Mrs. Kathy Rathbun
1st Grade: Reading/Language Arts & Social Studies
kathyr@cccparish.org
Hello and Welcome!
First Grade is THE place to be! Our days are packed full with reading, writing, spelling, listening to read-alouds, exporing our text books, practicing being kind Christian children, and having fun!
Language Arts
Throughout the year we work through our Journeys reading program. We were blessed with new, revised editions of all our Journeys materials last year due to the amazing generosity of our Donum Fidei Auction. In addition to that we have small group reading instruction for all students. I incorporate the Daily 5 components (Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Word Work, Work on Writing), plus I am adding Computer as one of the options. I have used Daily 5 for years and appreciate the structure it provides for students to enhance their language arts skills while I work with small reading groups.
Reading
As your 1st grader develops as a reader there are some helpful things that can be practiced at home:
- encourage using strategies beyond sounding out - pictures; stretch out all the sounds & put together; skip the word, read the rest of the sentence and then go back; try a word that makes sense; try a different vowel sound
- they read a page, you read a page
- 5-word rule: if they are unable to read more than 5 words on a page the text is too difficult for them to read alone
- for harder texts, have them find words they do know on the page before you read it
- comprehension (understanding what was read) is as important as word-calling; always ask your student to tell you about what they just read (by book, by chapter, by page, whatever works best)
- if unable to retell what was just read, have them read it again, slower if necessary, and concentrate on comprehension
Writing
We begin writing on day one of 1st Grade, and by the end of the year our stories will be amazing! However, you may not always be able to read what we are writing, but we will get better and better. Since we aren't born knowing how to spell, and spelling in the English language is not easy, much of our writing will begin as 'temporary spelling'. As children are writing a word they don't know how to spell they listen for the sounds they hear and write the letters that make those sounds. This temporary spelling is not always easy for us adults to read (unless you've had years of experience like I have), but it is much more effective than each student waiting for an adult to spell the word they want to write. And they really do learn how to spell those words they are writing!
Social Studies
Our Social Studies textbook is aligned with ourJourneys Reading series, with six units that correspond with the six Reading units. Throughout these units we learn about History, Civics/Government, Geography and Economics.
Test & Quizzes
Spelling
New spelling words come home on Wednesdays and spelling tests are the following Tuesday. Each student needs to bring in a copy of spelling practice from home, signed by a parent, or you can email a picture of practice. ** I do keep track of their spelling homework, and those students who turn in Spelling Homework five weeks in a row get a little treat from me!
WORDS FOR THE NEXT SPELLING TEST - Nov. 5
SPELLING LISTS
Group 1: up, bug, mud, nut, hug, tub, yet, web, leg, hen
Group 2: me, be, read, feet, tree, keep, eat, mean, sea, these, so, go, home, hole, rope, joke
Group 3: soon, soup, new, you, noon, book, zoo, foot, boot, brook, too, wood, moon, good, blew, look
Current Topics:
We will complete Unit 2 of our Journeys reading series next week. When we finished Unit 1 I gave the Unit 1 test to Reading Groups 3 & 4 during our group time. The test is very long and cumbersome for below-benchmark readers. This time I will give at least part of the Unit 2 test to all groups (during their Reading Group time).
As we did last year, the entire school is learning about/following the Fruits of the Spirit this year. Every month each class will vote for the student in their group that most exhibits the virtue of that month. Emery Dewey was voted as the student who most showed JOY in October. The Virtue for the month of November is Peace.
November is a fun month in First Grade! We will read a book about a Thanksgiving play, and then we will put on our own play and have our own little feast (details as we get closer to Thanksgiving). Our class will also be responsible for Morning Prayer the week of Nov. 18 (again, details later).
As always, thank you for your support of your child and your child's teachers - it means the world to both of us!
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:
Classroom Party Sign UpParents, click the link below to sign up for various classroom parties throughout the year!
Sign Up Genius - Rathbun