2015-2016
SCHOOL YEAR
Welcome to
First Grade
Curriculum Night
with
Mrs. Wimbles!
Reading
 Sight Word Practice
 First Grade Sounds Practice
 Read Alouds and Mini Lessons
 Poetry
 Independent
reading
 Tumblebooks
 Small Group
Instruction
Additional
Room 203
Classroom
Supplies
90 Sheet Protectors
(Optional, but
recommended)
1-2 reusable, pop up
style water bottles
Poetry
 A new poem is read each day.
 I read the poem, students echo read, then we
choral read it together.
 We discuss vocabulary and the meaning of the
poem.
 After reading and discussing the new poem, we
review previously taught poems.
 Students circle the quick and easy words, put a
square around letter combinations, and illustrate
the main idea of the poem.
The poetry lessons…
 build vocabulary.
 teach comprehension strategies.
 involve modeling of what fluent reading sounds
like and provides students the opportunity to
practice fluency.
 build the child’s sight word bank.
Poetry
 The students will bring their binders
home every weekend.
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Review poems together
Highlight sight words
Illustrate unfinished poems together
Students will memorize these poems. It is important to make
sure that when you are reviewing poems together your child is
tracking each word with his/her finger using a smooth,
sweeping motion.
Sight Words
 Sight Words are formally assessed in September, January
and May.
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Additional progress assessments are completed in November and March.
 Students entering first grade should read 50, or more, of
the first 100 words from Fry Instant Words with
automaticity.
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These are common words first graders read without hesitation or
sounding out.
 The May sight word goal for first grade is 200+/300.
 To ensure that children meet the May goal, students are
expected to have 100+/300 sight words memorized by
January.
 Students who have already mastered all 300 sight words
should set their own personal goal.
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Additional lists can be downloaded from my website under the
“Documents” tab.
Sight Words (continued)
 It is important to practice sight words regularly as
part of your child’s 20 minutes of reading homework.
How you study with your child is up to your family.
Here are a few suggestions:
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Check lists (Checklists and sight word phrases can be downloaded from the “Documents” tab
on my classroom SWIFT site.)
Flashcards
Visit sight word links on our classroom SWIFT site
Tape new sight words to the bathroom mirror or write them on
Post-its.
Print out weekly words and tape them to the back of the seat in
your car for on the go practice.
Write new words each week on a white board in a visible location
in your home, like the kitchen or living room.
Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring
 Oral Reading Fluency is tested monthly.
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Please look for your child’s progress sheet in the take home folder
each month.
 The state standard for May in first grade is 50-65+
words correct per minute, with 97%-100% accuracy.
 Students are timed for one-minute on an unfamiliar
first grade passage.
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The timer starts as soon as the student says his/her first word.
The student stops reading at the end of the one-minute timing and
is then asked to retell the story in his/ her own words.
Oral Reading Fluency Progress Monitoring
Spelling
 Spelling lessons and homework will
begin the last week of September.
 Tests will be on Thursdays and the new words will come home on
Thursdays.
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You will also find the word list each week on our classroom website under
the “Homework” tab.
 Make sure your child can read the words before you practice
spelling.
 I will provide a list of study strategies with the first spelling
list.
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You will also be able to view and download a list of spelling strategies on our
classroom website under the “Documents” tab.
Math
Math Expressions
 It combines a blend of traditional and standards-based instruction.
 Math Expressions is a complete K-5 mathematics curriculum—
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offering a variety of methods and strategies to teach and learn
mathematics.
It combines elements of standards-based instruction with the best
of traditional approaches.
Math Expressions uses objects, drawings, conceptual language, and
real-world situations to help students build mathematical ideas that
make sense to them.
The program covers 100% of the common core standards in math.
Lessons include interventions, on-level, and challenge
differentiation to support student needs.
Whole Group Support & Practice
Core Classroom Structures
 Math Talk
 Quick Practice/Review
 Student Leaders
 Building Concepts
 Helping Community
Writing
 Daily Journal Writing
 Monthly writing prompts
 Daily Editing Exercise to teach proper grammar,
use of punctuation and capitalization.
 Mon.-Thurs. handwriting homework sheets
(beginning in October)
Young Authors
 Young Authors is a school-wide culminating writing
project that takes place May-June.
Science
Foss Science Kits
“New Plants”
“Solids & Liquids”
“Wind & Weather”
Science Units of Study
Moon
Water Cycle
Art
 I will present an art lesson at least once a week; usually on Fridays.
 I teach art using the direct instruction model for the majority of the art lessons
we do, but there are plenty of opportunities for students to express themselves
independently
 Art Docents typically teach one lesson a month.
 They introduce various artists, teach specific art techniques, and provide students
opportunities to apply those techniques
Note: The PTA Art Reflections Program
takes place in October. It is a great
opportunity for students to show off
their artistic abilities.
Look for more information from PTA.
The Beluga Way
BE…
* RESPECTFUL
* RESPONISBLE
* SAFE
* KIND
Classroom Rules
 Treat others the way that you want to be treated.
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This
means to be kind to everyone through your words and
actions.
Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself
Follow directions the first time they are asked…”the fast
way”
Look, lean and whisper during buddy sharing
Raise your hand to share out
Be a good listener (eyes on the speaker, voice off, body
still)
No talking during quiet work times (daily journal writing,
tests, independent reading)
Always use walking feet, with the exception of grass and big
toy areas.
“Paw”sitive Behavior
We use a color system in our class.
Students begin the day with their clips on green.
Pink: Outstanding (caught behaving great 3+ times)
Purple: Great Choices (caught behaving great twice)
Blue: Good day (caught behaving great once)
Green: Ready to learn
Yellow: Slow down and think! (one warning and conference with the
teacher)
 Orange: Consequence
 Red: Parent contact (Following two warnings and two conferences
with the teacher, the student’s behavior continued to disrupt the
learning community. The student will owe recess and journal about
his/her behavior.
 Write-Up: Visit to the principal and parent notification. (After
moving to red, the child continued to disrupt the learning
environment and made no effort to change his/her behavior.)
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 Certain behaviors; such as, fighting,
destruction of property, defiance, biting,
etc., will result in an immediate red, writeup, and visit to the principal’s office. Please
review the student handbook, the district’s
Harassment, Bullying and Intimidation (HIB)
policies and classroom rules with your child.
 Appropriate behavior will be reinforced with
special privileges, awards, tickets, positive
notes or phone calls, stickers and special treats.
Behavior Management
*Students will keep a behavior log in their daily
take-home folders and record their own stoplight
color at the end of each school day.
*Students will be rewarded for purple and pink
behavior with treasure box drawing tickets.
Students on orange and red may need to spend time
reflecting on their behavior through timeouts, loss
of recess and/journal writing.
*The goal is for all students to engage in pro-social
behavior throughout the school day (during various activities). The
consequences provided help students to learn to reflect on their
behavior.
“Paw”sitive Behavior
General Health Information
 Children should practice frequent hand washing!
 Children should sneeze and cough into their
elbow.
 Keep your child home for at least 24 hours after
a fever or vomiting.
 Children with a mild cold should attend school,
unless they have a severe cough.
Morning Snack
 Please pack one small, healthy snack for your child
each day.
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It should be small enough for your child to eat in 10
minutes and fit into a sandwich bag.
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Example; string cheese, baby carrots, apple slices, pretzels,
banana, crackers. (Cookies, candy and chips are not healthy
snacks.)
Note: It is best to keep snacks in an outside pocket of your
child’s backpack, rather than in his/her cold lunch sack.
Water Bottles
 Water bottles are encouraged as the classroom
can become very warm at the beginning of fall and
late in the spring.
 Pop-up tops are necessary, because they alleviate
large spills.
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Please no juice or pop.
Please do not freeze water bottles…as they
weep or “rain” onto the desks.
Volunteers
 Volunteers are appreciated.
 Please provide the office with a current volunteer
form and a copy of your drivers license.
 Each month I will provide a volunteer sign-up or, if
you prefer, you can email me your available
dates/times.
 I will post the monthly volunteer
schedule on our classroom website
under the “Volunteer Calendar” tab.
Lunch Money
I strongly encourage paying for lunches in advance to alleviate the problem
of lost lunch money. (Parents may utilize the “Lunch Money Now” website
to manage their child’s account from home.) If you prefer to write one
check at the beginning of each month, this is also an efficient option. The
office staff requires that you include your child’s student number on the
check. In addition, the office staff receives numerous checks each day
and therefore it is also helpful to notate “lunch money” on your check.
If you send cash, I ask that it come to school either in a sealed
envelope or plastic baggie with the following information included on
the front:
Lunch Money
Student’s Name (first and last)
Also, if your child eats cold lunch on a regular basis, it is a good idea to
have 1 or 2 lunches purchased in advance…just in case your child
forgets his/ her lunch at home.
This and That
 Transportation
 Written permission from home (signed by a parent/guardian) is required for any
type of dismissal other than the normal routine. WE CANNOT TAKE YOUR
CHILD’S WORD FOR ANY CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION.
 Belongings
 Please write your child’s first and last name (with a permanent marker) inside all
jackets/sweaters/sweatshirts, lunch pails, and backpacks.
 Toys
 Toys are not allowed at school. Please do not allow your child to bring toys, trading
cards or costume jewelry to school.
 Birthdays
 If you would like to send in a birthday treat to celebrate your child’s birthday,
please phone or leave a note in your child’s homework folder, at least one day prior,
so I can set aside some time in our day.
 Birthday invitations may only be given out if the entire class or all of the children
of the same gender are invited. If you plan on inviting only a few students from
our class, I ask that you give out invitations outside of school. Thank you for your
consideration.
Daily Take Home Folder
Your child received a folder on the first day of
school.
The folder will come home every day. This is where
your child will put his/her homework and any papers
that need to go home. It is also where you can put
anything that needs to be sent to school (notes, school
forms, popcorn money, lunch checks, etc.).
Please initial the Reading & Behavior log in the back
pocket of the folder and empty out old papers daily.
Thank you for making sure your child returns it each day!
Specialist Schedule
 Monday- P.E. (Remember to wear tennis shoes!)
 Tuesday- Music
 Wednesday- P.E. (Remember to wear tennis shoes!)
 Thursday-Library (Books Due on Wednesday)
 Friday-Music
 Specialist Times:
 1:55-2:25
Tuesday-Friday
 Monday-2:30-3:00
Room 203 Events
August: Meet the Teacher
September: Make Applesauce
October: First Grade Open House/ Harvest Party
November: Special Guest Day/Cranberry Bread
December: Holiday Sing-a-long/Winter Party
February: Friendship Party/ 100th Day Celebration
March: Read Across America/Dr. Suess Day
May: Mother’s Day Tea
June: Doughnuts For Dads/Young Authors/Field Day
Field Trips & First Grade Play
TBA