Ponderosa Families are the Best!

We look forward to seeing you in 2013!  Have a wonderful time with your families and friends!  Enjoy all of the extra hugs and just spending time together!  You are truly the best!  
                 Love, Ponderosa's First Grade Team! 
                                      Janelle, Jody, Melissa, and Sandi

Sandy Hook Elementary School

     Our thoughts are with the families,  children, friends,  staff,  neighbors,  and all of those effected at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut!
        Ponderosa Families and First Graders~Your First Grade Team loves you with all our hearts!~
     "Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children!"
Princess Diana, Princess of Wales

Winter Celebrations

     We are learning about winter holidays around the world.  To begin our learning this week we started learning the names of the 7 continents to give the children background schema about where the countries are that we will be learning about and where they are in relationship to Colorado.  We learn about other countries and different cultures and how they celebrate so that we understand different points of view.  Using our critical thinking helps us better understand everyone.  As a global school it is very important that we understand that we are a small part of a large world around us.  We can understand other people better if we first understand ourselves.  Please take time to talk with your child about your family beliefs, values, and how you celebrate winter holidays at your house.    So far this week we have viewed a video about Christmas around the world and have also learned about Hanukkah.  Stay tuned to find out what other countries and cultures we are learning about in our "travels around the world". 
     We are also doing "close reading" about each of the countries that we are visiting and writing paragraphs about what we have learned about each country.  As we do "close reading" we use our pencils to read.  On the paper we are reading we pay attention to vocabulary words we think are important, we write down what we are wondering, we write questions we are having as we read, and we also write what connections we are noticing as we read.   Be looking for the holidays reading and writing that we have worked on to be coming home during your holiday break!  You will become a "close reading" expert as your child teaches you about "close reading".  
      We will be using what we have learned from our "close reading" to write paragraphs about each country and culture we learn about.  Children will be citing evidence from what is read as they write paragraphs about what has been learned.   First graders at this time in the year should be able to write a paragraph using:
      * a topic sentence "topic, topic, a topic, topic sentence"
      * a transition word to start each big idea "transitions, they move
         our writing along"
      * 3 big ideas  "big, big, big idea"
      * an additional sentence telling more about each big idea.
          "stop and tell me more, tell me more about about the big             idea"
      * and end with a conclusion  "conclusion, conclusion,
          this is how we end.
                                                      7 Continents Song

A video showing  many different countries  that celebrate Christmas!

  

 Enjoy this Hanukkah song the children loved singing as we learned about Hanukkah.

The Carol Deck the Halls originated in Wales.  This song in sung in Welsh and allows the children to recognize the connection between the Welsh words and the English words.  We hope you enjoy  learning about holidays around the world right along with us. 

As we traveled to Mexico we learned about the poinsettia, a pinata, the Posadas which takes place nine days before Christmas.  Nativity scenes are the most common Christmas decorations in Mexico at Christmas time.  

A site we watched to learned about a Swedish Christmas.

Oh, Tannenbaum is a song we listened to when we were learning about Germany!

SPIN IT TO WIN IT!!!

     We play a game called SPIN IT TO WIN IT!!!  We watch Between the Lions a phonetic video and we take notes as we are watching.  We know what skills we are looking for before we watch and then we take notes on a T-Chart!  Yes, your child is learning about note taking!  Children are even able to state their own learning targets before we begin!  This week we have had 4 learning targets: 
* I can find words with a short ( a, e,i, o, and u). 
* I can spell words with a short ( a, e,i, o, and u).
* I can segment words with a short ( a, e,i, o, and u).
* I can add a silent e to short vowel words and turn them into a long vowel word.   ex:  man=mane,   can=can,   not=note
We write the 4 learning targets on the board and put our magnetic spinner in the middle of all 4 statements.  The children get a change to come to the board and spin the spinner.  Which ever learning target the spinner lands on the spinning child gets to give an example for the learning target.
When the student correctly gives an answer he/she gets a cheer  "Hey,______________!  You met your learning target!

Know All About Shapes!

2 dimensional shapes and 3 dimensional shapes are an important component in math  this trimester!  Children should know the difference between 2D and 3D shapes.  They should also be able to compose and decompose shapes and be able to state the shapes that are used to make new shapes.  These are a few of the songs we listen to as we are learing about shapes.  Children need to be able to apply and transfer their learning in all mathematical areas.

Daily 5 and CAFE

Ponderosa Parents,

Our first graders are on a  Daily 5 and CAFÉ adventure! This is the reading and writing structured routine implemented in our classrooms.

Daily 5 is the structure we use to plan our 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading block. Children are busy completing meaningful literacy tasks. The choices are:

·  Read to self

·  Work on writing

·  Listen to reading

·  Read to Someone 

·  Global Awareness, Current Events, and Critical Thinking                     (A new implementation we created that we are doing whole group)

During Daily 5 we are focusing on increasing our stamina to work independently during Read to Self time. The children can read independently for 30 minutes at this time.  Children also Read to Someone in EEKK style-(elbow to elbow, knee to knee).  Children Work on Writing during this time and Listen to Reading.   Each first grade teacher is meeting with small groups and conferencing with individual students. 
Word Work Wednesday is flexible grouping spelling groups.  At this time we have 5 spelling groups working on: beginning sounds, short vowels, blends, digraphs, and long vowels. Each child took a pre-test to see exactly what spelling skills he/she should be working on.                                             
Daily 5 is how we schedule our language block. CAFÉ is what we study during this time. CAFÉ is an acronym for the four major components of reading.

They are:

·  C for Comprehension

·  A for Accuracy

·  F for Fluency
·  E for Expanding Vocabulary

The children learn reading strategies within each category. These strategies will become tools for the children to use to help themselves become better readers and writers. We will keep you informed through FIRST NEWS when new strategies are introduced. Then, when you read with your child at home, you will be able to reinforce these concepts.

It is exciting to watch your child's reading and writing skills blossoming. 

2D and 3D Shapes

Our learning target this week in math is to be able to identify and name 2D and 3D shapes!  We told the children that this week they are to talk at dinner time about 2D and 3D shapes and to find real world objects around your house that represent these shapes!  Have your child sing the  Shape Name Game song to show you what we have learned this week!