Our check-out day at library is Thursday.  Please make sure your child has their book here every Thursday so they can check out a new book.  If your child has started AR, they will be getting books on a regular basis and may not always check out on Thursdays.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Many of you have asked me or your children have asked you about AR.  This is a reading program that focuses on comprehension.  When your child has made it through a level G in Guided Reading they may begin AR.  I will meet with them and explain everything and give them a card.  They will check out a yellow dot book from the library and read it (several times) and then take a test on it (on the computer).  It helps if you will listen to them read and then ask them questions about the book.  They earn points when they score well on their tests.  As they build points, they can use them to buy items from the AR store.  I will let you and your child know when they can start AR.  Please let me know if you have questions about this because I know it can all get a bit overwhelming.

Your child will bring home Guided Reading books each week.  Please listen to them read this book a few times.  Then, sign the reading log sheet in their orange take home folder.  Send this book back to school the next day because we will use it again and keep it in a browsing box.  If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me anytime.

**This week students should be on level:

New Poem:  
New word families:
New Concept:

Writing in first grade is so much fun!!!  
We have worked on making sure we start our sentences with a capital and put a period at the end.  Students are familiar with a period, a question mark, and an exclamation mark.  Students know how to use adjectives to write simple descriptive sentences and how to brainstorm ideas and add to a first draft.  We worked on going back and reading our stories so that we could revise them and edit them.  Students know the parts of a letter and how to write a friendly letter.
*We will continue to work on writing a paragraph with 3-5 sentences.
We have been focusing on parts of speech in our writing: nouns, verbs, and adjectives.  Students should have a solid understanding of these three types of words.

*Each concept that is taught will be revisited later in other lessons throughout the year.
*There will be a weekly test each Friday over the concept for that week and previous concepts taught.

*Occasionally I will send math homework.  This will not be taken for a grade, but I will check them and give students a sticker for doing it and bringing it back.

*Each week we will do a map skills page.  These help students understand important geography skills.

week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4
week 5
week 6

**Please practice these words as often as possible!
*Students will be tested each Friday on their words for that week and the previous weeks of that six week period.

**Watch for Fundations packets coming home with helpful information and practice pages!**  


*Stuents should be at an 85% proficiency on the Fundations tests.

Citizenship Color System