Reading

Welcome to our first unit of study, “Plants and Animals Grow and Change.” 

This year, our first grade students will build literacy and language skills by participating in ten cross-disciplinary units of study in our Reader’s Workshop. Each three-week unit features a topic, ranging from economics to earth science, history and culture to themes in literature, and more. As students read poems, stories, plays, and informational articles, they will strengthen their reading and writing skills and strategies, participate in meaningful collaborative conversations, and make connections to their other content area studies. We look forward to sharing your child’s progress with you!

At the start of each unit, I will send home a letter like this one, introducing the unit focus and skills your child is learning.

In this unit, students will learn how living things grow and change. For example, they will read informational texts about the life cycle of a frog as well as that of an oak tree. They will also explore fiction, fables, and poetry featuring living things that grow and change. 

This unit is sure to inspire deeper interest in a fascinating topic that you can explore further at home.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Many Kinds of Characters.” 

We are beginning our second unit of study in Reader’s Workshop. As a reminder, each three-week unit features one topic. 

In this unit, your child will explore how characters differ in various ways, from the way they look to the way they act. For example, in the fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” students discover that the tortoise is patient and hardworking while the hare is boastful. They will also discover how characters in realistic fiction differ from one another just as people in real life are not all the same. They will think about how they are alike and different from the characters they read about. The selections include a variety of genres, including animal fantasy, fables, poems, and realistic fiction. 

I’m looking forward to this exciting unit, exploring with your child the wide range of characters we encounter in literature. It will be fun to discover how the children connect with the various characters as well as recognize how the characters in different stories are alike and different.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Being a Good Community Member.” 

I’m excited to begin our third unit in Reader’s Workshop.  

In this unit, “Being a Good Community Member,” students will explore the many different ways people support their communities. For example, growing a garden helps beautify a neighborhood and produces food everyone can enjoy. The selections feature a variety of genres, including nonfiction, poetry, realistic fiction, and biography. Since home and school are key parts of a community, this is a perfect unit to kick off our program, and I’m sure it will spark some lively discussions.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Stories Have a Narrator.” 

We are kicking off our fourth unit in Reader’s Workshop. 

In this unit, we will read and compare selections featuring a range of different kinds of characters and settings, to understand how authors create stories. To help students recognize varying narrators’ points of view, the selections in this unit include a variety of genres, from fables and animal fantasy tales to poetry and realistic fiction.  

This unit will inspire the storyteller in all of us, and will hopefully spark some lively discussions at home.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Technology at Work.” 

As we begin our fifth unit in Reader’s Workshop, we are approaching the halfway mark!

The selections in this unit will get students thinking about the role technology plays in their lives. For example, we’ll explore the many ways technology solves problems. The selections include a variety of genres, such as informational texts, fantasy, poetry, and realistic fiction. This thought-provoking unit will engage both you and your child as you think about the problems technology solves.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Stories Teach Many Lessons.” 

Unit 6 marks the beginning of the second half of Reader’s Workshop. 

In this unit, we’ll read stories about characters who make poor decisions and the lessons we learn from their mistakes. For example, from reading “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” students learn that if you lie, no one will ever believe you when you tell the truth. In addition to fables, the selections in this unit include pourquoi tales, animal fantasy, and realistic fiction.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Past, Present, and Future.” 

We are beginning our seventh unit in Reader’s Workshop. 

In this unit, we’ll explore how the past affects the present and future, by reading and comparing selections about historical events and people. For example, we’ll read a poem describing what children played long ago compared to today, which will get us thinking about how children will play in the future. In addition to poetry, we’ll read a variety of genres including informational texts and realistic fiction. I’m looking forward to this time-traveling unit, exploring with your child how the past influences the present and future.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Observing the Sky.” 

I’m excited to begin our eighth unit in Reader’s Workshop. 

In this unit, your child will read and compare selections featuring the sky and objects we observe there, such as the sun, the moon, stars, and clouds. The unit encompasses a wide range of genres, including informational texts, realistic fiction, pourquoi tales, and poetry. The magic of stars, clouds, and more are sure to capture your child’s imagination—and yours, too!

Welcome to our next unit of study, “We Use Goods and Services.”

This week we begin our ninth unit in Reader’s Workshop. 

In this unit, students will explore the role commerce plays in communities. For example, in one selection they’ll read about and compare different services provided in communities and find out which services kids think are most important and why. The selections in this unit feature a variety of genres, including informational texts, realistic fiction, fairy tales, and poetry. Recognizing the role of goods and services is an important topic to understand, and one you and your child can explore further at home.

Welcome to our next unit of study, “Exploring Sound, Light, and Heat.”

Congratulations to your child! We’ve reached the tenth and final unit in Reader’s Workshop. 

In this unit, your child will read about these two types of energy and analyze how they affect everyday life. For example, they’ll discover that rainbows are formed from the sun’s light and raindrops. The selections include a variety of genres, from informational and procedural texts to poetry and narrative fiction. The topics of sound, light, and heat will spark brilliant discussions with your child. 

Thank you for partnering with me this year!