QUESTIONS ABOUT PROCEDURES



Our First Grade Handbook

Devon Elementary School

Tredyffrin/Easttown School District

2016-2017

Room # 19

Miss Beisswenger

Dear First Grade Parents,

Welcome to first grade! There are so many exciting things to look forward to this year in first grade at Devon.

It is my hope that this handbook will be a helpful resource for you as we go through this year together. Many questions that may come up have been addressed in this book. However, if you have any additional questions about curriculum, classroom routines or anything else throughout this year, please let me know. I can be reached in the following ways:

• email me at beisswengere@

• call the main office at 610.240.1450

• call my voicemail extension: 610.240.2267

I look forward to working with you this year!

Sincerely,

Ms. Emily Beisswenger

Table of Contents

1. Classroom Information…pages 4-6

• Staff List

• Class List

• Daily Schedule

2. Questions about our classroom procedures…pages 7-11

3. Questions about the First Grade Curriculum…pages 12-15

4. Reading…pages 16-20

• How to tell if a book is Just Right for you

• Devon Reads for Meaning

• What to do…(Help for Home)

5. Writing…pages 21

• Writing Program

6. First Grade Math Curriculum…page 22

7. General information about Curriculum…pages 23-26

• Social Studies

• Holiday Dates

• Science

• Specials

• Monthly Character Traits

DEVON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

First Grade

Dr. Todd Parker, Principal

Kristin McElvogue – Facilitator

Melinda Smiles

Emily Beisswenger

Lauren Harvey

Liz Morrell

Alaina Seygal

Special Area Team

Nicole Lohmeyer & John Jones - P.E. Teachers

Beata Szekeres - Art Teacher

Joel Stever – Library/ Media Specialist

Christy Brown – Music Teacher

Abigail Reed -Strings Teacher

Instructional Support Team

Barbara Kupp RN, MSN and Louise Cook RN, MSN – Nurses

Tami Noel - Guidance Counselor

Xiomara Rodriguez - Reading Specialist

Josh Walther & Kerry Heim – Gifted Education Teacher

Pat McCarrin – Math Support Teacher

Kara Canale - School Psychologist

Ashlyn McElroy - Speech/Language Specialist

Peggy Kravitz & Kristen Stern- Learning Support Teachers

Maryann Walsh – English as a Second Language Teacher

Building Support Team

Karen Burns - School Secretary

Heidi Lee – Attendance Aide

Vicki Green (AM) & Barbara Armenti (PM) - Lobby Greeters

Larisa Leon - Primary Division Aide

Jeremiah Glass - Science Aide

Shawn Goff – Applied Technology Paraprofessional

Gabrielle Liberi, Susan Brannigan & Deb Dunn - Reading Paraprofessionals

Margot Bayne, Karen Kowalski, Tiana Bryant, Anna Haywood, Susan Lewis, Jane Rhee, Breanna Hopkins, Kim Levine, Lori Gordon & Deb Dunn – Learning

Support Aides

Miss Beisswenger’s

Class List

2016-2017

Elise Airiau

Cole Alleva

Samarth Arvikar

Sophia Cawley

Julia Cowgill

Maggie Coyne

Ishita De

Finn Duffy

Jaithri Gajula

Addison Hansen

Carter He

Logan Huffman

Sophia Jung

Brady McMahon

Ethan O’Shea

Aarvi Raval

Sameeksha Sheety

Willian Simon

Zoey Sweet

Shashidhar Vadla

Mallory Wollick

Our Daily Schedule

8:35: Arrival/ Morning Journal Writing

9:05: Morning Meeting (Calendar, Pledge, Daily Schedule Review)

9:10: Whole Group Reading Instruction

9:40: Word Study (Spelling & Phonics)

10:00: Reading Circle (Small Group Reading Instruction, Literacy Centers)

11:05: Lunch/Recess

11:50: Mathematics

12:45: Day 1: Art

Day 2: Science Lab

Day 3: Library

Day 4: Physical Education

Day 5: Music

Day 6: Physical Education

1:35: Day 1: Social Studies

Day 2: Music

Day 3: Social Studies or Writing

Day 4: Science Lab

Day 5: Social Studies or Writing

Day 6: Science in the Classroom

2:25: Snack/Recess

2:45: Day 1: PATHS/Class Meeting

Days 2-6: Flex Core/Mystery Reader

3:10: Pack Up

3:20: Dismissal

Questions About Classroom Procedures

Q: What food should be packed for my child each day?

A: First graders may bring a lunch from home or can buy lunch from the school cafeteria. Please also send a healthy snack for your child each day. Our snack time will be during the afternoon recess each day (usually around 2:25 pm). The snack should be peanut/tree nut free.

Each morning, students who are buying lunch make their selection and then use a pin number to purchase their lunch. This policy is also outlined in the Devon Handbook. Money brought to school for lunch accounts should always be in an envelope with your child’s name and lunch account number, and placed in his/her teacher’s mailbox in the morning.

Q: How should my child dress for school?

A: Remember that all children go outdoors for two 15 minute recesses each day, except in inclement weather. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately—an extra pair of mittens and a hat kept in the book bag is a good idea!

Q: What is a red Home/School folder?

A: Our red Home/School folder is a very important folder which will transport daily papers/notes to and from school. Your child will bring home his/her school work in this folder. Although homework comes home at the beginning of the week, your child’s folder should be checked every evening and returned to school the following day. Additionally, on Fridays there is usually information distributed to the classrooms relating to the PTO, Devon activities, and community events. Although the school is starting to communicate with families electronically, some papers containing important information will still be put into your child’s red home/school folder for you to review.

Q: What if there is a change from the normal schedule in how my child is to be transported home from school?

A: If your child is to go home in a way he/she does not normally go home, please send in a signed and dated note notifying me of this change. For instance, please send in a note if…

… you or someone else is planning to pick up your child from school

…your child will be attending an after school activity such as Brownies

…you wish to have your child go home with a friend on the bus (even

if your child rides the same bus as a friend, a note is still necessary if your child

plans to get off the bus and go home with that friend)

Q: What is the classroom management system?

A: There is a whole group, as well as two individual management systems, in the classroom. For individual behavior management, we use a “Stop and Think” behavior chart. This chart features a stoplight with green, yellow and red lights. If a child needs two reminders to make a good choice, he/she will be asked to move to the green light. If the child continues to need two additional reminders, he/she will be asked to move to the yellow light. At this time, a student will need to slow down and think about the choices he/she has made at recess. If the child continues to need any additional reminders, he/she will move to red and a phone call home will be made. However, if the child corrects their behavior and shows they are ready to be a good classroom citizen, they may clip up and off of the lights. At the beginning of each day, students will start with a clean slate.

For positive reinforcement, Room 19 will be using Class Dojo. When a student is caught making good choices, they will earn Dojo points. Every Friday, students will be able to see how many points they have accumulated for a change to “cash in” their reward points for the prize of their choice.

We also have a fuzzy jar that we use to earn whole class rewards. When the class receives a whole group compliment from me or another teacher for good behavior, we add a fuzzy to the jar. When the jar is full, the class will receive extra indoor or outdoor recess to celebrate their good choices and behavior.

At the beginning of this school year, the children helped to write the rules in our Classroom Constitution. Each student signed this document and it is hanging on display in our classroom.

Our Classroom Constitution

1. Be friends with everyone.

2. Be nice.

3. Include everyone.

4. Work hard.

5. Listen to each other.

6. Make good choices!

I-Care Cat Rules/Devon Pledge

1. We listen to each other.

2. Hands are for helping, not hurting.

3. We use I-Care language.

4. We care about each other’s feelings.

5. We are responsible for what we say and do.

Q: What is a First Grade Weekly Report?

A: I will send home Weekly Reports every Friday in each child’s RED folder. This report is broken down into specific areas (ex: organization, homework completion, effort, being respectful, etc). If he/she does their personal best at school that week, they will receive an S for successful in the appropriate areas. If he/she needs reminders throughout the week, they receive an N in those specific areas. If he/she receives a U for unacceptable behavior in any area, a phone call will be made to the parent explaining the behavior. Please see page 11 for an example of the weekly report.

Q: Will I be able to volunteer in my child’s classroom?

A: I welcome parent volunteers. We will need volunteers for reading circle and occasional volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up in the category that works best with your schedule.

Regularly scheduled volunteers come in consistently to assist with Reading Circle activities from 10:00-11:00 on specified days. If you are available, please let me know. I will send home a schedule as soon as sign-ups are complete. I will also offer a training session to inform you of the responsibilities of being a Reading Circle volunteer. Reading Circle volunteers do not usually begin working in the classroom until October.

When you visit the classroom as a “Mystery Reader” you will have the chance to visit the classroom to share a simple snack and story. For more information on this, please see the information on “Mystery Readers” on page 10.

Q: How are birthdays celebrated in first grade?

A: Celebrating birthdays is always fun for first graders. Food items for birthdays are prohibited. I have provided a sheet of other birthday options! Please let me know a few days in advance in you will be bringing in an item to share with the class.

If your child has a summer birthday that we will not be in school for, we can have a half-year celebration so that he or she does not miss out on the chance to celebrate at school. For example, we will celebrate an August 3 birthday in school on February 3. Please let me know if you would like to celebrate their summer birthdays.

Q: Who is a Mystery Reader?

A: A Mystery Reader is someone who visits our classroom in the afternoon to share children’s story. The students will know there will be a story on Mystery Reader day but they won’t know who is coming in to read to the class! I will give the class clues about the guest reader so that they can guess who is coming in, but they won’t know for sure who the reader is until its Mystery Reader time! Each of the families of Room # 19 is invited to visit our classroom for a Mystery Reader time this year! The Mystery Reader can be a parent, grandparent, sibling, cousin, neighbor, aunt or uncle. Please bring 3-4 books!

Mystery Reader time will always be at the end of the day from 2:45-3:15 pm. Our homeroom mom will be in charge of scheduling Mystery Readers this year. You can expect to hear from her to ensure you schedule a time to visit the classroom for a Mystery Reader activity this year. Remember, the reader for the day is a MYSTERY so try not to tell your child if/when you or any other family members are coming in! (

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|First Grade |

|Weekly Report |

Name: ______________________ Week of: ______________

|To my personal best ability…. |S, N, U |

|I was respectful of the learning environment. | |

|I was an active listener. | |

|I showed effort in my work. | |

|I showed self-control. | |

|I demonstrated organizational skills. | |

|S |Successful |

|N |Needs Reminders |

|U |Unacceptable |

|Teacher Comments: |

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| |

| |

| |

| |

| |

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| |

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|If this circle is checked, see attached note from special area teacher. |

| |

|Parent Signature: |

Questions About First Grade CUrriculum

Q: How do we learn words in first grade?

A: Our spelling and phonics program has grown out of a combination of philosophies and programs in order to arrive at a balanced approach.

The red words are simple sight words that cannot be sounded out, and therefore, do not make sense. These words are learned, read, and spelled through a process called tapping and sweeping, in which we physically pretend we are putting the word on our shoulder, and then tap the letters of the word down our arm, sweeping our entire arm with the word when it is completely spelled.

For example, “the (put it on our shoulder), T_H_E (tap the letters down our arm), the (sweep the entire word down your arm).”

With the words that do make sense, and can be sounded out, we can learn, read, and write these words through a multi-sensory process called finger tapping. We finger tap with our non-dominant hand (the hand we do not write with) and we say the word with our fist, and then segment each sound by tapping a finger to the thumb, then sweeping all the sounds together to blend the word (joining our fingers to make a sweeping motion).

For example, say “cat” with a closed fist (we often pretend we are catching the word in the air), c (make c sound while tapping your pointer finger to your thumb), a (make the short a sound while tapping your middle finger on your thumb), t (make the t sound while tapping your ring finger to your thumb). Then blend all the sounds together and say “cat” as you move all three fingers on your thumb in a straight across motion.

The first grade spelling skills include words with short and long vowel sounds, digraphs, blends, endings, and vowel combinations. As each new spelling skill is introduced, your child will be expected to use these in his/her writing. This helps to bridge the gap between temporary and conventional spelling. Please know, however, first graders are just learning to write and you’ll still see quite a bit of “phonetic” spelling!

For handwriting instruction, we use techniques from the “Zaner Bloser” Handwriting program

Q: What is a Word Wall?

A: The word wall is on the back wall of our classroom. It contains the spelling words we have learned up until a given point in the year. Each week after we have practiced new words, we add them to our word wall. The word wall is always growing during the school year! These posted spelling words are arranged alphabetically. During journal, writing workshop and other writing times, students can refer to the word wall when help is needed to spell a basic spelling or sight word. To help us practice reading and spelling the word wall words correctly, we do a variety of activities and play a number of games. Students will also be given a word wall placemat to take home. This placemat should be kept at home and will be used for various homework activities throughout the year.

Q: What are W.O.W. words?

A: Devon has a new vocabulary program in place. The acronym, W.O.W. dually stands for “Wonderful Outstanding Words” and “Word of the Week.” Each week the children will learn a new vocabulary word. The children will learn the definition of the word and how it is used in a variety of contexts. The word of the week will be posted in a special place in the classroom. All previously learned vocabulary words will be posted on a bulletin board to the left of our spelling word wall in our classroom. (The children are not expected to know how to spell the vocabulary words.) I will mention the vocabulary word of the week in my weekly newsletter. Please try to use these words at home to reinforce your child’s growing vocabulary.

Q: How is the reading portion of Language Arts structured?

A: Our approach to reading and writing is known as a balanced literacy approach. Since first-graders are developing their literacy skills at different rates, this approach allows the teacher to develop instruction that meets the various needs of the students. Every attempt is made to match the reading ability of the student with the level of the text. In our classroom, we have hundreds of titles available, from predictable books to decodable books to easy readers to chapter books! Most books are sorted by level or genre, so that a child can be directed to choose a book from certain bins to meet his/her reading needs.

We have whole group and small group reading instruction time. During whole group reading instruction time, the children are introduced to key

reading and comprehension strategies which carry over into small group instruction time. We call our daily small group reading time “Reading Circle.”

Choosing a “Just Right Book” is the first step in the Reading Circle process. This is a continuous circle in which the children choose a book, read it twice, complete a “must do” assignment and visit a literacy center. Their “must do” assignment comes from a menu of choices, including partner conferences, completing a written response to a chosen prompt or identifying parts of the story using a graphic organizer or story map.

After a child completes his/her “must do” activity, he/she chooses a literacy center to visit in the classroom. The students love this part of Reading Circle time! There are a number of centers in our class and each relate to reading and writing and are designed to help students practice and refine their literacy skills. The children visit a different literacy center each day. To name a few, we have the ABC, Writing, Listening, Poetry, Nonfiction and “Read the Room” centers in our classroom. At the Writing Center, students may be found completing a writing assignment that relates to a curricular or seasonal theme. At the ABC Center, a child may be found playing with magnetic letters, word tiles or games in order to build words. He/she may also be practicing spelling our word wall words through a series of exercises or games. At the Poetry Center, the children work in pairs to practice reading poetry with fluency and expression. At the Listening Center, children have the opportunity to listen to exciting fiction and non-fiction books on tape or CD with a friend or two. Then, they reflect on the story and write about their favorite part. These are just some of the many activities the children complete when visiting different centers. The students build independence as they are expected to work efficiently when choosing a “just right” book, completing a “must do” assignment and visiting a center each day. Each week, the teacher checks each child’s “must do” and center work and offers positive and sometimes constructive feedback when necessary.

Q: What does the teacher do while the students are participating in the Reading Circle process?

A: While students are busy moving through the Reading Circle, the teacher meets with several groups of children who are working at approximately the same reading level. With these groups, the teacher will facilitate a guided reading lesson using books that are appropriate for the given group’s reading level. During this guided reading group, the children are “guided” through a story and then are permitted to read the story aloud or in a “whisper voice” so that the teacher can listen in. The teacher uses prompts to help the children figure out words or ideas they do not know or understand. Additionally, small reading group time offers students a chance to practice using the reading and comprehension strategies that were introduced during whole group reading instruction time.

Occasionally, I will meet with individual students rather than groups to perform assessments. As mentioned before, I also meet with individual students to talk to them about their Reading Circle “must do” and center assignments. During this time, I offer the students feedback and we reflect on previous work goals and set new goals.

Q: When does writing instruction come in?

A: Writing instruction takes place during Writing Workshop. The students will work on various forms of creative writing throughout the school year. Early in the year we focus on the retelling of stories in sequence and the concept of writing full sentences. As the year progresses, we work on other types of writing, including letter writing, descriptive writing, non-fiction, and story writing.

Writing Workshop usually begins with the reading of a story, which ties into a writing topic. Following this is often a mini-lesson on the mechanics of writing and skills such as punctuation are addressed.

The teacher meets with individuals to conference about their writing pieces. It is at this time that we learn the steps of the writing process, compliment the progress we have made in our writing so far, and set personal goals for our writing in the future.

In first grade, the students learn how to properly form their letters and numbers. Neat handwriting and proper pencil grip are strongly encouraged! Number formation instruction takes place during Math time and letter formation instruction takes place during Word Study time when the children practice writing their spelling words in their dictation journals.

Q: How is math instructed in first grade?

A: Math instruction follows the Math in Focus program. The topics identified later in this handbook are taught and practiced extensively in the classroom. Within each classroom, teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of each student.

Q: What other areas of the curriculum are instructed during the week?

A: There are weekly Science and Social Studies lessons. Our science and social studies topics are integrated into the curriculum as much as possible so the children are making connections to these topics throughout the week.

Q: What is the policy on homework?

A: Homework options will be sent home each month in your child’s RED folder. There will be options for spelling, poetry, and math that correlate with our weekly skills. Students will be required to read every night and record the books on the monthly calendar. Please return the monthly book log at the end of the month. According to school policy, first graders should spend 10-15 minutes per night on homework.

How to tell if a book is Just Right for you!

Devon Kids Read for Meaning

Strategy: Making Connections

Students connect their background knowledge to the text they are reading. Readers comprehend better when they actively think about and apply their knowledge of the book’s topic, their own experiences, and the world around them. Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis in their book, Strategies That Work (2000, p. 68), state that, “When children understand how to connect the text they read to their lives, they begin to make connections between what they read and the larger world. This nudges them into thinking about bigger, more expansive issues beyond their universe of home, school, and neighborhood.”

How to help your child use this strategy:

To help your child make connections while are reading, ask the following questions:

• What does the book remind you of?

• What do you know about the book’s topic?

• Does this book remind you of another book?

Strategy: Questioning

Through the use of questioning, students understand the text on a deeper level because questions clarify the confusion and stimulate further interest in a topic. Through questioning, students are able to wonder about content and concepts before, during, and after reading by:

▪ Constructing meaning

▪ Enhancing meaning

▪ Finding answers

▪ Solving problems

▪ Finding specific information

▪ Acquiring a body of information

▪ Discovering new information

▪ Propelling research efforts

Clarifying confusion -Strategies That Work, 2000, p. 22

How to help your child use this strategy:

• Model questioning in your own reading

• Ask “I wonder…” questions (open ended)

• Ask your child to come up with questions before reading to see if they are answered in the text

• Keep track of questions verbally or in an informal question log

• Stop and predict what will happen next

• Discuss what questions you still have after reading

Strategy: Inferring

Students make inferences about text they are reading to interpret meaning and develop deeper understanding. Readers comprehend better when they make connections and construct their own knowledge (using prior experiences, visualizing, predicting, and synthesizing) to interpret the “big idea.” It is like a mental dialogue between the author and the student.

How to help your child use this strategy:

• Ask: How did you know that? Why did you think that would happen? What do you think this story was about? How do you think the character feels? Does it remind you of anything?

• Look at the cover and pictures and then make predictions

• Discuss the plot and theme

*These ideas are really a discussion to have with your child emphasizing one or two of the above ideas.

Strategy: Synthesizing/Summarizing

Students weave together what they read and their own ideas into new complete thoughts. Readers comprehend better when they sift through information to make sense of it and act upon it, such as judging or evaluating the author’s purpose to form a new idea, opinion, or perspective. This is the highest and most complex forms of comprehension.

How to help your child use this strategy:

• Use questioning strategies such as, “How has your thinking changed from reading that piece?”

• Discuss current event with an emphasis on judgments and opinions.

• Ask questions with no clear answers.

Strategy: Monitoring/Clarifying

Good readers ask themselves if what they are reading makes sense.

Research shows that comprehension monitoring separates good readers from struggling readers. Good readers then know what to do when comprehension breaks down.

How to help your child use this strategy:

Ask your child to ask these questions while reading:

• Does this make sense?

• Does this part fit with earlier information?

• How can I remember this information?

What to Do When a Reader Makes a Mistake:

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Consider a 5-second WAIT time in all instances first!

1. If the mistake makes sense, don’t do a thing!

2. If the mistake does not make sense, wait until the end of the sentence and see if the reader fixes it.

3. At the end of the sentence, say, “Try that again.”

4. Say, “You said… (Repeat what the reader read). Does that make sense?”

5. At the end of the sentence, say, “did what you read look right and sound right?”

6. Tell the correct response.

Keep this close to you at all times. Read these first. Respond to the student second!

-Ellen A. Thompson

Writing Program

Our writing program consists of many whole group, small group, and individual writing projects. We introduce a mini-lesson and spend time practicing our new skills in small and large groups until we have mastered the new concept.

Our activities include…

Prewriting…

Pictures

Telling a story

Using a felt board or storyboard

Writing…

Illustrating

Inventive spelling, sight words, words in the room, the word wall, dictionaries

Conferencing…

Discussing the story…does it make sense?

Making suggestions

Giving encouraging comments

One-on-one time to work together (teacher-student)

Author’s Circle…

Orally sharing a piece to the class

Children tell back the story

Asking questions

Giving feedback

Giving compliments and praise about the piece

Revising…

Adding on

Adding a tail

Adding a beginning, middle, end

Adding color and detail

Math Curriculum

First graders use the Math in Focus program. This curriculum brings to United States classrooms the top ranked Singapore approach of teaching mathematics. It teaches the same mathematical content, just in a way that emphasizes understanding and flexible thinking. Math in Focus is also rigorously aligned with Common Core standards.

This problem-based approach thoughtfully builds on a concrete-to-pictorial-to-abstract progression for a greater depth of instruction and mastery of math concepts. Students practice extensively to learn “how and why” math works. The program also uses powerful number bond models to enhance instruction for mental math, number sense, and computation. Overall, students gain a deeper understanding of math concepts and are therefore better able to use math in real life situations.

Mathematics concepts included in the first grade Math in Focus program are:

• Numbers to 100

• Number Bonds

• Shapes and Patterns

• Ordinal Numbers and Position

• Addition and Subtraction to 100

• Length

• Weight

• Picture Graphs and Bar Graphs

• Mental Math Strategies

• Calendar and Time

• Money

• Multiplication and Division

Social Studies Curriculum

The Social Studies program provides students with experiences which develop an understanding as well as an appreciation of the topics studied. First grade activities make use of large and small group presentations, classroom projects, individual manipulative activities, district classroom projects, district units, audio-visual materials, and other Media Center resources. Community resources are drawn upon to supplement the curriculum.

First graders begin their year studying their own community and later broaden their vision while looking at other cultures. Social Studies instruction is integrated into language arts instruction when possible. First graders study 10 district designated holidays (see below) as well as:

• Communities

• Japan

• Africa

Holiday Dates

2016-2017

Rosh Hashanah – Begins October 2nd

Yom Kippur – Begins October 11th

Diwali – Begins October 30th

Thanksgiving – November 24th

Hanukkah – Begins December 24th

Christmas – December 25th

Kwanzaa – Begins December 26th

Chinese New Year – January 28th

Passover – Begins April 10th

Easter – April 16th

Ramadan – Begins May 27th

Science Curriculum

Science class is held during three of the six days in our cycle.

Two Science classes are held in the science lab and one is taught in the

core classroom. The Science program allows the children to have hands on experiences to maximize learning. The children learn all about the scientific method as they conduct experiments in the science lab. Children also learn through the use of audio-visual materials and classroom projects. Science curriculum is integrated into language arts instruction when possible.

Topics covered in first grade:

• The Solar System

• Weather

• Rainforests

• Caring for our Earth

• Magnets

• Organisms

Specials

Students participate in “Specials” classes on a regular basis.

Art……………………….. once every six days

Music……………………. twice every six days

Library……………………once every six days

Physical Education…….. twice every six days

Guidance………………...occasional (schedule set by guidance counselor

and first grade teachers)

Monthly Character Traits

Each month we highlight a character trait as part of our School Climate curriculum. We read books that are connected to this trait, discuss the topic during classroom meetings, watch a short video once a month that illustrates this trait, and use journal prompts for the children to write about this trait.

September RESPECT

October SERVICE LEARNING

November CARING

December FRIENDSHIP

January TOLERANCE

February RESPONSIBILITY

March COURAGE

April COOPERATION

May HONESTY

June CITIZENSHIP

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On the Easy Side

It’s like you can just run through the book

You can read it fast.

Read it in two seconds.

You don’t stumble over any words.

You don’t have to skip words.

You enjoy it!

You finish it quickly.

You know it like the back of your hand!

The print is big.

The book has a lot of pictures.

On the Hard Side

You find a lot of words you don’t know—it doesn’t make sense!

Words get complicated.

You have to sound out the words a lot.

Some words you don’t understand.

You stumble over words.

You reread a lot.

The print is small.

You feel frustrated and want to quit.

You have to stop a lot.

There are 5 words or more you do not know.

There’s no one to help you read this.

Just Right

The book looks interesting.

You know something about this topic.

You stumble over some words, but mostly you can figure them out.

You read a little slower but not too slow.

The story is exciting.

There is someone to give you help if you need it.

You know the strategy to use.

Strategies you can use…

1. Making Connections

2. Questioning

3. Inferring

4. Synthesizing/ Summarizing

5. Monitoring/ Clarifying

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