October 5th Newsletter
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 04:34PM Dear Families, October 5, 2009
As the cooler weather is beginning to settle in the mountains here in Lincoln, we are settling into our daily rhythm. Children are arriving, greeting each other, deciding on lunch and starting their day with a choice time before morning meeting begins.
During Writers’ Workshop we have been telling stories through illustrations, drawing detailed ideas, and choosing topics pertinent to the writer. We use Lucy Calkins Writer’s Workshop as our model and format for writing. I had the fortunate opportunity to attend a week long writing institute at Columbia University this summer. The institute was part of the Reading and Writing Project that has been ongoing for almost 20 years. I learned the format and tools to teach children how to create authentic writing opportunities. The format is the same as our readers’ workshop: mini-lesson, student work time when we confer with children, and a sharing time. Our first unit, launching of the Writer’s Workshop focuses on learning how to generate ideas, cultivate rich conversations, lots of storytelling and detailed drawings. We have learned the big idea of this writing unit: choosing a topic, sketching it and then writing a tiny bit about the topic. The next step of the workshop is to teach more specific aspects of the writing process. During the first unit, the amount is not the focus, instead writers focus on generating a topic s/he knows enough about, drawing a detailed picture and then write.
We continue to focus on the details of our garden map. We have created a greenhouse, tool shed, two maple trees, a rocky river and garden beds. This week we will create a book to hand to the second graders about the garden and what was planted there last spring and this fall. We are planting garlic on Wednesday. Please make sure your child is dressed warmly and with closed toed shoes. I am also hoping to walk into town this Thursday, weather pending. I could use one parent volunteer. If you are interested please call Olga at 453-3001. I was hoping to go at 11:00am or 1:30pm. We will attempt to draw a pictorial map of the town and hopefully the crane will still be there.
Reading continues to be a very exciting time in our room. Recently we have split up into guided reading groups. In each group, we read a book (words and pictures), talk about the book, and partner read or individually. We also do a word sort. Last week it was the rime –at. For example, if the word studied is cat the onset or first sound is /c/ and the rime or the vowel and what follows is /at/. This week we will work on –an and –ad families. While introducing spelling, these simple rimes create a successful spelling atmosphere. They also help students understand the format for spelling. Once students learn the format we will begin to individualize spelling and vocabulary. We will begin to send books home from our guided reading groups. They will arrive in a Ziploc bag. Please have your child read to you and return the book(s) the next day. I hope to do this three times a week. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call.
Some of the strategies we are learning are:
- use your pointing finger
- look at the picture
- asking “Does it make sense?”
- get your mouth ready (to sound out the first letter)
- get a running start
Your child has learned these during our reading mini-lessons and if s/he is ‘stuck’ at home when reading, these strategies may help.
I feel like we are in full swing here in the first grade. I enjoy your children immensely as I get to know them better and we are forming a thoughtful, caring, and respectful first grade community.
We just completed a bulletin board about interdependence, one of our habits of mind. During assembly last Friday, we created a yarn web about how we work together and/or how we are connected. Thank you to Fifth graders Spencer and Andrew who were our voices and congratulations to our brave first graders.
Peace,
Tiffany
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