Welcome to First Grade Just for Parents Night

1. Welcome to First Grade Just for Parents Night September 17, 2013

2. Introducing...The First Grade Team • Kara Bartkus • Annette Borowiec • Shannaedi ElFadili • Celia Garza • Katrina Johnson • Amanda McGlothlin • Jeannie Seymour • Crystal Weber

3. Communication • Website www.alvinisd.net * Please visit this website for important information (student handbook, calendar and dress code). * Please visit teacher webpages for current events. • Email * (first initial, last name@alvinisd.net) * Limited information pertaining to child as teacher’s respect student confidentiality • Mary Marek Phone: 281-245-3232 • Conference time: 1:10-1:55 • Tuesday folders * Used to send important information home * Used as “one-way” communication • Student daily binder and academic planner

4. Grading Guidelines • Grades and attendance are posted on the TEAMs Parent Self Serve. This website is a resource for parents/guardians to view their child's grades, attendance and discipline information. Email notifications can also be set to receive notifications whenever an absence is posted or for low grades or missing assignments. • Register to activate your portal through the Alvin ISD website or by going to https://teamsapp.alvinisd.net/selfserve/NewUserRegistrationAction.do Alvin ISD Elementary Grading Guidelines: • With the Reading/Language Arts K-2 report card being based on a continuum of learning rather than based on a 0-100 grading scale, multiple opportunities should be given for a student to master skill prior to documentation on the report card. This documentation will be noted as 3, 2, 1.

5. Homework • Homework is reinforcement of skills learned in class. • Math • ASTROS- Monday-Wednesday • Science/Social Studies • Assignment over topic for the week - Thursday • Reading • Minimum of 20 minutes daily • Homework is checked daily. • Students will be expected to do the written work on their own and ask for help only after they have given it their best effort. ***It is YOUR CHILD’S responsibility to complete daily homework assignments and get their planner and reading log signed daily. ***

6. Math • Spiraling Curriculum-Each nine weeks we will revisit concepts learned from the previous nine weeks and build on those concepts. • Concepts Include • Related addition and subtraction problems (word problems) • Non-standard units of measurement • Money • Time to hour and half hour • Comparing and ordering numbers • Place value (hundreds, tens, and ones) • 2D and 3D shapes • Graphing • Skip counting (2’s, 5’s, 10’s) • Composing and decomposing numbers • Fractions (halves and fourths) • Fact Families • Algebraic Reasoning (8 + ____ = 10) • Working at Home • Keep your ASTROS homework that is sent in Tuesday Folders to review. • Have your students show their work on their homework, not just their answers. (Underline questions, circle important data, write if they are adding or subtracting, draw pictures to check their answers)

7. ASTROS HOMEWORK

8. Reading Workshop Format: • 60 minute block of time • Students are working independently, or in partners, in Literacy based work stations • Teacher is working with small groups Purpose: • Students are able to practice skills that were introduced in class or in small groups • Teachers are able to work with small groups to enhance reading skills and strategies Goal: • To instill a love of reading in all children • For students to read with meaning • Build fluency and comprehension • To make at least one year’s growth based on the DRA

9. Book Level Comparison Chart

10. Beginning of First Grade DRA • DRA Level 3 • “I like oranges,” said the boy. “Do you?” • “No,” said the girl. “I like apples. Do you?” • Repeated text with picture clues • DRA Level 4 • “Where is my hat?” said Ben. • Ben looked under his bed. “It is not here,” he said. • More sight words with picture clues and comprehension questions

11. End of First Grade • DRA Level 16 • Birds make nests in the spring. Mother robin finds mud and twigs and leaves. She makes a round nest. She puts soft grass inside the nest. ~~~OR~~~ • Monkey and his mother lived in the jungle. One day Monkey wanted to take a walk to look for butterflies. • “Don’t go too far,” said his mother. “There are lots of animals who eat monkeys.” • “Don’t worry,” said Monkey. “I won’t go too far.” • Goals: • Level 16 can be either non-fiction or fiction • Story lines or information are more complex • More focus on comprehension • First grade sight words should be mastered at this point

12. Writers Workshop • Writer’s Workshop This Year • • Where Writer's get ideas • • Writer's Workshop • procedures and expectations • • How to use different writing tools • • Telling stories in illustrations

13. Word Study “Spelling” Typical Schedule: (in class activities) Make, Say, Check, Write, Mix Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check Making Connections Buddy Study Buddy Test Students will come home soon with a list of 10 words: 5 words are chosen from a list using a specific spelling concept, 5 words are chosen by the student from a list of High Frequency Words.

14. Social Studies • Making connections through knowledge, strategies, skills, and vocabulary to other learning area such as reading, writing, and math concepts. • Whole group discussions and lessons • Variety of Topics • Communities • Timelines, maps, graphs • Historical figures • Folktales and Legends

15. Science • This year your Scientist will cover the following Topics: • Introduction to Science • Weather/Seasons • My World (Soil, Rocks, Natural Sources of Water, Conservation and Recycling) • Matter • Energy and Forces (Forms of Energy, Motion and Magnets) • Living and Nonliving • Animals(Characteristics and Life Cycles) • Plants • Interdependence (Ecosystems and Food Chains) • Project Based Learning

16. Technology • Working independently and building stamina • Learning mouse control • Enhancing fine motor skills • Practicing basic computer functions • Learning how to manipulate and operate various computer programs and devices • Enhancing reading, math and phonemic awareness skills • Each week students will be visiting the computer lab as well as using the classroom computers to continue education. • Some of the technology integration used in the classroom includes • Promethean Board • SMART Promethean Activslate • Promethean Activote • PC Computer/laptop computer • Flip Video camera • Samsung Galaxy Note and Kindle Fire devices

17. Student Friendly Websites • Your child will be interacting with several of the websites listed below. Please feel free to use the following online website resources at home. Click on the link and it will take you directly to the webpage. • Book Adventure - http://www.bookadventure.com • Starfall - http://www.starfall.com • Kids Spell - http://www.kidsspell.com • Storyline Online - http://www.storylineonline.net • Tumble Books – http://www.tumblebooks.com • Seussville - http://www.seussville.com/ • Online Story time http://www.barnesandnoble.com • National Geographic for Kids - http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ • NASA for Kids - http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html • ABCya - http://www.abcya.com/ • PBS Kids - http://pbskids.org/ • Dance Mat Typing - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ • Internet Safety - http://www.netsmartz.org/Safety/SafetyTips

18. Thank you for attending tonight. Please email any questions, comments and concerns to your child’s teacher.