Making Turkey Predictions

Today we read the book Turk and Runt by Lisa Wheeler.  This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving books to read.  It was not long after starting the book that it became one of our first graders favs too. We read the whole book about this turkey trying to save his brother from getting eaten for Thanksgiving until the last page, then I had them predict what they thought Runt was going to do to save his family from getting eaten for a Christmas dinner.  Some of their predictions are below.  As it turns out the family dresses up like snowmen to disguise themselves when people come to the turkey farm looking for a plump turkey.  It was very fun to share their predictions and see how they related to the book's ending. 

                                                      by Sydney                                by Alex

Retelling-- Using The Great Turkey Race

On Monday we reviewed our skill of Retelling.  Most of our first grade friends have the reading strategy goal of being able to retell a story starting at the beginning and telling some details in the middle and finally being able to tell what happened at the end.  I have also been encouraging them to use the characters names and include the setting when it is possible.  After reading The Great Turkey Race by Steve Metzger, we worked together as a class to retell the story and added a cute craftivity to go along with it.  Take a peek..

**Thanks First Grade Parade for the Idea

Scoot Pad and RAZ Kids Arrive in Room 4

This week we added 2 great programs that are available for your child to do at school and at home on a computer or IPad.  I have posted the notes for you to view here incase you need to reference back to the instructions on how to access Scoot Pad and RAZ Kids.  Thanks again for all of your support as we add these to our school day.  

Scoot Pad Directions:    

address   http://ScootPad.com/

1. click on sign in

2. type in your child's user name/password

3. click on generate practice

4. click ok 

5. launch practice

6. do practice and push close when you finish the session

7. log out when you are done

We learned about an awesome new internet tool today called ScootPad.  ScootPad is a website that lets students practice Reading and Math curriculum standards 24 hours a day.  It can be accessed from home or from school.  It also is an app that can be loaded on an IPad.  We will be using it during our literacy/math block throughout the week. I sent home a parent letter today explaining how to access your child's account to see how they are doing.  As they take practice assignments they earn coins which can be spent to redeem classroom rewards.  If your student forgot their password, here is a reminder:

All User Names: their school gmail account log in

All Passwords: 1111

Your students used the site this morning and several have been on this afternoon (yay!)  I will monitor the site frequently and check reports occasionally.  There is also a "class wall" where students can talk/text back and forth.  We talked about things that are appropriate to say in this space and the students know that if they chose to say inappropriate things their "talking" privilege will be taken away.  This is a great way to practice and teach proper internet use and safety.  If you have any questions about how ScootPad works, why we're using it or how to monitor your child's progress please let me know! 

RAZ-Kids-

RAZ Kids

This year our first graders will be using the Raz-Kids.com online library as part of our literacy program.  Students will access “good-fit” books on their IPads or computer at school.  Raz-Kids is available for you at home or at the public library.

RAZ-Kids supports reading by providing students with hundreds of “good-fit” books to listen to and read independently.  They can also record themselves reading and take comprehension checks to see if they are checking for understanding.

Here is how to access the website from any computer connected to the Internet or IPad connected to WIFI.

For computer access: 

1. Go to www.raz-kids.com from your internet browser and click on Log in.
2. Type in the teacher username: csauber and click GO
3. Find your child’s name and click on it.  Each child has a password that is made up of two different icons.  This is listed on the attached sheet.  Please keep this in a safe place to refer back to it throughout the year and during the summer.
4. The books will appear on their personal assignment page. Please have your child listen to the story be read to them, read the story to themselves, and take the quiz at the end.  I will be able to check in with each student’s progress daily and provide immediate feedback.

For IPad Assess:

1. Download the Raz-Kids app(Learning A to Z) and Rover (both are free).  Rover takes the place of Adobe Flashdrive.
2. Follow the above directions using Rover Browser.

Feel Free to call, if you have any questions.

Happy Reading!!!

As you are supporting your child with these programs, please allow them to do as much of the answering the questions themselves as possible.  This allows that computer and your child's teachers to make the right session choices for your child's academic needs.  Thanks again for making this a successful learning opportunity for your child.
--Carrie and Jen

Making Connections with Ira Sleeps Over

After we read the book Ira Sleeps Over  by Benard Waber, we came up with connections that first graders had to the story.    Our chart below shows their connections on the post-its.  On the second day of the lesson we looked closer at their connections and decided if the connections were meaningful. (If the connection help us understand the story better, it is meaningful.)

Cat in the Hat--Here we come!!!

Our fall learning trip was to the Children's Museum to see Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat.  The kids LOVED the show!  Their highlight was getting to shake hands with the actors/actresses after the show ended.  After we got back the kids worked in pairs to retell the play in sequence and listed the characters we saw in the play.  Take a peek at our thinking chart.  Thanks again volunteers L and B.  We were glad you were able to join us.