Hi Students and Families! I hope your child enjoyed their online school day today. I attended a professional development session today where I learned how to incorporate digital writing into the classroom. My brain is on overload with information but I couldn't be more excited to try the new programs and applications I learned today to enhance your child's writing skills. I am really excited to incorporate more QR codes into the classroom, as well as introduce the children to applications on the Ipad where they can write through webs, stories, and photographs.

This week, the children enjoyed preparing for the Fall Harvest Festival. We made a brainstorming web of all the ideas we could make for the festival that involved corn. Aurora came up with the idea of making corn muffins. Luke came up with the idea of making a salad and putting corn kernels on top. Jadon thought we could serve corn and peas mixed together. Sam loved the thought of making corn cookies! Before the children brainstormed ideas, we explored how corn grows, the different ways corn can me prepared, and the different parts of the corn. What better way to explore then by going out into our own garden? The children worked hard at shucking the corn, which required much coordination on their part.

 The children are learning to be independent problem solvers. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of establishing clear structures and routine so children can carry on with independence during writing time. My vision is that children will start, work on, and complete their writing as best as they are able, moving from one text to another with verve and confidence. The message that I am teaching to the children is that they are their own best resource during a writer's workshop. At home, encourage your child to add more to their picture even when they think they have finished. A strategy that I teach them is to point to each thing or object they drew on their page, as ask themselves "How can I make this better?" We are also beginning to label our pictures! Help your child write down the sounds they hear in the word.

I would like to remind you that the Fall Harvest Festival will be on Thursday, October 3rd from 5:00-7:00 here at SCOPE Academy. Come for fun, games, and food! It is an event that you won't want to miss! I am looking forward to another eventful and rigorous week!

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Hello Kindergarten Families!

We are off to a great start in Kindergarten this year! It has been a busy few weeks as children make new friends, learn classroom routines and expectations, and curriculum material. I want students to expect school to be a dynamic and safe place to learn, and an objective that is realized immediately by involvement in purposeful and meaningful action. The first four weeks of school are always tiring and challenging for kindergarten students. I am amazed at the progress each child has made as they transitioned from the summer months to the full and rigorous days of school.

In math, the children have been participating in classification activities that allow them to analyze and observe their world and articulate their observations.  “These balloons are exactly the same”  and “These are the same but a different size”  are examples of the type of language they have been using. The students are recognizing numbers as yet one more lens for classification. Language such as  “I put a pencil, a book, and an eraser, 3 things, in my backpack for school" or " I put 5 toys in the closet to keep home” would be examples of this type of classification.  From the moment students enter school, they practice the counting sequence so that when counting a set of objects, their attention can be on matching one count to one object, rather than on retrieving the number words. My goal is for children to realize that math is EVERYWHERE in the world around them, but it takes a mathematician to notice it.

From day one, the children have learned that they are readers and writers. The most foundational lesson when teaching a child to read is that there are three ways to read a book. These ways are reading the pictures, reading the words, and re-telling the story. So you know when you walk past your child's room and they have a book in their lap and are talking to themselves? Well, they are actually reading the pictures, which is the first step to reading! The children's stamina for read-to-self is 6 minutes! Of course, they need to make sure they stay in one spot, read the whole time, and not talk to anyone, which are certainly learned skills and will build over time.

As young writers, the students are learning that they think of something that they know about and use pictures and words to put their ideas on paper. Writer's workshop is one of their most favorite parts of the day. The children have also been busy exploring our garden. They have collected nature and made their self portraits, participated in a letter scavenger hunt, measured different vegetable plants and flowers using cubes and blocks, painted with vegetables, and so much more! The children are also fascinated with the toads and insects that roam the gardens, which I can foresee being a curriculum focus and interest among all the children.

Below: Evan is using his sense of hearing to observe the world around him. Rook is painting with vegetables! The children loved seeing the different shapes vegetables made. Isaac is measuring out in the garden using nonstandard units--- linking cubes!

Here are a few beginning of the year reminders and updates:
1. Please make sure that your child's snack is in a different place other than their lunch box. It takes them a lot of time to get their lunch box out and choose their snack. Often, they do not know which food is their snack, or they are taking more out then necessary. I would also encourage to provide your child with a healthy snack, for nutrition is a big part of our daily curriculum.
2. On Wednesday, I sent home an important form explaining a new text messaging service I am applying this year as a new way to communicate with parents. It is called "Remind 101" and is a completely closed system, which means your phone number remains private and I cannot respond to any messages that are sent. I will be using this service to notify you of any school closings or delays, class or school events, materials needed for the classroom, and much more! If you need another form, please let me know and I would be happy to send home another one.
3. The blog will be updated every week. I will notify you when the blog is updated via remind 101 (the text message application that was introduced to you on Wednesday.) The blog can be used to prompt your child about what is happening in school. They love seeing their pictures on the computer!
4. The blue take home folder should be returned everyday. If you have a note for me, you may put the note in the folder, for I check all folders in the morning.
5. Library is on Wednesday! Please double check that your child's book is sent back so that he or she may check out another book.

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to be teaching your children. How lucky am I to have a job that I can't wait to get to every morning? I hope you have fun watching your child soar this year! I appreciate and welcome all comments, concerns, and questions regarding your child's education and success.

Pictures below: Sophia and Lucia are busy exploring the different features of their faces. The faces they made were then hung around  "Our Class Rules" chart. Gabriel is focused on practicing his letters at the light table.

The Eggs are Here! The Eggs are Here!

Being a first grade teacher is so very special! It is just magical to see the students'

faces light up each and every time they learn something new! New learning experiences are apart of our classroom everyday, but something as extraordinary as hatching chickens will be an experience that is unforgettable. Seven chicken eggs arrived in our classroom last Wednesday, and were donated by a local farmer. You can only imagine how excited the children are. There is a lot to remember when hatching chicks, so the children are practicing a different kind of responsibility in the classroom rather than being responsible for their actions and for belongings. A few of these responsibilities include changing the water for humidity, checking both the room and the incubator temperature, and keeping track when the eggs are turned. We have developed a class Incubator Data Chart to help us keep track of these factors which the chicks are so dependent upon. Even though we have only had the chicks for 4 days, we have already learned so much! Through a web quest (a blog I made for the children that is designed for safe, child friendly research,) the children have investigated life cycles, oviparous animals, sequence, temperature, and the basic needs of living things. Along with the class generated data chart, the children are also keeping their own logs in a scientific journal given to them. I am anticipating the children going deeper into their interest with baby animals!

Above: Kaydence and Isabella are researching in both fiction and non fiction books for information about chicks! They are recording their new learning in their journals using specific headings to organize their research. They have pages for "What I think I know," "What I wonder," "New Learning," and "Yes, I was right!" The children love when they confirm that what they thought was right was actually true. Also above, Alexis and Marlo are building models of chickens.

We also have lady bugs in our classroom (contained, of course!) They were donated by Isabella and her grandmother. Wow, did they sure fill our bucket! It is neat to compare the life cycle of the lady bug with the chicken. We got the lady bugs when they were just tiny eggs, and have watched them grow into beautiful, spotted lady bugs!

Parents, you are more than welcome to come see our chicken eggs or the hatchlings at any time. Your child would love to show and tell you everything they are learning about! If your child is interested in researching more at home, here is the link to the webquest: http://thewonderfulworldofchicks.blogspot.com/

Happy snow day, friends!

Here is a joke to for you to start this snowy day with:

Question: How do you keep the snow from giving your feet a cold?
Answer: Don't walk around BRRRfooted!

For your online snow day assignment, here are a few things I would like you to do:

1. Pretend you were talking to someone who has never tasted hot chocolate. Write 5-10 sentences trying to persuade them to try or not try it, depending on whether you like hot chocolate or not. Remember to use as many detailed, or "juicy," words as you can think of and also give reasons for your opinions. Maybe if you have any hot chocolate at home, you can ask an adult to have some so you can use all your senses while writing! Remember to use your manners when asking!

2. Please write the fact families for these numbers:

7 and 1

8 and 2

10 and 5

6 and 3

9 and 2

*Remember, all fact families have two addition and two subtraction number models. Always start with the largest number (the sum of both numbers) when subtracting.

Please bring your short persuasive text as well as your finished fact families to school tomorrow so you can get credit for them

Enjoy your day, everyone!

Miss Leslie

Welcome to America, Delphine Bourgoin!

Bonjour! It is with great pleasure for me to introduce to you Delphine Bourgoin, the newest and most dearest addition to our first grade class. Delphine is from France where she is studying to be a teacher. She has been given an educational opportunity to travel to America and gain a unique cultural experience while seeking a global viewpoint, international teaching experience, and the understanding of other cultures and people. She arrived at our school on February 25th, and she will be placed at our school until March 22nd. She will be immersed in our first grade classroom everyday, as well as teaching in other classes periodically to gain as much teaching experience as possible. The students and teachers have  grown very fond of Miss Delphine, not only for her expertise of French culture, but also because of her warm personality and friendly nature. We recently Skyped with Delphine's family, and the children were so interested to learn that her daughter enjoys dancing and her son enjoys video games and basketball! We will be Skyping with Delphine's daughter's class as well.  Mrs. Adams' first grade class is also lucky to have Anais Jusserand in their classroom, who is also seeking to experience the academic system of our country. 

In the picture above, Anais is on the left and Delphine is on the right.

Above: A group of students enjoy Skyping with Miss Delphine's family! Miss Delphine is also working with Sophia, incorporating the French language into Sophia's writing.

Read below to get to know Miss Delphine better!

• Family: She has a husband, a son (13,) a daughter (8,) and a cat back home in France.
• This is her third time visiting the United States. Previously she has visited New York City.
• She plays the saxophone and owns a motorcycle, or a  "motor bike."
• Her favorite foods that she has tried here so far are the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and chocolate brownies.
• She is shocked to be able to go out to dinner, and then go shopping afterwards (stores in France close at 7:00 pm!)
• She has noticed that Americans are "quiet drivers." She hasn't heard one honk and she said she is surprised to see no one sticking their head out the window yelling at the car next to them.
• She visited Amish Country over the weekend and absolutely loved it.
• She is overwhelmed with how friendly Americans are and how we have made it so easy for her to transition into the American culture. Thank you to anyone who has reached out to our guests!

Thank you to Mrs. Orsini, Claire's mom, for being Delphine's "social coordinator" and helping coordinate special events and activities for Delphine to experience while she is here with us in Ohio.

Hi Families! Happy Valentines Day!
As I am sure you are aware, the first graders are learning all about the basics of wood work.

Children are by nature creative and are very capable of participating in a wide variety of wood building projects, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment. Children are also highly competent in producing ideas that work and woodwork and carpentry gives them the opportunity for self-expression.

 Word work inspires creativity, confidence and builds self-esteem. Many lessons can be learned from wood building, including follow-through, persistence and the knowledge that the child can build something that can be used for years to come. In addition, wood building teaches a lot about practical mathematics applications, as they must take into account how many nails and screws are needed, how many turns of the screwdriver and how shapes and planes fit together, as well as planning, measuring and how to use kids' tools safely and effectively. Fine-motor skills and the principles of design also come into play when embarking on a wood building or assembly project.

Thinking about the art benefit auction, the children were brainstorming what piece of furniture would be most beneficial for the families at SCOPE Primary. They came up with many ideas, including a bed, rocking chair, stool, and a garden bench. By using the system of voting, the children decided to make a garden bench because the garden is one of our favorite spots to learn and play. They started with building the frame for the bench, pouring cement into the frame, and then painting tiles to add to the top. The next step is to add the legs! With the help of Mr. and Mrs. James, the children's problem solving skills were put to the test when they had to figure out what size pieces of wood would be best for the frame. Through trial and error, the children measured the wood pieces until they found the perfect size.

 

                                              

Above (Left): Mr. James and Marlo drill a hole into the frame of the bench. Isabella carefully observes!

Above (Right): Melania and J'Lyn use a trowel to smooth the concrete.

Above (Middle): The children are using the extra wood and concrete they had to make garden stepping stones!

  Another project that they have been working one is making their own peg boards! They love using peg boards in the classroom to practice making shapes, and peg boards can even be used to practice addition and subtraction believe it or not. Through the process, they learned about measurement, accuracy, force, which way to tighten a screw and which way to loosen a screw, skip counting, and most importantly, safety. The children are now onto creating their own designs by using string and rubber bands. J'Lyn even turned hers into a guitar!

Above: Jordan is concentraing so hard when making his peg board. Another student beside him decides it would be best to use a screwdriver to make the pegs tight. 

Lastly, we started talking about wood and art, and the children created beautiful portraits of themselves by transfering their picture onto a piece of wood using the basic skill of tracing and the gooey mess of mod podge. They are fascinated with tracing, and many asked to take tracing paper home to practice. This is a skill that many young children often are not exposed to, so investing in a tracing pad is highly reccommended! Also, tracing makes the children focus on the detail of the photo, which will help them add details in their own illustrations!

We are just getting started with wood work, and have already learned so much. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. James for all their hard work with this project, Mrs. Lamb for donating wooden race car kits, and to all the parents for sending in tools so these carpenters can be successful at their jobs!

If your child seems interested in all the possibilites of word work, consider taking them to Home Depot for free workshops! Here are the details:

• FREE hands-on workshops designed for children ages 5 - 12 offered the 1st Saturday of every month at all The Home Depot stores between 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• Workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills, tool safety and instill a sense of pride and accomplishment.
• All kids get to keep their craft and receive a FREE Kids Workshop Apron, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement.

Hello Families! Happy New Year! I hope you all had as nice of a holiday as I did. It is exciting to be back!

The children are learning now about how parts of objects have specific properties that allow them to work with other parts to carry out a particular function. Something may not work well or at all if a part of it is missing, broken, worn out, mismatched, or disconnected. To further their learning I gave them a task: to build a table out of Lego's. It had to be a flat surface, and the table had to have legs to support it. After each child made their table, I told them they must take a leg off their table. They were sad to see that now their table was slanted! Their next task was to see if they could find and use a recycled material to support the table again. They enjoyed trying different things. Many children used play dough, others used straws. Isabella A. used floam- she was so proud of it! She even included a centerpiece!

Before break, the children were investigating the different states of matter. They enjoyed carrying out experiments to see physical results, and getting to create their own experiments based on what they are interested in learning about. Extending from their investigations before break, the children are now investigating the changes in properties that occur in objects and materials and how changes of position of an object is a result from pushing and pulling. Last week, the children had the opportunity to investigate what affects an object to sink or float. Does shape affect it? Does weight affect it? The children planned and implemented an investigation to test various clay shapes (eg., a clay ball, a clay block, flattened clay with edges) to determine how shape affects the ability of a material to float or sink in water. For the last few tests, the children were able to think of a shape they were interested in knowing if it sunk or float. Michael discovered that if you form the clay ball into a boat-shape, the clay will float! The children were excited to find out that shape does affect whether or not an object will float or sink.

The next investigation was student-directed and taught, for they were able to find different materials to test if weight affects an object to float or sink. We did a feather altogether, but the children's creativity flowed as they chose different materials to test such as wood balls, corks, tissue paper, beads, packing peanuts, and so much more! On their recording sheet, they were only expected to find 3 different materials to test, yet they didn't want to stop after that! The lesson went on farther, and the learning deepens.

 This upcoming week we will be testing what various materials float and sink, such as plastic, cardboard, Styrofoam, etc... Taking everything they have learned, the children will then have to design and build their own small boat using the materials they discovered floated in water. They need to make sure the shape of their boat is correct, for they know now that shape affects if it will sink and float. We will test their boats to see if they can float for a specific amount of time, and then add pennies to their boat to see how much weight their boat can carry before it sinks. The children were so excited to start making their boats, some even decided to write down the materials they discovered would work and others made blueprints of what their boats would look like. It is going to be an exciting week!

The children have also been busy learning about measurement. They are still getting practice with measuring in non-standard units of measurement such as feet or hand spans, but now they starting to measure to the nearest inch on rulers and tape measures. They really enjoyed using tape measures to measure different parts of the body such as their friends wrist or ankle. They are also beginning to learn about the quarter hour on a clock. Any chance you can to ask your child what time it is will carry their knowledge from school to home. The children are learning the vocabulary "quarter-after, quarter-before, quarter-past, and quarter-to."

In reading and writing, the children have been having fun learning about homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled different and mean different things. For example, "aunt" and "ant" are homophones. They are also working on a new reading strategy: skip a word and come back to it. When children come to words they don't know, some stall on the unknown word and are unable to move on. These children must learn strategies to help them move forward. Your child is working on the accuracy strategy "Skip the word, and then come back." This strategy teaches a reader to skip over the word until the end of the sentence or passage. Then, the reader should back up and re-read the sentence again, using the first letter or letters of the skipped word and their context clues to decode the unknown word.

One last thing: On Wednesday, January 16th, it is "Appreciate a Dragon Day" at the Green Library. The children will choose a favorite dragon from literature and get creative-- read about them, write about them, draw them, paint them, make them! A dragon make-and-take craft will be available all day.  Ask your librarian for further details!




Have a great week!

P.S- Thank you to all those who donated more pencils to the classroom. We were running low!