Thursday 11/29/12

Hi! Tomorrow is picture day!!!!!! Your child can wear whatever they want (even if you didn't pay for pictures) all students will be photograph for our class picture!

On a Health Note:
We started our reading centers this week and one of the centers is computers. About 1/2 of the students have their own headphones. You don't need to purchase your own, but if you would like to send headphones for your child only to use as a lice precaution please feel free to send a pair to school. Otherwise, they will you the same 6 community headphones.

Lastly, we usually have "Wipey Wednesday" where the students use disinfecting wipes to clean their desk in order to keep ourselves germ free. With pencil usage, glue, coloring, and eating breakfast their desk get dirty really quick. So it's essential to have "Wipey Wednesday." You can donate some disinfecting wipes that would be great!

Homework:
Spelling: practice test AND worksheet on making spelling words. TEST is tomorrow

Math: Worksheet on addition

Reading: practice sight words for TEST tomorrow and practice reading

Wednesday 11/28/12

Hi! Today we had an awesome day of learning. It amazes me how much first graders can learn so quickly!!! I also wanted to tell you that I really appreciate YOU, the parents! Its helps so much when you the parents work on reading everyday with your child, homework, and practicing sight words. Thanks!

We are lucky enough that our school purchased 2 wonderful online programs that are designed specifically to meet your child's need. The programs are aligned with your child's NWEA scores and it setups activities that are at their level. Please feel free to access these programs and set your child up to work on for about 25-30 minutes a day. This is a great tool to use, especially when your child says "I am bored..." put them on the computer!!! You can access the links on the right.

RAZ KIDS: (IPad App available)
Teacher Username: mrsestrada1
Student password: initials and their class number

Odyssey Learning: 
username: student's first initial and last name
password: initials
*where is says odyssey type "explorer"


Homework: 
Spelling: Rainbow Write

Math: Addition worksheet

Phonics: workbook page on short "i" sound

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading

Tuesday 11/27/12

Hi! Today we are continued to write our All ABout Books for Science and Writing!!! they are coming out great! The students have been reading all about animals for weeks now and now they were able to Pick the animal of their choice and write their own nonfiction expository text!!! Can wait till they finish!


Homework:
Spelling: draw and write 5 sentences

Math: addition workbook page

Reading: practice sight words practice reading

P.S. Picture Day is Friday!!!!!!

Monday 11/26

Hi! So sorry about late post. Had a meeting right after school and totally forgot!!!!

Today I am sending home Sight Word Notebook. This notebook should be used everyday to practice sight words. Today we made flashcards (in hopes that if children make it themselves they be more motivated to use them) and we stapled a baggie to the back of the sight words so they can not forget them!!!! Please practice these everyday. You child needs to know how to read these in a snap!

On book orders at https://orders.scholastic.com/FLZ8R  (click on DEC) or you can send book orders to class, last day is Friday!!!


Homework: 
Spelling: 3 times each 

Math: Workbook page on ten frame to count up

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading

Wednesday 11/21/12

Hi!

Today I am sending home the Friday Test folders. Please, review and sign all test and folder and return it all back on Monday. After testing students today on sight words, I am very sad to only have a half the class get a 100% on these 10 words. Sight word practice is a nightly expectation and students should be practicing these using their notebook or the flash cards.Students need to be able to read these in a snap! The faster they learn these the better they will be at reading.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!! I am thankful for being able to do what I love to do, TEACH! I am thankful for having a wonderful class!!!!!


Homework:
Reading: Practice sight words and practice reading. Book Reports due Monday!

Thanksgiving Scholastic News: read and complete questions in the back 

Tuesday 11/20/12

Hi!

Today I introduce RAZ Kids. It's and online program that is leveled to meet the needs of your child. This program can also be access at home and there is a FREE IPad app if you  access to an IPad. All students need to do is log into http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login and the username is mrsestrada1. Then students click on their name and beginning reading the story of their choice. The only rule is that before they go onto another book they need to have 1) listen to the story, 2) read the story, and 3) lastly take the quiz on the story. This is a great way to help at home and get some more reading practice in. Students can collect stars to go cyber-shopping for their rocket-ship. Check it out!

I add the link to the right under "Web Practice"

Spelling: Write 5 sentences and draw 5 pictures

Math: worksheet on sums of 10

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading 

Monday 11/19/12

Hi! This week's stories are Where Wild the Wild Things Are (fiction) and A Good Night's Sleep (nonfiction). This week we will revisit the same sight words as last week since I was out 2 days and there are only 3 days this school week.

Homework:
Spelling: Words this week are: tell, sell, call, fill, mall, still, will, fell, and hall 
3 times each

Math: Worksheet on addition through sums of 12

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading 

Thursday and Friday

Hi! I am so sad that I had to miss class today and all the Family Reading Night fun :(

I have been fighting this cold/flu since the weekend and after yesterday school day, my voice was gone! As much as I would rather be at school doing what I love to do, I am stuck in bed miserable. I will be out tomorrow and hope to be healthy and back for Monday (Doctor's orders). I feel horrible missing 2 days of school this week, but I don't want to spread the gross germs to anyone.

Thanks for your understanding,

~Mrs. Estrada

Homework:

NO Math worksheet

Spelling: Practice for Spelling test tomorrow

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading. Book Reports due Monday 

Wednesday

Hi! Tomorrow is Family Reading Night from 6:30-8:00! The WHOLE school read the same story Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match and in honor of this book will we all come to school MIS-MATCHED! The contest that we are trying to win is the room that is mis-matched the most get a FREE PIZZA PARTY!!! We were so close last time to win during parent-conferences, so I hope we can win this time!!! Dress your child in the most ridiculous outfit you can think of. (Strips with pokie-dots, hair-do's that don't match, socks that are crazy, and maybe even different shoes!!!) Have fun with it!

Spelling: write and draw 5 sentences

Math: workbook page on graphing

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading

Monday 11/13/12

Hi! Today we had our introduction to nonfiction books!!!! We will be entering our nonfiction unit and students will be reading and writing in the nonfiction genre. Will be integrating our science unit on animals into our reading and writing as well.

Spelling: 2 times each
words this week are: big, bog, hug, mug, Greg, fog, bag, Meg, sag, and fig 

Math: Workbook page on graphing

Reading: practice sight-words (this, under, want, white, was, well, what, who, will, and with) and practice reading  

Thursday 11/08/12

Hi!

Today I am sending home the Friday Test Folder and weekend reading book. Tomorrow I am being sent to a Literacy Workshop so the students will have a substitute tomorrow and I figured it would be one less thing for the sub to worry about. Please don't send back the Friday Folders until Tuesday (no school Monday, Veterans Day) this way the sub won't get confused.

Homework:
Spelling: no need for practice test we took it today

Math: worksheet on bar graphs

Reading: PRACTICE SIGHTWORDS!!!! I was disappointed with the amount of students who did poorly on their sight words test. Sight words need to be memorize since these words can't be decoded. Every night the expectation is that parents work with their child on the sight words either using the collection of flashcards or the sight word notebook. Student who master sight words will read much faster. Please continue to read every night as well.

Wednesday 11/07/12

Today we learned about some History of the United States of America. We learned about English settlers and how the Native Americans Indians helped teach them to grow corn. We learned about the first president of the United States and how America won it's freedom from England. In Science we are learning about families and the different types of families. Today we focused on grandparents and continue this into writing workshop as the children wrote about their own grandparents!!!


Homework:

Spelling: Rainbow Write

Math: Workbook page on pictographs

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading
*I will be testing sight words tomorrow since Friday is an 1/2 day and their will be no time to test

Tuesday 11/06/12 Election Day!!!!

Hi!

Today we had an exciting day with a writing and art craft activity to go along with our story Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match. We also voted today! In our class Mitt Romney 5 and Barack Obama 29!!!! We will find out who wins hopefully tonight! VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!

Homework:
Spelling: Draw 5 Pictures and Write 5 Sentences

Math: Worksheet on pictograph and tally chart

Reading: practice sight-words and practice reading 

Book Reports! Due on Mondays!

 Hi! I wanted to share a couple of Book Report samples that students did an awesome job on! All book reports must be filled out entirely and written in complete sentences by the student. All illustrations should include lots of details and color! Help your child take pride in their work by coloring and writing neatly. 

P.S. We are starting the Six Flags reading program which I will keep track of reading minutes by the completed book reports and reading log your child completes weekly. Happy Reading!

 

Monday 11/05/12

Hi! We had a day full of learning today! This week's story is Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match and it's about a Peruvian-Scottish American girl who has a little spunk and likes things that don't match, like peanut butter and jelly burritos! At the end she learns that being different is okay a long as you are being yourself. In Math we are starting a unit on graphing, today we learned about tally charts!

Homework:
Spelling: 3 times each this week's words are; led, fed, pad, rob, tab, mob, glad, grab, had, red, nab, and glob
*note the pictures don't match the words but are more of a tool to use in rhyming the ending sound... if you can spell Bob then you should be able to spell rob because they rhyme! 

Reading: Practice sight words and practice reading 

Math: Workbook page on tally charts and subtraction 

Friday 11/02/12

Hi! Sorry for the late post. Friday the children had a great time writing their Santa Letters!!!! We also took our Spelling and Math test. In Social Studies and Writing we made campaign posters for the presidential election. They came out super cute!!! I will keep this hung up till Family Reading Night so you all can see how cute they came out! 

Homework:
Reading: book report and keep practicing those sight words

Thursday 11/01/12

Hi! We read the book “I Can Be Prsesident Too!” and it included stories from 6-10 years on why they would make a good president. I asked the students to think about (and sleep on it) why they would be a good president for tomorrow's activity. Tomorrow we will be making campaign posters on why we would make a good president.  Are they honest? Responsible? Determined? A problem solver? Generous? Respectful? Keep promises? Leader? and how do they show it???

Homework:

Spelling: practice spelling test

Reading: practice sight words and practice reading

Math: Workbook page on subtraction 

P.S The last day to purchase any items for Book Fair is tomorrow. Students may bring money to purchase items during school.