Welcome to
Parent Night 2015
Everything you need to know about
First Grade
About Terri Morrissey
I love teaching first grade because it is a great year of
learning and growing!
My bachelor’s degree is from the University of Miami
(Miami, FL), and my graduate degree is from Concordia
University (River Forest, IL).
This will be my 22nd year of teaching.
. 8 years teaching kindergarten at South Elem.
. 14 years teaching first grade at South Elem.
Classroom Community and
Behavior Management
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Our Classroom Rules – Students are encouraged
to be respectful, responsible, and safe. PBIS is a
district wide initiative to reward positive behaviors
in and out of our classroom.
• Making Positive Choices - Students are
encouraged to make good choices daily. South
Saber Cat cash will be given daily by teams or to
individuals for demonstrating great leadership, and
positive classroom behaviors. Students can work
for individual prizes and well as a class prize.
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Classroom Community and
Behavior Management
• Whole Class Reward Parties
– When the students work together to help create a positive
learning environment, they are rewarded with a classroom
prize.
– Prizes may be a pajama day at school, lunch with the
teacher, extra recess time, or a short movie.
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Schedule
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8:50-9:10 – Morning Routines – Pledge
9:10 – Independnet Reading, Journals
9:20 - Shared Reading -Journeys Anthology
Literacy Stations
Traits Writing/Spelling/Handwriting
11:50 – 12:40 Lunch/Recess
12:45 – 1:45 Math
1:45-2:15 – Social Studies/Science/RTI
2:20-3:20 – Encore Classes
3:20-3:30 – Pack & Stack – get ready for dismissal.
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Fine Arts Schedule
• Monday - Library
• Tuesday - Art
• Wednesday/Thursday – Gym, Music
• Friday – S.T.E.M.
• Students wear their “Encore” shirts.
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Math
• University of Chicago Everyday Math program - The hour is
spent covering math topics through the use of whole and
small group instruction, hands-on activities, math games, and
journal pages. Students participate in guided math/stations
starting in Unit 2.
• Topics covered include: number writing, tally marks, patterns,
calendar routine, using number grids, graphing, telling time,
measurement, counting money, place value, fact families, fractions,
addition and subtraction, number stories, geometric shapes and
three dimensional figures. These topics are spiraled throughout the
grades and school year.
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Math Skills your Child Will Learn
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First Grade
– How to count by 1’s, 5’s and 10’s to 100 (plus) on a Number Grid
– Writing numerals by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s beyond 100
– Shapes (trapezoid, hexagon, rhombus & three dimensional shapes)
– Identifying coins & counting them up to a $1.00
– Telling Time to the five minute interval
– Measuring by the inch
– Place value to the thousands place
– Addition/Subtraction facts
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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Math Home Links
– Math Home Links will go home Monday – Thursday.
You may follow the Homework Log on my Website each
week.
– Home Links that go home on Monday are due back on
Tuesday.
– These activities cover topics discussed in class and your
child should be familiar with them.
– Look for parent letters at the start of each math unit.
– You may access Everyday Math Online for games etc.
at www.everydaymathonline.com
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Balanced Literacy
Spelling
10 Minutes
Reading
Mini Lesson
20 Minutes
Writing
40 Minutes
Balanced
Literacy
block is
aligned to the
Illinois State
Learning
Standards
Guided
Reading
60 Minutes
Independent
Reading
20 Minutes
Stations
40 Minutes
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Language Arts Block
• Spelling
– Instructed through whole and small group
– Develop awareness of letter/sound associations, word patterns, and
useful spelling rules. We begin with initial/final consonants, short vowels,
long vowels, digraphs, blends, irregular vowel patterns, and inflected
endings (ed/ing).
– See Priority Word List in your packet for words your child needs to
know how to spell at the end of the school year
• Reading Mini-Lessons
– Students enjoy hearing stories during read aloud
– Teacher models reading strategies
– Children work with “pair share partners” to further develop their reading
comprehension skills
– Students will write their “reading thinking” in their reader/ writer
notebooks
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Language Arts Block
• Reading with Parents
Students will read and discuss books with
parent volunteers.
• Independent Reading
• Immediately follows reading mini-lesson so children can
practice that day’s skills independently
• Children self select books at their appropriate reading
level
• Students periodically record their feelings, thoughts, and
reactions to the text through a readers/ writer notebook
• Teacher guides children and supports their independent
reading through individual conferences
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Language Arts Block
• Guided Reading
– Teacher leads small groups in reading and guides them
through texts at their instructional level.
– Students practice using reading strategies including: solving
unknown words, predicting, questioning, connecting and
inferring.
– Guided reading books will come home in a plastic zip bag.
Please listen to your child read and assist them as needed.
All students should read at least 20 minutes a day! I am
asking that parents sign the book log when reading is
completed. Students may also select books from home to do
their 10-20 minutes of reading.
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Language Arts Block
• Stations
– Students rotate through two stations per day
– Provides children opportunities to enhance their reading
and writing through hands-on, authentic activities
– Students enjoy working cooperatively with partners to
read, write, listen to stories, solve problems, research, and
work on iPads
– Stations include: library, writing, informational, listening,
iPad, and word work.
– EAR BUDS PLEASE! Please send in ear buds for your
child to use during the iPad station. Write your child’s
name on these, please.
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Language Arts Block
• Writing
– Focus on the Six Traits of Writing
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Ideas
Organization
Voice
Word Choice
Sentence Fluency
Conventions
Presentation
– Students work through the many stages of writing which
include: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, finishing, and
presenting.
– Mini-lessons include using mentor texts, author videos, and
authentic writing activities.
– Students will be introduced to writing a narrative, opinion, and
an informational text.
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How can I Help my Child at Home?
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Provide your child with authentic writing experiences at home.
– Writing letters, making grocery lists, to do lists, write in a diary,
and write to a pen pal.
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Listen to your child read every night for at least 10 / 20 minutes.
– Encourage your child to use multiple strategies when solving
unknown words
– What would make sense? What looks right? What are the
beginning sounds? Can you reread the sentence to figure it out?
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Read to your child every night for fun!
– Discuss what you read before, during, and after you read the
book.
– Ask questions, make predictions, discuss the characters, make
connections to your life and other books you’ve read!
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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Science and Social Studies
• Science
– Foss science curriculum focuses on hand-on experiments
– Visit www.fossweb.com for interactive games
– Units include Air & Weather, Solids/Liquids, and Insects.
• Social Studies
– Taught through the use of big books.
– Topics include: Map Skills, Forests,
Grasslands/Deserts, Communities, and
Parks.
*Units are integrated into our ELA units.
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Character Counts!
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Program adopted by D47.
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It is not a curriculum, but a program that will allow us to build a
shared vision about the importance of helping our students develop
into young people with strong character.
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To learn more visit http://charactercounts.org/sixpillars.html
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Six Pillars
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Responsibility
Fairness
Trustworthiness
Respect
Caring
Citizenship
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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Helpful Websites
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Crystal Lake School District subscribes to the following websites for
school and home use. Please take advantage of these sites from any
computer with an Internet connection.
Book Flix
http://bkflix.grolier.com
Username: crystallcsd
Password: bookflix
Everyday Math Online
http://www.everydaymathonline.com
Usernames and Passwords are different for
each child.
Brain Pop, Brain Pop Jr.
http://www.brainpop.com
Username: sou47
Password: cats
Raz-kids
http://www.raz-kids.com
Username: information to come
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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MAP Testing
• Students take reading and math tests on computers so
teachers can quickly gather data and better meet the needs of
each student.
– Beginning and end of the year
• The tests take 2 hours to complete
– 1 hour for reading, 1 hour for math
– First graders will complete the tests in 4 half hour sessions
• What can I do to help my child prepare?
– Read with your child every night
– Give them a quiet place to complete their homework
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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Parental Support
Classroom Volunteers: Classroom Volunteers
are an essential part of our everyday learning! I
appreciate your help and support!
You may sign up for:
W.E.B. Reading
Literacy/Math Stations
Clerical Help
Classroom Party Coordinator/Donations/Field Trip
*Please sign up on Volunteer Sheet.
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Parental Support
• Donations
– Please take a look at our “Wish Bowl” if you would like to
donate much needed items for our classroom.
– Additional items may be needed throughout the year and I
will include those items in our weekly newsletter.
• Scholastic Book Orders
– Come home about once a month
– Online Orders only.
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General Information
• Breakfast – Breakfast is served daily ($1.50) at 8:30.
• Snack
– We do participate in a morning snack.
• Lunch
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Our lunch period is from 11:50 – 12:40 p.m.
Lunch cost is $2.70 and milk is $0.55
Lunch tickets may be purchased in our cafeteria.
Please send all money in and envelope or plastic bag
labeled with your child’s name
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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General Information
• Birthdays
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19 students in the class
NO food allowed
Ideas include: pencils, erasers, pens, certificates, etc.
Birthday invitations will be passed out by the teacher.
• Dismissal
– If your child is going home any way other than their usual
way, it is EXTREMELY important to send a note with your
child! No emails please.
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General Information
• Report Cards
– Sent home at the end of each trimester (three total).
– We are introducing a new report card this year to align
with the Illinois State Learning Standards on which our
curriculum is based.
– Grades are based on End of the Year Goals.
– Students will receive many 1’s and 2’s as they progress
toward the goal. A student receiving a 3 means that
they are independent with that skill. A student who
receives a 4 in a skill/category that is featured in second
grade.
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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Communication
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Email:
tmmorrissey@d47.org
School:
815-788-5400
Voicemail: 815-788-5428
Web: home.d47.org/sou/tmmorrissey
• If you ever have any changes in how your child is going home
please send a note to school.
• Newsletters will be on the Web every other Monday. Our
“Homework Log” will be on the Web on Monday, and a hard
copy will be furnished.
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Thank you for coming…
I’m looking forward to a
very successful year!
Free powerpoint template: www.brainybetty.com
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