Holiday Gift Ideas

It is that time of year to buy gifts and I love these ideas for our creative first graders!

This age should be filled with lots of free play, drawing, creative and imagination play!

 

Students are still excited to have their families read aloud to them.  Many are beginning to read on their own and these are the books series I love to encourage first graders to read on their own or to their families!

  

Games that help with critical thinking and math!

 

First graders are excited about jump ropes, puzzles and plenty of time outside!

Wishing you a holiday break with less technology and more creative play and family conversation!

Pajama Project

First grade is talking all about Compassion in our crew classrooms this month.  We have sent home compassion calendars to help with compassion ideas at home.  

We are hosting a Fox Creek Pajama Project through December 15.  We are in need of donations of pajamas sized newborn to adult.  For every pair donated, Scholastic will donate a brand new book.  These donations will benefit families right here in Douglas County.

First grade is excited to take a leadership role at Fox Creek by visiting each crew classroom to speak about the donations needed.  First grade will count all of the pajamas to be donated on Thursday.  Thank you for your support.

Questions to ask to support compassion at home:

How did you show compassion today?
How does it make you feel to show compassion?
How did the person whom you showed compassion to feel?  

A Night To Remember

We started our celebration by performing to our grand friends.  Each student shared their high quality portrait and their grand friend's story.

Our night celebration was beautify.

 Students worked hard during their first grade performance of our learning expedition, Everybody Has a Story!

Students were proud, nervous and excited to share their hard work and perseverance.

We loved singing songs along with the individual presentations of our work.  Students enjoyed sharing about the story elements, their small moments revision/editing, their grand friend revision/editing and final products of both stories.  Students persevered to draw a high quality drawing of their grand friend.  We hope you enjoyed our learning as much as we did.

Celebration of Learning

On December 6 at 6 pm, First Grade will be celebrating all of our learning from our Fall Learning Expedition, Everybody Has a Story.  Please have your student arrive at 5:45 pm to the classroom and you may head straight to the gym.  Students will begin in the gym to start the evening with an entire grade performance.  Students have persevered to learn and practice 4 songs to compliment all of our case studies.

 After our performance, please join our individual classes in our room and the 2nd grade room 106.  There, students will present individual presentations about their learning.  Please be an active listener and ask these 2 follow up questions:

1.  What are you most proud of?
2.  What was the hardest part of this expedition?

We ask that you listen to your child's presentation as well as 2 additional first graders.

Students have practiced all week: alone, with a partner, with friends from other first grade classes, with their YO (younger older - 4th grade buddy) and a teacher.











Here are the 2 learning targets for the night for all of our visitors.

I can actively listen to 3 first grade presentations.

I can ask 2 questions at the end of a first grade presentation.
1.  What are you most proud of?
2.  What was the hardest part of this expedition?


We look forward to celebrating all of our learning and hard work with you!

Gratitude

The month of November was a month of reflection on gratitude.  Each first grader got his/her own gratitude journal.  We worked 2 times a week to reflect on what we were thankful for at school, home, in our family, etc.  

We loved heading outside on Wednesday afternoons to find a quiet spot on campus.  Students enjoyed our paths and the opportunity to look around before we settled in.

Being outside is always a favorite time for our crew.  Students enjoy exploring new areas.

We worked each week to increase our stamina of sitting quietly while we independently reflected on what each of us is thankful for.  

Once we were able to sit for 15 minutes in silence, we ventured with our fourth grade buddies on a gratitude walk.  Students enjoyed walking with their older buddy down to a local park.

Once we arrived, students sat, observed and reflected quietly for 15 minutes.   

 I encourage families to start journals at home where families can sit, observe and reflect.  This quiet time each day is a great habit to start!

Winter Is HERE

 First grade loved getting our first taste of winter.  The students loved playing in the snow and exploring the outdoors.  Students played and collaborated together.  I was delighted to see each students big smile and hear the stories of how much fun they had.

Please remember that we go outside when it is cold.  It is crucial that students always have a pair of mittens/gloves and a hat in his/her backpack.  Also, students need to have a heavy coat as even when it is too cold to go to recess, we will take a quick walk outside to get our bodies moving and our brains thinking.  Plus, what child doesn't love to look at the snow.

Students can only play in the snow if they have snow pants and boots.  Please watch the weather and pack up these items so that your child can enjoy this magical time of year.
Thank your for helping our first grade crew get to go outside and play!  Please read this article to check out why it is so important for your child to play outside each day, even in the winter.  Thank you for your support!

Case Study #4 - Grand Friends

First, each child shared their own small moment story.  This helped build the relationship by getting to know each other. Next students listened to a story from their grand friend's life. Each student actively listened and took notes.

We have started our 4th case study, Telling Someone Else's Story of our Learning Expedition, Everybody Has a Story.  Students traveled to a local assisted living facility to meet their new grand friend.

We returned to school to start our first draft of the grand friend small moment.  Students also began their drafts of a high quality portrait of their grand friend.  We returned a second time to again continue the process of building a relationship and asking clarifying questions to revise the story.

Case Study #3 - Telling Our Story

First graders have been persevering to write our detailed small moment (personal narrative) story.  Students wrote 5-7 detailed stories and then selected one to revise, edit and eventually publish.

Students worked on a strong lead so that the reader would want to keep reading his/her story.

We worked hard to read a lot of mentor text to brainstorm details that help our mental image.  Students worked to add describing words and feelings to their stories.  Finally, we edited our stories with our 4th grade buddies.  They helped with conventions and spelling.

Lastly, we persevered to write our hight quality final draft.  Then we shared these stories with our friends in Mrs. VP's crew and our new grand friends.

Students are learning that hard work and perseverance pay off.  We can't wait to share these stories with your at our Celebration of Learning on Tuesday, December 6 at 6 pm.

Student Led Conferences

Thank you to all the families who came to listen to your child at his/her student led conference.  The students worked hard at putting their student portfolios together and personalizing them.

We spent crew time this week, practicing alone and with friends from class.  Students persevered to have the courage to engage in public speaking.

We discussed criteria with our 4th grade buddies from Ms. Lindsey's crew as we practiced presenting to them as well.

I can use a level 3/4 voice.

I can make eye contact.

I can sit still.

I can sit up straight.

I can speak clearly.

We also practice our long term learning target:

I can actively listen to others.

~eyes on the speaker

~mouth quiet

~body still.

Problem Solving

As a CREW, we are working hard on problem solving throughout our day.  In CREW, we are working to problem solve during collaborating in: groups, our relationships and with any conflict that arises.  We use CFR to express how we feel.

We use restorative practices to help us problem solve when conflict arises.  This may mean we meet as an entire crew or I may take individual students or small groups in the hall to talk and problem solve.


In math, we are problem solving using strategies in both addition and subtraction.  Students are excited to teach you their strategies at Student Led Conferences.  

In reading, we are working on problem solving tricky words by using multiple strategies.  The students have been reflecting on themselves as readers and what they are doing to help themselves.

In writing, we are working on problem solving writing words.  Students are using multiple strategies to help spell words.  Students are reflecting on their writer's notebooks to see what strategies they use most often.

You can support problem solving and independence at home by asking:
How can you problem solve this?
What strategies can you use to help yourself?