It is hard to believe that our second week of school is coming to a close tomorrow! Room 16 has been doing very well. Today, we worked on our "All About Me" books in writer's workshop. We will conclude them tomorrow. Tuesday, we will work on a class book to continue community building, and Wednesday we will begin our first proper writer's workshop unit, personal narrative.
In reader's workshop, we are building our routines. We have been especially focused on quiet reading, where students read independently, and the routine of coming to the "rainbow table" (based on the table's shape) to read with the teacher. I am hoping to begin reading with guided reading groups, and to send home books with students, next week. I will keep you posted!
Our district math curriculum emphasizes the importance of what will be asked of students regarding the Common Core State Standards, depth over breadth. I hope to have a link to the Smarter Balanced Assessment sample questions posted soon. Smarter Balanced will be the State's new standardized test in upcoming years. First graders will not take the test, but it is nice to get a sense of where we are headed!
We have also started our first social studies unit. Our vocabulary words for the first lesson are vote, rule, and citizen.
In non-curriculum related news, I am happy to welcome our student teacher, Rachel Schaffer, to our class! She comes to us from San Jose State, having already completed her first round of student teaching in Cupertino. We are thrilled to have her!
Thanks for reading! I hope to post similar, casual updates at least once a week to keep you informed of the happenings within our classroom!
*Katie
In reader's workshop, we are building our routines. We have been especially focused on quiet reading, where students read independently, and the routine of coming to the "rainbow table" (based on the table's shape) to read with the teacher. I am hoping to begin reading with guided reading groups, and to send home books with students, next week. I will keep you posted!
Our district math curriculum emphasizes the importance of what will be asked of students regarding the Common Core State Standards, depth over breadth. I hope to have a link to the Smarter Balanced Assessment sample questions posted soon. Smarter Balanced will be the State's new standardized test in upcoming years. First graders will not take the test, but it is nice to get a sense of where we are headed!
We have also started our first social studies unit. Our vocabulary words for the first lesson are vote, rule, and citizen.
In non-curriculum related news, I am happy to welcome our student teacher, Rachel Schaffer, to our class! She comes to us from San Jose State, having already completed her first round of student teaching in Cupertino. We are thrilled to have her!
Thanks for reading! I hope to post similar, casual updates at least once a week to keep you informed of the happenings within our classroom!
*Katie