each student will have their own list plus the challenge words.