Mrs. Wright’s First Grade Class: New Beginnings!

The 3rd nine weeks started today. That means: new grades, new reading log, new behavior log (everyone starts back with a 100 for conduct) YAY!! I like new beginnings!

Next week the library will be closed for most of the day while classes are given the DIBELS test. It will open in the afternoon after the day’s testing is complete. So don’t be alarmed if new library books aren’t being brought home. I’ll let the children go as soon as it is open each day. I have also told the children they may borrow books from our classroom library this week to take home. The dates for DIBELS is Jan. 23th -27th. The schedule is as follows:

Jan. 23 - 1st grade

Jan. 24 - Kindergarten

Jan. 25- 2nd grade

Jan. 26- 3rd grade

I am on the testing team and will be out of the classroom Tuesday until testing is complete. The children will stay with the other first grade teachers who they are very familiar with. I will pick up my class as soon as testing is complete.

First graders will be assessed in Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) this testing period. They will read three unfamiliar passages for one minute. The total number of words read, minus errors determines their words read per minute. Highest and lowest scores are tossed, the middle score will be their ORF. These results will be sent to you when we get the report.

Our sound for next week will be /e/ as in engine and Ed. We will be learning about elephant facts and their habitats.

Word wall words for the week are: make, when, red, do, take, into, ten, went

We will be learning Rule 13, adjectives. We will learn that adjectives describe nouns. They are words that tell the size, shape, color, how it feels, smells, tastes…well you get the picture. I love this rule because it will help the children’s writing become much more interesting with the use of these words.

We are going to continue our DOL as we have in the past this week. However next week we will change up the format a little. The children will copy the DOL as usual on Monday and Wednesday and on Tuesday and Thursday we will complete a Morning Message together. On Friday the children will still be required to copy their DOL from Monday and Wednesday and turn it in for a daily grade. This will all begin next week.

We will finish Chapter 8 tomorrow and most likely test on it on Wednesday. Just remember to look for the review/extra practice page to come home the night before the test. We’ll start on Chapter 13 Thursday, so math homework will be from Chapter 13. As usual the Chapter Review sheet will come home the night before the test. Please, please continue to practice Math Facts in a Flash at home, so they’ll be ready to test at school.