Hello Again Everyone!!

(*** once again, on 12/31, the post was sent to you unfinished...??? sorry. Now it's done)

I hope you had a fabulous holiday and that this time the blog actually gets to you all in a piece and readable....

I'm going to give you an overview of the next nine weeks of school. You can also check you parent copy of the report card descriptors for this 9 weeks to give you an idea of the skills we'll be hitting the hardest.

SCIENCE:

We have two units: Light and Shadow (natural and man-made sources of light, what causes shadows), and Plants and Animals (parts of a plant, basic needs of plants and animals)

SOCIAL STUDIES:

We continue with our American History studies. This nine weeks we'll meet Harriett Tubman, Teddy Roosevelt, and George Washington Carver, and find out about life in America during these times.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Spelling and phonics:

* spelling new and old high-frequency words correctly

* continuing with word-blending  and chunking skills and strategies

* reading and writing words with endings -s, -es, -ed, -ing

* continuing with digraphs (ch, wh, th, sh), spelling patterns (such as ie, ea, ai, silent e, etc.), vowels sounds and beginning and ending blends, word families, irregular spellings ('outlaw words' like people, was, because, etc.)

* using homophones ( such as  to, two, too; for, four; be, bee, etc.) 

* compound words ( like rainbow, starfish)

* contractions (can't, I'll, etc.)

* more emphasis on using these skills and strategies in reading and writing

English:

* continuing with using correct punctuation (capitals, periods, question marks, exclamation marks)

* using commas in a series  ( ex: a grape, apple, orange, and pear)

* using apostrophes in possessives (ex: Carol's hat, the dog's bone)

* antonyms and synonyms

* using possessive pronouns in place of names (his, her, my, your, etc.)

* words with multiple meanings

*alphabetical order to first and second letter

* subject-verb agreement (the man WAS, the men WERE, etc.)

* simple use of reference materials to gain information (word walls, Quickword dictionary, etc., internet, encyclopedia, atlas)

* more emphasis on using these skills and strategies for reading and writing

Reading:

* emphasis on using all learned spelling and phonics strategies to read on-level text (on level now is DRA  8  and above) with acceptable speed, accuracy, inflection and comprehension.   FYI, At end of year, on level will be "16" or above. 

* understanding plot, character, sequence of events

* ability to infer information from what is read

* using self-correcting strategies to figure out unknown words (Does it sound right? Does it look right? Does it make sense?)

Writing:

* emphasis will be on writing informational passages (such as a recipe, an animal report using simple references, and a 'how-to' piece)

* applying English, phonics and spelling skills and strategies

* using simple editing (w/ teacher help) for spelling, capitals, periods, and revising so piece makes sense and has continuity

* using neat D'Nealian handwriting

MATH:

* adding and subtracting to 18, using strategies. (the children take timed tests to improve their speed and accuracy, but these tests are not 'graded' At the end of the year they are expected to be able to finish 50 addition problems,to 18, in 5 minutes, as per our School Improvement Plan.)

* fractions, 1/2 and 1/4

* > greater than, < less than, and = equal to

* counting by 2's, 5's and 10's starting anywhere on a hundreds chart

* counting money to 99cents and making fair trades to 99 cents (difficult)

* recognizing bills to $20 and making fair trades to $20

* time to the hour and 1/2 hour; lapsed time (difficult)

* reading and making graphs

* problem solving strategies: Problem-solving exemplars are part of our School Improvement Plan. We try to do exemplars once a week. They lay out a formula children are expected to use when solving word problems. The formula sequence is as follows:

    After reading (or having someone read to them) the word problem, the following steps should be used to solve:

        1. Underline the question, or what you want to find out

        2. Circle pertinet info (numbers, other mathematical info) in the word    problem that you can use to solve

        3. Decide on a strategy, such as drawing a picture or making a table or graph, etc., then use the strategy.

        4. Make a number sentence to show your answer (such as 3+4=7)

        5. Write a sentence that tells the answer (There were 7 fish in the bowl all together)

        6. Write sentences to tell how you figured out what to do to get the right answer. (this part is extremely difficult and rarely can they do an adequate job with this portion yet)

IMPORTANT DATES:

Friday, Jan. 9: School Spirit Day, wear GM shirts

Thursday, Jan. 15: Diana out all day at Quarterly Training. Jackie Weyrick is subbing.

Monday, Jan. 19: MLK holiday

Friday, Jan. 23: School Dance 6:30-8:30

Week of January 26: CONFERENCE WEEK>>> Kids out at 12:20 every day this week. You'll be receiving your conference invitation very soon. Please sign and send back as quickly as possible so if we have to make changes, it can be done quickly. If you prefer a phone conference, that can be arranged. Also, we try to put all your children's conferences back-to-back to save you time. The second quarter reports cards will be given to you at your conference.

By the way, we may be getting a TOSS student this 9 weeks. A TOSS student mainly observes ans helps out, and teaches only one subject area. I applied for a student, but have not heard whether I'll get one as of this update.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions you have.

Happy New Year!!

Diana

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick not that the county  server will be down the week of Thanksgiving, so no email will be getting through if you should try to contact me or any other faculty member. 

Have a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Diana

                                Hello everyone!

                                      Here we are in the second nine weeks of fabulous first grade! Although November is a relatively short month for school-related activities, there is still a lot of learning going on.

Sadly, Mrs. Timbs will be leaving us November 20. We are extremely unhappy to see her go, but wish her the very best in her brand new teaching career. Some very lucky children will have her as their teacher in the near future, we're sure. Mrs. Whitson takes over all the teaching as of November 3.

You may not know about the awards your children have been racking up here at school. I want to list them for you so far so you can be as proud as they are...

**Most Sally Foster items sold in the entire school. We have a gold medal hanging outside our door!

**Most children in the Fun Run at the Fall Festival. We earned a pizza party that we celebrated October 17. Thank you PTA!

**We have received a popcorn party every month so far for great behavior in the cafeteria.

**We collected more box tops than any other class in the school...almost 1,000!!!  The children get to sit on the stage to eat lunch and each receive a 50 cent school store coupon. KEEP SAVING YOUR BOX TOPS! The next drive will be a competition among grade levels. We already have some box tops in our jar for the upcoming contest.

Congratulations to you and your outstanding students!! THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN ALL THE PTA ACTIVITIES THAT HELP MAKE OUR SCHOOL SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO BE!!

On to the academic side of the blog! Here we go:

MATH:

This nine weeks will be concentrating on the following skills:

place value (tens and ones to 99)

adding and subtracting to 12 with new strategies such as doubles, doubles plus or minus one, counting on

greater than , less than , and equal to

fact families, or " related facts" (the adding and subtracting families such as 4,3 and 7 that can make related addition and subtraction facts)

graphing and interpreting data

skip counting by 2's, 5's and 10's

making fair trades with coins and bills

working in depth with 2- and 3-dimensional geometric shapes

We'll often work on these skills simultaneously, but will begin with geometric shapes.

SPELLING:

Week of Nov. 3: review of the words of, that, he, for, was, on, are.  These Sitton spelling words are the ones the children MUST spell correctly in their work. They are expected to use the phonics and rules and strategies they are learning to spell other words as well. We have a Word Wall with frequently-used words, as well as a list of "outlaw words", those which don't follow the phonics rules we learn, such as people, you, and school.

Review of homophones, especially to, too, two; there, their, they're; and for, four

Week of November 10:  words as, with, his. 

Short and long vowel rules

adding -s to make plurals (also next week)

Week of November 17:  with; new words at, they

Adding beginnings and ending to word familes 

PHONICS/HANDWRITING:  I've noticed that many of you are working with your child on their D'Nealian handwriting at home. Thank you so much. Handwriting has improved tremendously in the last few weeks. Your help is extremely appreciated.

Letters we'll be working on this month are  Rr,  Kk,  Ee

Phonics rules: short e;  short u

English rules: Capitals on proper nouns; periods after abbreviations; commas in a series; apostrophes showing possesives; correct spelling of homophones; ending punctuation.

SCIENCE: This nine weeks we will be covering magnets and sound.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We have begun Thomas Jefferson and his times, and will move into Lewis and Clark and Sacagewea. The important ideas for these historical figures include the history of the USA at the time, as well as what they were famous for.

WRITING: We have been working on writing narratives, and the children are becoming very good writers. We are concentrating on using adjectives to spice up our nouns, and having a clear beginning, middle and ending to our stories. Writing is generally connected to other things we're studying, holiday themes, or things we've read as a class. Children have been learning to write a narrative with a beginning, middle and end, using adjectives, nouns, and learned English and spelling conventions.

Specific skills we work on continuously:

commas in a series of items, and in dates, between city and state

using appropriate ending punctuation (.) (!) (?)

Using capitals at beginning of sentences, on proper nouns

reading work to self and others for self-editing of capitals and punctuation, correct spelling of high-frequency sight and spelling words, to add details, make sure writing makes sense

subject-verb agreement

READING: Because of Mrs. Timbs' departure, we will be revamping the guided reading rotation a bit. Mrs. Snook, Mrs. Druhot and I will still be 'divvying up' our classes for guided reading, and will still work with children on their specific reading levels. Guided reading groups are very fluid, and children are often moved from one group to another depending on their needs. Therefore they may have Mrs. Snook, Mrs. Druhot, or me as their guided reading teacher at any time.

A lot happens in the guided reading setting. Children read appropriately-leveled books that can pertain to any skill, including phonics, writing, math, social studies, or science. Reading both fiction and non-fiction books gives children a wide range of reading experiences, as well as many opportunities to practice the reading strategies that are essential to the goal of reading, which is comprehension. You may find that your child reads a book to you very fluently but can't remember what they read. This is very common with children at this age, and my responsibility is to assure their comprehension of text as they proceed to read more and more difficult books.

I am encouraging the children to read Accelerated Reader book and take tests. I absolutely do NOT require it, and a child will not be penalized if they don't take them. It just gives me a great way of seeing if they are comprehending what they read independently and adjusting the books they read to their appropriate level.

Each child knows what their reading level is and what range of books they should be looking to read. I also have given them a little bookmark with the "Five Finger Rule" for choosing a book they plan to read on their own. The rule tells them to turn to any page in the book they want to read and to start reading. If they come to a word they don't know, they hold up a finger. After reading the page, they decide:  0-1 fingers means the book's too easy. 2-3 fingers means the book is just right. 4-5 or more means it's too hard and to put it back, or realize someone will have to read the book to them. 

OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF:

November 4th is a day off for the children. School is a polling place.

November 13 Mrs. Whitson will be out at Quarterly Training as first grade representative all day.

November 20 is our day for the Grandparents and/or Special Friends Thanksgiving luncheon. This is a BIG DEAL. If no one can come for your child, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP. I can go with him/her, or we can get a sibling or Book Buddy to go with them. You'll be receiving an invitation soon. Be sure you have returned your reservation to me so I can get it to the cafeteria. They serve upwards of 1,000 meals this day, they need an accurate count. Our entertainment (!) starts at 11:10 in our classroom, lunch is from 11:35-12:05.

November 24-28 is Thanksgiving vacation. Enjoy yourself!

Get in touch if you need anything!!

Diana

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL $22*
Nov. 1st price increast to $25*

On-line ordering available at:  http://www.myyear.com
*Note:  cost includes taxes.  Does not include 1x $1.75 processing fee per transaction, multiple items per order allowed.  Be sure to print & keep your confirmation for proof of payment.

ORDER FORMS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE CREDENZA OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE.

Hi families!

Let me first begin by saying that I am thoroughly enjoying teaching your wonderful children. Watching them learn and interact with one another is a true delight!

Language Arts: In Language Arts we will be building our phonics and spelling skills, and word experiences. To do this we will be learning more about spelling patterns, compound words, contractions, and how to stretch our sentences to improve our writing. We will also continue working on our proofreading skills, handwriting, and basic writing skills. A few other things we will touch on this month are plural and singular nouns, pronouns, and homophones. In our writing, we will focus on using our best handwriting, using proper punctuation, using proper spacing between our words, using capital letters where appropriate, and writing in complete sentences. We have grouped our class into guided reading groups based on their reading levels. Along with Mrs. Snook’s class, we currently have eight reading groups (two per teacher). This allows us to zero in on specific skills based on our reading groups’ needs. During guided reading, the children not in a reading group have independent work to do that is centered around what we have learned.

Science: For the first two weeks of October, we will conclude our science units. We will be looking at how the weather changes with the seasons, how to measure the weather, and how the water cycle works and affects the weather. We will conduct an experiment to see just how the water cycle works and discuss what we should wear for the different types of weather. The vocabulary for this unit is extensive and includes: season, temperature, thermometer, wind vane, rain gauge, precipitation, sleet, hail, freeze, melt, evaporate, condense, and water cycle.

Social Studies: The last two weeks of October we will focus on American historical figures and folktale characters. In particular, we will study Ben Franklin. We will learn about his life, contributions, inventions, and character traits. We will also learn about the time in our country’s history when Ben Franklin lived, and compare it to how we live today.

Math: For the month of October in math, we will cover a great deal. I think most everyone has a firm grasp of addition and subtraction concepts, so I will begin math centers. Some of the concepts we will cover in October are: addition strategies, subtraction strategies, addition facts practice, and subtraction facts practice. The strategies for addition include: count on 1 and 2, using a number line to count on, using doubles, and problem-solving strategy: make a picture. The strategies for subtraction include: using a number line to count back 1 and 2, using a number line to count back 3, algebra: relating addition and subtraction, and problem-solving strategy: make a picture. A few other concepts we will be working on are less than/greater than, odd/even numbers, making fair trades and counting money. We will also be working on place value (tens and ones up to 100). A huge thank you to all for the terrific involvement I see with your child. That makes a world of difference! We have a busy month ahead, with a great deal to learn. If I can answer any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

~Pame Timbs

Other information:

Friday 10/3 :  FALL FESTIVAL 5-8 ; Silly Socks and Sneakers Day

Thursday 10/ 9: Hi Touch field trip permission due

Friday, 10/10: End of first grading period

Thursday 10/16: Report Cards come home.

Wednesday 10/22: Box Tops due. Please send in anytime before then

Thursday 10/23: Relay for Life Biscuit sale

Monday 10/ 27: Hi Touch/High tech in-house field trip (‘Sound’) : Reading Night in the Media Center 6-8

Diana

Math

Along with daily calendar math concepts, we will dive into the second half of Unit One: subtraction.  For the first half of Unit 1, we                               

• modeled addition stories,
• wrote addition sentences,
• learned the meanings of plus, is equal to, in all and the sum,
• learned what makes an addition sentence,
• gathered data and graphed our data,
• learned how to add both vertically and horizontally,
• and learned problem-solving strategies.

The second half of Unit 1 covers many of the above concepts, only with subtraction!  We will learn that minus also means is equal to, and that it is called the difference in subtraction sentences.  When possible, we will continue to collect and graph different types of data.

Social Studies

We are still working through our first unit in social studies; covering cardinal directions, finding where we live on a map and globe, as well as learning about the seven continents and five oceans.  Even I learned something new in first grade!  The fifth ocean is what used to be considered the south Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.  It is known as the Southern Ocean.

After wrapping up the geography portion, we will learn about a very interesting and remarkable man: Ben Franklin.

Science

Our first unit in science begins with weather and seasons, and also includes water.  We will jump into this exciting unit the second week of September.  Just a tidbit about what we will be learning about:

• what weather is and how it changes with each season,
• ways in which water changes,
• and what are the forms of precipitation.

**It is truly a pleasure to have such a wonderful group of children!**

~Mrs. Timbs

Dear Families,

It was wonderful to meet so many of you at Meet-and-Greet! 

As I am sure you may be curious about who will be spending time with your little one, I thought I would share a bit about myself with you.

I have been married for 20 years.  We have two children and one grandchild.  For eight splendid years, I taught at Noonday Academy; beginning as an assistant teacher for two years, I then taught four-year-olds for four years, and five-year-olds for the last two years I was there.  Between my time at Noonday and volunteering in my children's elementary school, I discovered that I had quite a passion for teaching!   

This is my final semester at Kennesaw State University, at least for this degree. J

I look forward to getting to know your children and working with all of you!  I am delighted to be at Garrison Mill and thrilled to be in a first grade class!

Of course, should you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

All my best,

Pame Timbs