Back to School Night First Grade Southeast Elementary

Back to School Night First Grade Southeast Elementary

Student Goals • • • Love of Learning Independent Responsible Compassionate Resourceful Knowledgeable

I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that will decide whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized. Hiam Ginott Teacher and Child Avon Books, 1976

Teacher Goals • • Support and Nurture Develop Talents Meet Individual Needs Integrate Learning Styles Connect Curriculum to the Real-World Challenge and/or Restructure Stay Connected to Home

Curriculum- Where does it come from?

Reading The Comprehension Toolkit Fountas & Pinnell Word Study • Focuses on “reading as thinking” • Builds skills and competence in key • Builds students word thinking strategies for increased knowledge through comprehension instruction in phonics, • Supports time for shared reading, spelling patterns, high guided reading (small groups), frequency word knowledge, independent reading, and vocabulary development, collaborative discussion and sharing and word-solving actions • Provides opportunities for students to read in a variety of genres including nonfiction.

Reading Daily Five • Listen to and respond to good Integrate reading and writing literature. activities. • Select material at the Participate in lessons on appropriate level. phonics and word attack • Focus on comprehension. skills. • Match students with “good Participate in lessons on fit” reading texts using many reading strategies.

Reading at Home • Home readers will go READ, READ! Read out loud, to an adult. home in October • Reading logs document At least 10 to 15 minutes books read and time every night. spent reading. • Class Reading Goal: 40, 000 minutes.

Language Arts Traits of Good Writing: • Meaning • Structure • Detail • Voice • Conventions Writing Experiences: • Personal narratives • Descriptive writing • Poetry • Journal writing • Story writing • Report writing • Friendly letters

Spelling • Begins after conferences • Spelling words sent home on Monday. • Start slow, work through • Option for challenge with spelling patterns together. 2 bonus words • Test on Friday.

Social Studies and Geography Integrated Units of Study: • All About Me • Cultures • Economics • Neighborhoods • Past, Present, and Future Integrated into our reading and writing.

Mathematics Everyday Mathematics: • Emphasizes conceptual understanding while building a mastery of basic skills • Explores the full mathematics spectrum, not just basic arithmetic • Based on how children learn, what they’re interested in, and the future for which they must be prepared Program Highlights: • Data and Chance • Geometry • Measurement • Operations and Computation • Patterns, Functions, and Algebra

Science and Technology for Units of Study Children: • Students make their own –Weather discoveries –Changes • Knowledge is actively constructed by the learner • Hands-on experimental environment • Scientific reasoning skills

Character Education and Tribes Character Education: • Compassion • Honesty/Integrity • Respect • Self-Discipline • Courage • Perseverance • Responsibility/Accountability • Teamwork Tribes- Ways of cooperating with each other: • Attentive Listening • Appreciation/No Put-Downs • The Right to Pass • Mutual Respect Character is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. – JC Watts

Chinese • • Students will speak only Chinese by October Recognize 75 characters by the end of the year Build vocabulary through songs and visuals Strengthen proficiency through games and opportunities to converse with peers

Specials • Art • Music • Physical Education

Additional Information • • • Communication Conferences Star of the Week Birthdays Homeroom moms

Technology Integrated into the daily routine of the classroom through: – Information retrieval – Student productivity – Problem solving – Decision making – Communication and collaboration – Delivery of lessons – Classroom management