The Martino Messenger First Grade News! Important Upcoming Dates: First Grade Field Trip:  Monday, May 13th This spring we will be studying life cycles of plants and animals.  In coordination with this unit we will be taking a field trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens on Monday, May 13th, 2019. The cost is $8.00 for each student.  In order for your child to participate in this field trip/program you must register (includes online permission form)  & pre-pay on-line by going to:  MySchoolBucks.com > Login > Add your student if you have not already done so > Go to School Store in upper right corner > Field Trips > GRE - 1st Grade - Denver Botanic Gardens. The MySchoolBucks link can be found on GRE’s website under Parent Info or click here. Registrations MUST be completed by 2 days prior to your field trip.   Online registration is for your student only- please do not register yourself or younger siblings. Free/Reduced students will have the option of selecting "no payment" but must still register.  No refunds Let me know if you have any questions! I am looking forward to this fun-filled day of learning!  Classroom Highlights: Dear Parents, I can't believe it is almost April!  Your children are growing and learning everyday and have been very busy!  Read on to learn about what your child has been up to at school.   Literacy Reader's Workshop: Before Spring Break Book Club groups prepared some Reader's Theatre plays about some of the Historical Figures we were learning about, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr.  Everyone did such a wonderful job!  Thanks to Mrs. Stahlecker and Mr. Greenlaw who helped the kids with this project!  It really paid off and the kids look forward to performing these plays for our class and their Book Buddies!  Before break we were focusing on reading nonfiction.  We learned about things good readers do to become "super smart" nonfiction readers:   We are also working on the comprehension strategies of determining importance, paraphrasing, summarizing and synthesizing.  These can be tough skills to master for first graders!  In fact, at this level it is really about exposing them to these skills and practicing them together.  We practiced retelling what we learned from our nonfiction texts.  We tried to give a "3 Scoop Retell" -  We practiced these skills when doing research about an important American Figure or Symbol.  As we read, we worked on determining which facts were the most important and took notes.  We then worked collaboratively with a small group to create a project that would teach others about our topic.   We will also be utilizing these skills with our next science unit on life cycles.  The kids will be doing research on insects, paraphrasing the information, and creating a project to share what we learn with the class, including writing a summary of the insect's characteristics and how these characteristics help the insect survive. The unit will culminate with the kids synthesizing what they know about insects by "discovering" a new insect and making a model of it and a brochure that teaches others about its characteristics. The class is excited to do this work! *Ask your child what paraphrasing means.  (That is a big word and many of us are still learning!) *Ask your child to paraphrase what they read - tell it to you in their own words!  *Practice summarizing stories you read.  Tell the most important facts  or events from the book.  Model this for them!  They will get better at this skill with lots of practice and repetition! This week we are beginning our last unit, reading fiction.  This unit focuses on learning about story elements - characters, setting, plot, problem, solution.  We will discuss character traits and support our opinions of a character by citing evidence from the story.  We'll also focus on taking a "sneak peek," predicting, and retelling by determining the important events and using these to retell the story.  We will also discuss the lesson or theme in the story.  This can be tricky!   *As you read with your child stop before, during, and after the book and discuss predictions, ask questions, and determine important events.  *Discuss characters and their traits.  Talk about evidence from the text that support your opinion about a character.  *Talk about the setting and stop and notice when the setting changes.  *Discuss the lesson or theme in the stories you read! Writer's Workshop: We completed our unit on Information Writing.  A folder with their work will come home soon.  The concepts we focused on included: *Teaching readers about a topic *Having a beginning that captures the reader’s attention *Adding facts and details that teach about the topic *Adding nonfiction text features to help teach readers, such as illustrations,   labels, maps, charts, or diagrams. *Thinking about questions our readers would have about our topic *Using comparisons and examples *Writing an ending Everyone did such a great job!  I kept a final piece, one they did independently, as an assessment.  I will send this home at the end of the year.   This week we will begin a new unit on sharing our opinions.  In both reading and writing, students are being critical thinkers and sharing their opinions.  We are discussing the importance of critical thinking when forming opinions and how our thinking is always improving based on others' ideas and new information. We can use other opinions to make our own opinion stronger, or to change our opinion.  We will be forming opinions about their reading and participating in discussions that allow them to hear and analyze other points of view.  We are also writing about our opinions. The kids will act as judges, deciding which item in a collection deserves to win a blue ribbon, or first place.  They will write an opinion piece, beginning with a topic sentence then listing three reasons that support their opinion. They will use transition words (first, next, finally) and end with a conclusion statement.  Wow!  Sounds like fifth grade writing!  They will write these pieces to try and convince others to agree with their opinion.  They will share these on Seesaw.  You can listen to their opinion and see if they convince you!   Next, they will chose a second place winner and write another opinion piece.  They will be learning how to disagree politely and write about someone's opinion they disagree with.  After that, we will be taking on the role of reviewers. They will be writing critical reviews about restaurants, toys, movies, etc and supporting their opinions with reasons in order to persuade their readers. Talk about your opinions together and discuss why they feel they way they do. Once they share their opinion pieces on Seesaw, listen and give them some feedback.  Did they convince you to agree with them? Math We are working another math unit this week that focuses on addition and subtraction. First graders are becoming more strategic mathematicians! We will focus on how combinations of 10 can help solve problems more efficiently. Students are also learning to solve addition and subtraction problems in different ways. This ultimately enables your child to be a flexible problem solver.  Next, we will focus on a unit about collecting and analyzing data.  We planned this unit to correspond with our Opinion Writing unit.  The kids will be conducting surveys, asking their peers' opinions about a variety of topics.  They will create visual representations to display their data, and will interpret this data, stating what they can learn from it.  This is a fun unit! Finally, we will begin our last addition and subtraction unit.  This unit focuses on numbers, counting and quantity, the composition of numbers, and the operations of addition and subtraction.  Students will encounter situations that provide concrete models for counting by numbers other than 1 (Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s).  As students solve such problems and think about ways to organize objects so they are easier to count and combine, they begin to make sense of what it means to count by groups.  They will also do a lot of work on place value with 2 digit numbers, and use models (such as unifix cubes) to build 2 digit numbers.  Then, they will use these models to help them add and subtract 2 digit numbers.   Play the math games sent home with your child often, especially the games that help them learn their math facts that equal 10... Tens Go Fish and Make Ten are two of those games.  They should be fluent with these (have them memorized) by the end of the year. As your child works with numbers, ask them to explain how they got their answer.  When you can explain your answer you understand it at a deeper level. Social Studies Before break we did a study of Important American Figures & Symbols.  We incorporated this work into reading. During Social Studies the kids really enjoyed working in groups to research either an American Symbol (The Liberty Bell, Mount Rushmore, The Statue of Liberty, The White House, The Bald Eagle, and the American Flag) or an important American Figure (Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Robinson & Wilma Rudolph).  They worked in small groups, gathered facts, and collaborated to create a poster or a book about their symbol.  They then created an Adobe Spark Video to share their project and teach the rest of the class about their topic.  They will share this project on Seesaw.  Along the way we discussed the importance of working collaboratively together.  We reflected on our collaborative skills, filling out a rubric on how well we felt we collaborated.   Ask your child if they remember what they learned about the American Symbol or Figure they studied! Science This week we will begin a unit on life cycles, observing the life cycle of plants and insects.  We will have some wonderful creatures in our room, which I'm sure you will hear about... mealworns!  When I first taught this unit I was a little leery about having these in our room, but they really grow on you and are amazing to watch transform!  Don't tell the kids, but they will turn into a pupa, and then an adult beetle!  It will be amazing to watch!  I know the kids will LOVE their mealworms! We will be watching them with scientific eyes, observing them, and recording our observations in our field notebooks.  We will also plant seeds and will watch with excitement as the sprouts peek out of the dirt and begin to grow.  We will be recording our observations of our plants and will notice as buds appear, flowers grow and turn into seed pods.  We'll watch as our plants go through their whole life cycle.   We have also have another insect in our room... caterpillars!  We will watch them grow (they grow really fast!) and make a chrysalis.  Don't tell your child, but we will watch as they turn into butterflies!  We will end our year by releasing our butterflies into the wild.  This is a super fun unit which the kids really enjoy! To culminate our study of insects the kids will be synthesizing what they've learned about insects and their lifecycle by becoming entomologists who discover a new kind of insect!  They will build a model of this insect, then create a brochure that describes its characteristics and how these characteristics help it survive in the wild.  We will host an "Insectopia" where we share these projects with parents and family.  *More information about day/time for our Insectopia will come home in May. Next week your child about their mealworms and plants and what they've noticed about how they are changing.  You can also ask: "What makes an insect an insect?" "What are the parts of a plant?  What does each part do?" "Can you tell me the lifecycle of your mealworm?  Your plant?"  The caterpillars? Technology:   All students K-5 learn the craft and structure of writing in the following three genres: informational, narrative and opinion. First graders are currently working on teaching others through their informational unit. In addition to writing pieces informing others of items in their own favorite collections, students are working on an aligned technology project. They created an Adobe Spark video that teaches incoming first graders about the computer apps that they used throughout the year. This project required them to apply their writing and technology skills. These projects were shared on Seesaw.  I hope you saw them!   Well, that should take us to the end of the year, which is about 9 weeks away - but I know it will be here before we know it!   If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read through this, and for all you do to support your child at home!  I feel so blessed to be working with such wonderful families!  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me! I will send information about end-of-year activities in May.  Until then, take care! Stacie Martino

Martino Messenger

Important Upcoming Dates!

I will be holding Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences​ the week of March 4th & March 11th
Please click HERE to go to the conference sign-up.

*March 11-15th- Gold Rush Spring Book Fair/ The dates and times are listed below: 

*March 18th-22nd- Spring Break!

Other important dates and events are listed below:

The Martino Messenger
First Grade News

Important Upcoming Dates

                * January 21- No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

                * February 1 - Sock Hop 💃 🕺

                * February 11-14 - Kindness Week & Legend HS Wish Week

                * February 14 - Valentine's Day Party  

                     Look for more information soon!  💕

                *Friday, February 15th - No School - Teacher Inservice Day                      *Monday, February 15th - No School - President's Day

Put on your calendar:  Thursday, February 21st

Specials Showcase Performance

6:15-6:45

Click here to see the Mrs. Petty's Page explaining this program.

**Students are asked to wear a solid color shirt, if possible, in any color of the rainbow.

***Arrive 15 minutes prior to the performance, no sooner, please.

                      Classroom Highlights 

Dear Parents, 

Happy 2019!  The year is flying by!  We've continued to be busy first graders!  I would like to share all of the learning that has been going on in class... and let you know what your child will be working on in the upcoming weeks.  In blue you will find some ideas for you to use to begin a discussion with your child about their learning.  

Literacy:

In Writing we finished our work in our Narrative Writing Unit before break by "publishing" one of our stories.  I hope you saw the folder that came home with some of your child's writing from this unit.  I included a letter that explains some of the concepts we covered.  

We began our next writing unit on Information Writing, or writing "teaching books" where we are writing about topics we are "experts" on.  This is something they know a lot about or love to do, and something they care about - something they are passionate about. Our topics range from How to Take Care of a Dog, to All About Star Wars, or American Girl Dolls.  The kids love sharing their expertise!

During this unit we look closely at various nonfiction books and study the strategies authors use to teach their readers, then try and use these in our own books. 

Concepts we will be focusing on include:

*Writing a book that teaches readers about a topic

*Having a beginning that captures the reader's attention

*Adding facts and details that teach about the topic - writing in "twin sentences" (two sentences that go together to add detail - such as: Dogs like to eat biscuits.  A biscuit is like a cookie or treat.

*Adding nonfiction text features to help teach readers, such as illustrations that teach, labels, headings, maps, charts, or diagrams.

*Thinking about questions our readers would have about our topic, and adding details that answer those questions

*Using comparisons and examples to add details

*Writing an ending

The kids love Writer's Workshop!  I often hear, "I love writing!" or "When can we write?"  I love it!

We've also been discussing the need to focus on spelling, conventions, and neatness.  I don't expect first graders to spell all words correctly.  But if a word can be found on our Word Wall, or in a book we are reading, or somewhere in the room... I expect that they use these resources to help them spell words.  The kids each have a "Mini Word Wall" and I will give them a "Word Bank Book" soon where they can find words they might be spelling.  

Words Their Way:  We work on "word work" everyday with our Words Their Way program that focuses on spelling patterns for all grades.  Each child is continually assessed to see which spelling focus they should be working on. I handed out a parent brochure about Words Their Way in the beginning of the year.  It does a nice job explaining our Words Their Way spelling program.  Click here to read the brochure, in case you missed it.  

We've also began daily editing - checking sentences for corrections on capitals, punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar.  Hopefully all of this work will transfer into their writing! 

We are connecting our Information Writing Unit with our work in reading by focusing on nonfiction books.  We've talked about the difference between fiction and nonfiction and began looking closely at nonfiction text features. We are looking at how authors of nonfiction books use these features to teach their readers. I've told the kids that we have to look at everything carefully on the pages of a nonfiction book. (This is linked to our writing, as we will add these text features into our own books to help teach about our topics)

Here is an anchor chart with some strategies we are talking about for how to get "super smart" about nonfiction topics:

We will also be doing some hard work with the comprehension strategy of Determining Importance and paraphrasing.  Wow!  These can be hard concepts for first graders!  As we read we think about what is really important information and what are just interesting details.  We will be paraphrasing what we learn, writing it down in our own words.  We practiced this skill recently when learning about Martin Luther King, Jr.  You may have seen your child's technology project on Seesaw.  Everyone did a marvelous job!  (Please see "Technology" below for more details about this project.)  We will continue working on this skill by connecting reading instruction with our Social Studies unit, researching important American Figures and Symbols.  We will also be practicing and performing Reader's Theatre plays about an important American figure.  They will be researching the American Figure, and working collaboratively on putting these plays together, having fun performing them for our peers, Book Buddies, and maybe even a kindergarten class!  

When your child is reading nonfiction books at home, point out some of the text features and discuss their purpose... Why did the author choose to put this text feature (photographs, heading, map, diagram, labels, chart...) in his/her book?  What does it help teach?  How can you use this in your teaching book?

You can also practice the steps for paraphrasing as you read together.  S.T.P. - Stop, Think, Paraphrase (cover the words with your hand, then say what you learned or what happened in your own words.)  You can do this with both fiction and nonfiction.

Math:  

We will be completing our third unit on addition and subtraction soon. It was a big unit and covered some important concepts.  This week we will do some  work on counting large groups of objects by putting them in groups of 5 or 10.  It is important for the kids to practice counting by 5s and 10s at home so they can be fluent and able to apply this skill when counting objects.  Later, they will be using skip counting to help them add and subtract by 10.  Also, please continue to practice counting by 2s.  This is still hard for many of the kids.  Playing the math games I've sent home is also important. These are a great way for the kids to learn their basic math facts which they will apply as they add and subtract larger numbers. There are also many apps and games for the iPad or other digital devices the kids can use to learn their math facts.  Just be careful not to choose ones that time the kids for speed. Research shows that this can be harmful.  Jo Boaler is a professor and researcher of Mathematics Education at Stanford University.  She has a website called Youcubed.org where she shares the latest in what research says about teaching math. I've included a few links below that have some really interesting information about teaching math that I think you might enjoy:  

Parents Belief About Math Change Their Children's Achievement

What is Number Sense?  This video illustrates our goal for our kids - having a strong sense, or deep knowledge, of numbers so we can be flexible and break them apart and combine them in new ways when computing.  Our curriculum, Investigations, does a great job of having kids think about different ways they can solve problems.  It is important for the kids to be able to reason flexibly, and share this reasoning with others, explaining how they figured out the problem.


Depth, Not Speed

Four Boosting Messages

I've also included a link that many parents have found helpful.  It is a link to "Math Words and Ideas" from our Investigations curriculum.  They are included with our lessons, and can show you how we teach some key concepts or how we approach certain math ideas:  

Math Words and Ideas

Most of the kids have been completing the Sunshine Math sheets that have been coming home for homework.  I encourage everyone to try these problems!  You may need to help them read the problem... we talk about how important it is to read the problem more than once.  If they are not sure how to solve the problem you can offer some ideas, or even show them how you would figure it out.  Encourage them to do the thinking!  You will notice that this math covers many concepts we haven't yet covered in class.  If they seem too hard for your child, just have them try the ones they can handle.
Remember, this is optional. Have fun with this!    

Our next unit is on measurement.  This will include telling time to the hour and half hour, and an introduction to fractions.    

As your child works on math problems, including the Sunshine Math, talk about different problem solving strategies they can use to figure out the problem, including drawing a picture, acting out the problem, making a chart, or using objects they can manipulate to help them. 

Also, it will really boost your child's computing if they practice and learn their basic math facts.  Continue to play all of the games sent home!  Make it fun and play as a family whenever you get a chance!

Science:  

We completed our unit unit on Solids and Liquids before break. Our next Science unit will begin after Spring Break- a unit on life cycles where we will observe the life cycle of plants and animals. This is a fun unit as we will have some special creatures and plants in our room as we observe their lifecycles first hand.   

Social Studies:  

We began a unit on American Heroes and Symbols with a discussion about Martin Luther King Jr. We also learned about Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges. Next, we will learn about other American figures including Helen Keller, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln.  The kids will be working on Reader's Theatre plays about these historical figures.  We will also be learning about historical landmarks and symbols, such as The Statue of Liberty, The Liberty Bell, and Mount Rushmore.  They will be working in small groups, using an online research website called Pebble Go to help gather facts about one American Hero or Landmark, then share their information with the class by creating a collaborative project.  They will be able to choose to make an informational poster, book, or use technology, creating a project with Sonic Pics or Adobe Spark Video.  

Have a discussion about Martin Luther King Jr.  

Ask them to tell you what they already know about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. It is fun to see what they think they know before we begin studying a topic!  
In the next few weeks you can also ask them about the American Figure they are researching.

Technology

To build schema for our Famous Americans and American Symbols unit, first graders learned how to access assigned books within Epic Books about Martin Luther King Jr.  They took screenshots of pictures that illustrated important moments in Dr. King's life.  Through Spark Video, they organized their screenshots and recorded their new learning about this American Hero.  

**Please see your child's project on their Seesaw portfolio!  

I've enjoyed sharing some of our learning with you!  I hope you enjoy talking with your child about their work!  

I have a wonderful class and I feel so blessed to share my day with your child! I can't thank you enough for all of your help and support everyday!  My door is always open so please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!  

Respectfully, 
Stacie Martino 

The Martino Messenger

First Grade News!

Important Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, November 6th - NO SCHOOL

Professional Development Day

November 12th - 16th Book Fair

Wednesday, November 14th:  

Learning Celebration & Thanksgiving Feast

Please join us for our Annual Thanksgiving Family Feast and Celebration of Learning on Wednesday, November 14th.  Enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with your child and view his/her great work in the classroom during Celebrations of Learning. 

We are also looking for volunteers.  Our flexible volunteer schedule allows you to enjoy lunch with your child and still help out.  View your child's schedule below and click here to volunteer.  Parents and siblings can pre order tickets at MySchoolBucks.com.  Students will use their lunch accounts to order that day.  We hope you are able to join us!

Our Learning Celebration will be from 11:10-11:40, 

with lunch from 11:40-12:00.  

Monday, November 19th-Friday, November 23rd: NO SCHOOL

THANKSGIVING BREAK!

Classroom Highlights

Literacy  World Class Outcome: Create meaning strategically in reading and writing

One overall theme throughout the year in reading is teaching the kids that reading is not just about reading the words.  We also think about the information... Reading is thinking!  I say this to them all of the time!  Listening and reading involve thinking, and nothing matters more than the thinking we do when we read, listen, and view.  

After Fall Break we discussed that good readers listen to their "inner voice" when they read. When they learn something new their inner voice might say "Wow!" "I didn't know that!" "Awesome" or "Yuck!" We kept track of our learning by writing it down on a sticky note and coding it with an "L" for "I learned..." For example:

We also started talked about another comprehension strategy good readers use, Asking Questions.  Stephanie Harvey writes, “If we want to develop critical thinkers we must teach our children to think about and question what they listen to, read, and view.  Asking questions enriches the learning experience and leads to deeper understanding.  Questioning is the strategy that propels learners on.  

Asking questions can be hard for first graders. Their first response is to say, "I don't have any questions." I respond by saying, "If you did, what would they be?" They need to learn to push their thinking! Sometimes their questions are ones that have already been answered, or are not very deep, like, "Why is a squirrel called a squirrel?" They need us to help them by modeling good questions. They can ask questions when reading both fiction and nonfiction.

*In technology the kids created a Sonic Pic presentation to share their thinking when reading a nonfiction book. They shared the sticky notes where they wrote what they learned and wonder. They uploaded this presentation to their Seesaw Journal. Seesaw allowed them to access audiences of both parents and other first grade readers. Partners then left digital comments for each other on their presentations. The kids loved learning from their friends and giving feedback. As you can imagine, there was lots of excitement and wonder about being able to work with a partner without sitting next to them! Look for these presentations on Seesaw soon!

Ask your child to listen to their inner voice and to think out loud, sharing what their inner voice is saying as they read!  

Discuss what you learn and questions you have, then try and discover the answers together!

Model how to ask questions as you read with or to your child!

In writing we've been continuing with our small moment unit, writing stories from our lives.  We discuss how writers use various strategies to help our readers understand our writing.  We've been practicing "Bringing our stories to life" - making people talk, move, think, and feel.  We are also trying to tell our stories in "itsy-bitsy steps"  - writing what happened first, then next, then next and using lots of detail.  We discussed the next steps in the writing process, editing and publishing and practiced these steps on one of our stories.  The kids shared their "published" story on Seesaw. 

This week we will look closely at mentor texts and notice things authors do in their writing that we can try in our own writing... things like "pop out words" (bold face words), elipses (...), and onomatopoeia (words that show sound, like "ding" "whoosh" or "clickety clack." We are also focusing on editing our work, correcting spelling and adding punctuation.  

We will be finishing up our narrative unit in about a month or so by "publishing" one of our best stories, then move on to writing information pieces about topics we are "experts" on.  

Ask your child to share how they are bringing their stories to life when they write!

Math  World Class Outcome:  Look for and make use of structure:  

    I can see and understand how numbers and shapes are organized 

and put together as parts and wholes.

We've been working on a unit on geometry.  Our geometry unit focuses on two dimensional shapes and the relationships among them.  Our goal is for students to describe shapes according to their attributes (triangles have 3 straight sides and 3 corners), and to understand that shapes can be put together or taken apart to make new shapes. Students observe, describe, compare, classify, represent, and build with 2-D shapes. We use what we know to recognize shapes in the world and to use geometric vocabulary to describe them.  

We will finish up this work in the next few weeks, then move on to our next addition and subtraction unit.  

Ask your child to find geometric shapes in the world and describe them using our math language!

Social Studies

World Class Outcome:  Evaluate the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship - We concluded this unit before Fall Break.  The kids worked collaboratively in small groups to create posters that teach Gold Rush citizens how to go for the G.O.L.D. throughout the building.  These are hanging up throughout the school, and your child should have the video they posted on their Seesaw portfolio for you to see.

Ask your child to tell you what it means to be a good citizen at Gold Rush and 

why it is important!

Our next Social Studies unit will be a history unit on Family & Cultural Traditions in the United States in the past.  We will be discussing our Thanksgiving Holiday, analyzing how it has changed over time and why.  We will go into December with this unit, discussing various other traditions.  

Begin to talk about your family traditions and customs!

Science:  World Class Outcome: -Demonstrate the process of inquiry:

    *Identify a problem

     *Generate questions

     *Investigate possible solutions to the problem

We completed a unit on rocks called Pebbles, Sand, and Silt.  The kids really loved working with the rocks and felt like real geologists!  This unit introduced concepts in earth science while practicing the process of inquiry. The activities provided experiences that heighten students' awareness of rocks as earth materials and natural resources.  They came to know rocks by many names and in a variety of sizes.  For example, pebbles and sand are the same material - rock - just different in size.  

Begin a rock collection!  Find different and unique rocks around your neighborhood.  Describe the properties of the rocks you find!

Thank You!

Thank you Ann Fitch for planning and coordinating our Halloween Party!  Thanks, too, to all of the parents who provided food, supplies, and helped supervise stations!  The kids had such a wonderful time! 

And thanks to all parents for supporting your child at home!