REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

We are writing reviews on things that are important to us.  It is important that we prove why we like or dislike something.  If your first grader can provide 2 reasons why, WAY TO GO!  We like to give details.  Think about your five senses to use descriptive words.  What does it look like, feel like, smell like, taste like, sound like? 

Writing ALL ABOUT

We are experts at so many things.  We know a lot about many different topics.  To support your child with their writing we have been assigning different nonfiction text features to practice at home.

Your child should be explaining to you the topic that they are writing about in class.  At home or the library, on the computer and taking out books your child should learn even more about their topic.

When reading, we have been learning about arctic animals such as polar bears and penguins.  Ask your child what facts they learned about these animals through our read alouds.

During reader's workshop we have been learning about the difference between nonfiction (real) and fiction (pretend) books.  We have been studying nonfiction text features in the books we are reading and collecting facts on our tables topics (plants, animals, crops)

Writing

We are learning all about narrative writing.  We are focusing on small moment stories where we write about something we have experienced.  We zoom into a moment in time and tell what happens first, next, and last.  Today we shared the pen to learn how we can hook our reader to start our narrative piece.  We even learned how we can talk about the setting to get started.

Answering Questions

Answering Questions

 It is important when we speak, read, and write that we provide evidence to explain our thinking.  Often teachers ask students "Tell me more... What makes you say that..."  It is important to ask questions and for students to be able to provide examples to support their thinking.  Often times it may be assumed that students are not providing the "correct" answers, when in fact they have examples.  In other instances, students are giving answers or remarks they think is correct but have no information to back up their ideas.  This week in reading and writing we will be discussing how to answer questions with evidence, referring explicitly to the text.

Check out this thinking mat to help us organize our sticky notes.

In Summer

We have been using graphic organizers to write in a clear, detailed manner what we are looking forward to doing over the summer!  Tomorrow it will be time to publish and turn our writing into another class book. 

Why Does My Kid Spell Like That?

Why is my kid allowed to make spelling mistakes when drafting?

Article

Letter Reversals

We're Getting More Stuff!

I'm so excited about some new writing tools we will be getting soon in our learning lab.  Check them out below!

Calling All Writers

We will be reviewing how to write sentences and check for errors in our spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  Notice how the words above are put together into scoops.  This "scooping" is used to help with reading fluently and less robotic.

Compare and Contrast

Did you see the movie, Frozen?  Did you see the movie, The Lego Movie?

Which one was better?

What made it better?

If you didn't see these movies, by looking at the movie posters below, which one would you want to see and why?

What makes it look like a better movie?

What made it look more interesting?

Writing

We have been formatting our stories in sequence using 3 photos.  We tell a story saying: first, next, and last.  Just like in a story we retell by saying what happened in the: beginning, middle, and end.

We have been writing our stories making sure we begin our sentence, using the transition words: First, Next, Last with a capital letter.  We conclude each sentence with punctuation (.  ?  !)  We know to put a punctuation mark before we use our next transition word.

English Is Fun

You have to check out this website.  It is Ms. Rappaport's newest, most favorite site in all of the internet for helping to make us better readers and writers.

Let's have some fun with English Games!

Donor's Choose Project Funded!

Ms. Rappaport's 4th project has been funded!

In the beginning of the school year, generous donors gave us two iPad mini's.  Now we are getting even more wonderful presents!

What can you expect in our learning lab?

I can't wait for their arrival in January! 

Do you have any ideas of what you would like to be added to our resource room?  Ms. Rappaport is currently brainstorming possible ideas for her next donor's choose project.

Introducing, Story Grammar Marker!  Check out this new tool, coming soon!  Ms. Rappaport has been talking with our school's speech teachers, and she loves this resource, she just had to have it for her learning lab.  A few more special add on's will be coming too to help us with our narrative stories (a big part of common core ELA).  I can't wait for all these things -- I hope we have enough room. 

Talk to write.  Write to learn!

Sight Words and Writing

Kindergarten: Write 1-5 sentences using these words:
Sight Words Pre-Primer

First grade: Write 1-5 sentences using these words:
Sight Words Primer

Second grade: Write 1-5 sentences using these words:
First Grade

Third grade: Write 1-5 sentences using these words:
Second Grade

Know how to read and write all those words?  Write 1-5 sentences using these words:
Third Grade

Punctuation

Today we discussed and practiced appropriate times to use periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

Let's Write the Right Way!

Bring Your Poetry to Life!

Using colorful words when writing... Check out these "colorful" words, taken from a book. 

Book Reviews

During writer's workshop, we have been writing reviews on many things; like restaurants, movies, television shows, toys, and even books!

Check out this link to see millions of reviews by kids in the first grade at Spaghetti Book Club. 

Persuasive Writing Unit

Sometimes there are things we just have to have.  It may be books, clothes, jewelry, toys, food, candy, and the list goes on...  We've all been guilty of this!  We might beg, we might cry, we might pout.

In writer's workshop we are busy looking at collections.  Thank you to everyone that brought theirs in!  We are using our senses: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, (except for tasting!) and collecting lots of facts.  We are also comparing items inside of collections.  We can't wait to review our collections and explain reasons why we like something over another.  Just like the girl in Earrings!  we are trying to be very convincing!

Videos

Click on this link to sing-along to a "Parts of a Story" song to help you check your realistic fiction stories.


When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking!  Check out this video to learn more!

 Watch the video above to sing-along to the "double e" sound

Watch the video above to sing-along to the "double o, oo" sound

Watch the video above to sing-along to the "ph" sound

Watch the video above to sing-along to the "long o" sound