Mrs. Kennedy's First Grade

WELCOME First Grade FAMILIES! (26-27)

MY STORY:

Let me tell you a little about myself. 

This will be my ninth year teaching first grade and my 24th year teaching. I have experience teaching grades k, 1 and 2. I hold a degree in Elementary Education from Purdue University and a Master’s Degree in Reading and Literacy. 

We moved from Chicago (Go Bears!) twenty years ago and we LOVE living here. My wonderful husband, Sean, and I live in Lone Tree with our doodles, Murphy and Annie. We have two children who recently finished college and are living on their own. Our son, Logan (Montana State grad), lives up in Bozeman and our daughter, Delaney (CU Boulder grad), lives nearby. 

In my free time, I enjoy playing pickleball, paddle boarding, golfing, skiing, traveling and spending time with friends.

THIS WILL BE AN AMAZING YEAR!

Your kiddo is going to LOVE FIRST GRADE! 

In science, we'll be learning about sound and light, the sun, moon and stars, and plant and animal offspring. 

In social studies, our focus will be on: 

Economics: job types, money (spending, saving, sharing)

Geography: Communities and their environment, map skills

History: Events from the past, family cultures/traditions

Civics: Leadership, Citizenship, and American Symbols and Holidays (Patriotic Program)

Our math program is Envisions Math. The children will be placed according to their needs and will be split between the first grade teachers for an hour per day.

In literacy, we will work with our Wonders Program for whole group comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, UFLI for phonics, and Heggerty for phonemic awareness. We will do whole group literacy in our homeroom classes but then split for an hour of "Climb Time" which means they'll be placed according to their literacy skills and possibly be in a different class for reading group time.

In writing, we will use the SRSD model, focusing on opinion writing, expository writing and narrative writing.