WELCOME TO FIRST GRADE

1. WELCOME TOFIRST GRADE Room S-5 Mrs. Testa

2. Table of Contents • Personal Background • Responsive Classroom Approach • Daily Routines & Academics • Programs in the classroom • House Keeping

3. Personal Background • Education • Teaching Experience • Mrs. Testa, the person

4. Education • University of Massachusetts, Amherst • BA in Elementary Education • BA in Sociology • The College of New Jersey, Global Program • MEd. in Elementary Education.

5. Teaching Experience • Allen W. Roberts School 13th year at AWR My second year teaching first grade I taught Kindergarten for 7 years and this is my 6th year in first grade. • Springfield School District Springfield, MA 5th and 3rd Grade • Whately Elementary School Whately, Massachusetts 1st Grade - Student Teaching

7. The Responsive Classroom Approach The Responsive Classroom is an approach to teaching and learning that fosters safe, challenging, and joyful classrooms and schools, kindergarten through eighth grade. Developed by Northeast Foundation for Children in 1981.

8. Principles of the Responsive Classroom • The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. • How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand. • The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction. • There is a set of social skills children need in order to be successful academically and socially: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

9. Principles continued… • Knowing the children we teach–individually, culturally, and developmentally–is as important as knowing the content we teach. • Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education. • How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community.

10. Responsive Classroom’s Teaching Practices • Morning Meeting:A daily routine that builds community, creates a positive climate for learning, and reinforces academic and social skills. • Rules and Logical Consequences: A clear and consistent approach to discipline that fosters responsibility and self-control. • Guided Discovery:A format for introducing materials that encourages inquiry, heightens interest, and teaches care of the school environment. • Academic Choice:An approach to giving children choices in their learning that helps them become invested, self-motivated learners. • Working with Families:Ideas for involving families as true partners in their children's education.

11. Hopes and Dreams • Last week in school students created their hopes and dreams that they would like to achieve in first grade. These hopes and dreams will allow the class to create rules based on giving everyone the opportunity to achieve their hopes and dreams.

12. Classroom Rules • Be good to yourself. • Be good to others. • Be good to the environment.

13. Discipline • You break it, you fix it” can be used to mend emotional messes as well as physical messes. A child can rebuild a block tower after accidentally knocking it over. A child can repair hurt feelings with an “apology of action” by doing something to soothe the injury, such as drawing a picture or playing a game.  • Temporary loss of privilege is a simple way to help a child remember to use that privilege (art materials, recess, group time) responsibly. Losing a privilege for a class period or a day can help a child pause to remember or relearn a rule.  • “Time-out” or “Take a Break” is a strategy to help children learn self-control. A child who is disrupting the work of the group is asked to leave for a few minutes. Give the child a chance to regain composure and rejoin the group on his own.

14. Daily Routines • Morning Meeting • Greeting • Sharing • Activity • Message • Calendar

15. Daily Routines and Academics

16. Language Arts • Reading By the end of first grade students will be able to: • Identify all letters and all of the letter / sound relationships • Decode short and long vowel words • Use various word solving strategies to decode words • Fluently read books at a level H • Find meaning and make connections between text and real life

17. Guided Reading Guided reading uses small-group instruction and developmentally appropriate books called leveled readers. This approach recognizes that a wide range of reading ability exists within first grade, and that reading at the appropriate levels ensures success. A child is placed in a small group with other children of similar ability and/or skill needs. The teacher monitors and guides the reading of each child as needed. Discussion of the book follows, and the child keeps the book to read repeatedly.

18. What it is like to “read” with 90% accuracy Pa followed Joanie with his dirty XXXX. Spoon rose to follow Pa, but one of the XXXX suns in the window caught the light of the real XXXX and sent off pure white XXXX directly at Spoon. He sat down again, XXXX by the XXXX orb, feeling as if he was on the brink of a meaningful thought, on the verge of XXXX his XXXX. His eyes darted from one XXXX to the next. Something of Gram’s. Thinking, thinking.

19. Readers Workshop • Reader’s Workshop is an instructional model for teaching reading. The workshop model combines explicit instruction in reading strategies with the opportunities for students to practice reading strategies independently and with classmates. In reader’s workshop, students experience what real readers do: self-select books, self-pace, reflect and share books with others. It is the role of the teacher to demonstrate how to explore and succeed with literature through direct instruction and modeling, small group instruction, and by providing individual feedback for independent reading.

20. Readers Workshop Schedule • Mini Lesson - 5 to 10 minutes • Independent Reading – 15 to 30 minutes • Conferring – working with teacher one-on-on or working in small groups • Partner Reading and Discussion • Sharing/Reflection

21. Word Study • The field of "word study" provides students an opportunity to manipulate words in meaningful and enjoyable activities and games. Word study activities call for active problem solving. Students are encouraged to look for spelling patterns, form hypotheses, predict outcomes, and test them. These activities require students to continually ask themselves, "What do I know about this new word, and how is it similar to words that I already know?" • A cycle of instruction for word study might include the following: 1. Introduce the spelling pattern by choosing words based on a child’s need as a speller. 2. Encourage students to discover the pattern in their reading and writing 3. Students participate in engaging activities to help reinforce the spelling pattern. 4. Spelling test

22. Word Study/Spelling Homework • Sample Word Study Homework

23. Language Arts Writing By the end of first grade students will be able to: Write for a purpose Write a sentence with proper subject-verb agreement Include a clear beginning, middle and end in their stories Transition from inventive spelling to real spelling Form all letters correctly

24. Writer’s Workshop • The basic philosophy behind Writers Workshop is to allow students to spend time writing for real purposes about things that interest them.  The ultimate goal of writing workshop is to develop life-long writers.   • Writers Workshop Schedule • Mini Lesson - 5 to 10 minutes • Writing – 15 to 30 minutes • Conferring – working with teacher one-on-on • or working in small groups • 4. Sharing/Reflection

25. Handwriting Without Tears top • Handwriting Without Tears aims to make legible and fluent handwriting an easy and automatic skill that students can master. The program’s multi sensory curriculum design and common language make handwriting easy. We will send about 15 minutes per day on handwriting at the beginning of the year and less as the year goes on. middle bottom

26. Mathematics Program: Go Math Aligned with Common Core Curriculum Standards • Memorize addition and subtraction facts to 20 • Addition and subtraction strategies • Place value • Comparing numbers • Two Digit Addition and Subtraction • Measurement • Graphing

27. Science The following topics will be covered: • Pebbles, Sand, & Silt • Monarch Butterflies • Plants • Balance and Motion

29. HOMEWORK READ READ READ For 15 minutes every night!

30. Homework Homework is important because it builds responsibility and reinforces learning. In first grade, each child will have homework Monday through Thursday. Homework in first grade will be approximately 15 - 25 minutes per evening, plus an additional 15 minutes of reading. These minutes are based on the time estimated for an average child working at an average pace. Your child may spend more or less time. If your child spends substantially more or less time than this amount on a regular basis, please contact me.

31. Homework Journal • Each night your child will bring home a homework journal. The homework journal will tell you what your child’s homework will be for the night. • You can also find your child’s homework on my website.

32. Homework Requirements • All homework should be completed neatly. • All writing should be done in PENCIL. • Your child’s name should be written on all homework assignments. When writing their name students should begin with a capital and the rest should be lowercase letters. • Assignments are due back the next day unless indicated by an email or on the paper.

33. Homework Policy • Each month your child will get 1 free homework pass. • 1 missed assignment per month: Use of homework pass • 2+ missed assignments per month: Loss of recess.

34. Home Folders • Please check your child’s home folder each night. Any homework dittos will be found in their homework folder. • Please have your child empty out the leave at home side of their folder each night. • Papers and notes that need to be give to me should be put into the bring back to school side of the folder.

35. Grades Earned when a student has put forth their best effort to reach their potential. Assignment is student’s neatest work and 100% correct. Earned when most of the work is completely correct and the student has put forth a good effort. Incomplete or rushed work.

36. Corrected Papers • Please review corrected papers that are found in your child’s home folder. • Review errors on the paper with your child. • At times you will see the word “fix” on the paper. Please fix the mistake and return. • TA – If your child’s paper has a TA on the top it stands for Teacher Assisted. It is important to review this paper and review the concept with your child.

37. Report Cards • The first marking period you will receive a paper report card during conferences in November. • 2nd, 3rd and 4th marking period report cards will be online. To access you need to log into Power School. Sample Report Card

38. Monthly Report • At the end of each month I will post a summary of the learning that took place in first grade on my website. Mrs. Testa's Website

39. Specials Monday – Music Tuesday – PE and FLES Wednesday – Sing Along and Library Thursday – Art Friday – PE • Sneakers with closed backs must be worn! No Clogs!

40. Programs In The Classroom

41. Mystery Reader • Each Friday a “mystery reader” will come to read the class. • Pointers • Please do not tell your child that you are the mystery reader. The surprise is so much fun! • Some mystery readers like to dress up like characters in the story.

42. Snack Each day students should bring in a small snack of fruits, vegetables, plain pretzels, or crackers in their lunch box or in a reusable bag. Students only have about 5 to 8 minutes to eat snack. Each day students should bring in a water bottle. This bottle will be sent home at the end of the day and should return to school the next day.

43. Allergies • We do not have any life threatening allergies in this class. However, please refrain from bring a snack with peanut butter or tree nuts. It is Ok for students to bring peanut butter in their lunch.

44. House Keeping

45. Birthday Bags • On your child’s birthday, they will receive a AWR birthday poster. This poster will be signed by their classmates. During snack we will also celebrate your child’s special day by singing “Happy Birthday”. • We do not celebrate birthday treats by bringing in food. • Other birthday related items • I discourage students discussing birthday parties in school! • No birthday party invitations are permitted in school, even if you are inviting the entire class! • Summer birthdays will be celebrated in June. • Goody bags will not be permitted to be distributed in class.

47. Safe List • The safe list is a list of three to four people who can pick up your child from my backdoor. i.e. relatives, neighbors, or car pool group. You indicated these people on your yellow contact form. Please review my list and make any corrections. • If someone is picking up your child, who is not on that list, I MUST HAVE A NOTE WITH YOUR WRITEN PERMISION!

48. How To Contact Mrs. Testa • Sending a note in with your child is the best way to communicate with me. • You can also leave a message with the secretaries with your name and phone number. Ask them to put it in my mail box. • Warning: I do not always check my voice mail. If you left a message and I did not get back to you in a day, please write me a note! • It is my goal to give your child the best education I know how! Please let me know if you have concern any concerns.

49. Allen W. Roberts Phone Number (908) 464-4707 My Email Address mtesta@npsd.us