Reading
This week in Reader's Workshop we will explore how readers build good reading habits.
This week in Reader's Workshop we will explore how readers build good reading habits.
- We will learn how readers take a 'sneak peek' at their books and make predictions BEFORE they read the book. We will talk about how this is a good reading habit all readers do.
- Another good habit we will learn is that readers think back over their sneak peek while reading or at the end of the book to see if they were correct!
- We will also learn what readers can do at the end of a book. There is always something you can do when you are finished reading: reread the whole book, retell the story, reread your favorite part, or tell a friend about your book!
- The last good reading habit we will learn, is that readers read as much as they can for as long as they can! We will be using a special reading folder to help us organize and keep track of our books as we read.
Writing
We are excited for our first writing unit of the year: Small Moments! This unit focuses on writing stories about something that happened to you and zooming in on one specific event. For example, rather than writing about the entire trip to Disney World, you zoom in on a small moment and write about your first time on Magic Mountain.
To help your first grader kick start the brainstorming process, we need your help! Please help your student think about “The time I… saw____, went to____, learned ___, played ____, ate____.” Story ideas are all around!
We are excited for our first writing unit of the year: Small Moments! This unit focuses on writing stories about something that happened to you and zooming in on one specific event. For example, rather than writing about the entire trip to Disney World, you zoom in on a small moment and write about your first time on Magic Mountain.
To help your first grader kick start the brainstorming process, we need your help! Please help your student think about “The time I… saw____, went to____, learned ___, played ____, ate____.” Story ideas are all around!
- This week we will discuss how to write a small moment. We will learn that writers first think of an idea, then they plan out their story, and then they write.
- Our writers will practice planning out their small moments by telling the parts of the story to their fingers, then saying it out loud as they touch the pages, and finally sketching the parts across the pages.
- We will then discuss how in writing, "when you're done, you've just begun." This is the idea that there is ALWAYS work to be done in writer's workshop. Even if they have finished one story, they can go back and add details OR start a NEW story.
Phonics
This week we will launch our phonics unit! Throughout the year we will explore the way letters work together to build words.
This week we will launch our phonics unit! Throughout the year we will explore the way letters work together to build words.
- We will begin by studying our own names and the names of our classmates. We will learn how letters work together to build words.
- We will notice vowels and consonants in our names and the names of our classmates.