News for 2/11

Notes from Ms. Rau

• Valentine's Day Celebration - Our party will be Thursday, February 14th from 9:30-10:30. Students will decorate paper bags to hold their valentines in class. We will pass out valentine cards at the end of our party. When filling out valentines cards please do not write a name in the TO section. Please only have your student write their name in the from section. This makes passing out valentines cards much quicker. We have 25 students in our class :) 
• Valentines Day Read In - On 2/14 please bring in a small stuffed animal that fits inside your backpack. We will have a read in with Ms. Weaver's class in the afternoon! 
• FILL A SHEET -GET A TREAT: Its time again for a Box Tops for Education Collection. Each student who turns in a completed collection sheet  will receive a special prize. February 11^th -15^th 
• Please sign up for Spring Parent Teacher Conferences here

Important Dates:

• 2/14 - Valentine's Day Celebration 9:30-10:30 & Read In 1:30-2:30
• 2/15 - 1/2 day for students
• 2/18-2/19 Mid Winter Break - No School for Students
• 3/21 & 3/26 - Spring Parent Teacher Conferences

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• explain judgments in a convincing way
• expect disagreement in their opinion writing
• award the last place item in their collection
• Readers will...
• reread a page to find the just right sound
• find interesting things to share
• read with feeling
• Mathematicians will...
• practice with teen problems
• solve problems with 3 addends
• solve a valentines day higher level math story problem
• count with groups of 10
• Scientists will...
• study polar bear features
• study penguin features
• study parent vs. baby animals
• study if all animals of one type look alike
• In phonics we will...
• build words and pay attention to vowel teams
• learn new snap words

Pictures from last week's learning:

 "Missing Partner" Game

Celebrating our Nonfiction Writing Unit with Mrs. Garrett's Class

 

Taste test with Gummy Bears to kick off our opinion unit. We learned to use the words "I think" and "because." We also learned that the more reasons you give, the more you will convince people to agree with you :) 

Judging our collections in Writing Workshop

 

Finding key words in nonfiction books

 
 
 
 

Working in our rug clubs in phonics being "word builders."

Newsletter for 1/28

Notes from Ms. Rau

• Valentine's Day Celebration - Our party will be Thursday, February 14th from 9:30-10:30. Students will decorate paper bags to hold their valentines in class. We will pass out valentine cards at the end of our party. When filling out valentines cards please do not write a name in the TO section. Please only have your student write their name in the from section. This makes passing out valentines cards much quicker. We have 25 students in our class :) 

Important Dates:

• 2/14 - Valentine's Day Celebration, 9:30-10:30
• 2/15 - 1/2 day for students
• 2/18-2/19 Mid Winter Break - No School for Students

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• use craft moves
• edit step by step
• create a writing museum full of nonfiction topics
• have a final celebration
• Readers will...
• check that what they're reading makes sense
• learn new words as they read
• find and think about key words
• reread a page to find the just right sound
• Mathematicians will...
• complete unit 4 test
• find the unknown partners with teen totals
• solve subtraction problems with teen numbers
• solve mixed problems with teen numbers
• Scientists will...
• discover what protects animals
• learn about adult vs. baby snails
• learn about adult vs. baby whales
• In phonics we will...
• make contractions with not
• play word games
• review snap words and sort them by rules

News for the week

Notes from Ms. Rau

• Semester One Report Cards     Your child’s first semester report will be emailed to you on Friday, January 25. In Lake Orion we use standards-based grading, which means we score your child based on his or her progress towards “mastery” of a particular standard. A score of 4 indicates mastery; a score of 4 on an academic subject means that the end of the year expectation has been reached. A score of 3 means consistent progress toward the standard, a 2 indicates inconsistent progress, and a 1 signals an area of concern. As you would expect, we have not yet taught most academic standards to their full extent. For example, a math standard may include addition and subtraction to 20, but during this first semester we taught addition and subtraction to 10. Consequently, students are scored out of a possible 3, indicating that expected progress towards mastery. At this time, you should expect to see 3s for academic standards on which your child is doing well. A few academic areas that have been taught to mastery at this time are listed below, so that you know to look for 4s on those standards. Because behavioral skills have consistent expectations throughout the year, they are scored out of a possible 4; you should see 4s in the skills section if your child is meeting behavior expectations. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions or concerns about the report or your child’s progress. The report card is divided as follows:
• Reading     In this section, the current expectation is reading level F. Only students reading at the end of the year exit level expectation of J or above will see 4s in the reading section. The only exception for the standard “Manipulates spoken sounds and symbols” which has been scored out of 4 as it is expected that oral sounds are mastered at this time. We recently began exploring nonfiction texts but have not yet assessed these elements, so they are not scored at this time.
• Social Studies and Science   Our first two social studies units are complete and were scored out of a possible 4. The other unit that we addressed this semester, the public issue standard, will be revisited in the spring and is scored out of 3.  In science we have only completed the plant portion of the plants and animals unit, so that standard is also scored out of 3 and will be continued.
• Writing and Language   All standards in these sections are scored out of possible 3; all standards will be revisited and expanded upon.
• Math   In math this semester we completed only one standard to mastery, which was “understands and applies properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.” That standard is scored out of 4; all others are scored out of a possible 3. Some students earned 4's if they were able to count AND write their numbers to 120. 
• Skills   These critically important areas were all scored out of a possible 4. 

• Our Valentine's Day Celebration will be Thursday, February 14th. Please consider donating items for our party https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D45ACAB2FABF85-valentines. The time is currently TBD. I will send out an email to parents who volunteered to run a center next week. Thank you! 

Important Dates:

• 1/21 - MLK Day, No School for Students
• 1/25 - Report cards sent out electronically via email, to parent 1, in PowerSchool at 4:00 p.m.
• 2/14 - Valentine's Day Celebration, time: TBD
• 2/15 - 1/2 day for students
• 2/18-2/19 Mid Winter Break - No School for Students

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• research using photos to say more
• use craft moves learned in small moments
• editing step by step with a checklist
• have a final celebration
• Readers will...
• not let hard words get in their ways
• crash word parts together to solve
• check that the words they read look right and make sense
• learn new words as they read
• Mathematicians will...
• play 2 digit addition games
• complete unit 4 test
• practice adding 10's and 1's
• Scientists will...
• observe how parent animals help their babies survive
• learn about animal features that help them survive
• learn about adult vs. baby snails
• learn about adult vs. baby whales
• In phonics we will...
• bring new knowledge of words to learning snap words
• use snap words to help make and read other longer, trickier words
• make contraction with not

News for this week

Important Dates:

• 1/18 Half Day for Students
• 1/21 - MLK Day, No School for Students
• 1/25 - Report cards sent out electronically via email, to parent 1, in PowerSchool at 4:00 p.m.
• 2/14 - Valentine's Day Celebration time: TBD
• 2/15 - 1/2 day for students
• 2/18-2/19 Mid Winter Break - No School for Students

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• use all they know to plan for new chapter books
• do research to help them say more
• edit "on the go" 
• use craft moves learned in small moments 
• Readers will...
• work on fluency (stress and intonation)
• celebrate learning and create new goals
• don't let hard words get in their way
• Mathematicians will...
• add 10's and 1's 
• complete the quarter 2 common assessment
• count on from 2 digit numbers
• Scientists will...
• be introduced to sea turtles hatching from their shells
• observe animals and their babies
• discover what will help a sea turtle survive
• In phonics we will...
• spell words part by part
• use a vowel in every word
• karate chop words to read them part by part
• use snap word power in our writing

Photos from the week:

Breaking words apart and crashing them together in phonics

Our MLK Jr. Day project to be displayed at the High School

Studnets use 10's and 1's to add to 100 in the game 100 Ants

Having a mini celebration of our nonfiction chapter books with Miss Weaver's friends

Finding -ill and -ell word patterns

Using our nonfiction books to help us in our nonfiction writing

Using 10 sticks and 1's to represent 2 digit numbers

Welcome 2019!

Notes from Ms. Rau:

I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing break and are ready to take on 2019! 

• I created a sign up genius for our volunteer calendar (Jan-March). If you are interested in helping out with a small group, paper work, or prepping projects/lessons please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d45acab2fabf85-volunteer

• By Monday, 1/14 please email me a picture of any pets (current/past) that your family has had or bring in a hard copy. The picture will get returned. This is for our next science unit: Feature Factor!

Important Dates:

• 1/18 Half Day for Students
• 1/21 - MLK Day, No School for Students

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• add a small moment as one chapter of their nonfiction chapter book
• add introductions and conclusions
• practice using commas in a list
• Readers will...
• review procedures and routines
• get smart on nonfiction reading
• study every single page in their nonfiction books
• learn more by chatting about what's happening with their partner
• Mathematicians will...
• review doubles
• understand 10's and 1's
• regroup 1's into 10's
• add with groups of 10's
• In social studies we will...
• learn about the American New Year
• learn about the Chinese New Year
• complete an MLK project
• In phonics we will...
• read words part by part
• read across even the longest of words
• spell words part by part

News for 12/17

Notes from Ms. Rau:

• Holiday Celebration: Our Holiday Celebration will be on  Friday, December 21st from 10-11am. This is a half day for students. Dismissal will be at 11:30.
• Oakland County Animal Shelter Service Project: OUR DONATIONS ARE GROWING!! THANK YOU SO MUCH. We will drop them off Friday after school. This is the last week to donate the following items:
• Cat and dog toys
• Cat and dog treats
• Cat litter
• Kitten formula (dry milk that we use to bottle feed kittens)
• Bottles to feed the kittens 

• Snow Gear - Please send in snow gear in a separate bag. Large reusable bags work best. Students will be asked to take their boots off in the hallway so please make sure they are labeled and that you send in an extra pair of shoes for them to wear during the day. Please send me a note if you want your student to leave their snow gear in their locker instead of taking it home each day. If there is snow on the ground and your student does not have snow pants they will be asked to play on the black top during recess. If you are in need of snow gear, please let me know! Thank you!
• Classroom Donations - THANK YOU FOR DONATING! 
• We are sin need of the following items for our classroom:
• page protectors
• Holiday Traditions: First graders study holiday family traditions from around the world. We also explore how family traditions, like families, change over time. On Thursday, December 20, we will view the holiday classic The Polar Express, based on the book by Michigan author Chris Van Allsburg. Students are invited to bring a blanket and/or slippers to get cozy as we watch and discuss this film together. 
• RAZ-KIDS REMINDER! Please read over break. It is so important students are reading 15-20 minutes every day to maintain their stamina. Please take advantage of our raz kids subscription. You can visit the website https://www.kidsa-z.com/main/Login or use the raz-kids app. My username is drau0. Students find their name and their password is a banana. All reading levels are updated. 

Important Dates:

• 12/20 - Polar Express in the afternoon, please send in a small blanket/towel and slippers to get cozy
• 12/21 - Holiday Celebration 10:00-11:00 am
• 12/21 - Half Day for Students, Dismissal at 11:30
• 12/24 -1/4 - Winter Break, No School for Students
• 1/21 - MLK Day, No School for Students

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• add comparisons into writing using the word like
• give an example in their nonfiction writing
• add different kinds of writing inside their chapters such as a small moment story or a how to 
• Readers will...
• read more than one book about a topic
• compare nonfiction books, noticing whats the same and whats different in both the pictures and words
• nonfiction readers notice text features as they are reading
• think about what the author wanted them to learn from the topic
• Mathematicians will...
• learn teen addition strategies
• investigate doubles 
• learn doubles plus 1 and doubles plus 2
• complete a holiday math exemplar (higher level thinking, multi-step story problem)
• In social studies we will...
• learn about Diwali
• learn about Dia de los Muertos
• compare the holidays we learned about to a holiday we celebrate
• share our own holiday traditions 
• In phonics we will...
• use strong endings in our writing
• learn common phonographs (word parts) that end in blends
• learn more snap words
• read words part by part
• Photos from the week:

Finding groups of 10 in numbers

Finding expert words in our nonfiction books to teach others

Showing evidence of teaching points in our nonfiction writing

News for the Week of 12/10

Notes from Ms. Rau:

• Holiday Celebration: Our Holiday Celebration will be on  Friday, December 21st from 10-11am. This is a half day for students. Dismissal will be at 11:30.

• Oakland County Animal Shelter Service Project: This holiday season we would like to teach students the power of giving. We have collaborated with Oakland Animal Shelter to help provide their animals with some basic needs. We will collect and create items to help make the lives of homeless pets more comfortable as they await their forever homes. We know that there are many demands on your time and budget this time of the year, so please keep in mind that participation in this project is completely voluntary. You are welcome to consider a donation to the Animal Shelter instead of a class or teacher gift this year. We will collect the above donations until the class holiday party on December 21. You may donate the following items:
• Cat and dog toys
• Cat and dog treats
• Cat litter
• Kitten formula (dry milk that we use to bottle feed kittens)
• Bottles to feed the kittens 

• Kindness Elf - We will have an elf in our classroom that will come visit us on 12/3. He will be our kindness elf. Each day our elf will be hiding in a new spot and will have a new random act of kindness for students to do. 

• Snow Gear - Please send in snow gear in a separate bag. Large reusable bags work best. Students will be asked to take their boots off in the hallway so please make sure they are labeled and that you send in an extra pair of shoes for them to wear during the day. Please send me a note if you want your student to leave their snow gear in their locker instead of taking it home each day. If there is snow on the ground and your student does not have snow pants they will be asked to play on the black top during recess. If you are in need of snow gear, please let me know! Thank you!

• Classroom Donations - We are in need of some items for our classroom:
• page protectors
• prepackaged peanut free snack (i.e. golfish, animal crackers)
• white card stock

Important Dates:

• 12/21 - Holiday Celebration 10:00-11:00am
• 12/21 - Half Day for Students, Dismissal at 11:30
• 12/24 -1/4 - Winter Break, No School for Students
• 1/21 - MLK Day, No School for Students

Learning This week:

• Writers will...
• edit for spelling, capitalization, and puncuation
• add a table of contents
• create chapter titles
• plan and write chapters
• Readers will...
• act like TV reporters to teach their friends what they have learned in nonfiction books
• collect expert words
• stop and think at tricky words "what might this word mean?
• make predictions before turning the page
• ask, "how do these pages fit with the title and fit together?" and "what is this whole book mostly about?"
• Mathematicians will...
• be introduced to 10's groupings
• explore teen numbers
• create 10 sticks and 1's
• visualize teen number addition
• count on with teen numbers
• In social studies we will...
• discuss how family traditions change over time
• share our own holiday traditions
• learn about Los Pasados
• learn about Hanukkah 
• In phonics we will...
• pay attention to common word endings (ing, es, s, ed, er)
• learn that ed makes three different sounds /d/, /t/, /id/
• learn that es makes two sounds 
• learn about the tricky y
• learn that words can have ending blends

Photos from the week:
Sorting our reading workshop books into two piles: fiction and nonfiction

Matching words that have similar parts

Elfie reading with his friends

Playing math games, using the counting on strategy

Finding evidence for rules we learned in phonics in our reading workshop books

Doing a Santa directed drawing as a shared reading extension