WELCOME TO FIRST GRADE

1. WELCOME TOFIRST GRADE Room S-5 Mrs. Testa

2. Table of Contents • Personal Background • Responsive Classroom Approach • Daily Routines & Academics • Programs in the classroom • House Keeping

3. Personal Background • Education • Teaching Experience • Mrs. Testa, the person

4. Education • University of Massachusetts, Amherst • BA in Elementary Education • BA in Sociology • The College of New Jersey, Global Program • MEd. in Elementary Education.

5. Teaching Experience • Allen W. Roberts School 9th year at AWR My second year teaching first grade I taught Kindergarten for 7 years • Springfield School District Springfield, MA 5th and 3rd Grade • Whately Elementary School Whately, Massachusetts 1st Grade - Student Teaching

7. The Responsive Classroom Approach The Responsive Classroom is an approach to teaching and learning that fosters safe, challenging, and joyful classrooms and schools, kindergarten through eighth grade. Developed by Northeast Foundation for Children in 1981.

8. Principles of the Responsive Classroom • The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. • How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand. • The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction. • There is a set of social skills children need in order to be successful academically and socially: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

9. Principles continued… • Knowing the children we teach–individually, culturally, and developmentally–is as important as knowing the content we teach. • Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education. • How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community.

10. Responsive Classroom’s Teaching Practices • Morning Meeting:A daily routine that builds community, creates a positive climate for learning, and reinforces academic and social skills. • Rules and Logical Consequences: A clear and consistent approach to discipline that fosters responsibility and self-control. • Guided Discovery:A format for introducing materials that encourages inquiry, heightens interest, and teaches care of the school environment. • Academic Choice:An approach to giving children choices in their learning that helps them become invested, self-motivated learners. • Working with Families:Ideas for involving families as true partners in their children's education.

11. Hopes and Dreams • Last week in school students created their hopes and dreams that they would like to achieve in first grade. These hopes and dreams will allow the class to create rules based on giving everyone the opportunity to achieve their hopes and dreams.

12. Classroom Rules • Be good to yourself. • Be good to others. • Be good to the environment.

13. Discipline • You break it, you fix it” can be used to mend emotional messes as well as physical messes. A child can rebuild a block tower after accidentally knocking it over. A child can repair hurt feelings with an “apology of action” by doing something to soothe the injury, such as drawing a picture or playing a game.  • Temporary loss of privilege is a simple way to help a child remember to use that privilege (art materials, recess, group time) responsibly. Losing a privilege for a class period or a day can help a child pause to remember or relearn a rule.  • “Time-out” or “Take a Break” is a strategy to help children learn self-control. A child who is disrupting the work of the group is asked to leave for a few minutes. Give the child a chance to regain composure and rejoin the group on his own.

14. Daily Routines • Morning Meeting • Greeting • Sharing • Activity • Message • Calendar

15. Daily Routines and Academics

16. Language Arts • Reading By the end of first grade students will be able to: • Identity all letters and all of the letter / sound relationships • Decode short and long vowel words • Use various word solving strategies to decode words • Fluently read books at a level H • Find meaning and make connections between text and real life

17. Guided Reading Guided reading uses small-group instruction and developmentally appropriate books called leveled readers. This approach recognizes that a wide range of reading ability exists within first grade, and that reading at the appropriate levels ensures success. A child is placed in a small group with other children of similar ability and/or skill needs. The teacher monitors and guides the reading of each child as needed. Discussion of the book follows, and the child keeps the book to read repeatedly. Subsequent lessons at the lower levels usually use an entirely new book.

18. Readers Workshop • Reader’s Workshop is an instructional model for teaching reading. The workshop model combines explicit instruction in reading strategies with the opportunities for students to practice reading strategies independently and with classmates. In reader’s workshop, students experience what real readers do: self-select books, self-pace, reflect and share books with others. It is the role of the teacher to demonstrate how to explore and succeed with literature through direct instruction and modeling, small group instruction, and by providing individual feedback for independent reading.

19. Readers Workshop Schedule • Mini Lesson - 5 to 10 minutes • Independent Reading – 15 to 30 minutes • Conferring – working with teacher one-on-on or working in small groups • Partner Reading and Discussion • Sharing/Reflection

20. Word Study • The field of "word study" provides students an opportunity to manipulate words in meaningful and enjoyable activities and games. Word study activities call for active problem solving. Students are encouraged to look for spelling patterns, form hypotheses, predict outcomes, and test them. These activities require students to continually ask themselves, "What do I know about this new word, and how is it similar to words that I already know?" • A cycle of instruction for word study might include the following: 1. Introduce the spelling pattern by choosing words based on a child’s need as a speller. 2. Encourage students to discover the pattern in their reading and writing 3. Students participate in engaging activities to help reinforce the spelling pattern. 4. Spelling test

21. Language Arts Writing By the end of first grade students will be able to: Write for a purpose Write a sentence with proper subject-verb agreement Include a clear beginning, middle and end in their stories Transition from inventive spelling to real spelling Form all letters correctly

22. Writer’s Workshop • The basic philosophy behind Writers Workshop is to allow students to spend time writing for real purposes about things that interest them.  The ultimate goal of writing workshop is to develop life-long writers.   • Writers Workshop Schedule • Mini Lesson - 5 to 10 minutes • Writing – 15 to 30 minutes • Conferring – working with teacher one-on-on • or working in small groups • 4. Sharing/Reflection

23. Mathematics • Time • Money • Geometry • Place Value • Number Families • Fractions • Visual and Number Patterns • Beginning addition and subtraction

24. Science The following topics will be covered: • Pebbles, Sand, & Silt • Monarch Butterflies • Plants • Balance and Motion

26. HOMEWORK READ READ READ For 15 minutes every night!

27. Homework Homework is important because it builds responsibility and reinforces learning. In first grade, each child will have homework Monday through Thursday. Homework in first grade will be approximately 15 - 25 minutes per evening, plus an additional 15 minutes of reading. These minutes are based on the time estimated for an average child working at an average pace. Your child may spend more or less time. If your child spends substantially more or less time than this amount on a regular basis, please contact me.

28. Homework Reminders • All homework should be completed neatly. • Your child’s name should be written on all homework assignments in pencil. When writing their name students should write begin with a capital and the rest should be lowercase letters. • Writing should be completed in pencil only.

29. Monthly Report • At the end of each month I will post a summary of the learning that took place in first grade on my website. Mrs. Testa's Website

30. Specials Monday – Art & FLES Tuesday – Library Wednesday – PE & Music Thursday – PE Friday – Sing Along • Computers is alternating weeks. Schedule will vary. • Sneakers with closed backs must be worn! No Clogs!

31. Programs In The Classroom

32. During each week of the school year, a child will be appointed “Star Student of the Week.” This is one of the many opportunities your child will have to share his/her self with the class. On Monday students should bring items to share with the class. On Friday students will need to choose something from home to be in the surprise bag.

33. Mystery Reader • Each Friday a “mystery reader” will come to read the class. • Pointers • Please do not tell your child that you are the mystery reader. The surprise is so much fun! • Some mystery readers like to dress up like characters in the story.

34. Snack Each day students should bring in a small snack of fruits, vegetables, plain pretzels, or crackers in their lunch box or in a reusable bag. Students only have about 5 to 8 minutes to eat snack. If your child forgets snack, I have an extra snacks in the classroom. Each day students should bring in a water bottle. This bottle will be sent home at the end of the day and should return to school the next day.

35. House Keeping

36. Birthday Procedures • To celebrate a child’s birthday, students are permitted to bring in a special snack to share with the class. Please be sure the snack conforms to any allergy restrictions in our classroom. Regardless if a child brings in a special snack on his or her birthday, we will always sing “Happy Birthday” and that child will receive a birthday crown. • No birthday party invitations are permitted in school, even if you are inviting the entire class! • It is my policy that birthday parties are prohibited from discussion in school! • Summer birthdays will be celebrated in June and must be pre arranged with Mrs. Testa. • Goody bags will not be permitted to be distributed in class.

38. Safe List • The safe list is a list of three to four people who can pick up your child from my backdoor. i.e. relatives, neighbors, or car pool group. • If someone is picking up your child, who is not on that list, I MUST HAVE A NOTE WITH YOUR WRITEN PERMISION!

39. How To Contact Mrs. Testa • Sending a note in with your child is the best way to communicate with me. • You can also leave a message with the secretaries with your name and phone number. Ask them to put it in my mail box. • Warning: I do not always check my voice mail. If you left a message and I did not get back to you in a day, please write me a note! • It is my goal to give your child the best education I know how! Please let me know if you have concern any concerns.

40. Allen W. Roberts Phone Number (908) 464-4707 My Email Address mtesta@npsd.us

42. Volunteers Needed • Science Day • Mystery Readers • Class Parties