WHAT ARE WE LEARNING IN ELA?
Hi first grade families,
Most of our work in class is done as a whole group, with lots of participation and opportunities for discussion. A few times each week, students complete individual assignments so I can check their understanding and see whether we need more practice on our weekly focus.
On days when we do not have individual work, the daily grade is based on participation. Each student automatically receives 3 points for being in class. They can earn 1 point for participating in phonics and handwriting, and 1 point for participating during our knowledge curriculum time—for a total of 5 points. If a student is absent, they are marked “exempt,” and it will not count against them.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
Here is what we are learning this week in ELA (8/30-9/4)
Phonics (the part of reading where students learn how letters and letter patterns make sounds and how to blend those sounds together to read and spell words):
This week, we are focusing on learning the routines and procedures of our phonics curriculum. We are also reviewing the basic building blocks of phonics, including letter names, letter sounds, and how sounds work together in words. Establishing these strong foundations will help students be successful as we move into new phonics concepts throughout the year.
At-Home Connection:
Help your child practice identifying letters and their sounds throughout the week. As you read together, encourage them to point out letters they know and tell you the sounds they make. Even a few minutes of practice each day can help build confidence and strengthen early reading skills.
Knowledge/Writing Curriculum (helps students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers):
Essential Question: Why are books important?
This week, we are beginning Module 1 by exploring the essential question, "Why are books important?" Students are listening to and analyzing a poem called Story and studying artwork that focuses on libraries. Through these activities, we are thinking about the many ways books help us learn, imagine, and connect with others.
At-Home Connection:
Spend some time reading together this week and talk about why books are important to your family. You might ask your child questions such as, "What is your favorite book?" or "What is something you have learned from a book?" These conversations help children see the value of reading in everyday life.
Handwriting:
This week, we are focusing on the basics of good handwriting by learning the 3 P’s: Pencil, Posture, and Paper. To write properly, students need to hold their pencil correctly, sit with good posture, and slightly tilt their paper while writing. We are also learning the special terminology used in our handwriting curriculum, including the star line, moon line, earth line, and other important guide lines that help students form letters correctly.
At-Home Connection:
Encourage your child to practice the 3 P’s whenever they are writing at home. A quick reminder about proper pencil grip, good posture, and paper placement can help build strong handwriting habits. You can also have your child show you where the star line, moon line, and earth line would be on a piece of handwriting paper!
Research points to the importance of teaching handwriting and the benefits of learning proper handwriting techniques. According to a July 2019 article on the Edutopia website, MacKenzie states, "Research has demonstrated a correlation between letter-naming and letter-writing fluency, and a relationship between letter-naming fluency and successful reading development." In other words, teaching handwriting is an important part of teaching students to become fluent readers!
1st Grade Families:
Reading regularly with your child will help them to become more fluent readers themselves. Additionally, practicing sight words with your child will greatly benefit them. A sight word is defined by Julie Rawe (Understood, n.d.) as,"...a common word that kids recognize instantly without sounding them out. Recognizing words by sight helps kids become faster, more fluent readers. Many sight words are tricky to read and spell - they aren't spelled the way they sound."
Here are a couple of lists for you to get started with that, if you are interested:
Kindergarten Sight Words (Dolch):
all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, ear, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes
First Grade Sight Words (Dolch):
after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, going, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when
HEART WORD LISTS: At fall conferences, you received the first heart word list for your child to begin practicing at home with you. We call these words "heart words" because there are parts of these words that students need to learn "by heart" since they are irregular (they do not follow the traditional phonics generalizations). These lists are meant to be done at each students' own pace...when they can independently read the words, sign the page with the parent signature space and send it back to school with them. I will listen to them read it and get them the next list. This will be of great help with their reading fluency. I appreciate your help with this!! Students who have consistently worked on these lists at home with their families have made great gains in their reading fluency.