Homework Calendar
These are the homework calendars for the year, many months are missing but I have hard copies of them, I think I used the same calendar and typed over each month …the letter is an introduction to parents explaining first grade homework and the role of the calendar.
Welcome Packet
Here is the final Dr. Seuss welcome packet and cover for 2008.welcome-to-first-grade-packetwelcome-packet-cover
Welcome Letter
This is the first letter that parents get in August – it lets them know who their teacher will be.
First Week Math
Quick and easy Dr. Seuss book for adding rhyming words and drawing numbers. They can work on it and then read it to their parents on open house night.
Gifts and Goodies
Every special day seems to involve some kind of goody for the kids – I don’t remember this when I was in first grade! 🙂 Here are my ideas for the first day of school and for open house (the second week of school).
I will send home a little book as a gift on the first day (we have sent home those cutsy survival bags in the past – “a rubber band so you remember to be flexible, etc.”) I thought a book might be easier and more practical. At the book outlet they have a box of little books that are 5 for $1!!! I was going to let them choose the one they liked and I’ll sign the inside “I’m so glad we get to share this year together!” and add a bookmark.
For open house we also have done some cutesy thing and I came across this Dr. Seuss idea- a red striped rolled paper taped onto a small paper plate to make a cat hat, open at the top. After the kids leave for the day I will fill the hat with a juice box of pink lemonade (pink ink from red fish, blue fish), red and blue gummy fish, a class picture, a pencil and a adapted poem welcoming them to 1st grade (still working on this!). Maybe on the white hat stripes the kids could write rhyming words that we brainstorm together.
supply list
Here is our seuss-y supply list. This goes out with our welcome letter in August.supply-list
author studies – maybe?
Potential author studies…
September – Dr. Seuss (our year-long theme)
October- Kevin Henkes (lots of friendship themes, good for connections)
November-Laura Numeroff
December-Tomie dePaola (holiday around the world, folktales)
January-Mem Fox
February-Rosemary Wells (love, families, school, mother goose)
March-Cynthia Rylant (most kids can read some of Henry & Mudge by now!)
April-Leo Lionni (great for story elements)
May-Jack Prelutsky (so many goofy, silly poems!)
June-Mercer Meyer (“When I Get Bigger”, also easyish readers)
Maybe Jan Brett instead of Rosemary Wells? Depends on the authors that Kindergarten is planning to cover.
I would like to align these authors with our goals in F&P continuum, comprehension strategies and Lucy writing workshop goals. That’s going to take a while…one step at a time.
August – Treasure Letter
The students in our class receive a welcome letter during the first week of August letting them know who their teacher will be.
Then, later in the month, we send a second letter that asks them to bring in 3 small treasures on the first day of school. We use the treasures to introduce ourselves to each other. This year I think I will use the treasure to try writing our first story for our lockers. Maybe drawings and labels of the 3 treasures and then a few sentences about why they are important.
take the first step
I can see the summit of first grade towering over my head! I have to put on my boots and take that first step, I know I’ll feel better when I do, so here goes…I’ll start with the schedule I’m thinking of right now…
9:00 Morning Work: spelling, writing conventions, sight words
9:25 Announcements
9:35 Morning Meeting: calendar, weather, days of school, read aloud (featured author) and reading mini-lesson
10:00 Reading Workshop:
independent reading with book box
write about reading using morning read aloud book
literacy centers choices
guided reading groups
snack on your own!
11:25 Shared Reading with poem/big book
11:45 Lunch
12:15 Read Aloud chapter book, vocabulary and discuss
12:45 Writing Workshop
1:35 Math
2:25 Curriculum Extension
3:10 Pack up – group reflection writing
3:25 Dismissal
On Friday the reading workshop block will address science and social studies through literacy.
first grade freeway 