WELCOME TO FIRST GRADE

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WELCOME TOFIRST GRADE
Room S-5
Mrs. Testa
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Table of Contents

• Personal Background
• Responsive Classroom Approach
• Daily Routines Academics
• Programs in the classroom
• House Keeping

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Personal Background

• Education
• Teaching Experience
• Mrs. Testa, the person

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Education

• University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• BA in Elementary Education
• BA in Sociology
• The College of New Jersey, Global Program
• MEd. in Elementary Education.

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Teaching Experience

• Allen W. Roberts School
• 11th year at AWR
• My second year teaching first grade
• I taught Kindergarten for 7 years and this is my
  4th year in first grade.
• Springfield School District
• Springfield, MA
• 5th and 3rd Grade
• Whately Elementary School
• Whately, Massachusetts
• 1st Grade - Student Teaching

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The Responsive Classroom Approach

• The Responsive Classroom is an approach to
  teaching and learning that fosters safe,
  challenging, and joyful classrooms and schools,
  kindergarten through eighth grade. Developed by
  Northeast Foundation for Children in 1981.

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Principles of the Responsive Classroom

• The social curriculum is as important as the
  academic curriculum.
• How children learn is as important as what they
  learn process and content go hand in hand.
• The greatest cognitive growth occurs through
  social interaction.
• There is a set of social skills children need in
  order to be successful academically and socially
  cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy,
  and self-control.

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Principles continued

• Knowing the children we teachindividually,
  culturally, and developmentallyis as important
  as knowing the content we teach.
• Knowing the families of the children we teach and
  working with them as partners is essential to
  children's education.
• How the adults at school work together is as
  important as individual competence Lasting
  change begins with the adult community.

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Responsive Classrooms Teaching Practices

• Morning Meeting A daily routine that builds
  community, creates a positive climate for
  learning, and reinforces academic and social
  skills.
• Rules and Logical Consequences A clear and
  consistent approach to discipline that fosters
  responsibility and self-control.
• Guided Discovery A format for introducing
  materials that encourages inquiry, heightens
  interest, and teaches care of the school
  environment.
• Academic Choice An approach to giving children
  choices in their learning that helps them become
  invested, self-motivated learners.
• Working with Families Ideas for involving
  families as true partners in their children's
  education.

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Hopes and Dreams

• Last week in school students created their hopes
  and dreams that they would like to achieve in
  first grade. These hopes and dreams will allow
  the class to create rules based on giving
  everyone the opportunity to achieve their hopes
  and dreams.

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Classroom Rules

• Be good to yourself.
• Be good to others.
• Be good to the environment.

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Discipline

• You break it, you fix it can be used to mend
  emotional messes as well as physical messes. A
  child can rebuild a block tower after
  accidentally knocking it over. A child can repair
  hurt feelings with an apology of action by
  doing something to soothe the injury, such as
  drawing a picture or playing a game. 
• Temporary loss of privilege is a simple way to
  help a child remember to use that privilege (art
  materials, recess, group time) responsibly.
  Losing a privilege for a class period or a day
  can help a child pause to remember or relearn a
  rule. 
• Time-out or Take a Break is a strategy to
  help children learn self-control. A child who is
  disrupting the work of the group is asked to
  leave for a few minutes. Give the child a chance
  to regain composure and rejoin the group on his
  own.

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Daily Routines

• Morning Meeting
• Greeting
• Sharing
• Activity
• Message
• Calendar

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Daily Routines and Academics
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Language Arts

• Reading
• By the end of first grade students will be able
  to
• Identify all letters and all of the letter /
  sound relationships
• Decode short and long vowel words
• Use various word solving strategies to decode
  words
• Fluently read books at a level H
• Find meaning and make connections between
• text and real life

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Guided Reading

• Guided reading uses small-group instruction and
  developmentally appropriate books called leveled
  readers. This approach recognizes that a wide
  range of reading ability exists within first
  grade, and that reading at the appropriate levels
  ensures success. A child is placed in a small
  group with other children of similar ability
  and/or skill needs. The teacher monitors and
  guides the reading of each child as needed.
  Discussion of the book follows, and the child
  keeps the book to read repeatedly. Subsequent
  lessons at the lower levels usually use an
  entirely new book.

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Readers Workshop

• Readers Workshop is an instructional model for
  teaching reading. The workshop model combines
  explicit instruction in reading strategies with
  the opportunities for students to practice
  reading strategies independently and with
  classmates. In readers workshop, students
  experience what real readers do self-select
  books, self-pace, reflect and share books with
  others. It is the role of the teacher to
  demonstrate how to explore and succeed with
  literature through direct instruction and
  modeling, small group instruction, and by
  providing individual feedback for independent
  reading.

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Readers Workshop Schedule

• Mini Lesson - 5 to 10 minutes
• Independent Reading 15 to 30 minutes
• Conferring working with teacher one-on-on or
  working in small groups
• Partner Reading and Discussion
• Sharing/Reflection

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Word Study

• The field of "word study" provides students an
  opportunity to manipulate words in meaningful and
  enjoyable activities and games. Word study
  activities call for active problem solving.
  Students are encouraged to look for spelling
  patterns, form hypotheses, predict outcomes, and
  test them. These activities require students to
  continually ask themselves, "What do I know about
  this new word, and how is it similar to words
  that I already know?"
• A cycle of instruction for word study might
  include the following
• 1. Introduce the spelling pattern by choosing
  words based
• on a childs need as a speller.
• 2. Encourage students to discover the pattern
  in their
• reading and writing
• 3. Students participate in engaging activities
  to help
• reinforce the spelling pattern.
• 4. Spelling test

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Word Study/Spelling Homework

• Sample Word Study Homework

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Language Arts

• Writing
• By the end of first grade students will be able
  to
• Write for a purpose
• Write a sentence with proper subject-verb
  agreement
• Include a clear beginning, middle and end in
  their stories
• Transition from inventive spelling to real
  spelling
• Form all letters correctly

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Writers Workshop

• The basic philosophy behind Writers Workshop is
  to allow students to spend time writing for real
  purposes about things that interest them.  The
  ultimate goal of writing workshop is to develop
  life-long writers.  

• Writers Workshop Schedule
• Mini Lesson - 5 to 10 minutes
• Writing 15 to 30 minutes
• Conferring working with teacher one-on-on
• or working in small groups
• 4. Sharing/Reflection

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Handwriting Without Tears
top
middle
bottom

• Handwriting Without Tears aims to make legible
  and fluent handwriting an easy and automatic
  skill that students can master. The programs
  multi sensory curriculum design and common
  language make handwriting easy. We will send
  about 15 minutes per day on handwriting at the
  beginning of the year and less as the year goes
  on.

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Mathematics

• Program Go Math
• Aligned with Common Core Curriculum Standards
• Memorize addition and subtraction facts to 20
• Addition and subtraction strategies
• Place value
• Comparing numbers
• Two Digit Addition and Subtraction
• Measurement
• Graphing

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Science
The following topics will be covered

• Pebbles, Sand, Silt

• Monarch Butterflies

• Plants

• Balance and Motion

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HOMEWORK

• READ
• READ
• READ
• For 15 minutes every night!

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Homework

• Homework is important because it builds
  responsibility and reinforces learning. In first
  grade, each child will have homework Monday
  through Thursday. Homework in first grade will
  be approximately 15 - 25 minutes per evening,
  plus an additional 15 minutes of reading. These
  minutes are based on the time estimated for an
  average child working at an average pace. Your
  child may spend more or less time. If your child
  spends substantially more or less time than this
  amount on a regular basis, please contact me.

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Homework Journal

• Each night your child will bring home a homework
  journal. The homework journal will tell you what
  your childs homework will be for the night.
• You can also find your childs homework on my
  website.

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Homework Requirements

• All homework should be completed neatly.
• All writing should be done in PENCIL.
• Your childs name should be written on all
  homework assignments. When writing their name
  students should begin with a capital and the rest
  should be lowercase letters.
• Assignments are due back the next day unless
  indicated by an email or on the paper.

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Homework Policy

• Each month your child will get 1 free homework
  pass.
• 1 missed assignment per month Use of homework
  pass
• 2 missed assignments per month Loss of recess.

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Home Folders

• Please check your childs home folder each night.
  Any homework dittos will be found in their
  homework folder.
• Please have your child empty out the leave at
  home side of their folder each night.
• Papers and notes that need to be give to me
  should be put into the bring back to school side
  of the folder.

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Grades

• Earned when a student has put forth their best
  effort to reach their potential. Assignment is
  students neatest work and 100 correct.
• Earned when most of the work is completely
  correct and the student has put forth a good
  effort.
• Incomplete or rushed work.

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Corrected Papers

• Please review corrected papers that are found in
  your childs home folder.
• Review errors on the paper with your child.
• At times you will see the word fix on the
  paper. Please fix the mistake and return.
• TA If your childs paper has a TA on the top it
  stands for Teacher Assisted. It is important to
  review this paper and review the concept with
  your child.

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Report Cards

• The first marking period you will receive a paper
  report card during conferences in November.
• 2nd, 3rd and 4th marking period report cards will
  be online. To access you need to log into Power
  School.
• Sample Report Card

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Monthly Report

• At the end of each month I will post a summary of
  the learning that took place in first grade on my
  website.
• Mrs. Testa's Website

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Specials
Monday Music FLES Tuesday PE Wednesday
Sing Along Thursday Art Friday PE Library

• Sneakers with closed backs must be worn! No
  Clogs!

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Programs In The Classroom
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Mystery Reader

• Each Friday a mystery reader will come to read
  the class.
• Pointers
• Please do not tell your child that you are the
  mystery reader. The surprise is so much fun!
• Some mystery readers like to dress up like
  characters in the story.

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Snack
Each day students should bring in a small snack
of fruits, vegetables, plain pretzels, or
crackers in their lunch box or in a reusable bag.
Students only have about 5 to 8 minutes to eat
snack. Each day students should bring in a
water bottle. This bottle will be sent home at
the end of the day and should return to school
the next day.
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Allergies

• We have two students that are allergic to peanuts
  and tree nuts. Please refrain from bring a snack
  or birthday treat with peanut butter or tree
  nuts. It is Ok for students to bring peanut
  butter in their lunch.

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House Keeping
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Birthday Bags

• During your childs birthday month, they will
  receive a birthday bag. We ask that parents fill
  the bag with a special treat such as a cupcake
  and maybe some small trinkets. Send the bag in
  with your student on the day of their birthday or
  as close as possible. During snack, your child
  will be allowed to open the bag and eat the treat
  you provided. The class will celebrate your
  childs special day by singing Happy Birthday.

• Other birthday related items.
• I discourage students discussing birthday parties
  in school!
• No birthday party invitations are permitted in
  school,
• even if you are inviting the entire class!
• Summer birthdays will be celebrated in June and
  must be pre arranged with Mrs. Testa.
• Goody bags will not be permitted to be
  distributed in class.

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Safe List

• The safe list is a list of three to four people
  who can pick up your child from my backdoor.
  i.e. relatives, neighbors, or car pool group.
  You indicated these people on your yellow contact
  form. Please review my list and make any
  corrections.
• If someone is picking up your child, who is not
  on that list, I MUST HAVE A NOTE WITH YOUR WRITEN
  PERMISION!

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How To Contact Mrs. Testa

• Sending a note in with your child is the best way
  to communicate with me.
• You can also leave a message with the secretaries
  with your name and phone number. Ask them to put
  it in my mail box.
• Warning I do not always check my voice mail.
  If you left a message and I did not get back to
  you in a day, please write me a note!
• It is my goal to give your child the best
  education I know how! Please let me know if you
  have concern any concerns.

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• Allen W. Roberts
• Phone Number
• [phone]
• My Email Address
• mtesta_at_npsd.us

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Volunteers Needed

• Mystery Readers
• Class Parties

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Room Parent Introduction
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