Welcome to
First Grade
Curriculum Night
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School Hours and Attendance

7:30 Active Start

7:45 Students Sent to Classrooms

8:05 Tardy Bell Rings

9:00 Attendance Taken

2:55 Dismissal Begins
Please have your child ALWAYS be in class! Much of what is taught is
done hands on and can not be made up.
If your child has a fever or vomiting, please keep him or her home for 24
hours. This is requested by most doctors.
Transportation
This must be done through the front
office (fax) or a hand written note
to the teacher by 2:00pm.
We can NOT accept transportation
changes via email.
Snacks, Lunch, and Recess
If your child would like to have a snack during the day, please make sure to
remember: a healthy snack that does NOT need to be eaten with a spoon or fork.
Water bottles may also be brought to school. Please send in a spill proof water
bottle. Spills happen very easily!
Lunch: 11:15-11:45 and Recess: 10:45-11:00
Checks/Cash can be sent to school with child’s name and ID number. Money
can also be added to account online using a credit card.
When visiting your child for lunch, there is a parent table for YOU and YOUR
CHILD to sit at. You may not invite other students to eat with you.
Shoes and Clothing
The kids have recess everyday! We will go
outside on days the weather permits. Your
child will also need tennis shoes on Monday,
Tuesday, and Thursday when they go to P.E.
Do they need help tying their shoes? Check
out this video on how to teach your child.
Pack an extra set of clothes in their backpack.
Not all accidents are bathroom related. Spills
happen at lunch or sometimes puddles are
hiding at recess.
Birthdays and Invitations
Please provide two days notice of a
birthday treat being brought to
school. The teacher will arrange a
time with you that treats are
handed out in class.
Invitations must be sent for the
entire class if handed out at school.
Homework (45 minutes)
Homework page will be found on the
classroom website.
Each week, your child will have a math
page, reading comprehension page
and will need to complete a word study
activity.
Read 20 minutes EVERY night.
Grades
Language Arts 50% is DRA, 25% daily,
25% major
DRA grade is NOT included in the
average for progress reports!
Math, Science, Social Studies—40%
daily, 60% major
Literacy Assessements and Conferences
DRA— Developed Reading Assessment (Assessed each marking
period)
50% of L.A. Grade
Beginning of the year: Level 4 (Level 3 is At-Risk)
Middle of the year: Level 10
End of the year: Level 16
PAPI- Phonics Assessment (Assessed 3x a year)
Beginning of the year conferences will take place once all assessments
have been completed. I will be sending a link to sign-up online.
What will my child learn in reading?
Recognize and use individual sounds to create words, or
phonemic awareness.
Understand the relationships between written letters and
spoken sounds, or phonics. This allows children to
recognize familiar words accurately and automatically,
and "decode" new words.
Develop the ability to read a text accurately and quickly,
or reading fluency.
Learn the meaning and pronunciation of words, or
vocabulary development.
Acquire strategies to understand, remember and
communicate what is read, or reading comprehension
strategies.
How can I help my child
at home with reading?
Writing
Dear pair ants,
Ur stoodnt wil b bringing hom riting, doo not b skaird
ov the spelling. The inglish langwij iz kunfewzing two
lern. Cids uz “phonetic” spelling in thair wrk to xpress
thair thouts. Foursing cids too uz cunvenshunal
speling reedoss thair dezir and abillite to right. It is mi
joub to teech ur child 2 uz reesorsis and lerning to
beecum a “Smartie Writer.”
U can hlp ur child bi incoruging thim at eech
divelupmentil stag. Axk ur child to reed and esplane
thair riting to u. Az ur child lerns about the inglish
langwij tha wil mak the tranzishun to “adult writing.”
Thank u 4 ur saport!
What will my child learn in writing?
Create IDEAS to write about
ORGANIZING writing to show a beginning,
middle, and end
Making decisions about WORD CHOICE
Using CONVENTIONS
Let me hear VOICE
SENTENCE FLUENCY
PRESENTATION of writing
How can I help my child
at home with writing?
Encourage writing at home
Allow children to sound out a word and spell it
the best they can
Encourage writing using different genres:
Nonfiction and Fiction
Making Lists and Letters
Fantasy
What will my child learn in math?
Addition/Subtraction to 18 including missing addends
Patterns in numbers: odd/even, skip count by 2s, 5s, 10s
(forwards/backwards and starting from any number up to 120)
Place Value: compare and order numbers
Number Sense: order of numbers, greater than/less than, locate on
hundreds chart
Measurement: length, area, weight/mass, temperature, capacity
Coins: name and value
Shapes: 2D (plane) and 3D (space)
Story Problems
How can I help my child
at home with math?
Weekly homework
Encourage your child to identify math in everyday situations.
Name 3D shapes while in the grocery store.
Practice adding or subtracting groups of objects.
Math Facts - We want your child to know those math facts in
a snap.
Flashcards
Practice counting a large group of objects by skip counting.
Encourage your child to sort loose change by coin. Then,
identify the coin and how much it is worth.
What will my child learn in science?
properties of matter
moon and stars
heat energy
soil and rocks
sound energy
living vs. non-living
light energy
water
motion
magnetism
weather (clouds)
seasons
food chain
natural resources
pet care
life cycle of frog
life cycle of chicken
How can I help my child
at home with science?
Incorporate the use of non-fiction text as part of
your child's reading practice.
Visit your local library to supplement non-fiction
reading material.
Keep a science fact journal or poster of science
topics. Your child may draw a picture of new found
learning and record facts learned.
Visit Brain Pop Jr., accessed through the Deretchin's
website to reinforce key topics studied at school.
What will my child learn in social studies?
Citizenship: What is a good citizen
Geography: Landforms
Economics: Needs/Wants & Goods/Services
Government: Who are our public officials and what do they
do? What is voting?
Culture: How are people alike and different?
History: How have things changed over time? Texas/U.S.
Symbols, Aesop’s Fables
Resources
How can I help my child
at home with social studies?
Practice reciting the U.S pledge and Texas Pledge
Expose your child to different Texas Symbols
Talk with your child about community helpers and their roles
Talk with your child about what country, state, city, street
they live in/on
Practice reading a calendar and time line
Read about the contributions of important people
Talk with your child about changes in technology
Discuss Needs and Wants
Discuss Goods and Services
D3: Dragons Digging Deeper
Students will participate in "D3 Time" (Dragons
Digging Deeper) for 45 minutes per day. During this
time, students will enrich the learning from their
classrooms by working on targeted areas based on
the child's needs. Through data from common
assessments and benchmarks, we are able to
identify areas that the children need to fill in gaps,
as well as, areas that the children need to extend
their learning to a higher level. All students will
participate in D3 time in order to advance their
learning.
What does reading look like in D3?
Students will read and respond to level
appropriate text based on students'
individual DRA score.
Students will strengthen skills by reading
poetry, acting out reader's theaters,
responding to literature, and increasing
fluency. Fluency is the speed and accuracy
at which your child reads out loud. An
exiting first grader should read at least 60
words per minute.
What does language look like in D3?
Examples:
Students will create words in word family.
Generate words in the -at family.
Students will make new words using letters in
one longer word. Make as many new words
as you can with the letters in president.
Students will be engaged in activities based
on word ladders, word sorts, word wall
games, making big words, unscrambling
words, word crosswords, vocabulary
application
What does math look like in D3?
Example One:
Students will review value and identification
of each coin.
Students will find value of coin amounts
including combinations with pennies, nickels,
dimes, and quarters.
Example Two:
Students will demonstrate mastery of basic
addition and subtraction facts up to 18 with
missing addends.
Genius Hour
Genius Hour is a time each
week for students to
participate in projects that
reflect personal choices,
interests, and passions.
Click here to watch video!