SCHOLASTIC ORDER DUE FRIDAY

Please get those Scholastic orders in by Friday (Sept 3)... I will post my order Friday afternoon in the hopes of getting the order next week. Remember, for every book you order, we earn new books for our classroom! Thanks so much for your support!

Phonics Poem- The Lad Brad

The Lad Brad

Brad was a lad
Who was very sad.
Then Brad's dad
Introduced him to Tad,
Who showed him to Chad.
Now they're all glad,
Hanging out at Brad's pad.

-Mrs. Alphabet

Identify the words from the -ad family, then brainstorm more words that end with -ad.

Reflections on the week

Dear Families,
Well, we made it through our first week. I have to say (and I probably shouldn't speak too soon) that this was the easiest first week in my history... the kids really understand our routine and are getting along so well with eachother! We were so incredibly productive last week! My hat's off to your kiddos for a fabulous first week! Let's do it again!
Charly Stagg

Kids Can Cook- Fresh Fruit Salad

Fresh Fruit Salad

Ingredients
2 small bananas, sliced
2 small apples, diced
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
1/2 cup seedless green grapes
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan; gradually whisk in 1/2 cup water, orange juice, and lemon juice until blended.

Bring sugar mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, over medium heat. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute.

Pour mixture over fruit, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Southern Living, MAY 1997

Weekly Update- week 2

Welcome to the SECOND week of first grade in Mrs. Stagg's Class!

Here's a peek into our week :)

Theme:

"If You Give A..."

Literature:

Author Study- Laura Numeroff

Language Arts:

Skill: Understanding Characters

"What clues tell you how a character feels?"

Strategy: Infer/ Predict

Fluency: Accuracy

Vocabulary Strategy: Context Clues

Phonics:

initial sounds r,h,s /z,b,g

words with short i

-it

Sight Words:

for- he- what- look- have- too

Writing:

Practice keeping a journal & building background

Math:

Review numbers to 12

Science/ Social Studies:

Roles of the school administrators, other faculty and staff around the school, relate school jobs to our community (Mayor, Doctor, etc)

Overheard today

student: "Oh, I LOVE to read. I have an atlask at home with maps and states and stuff and I love to find words in my diskanary!"

I LOVE FIRST GRADE!

:)

Web Wednesday- Starfall

Starfall

http://www.starfall.com/

Your children should know about Starfall by now, but I wanted to make sure they have access to it at home as well.

This is the perfect site for reinforcing Language Arts, phonics, and reading skills we are learning about in the classroom. Now only is it educational, it's super fun!

Any age/ skill level elementary student will find something engaging and educational on this site.

I encourage you to let your child explore, but also sit with them, play games together and see what your child can learn from this amazing free Internet resource!

Phonics Poem- Mistress Pratt

Mistress Pratt

Mistress Pratt

Round and fat,

By accident sat

Upon her hat.

She squashed it flat

And that was that!

-Author unknown

Identify members of the -at word family and brainstorm more words that end in -at.

Kids Can Cook- Bite-size Honey Popcorn Balls

Bite-size Honey Popcorn Balls

The only quibble we have with popcorn balls is that they're usually too big and unwieldy to bite into. These miniature clusters, held together with caramelized honey, are just the right size. Prep and Cook Time: 1 1/4 hours. Notes: If you don't have an air popper, you can pop the popcorn in the microwave. Be careful when opening bag; it will release steam.

Yield: Makes 60 to 65 popcorn balls

Ingredients
20 cups air-popped popcorn (from 2/3 to 1 cup kernels; see Notes)
1 1/4 cups butter, cut into chunks, plus more for your hands
1 1/4 cups honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Put popcorn in a large roasting pan. Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir together 1 1/4 cups butter, the honey, and salt until butter is melted. Increase heat and boil honey mixture gently 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla.

3. Carefully pour honey mixture over popcorn in roasting pan and stir gently to coat. Bake popcorn, stirring every 5 minutes, until deep golden all over, about 25 minutes.

4. Let popcorn stand 5 minutes, or just until cool enough to handle. Working quickly with lightly buttered hands, press small handfuls of the mixture into 1 1/2-in. balls, occasionally loosening popcorn from bottom of pan with a spatula. If mixture cools too much to be malleable, return it to oven for about 45 seconds to soften.

5. Put popcorn balls on prepared baking sheet and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Weekly Update- week 1

Welcome to the FIRST week of first grade in Mrs. Stagg's Class!

Here's a peek into our week :)

Theme:

My School Family/ Names

Literature:

Kevin Henkes & 'Back to School' books

Language Arts:

Skill: Main Idea

Strategy: Summarize

Fluency: Accuracy

Vocabulary: Classify and Categorize

Grammar: Nouns

Phonics:

initial sounds n,d,p,f

words with short a

Sight Words:

bat- fan- a- I- an- you- the

Writing:

Introduction to keeping a journal

Math:

Kindergarten review/ math pre assessments

Science/ Social Studies:

Learning expectations for the classroom and school, routines

Weekly Update- explained

Each Sunday, I will send a little information your way about our upcoming week. Here, you will be able to see what we are focusing on, what types of literature we will be reading, and what skills I will be teaching. In this first update, I will explain each area in detail, but in the future, explanations will be brief. Please contact me if you have any questions! Remember, first grade is very cyclical, so I am not expecting mastery of any of these skills by the end of this week. We will revisit these topics again and again throughout the year! Thanks for your support at home!

Theme:
I like to center my week around a theme of some sort, as I love to use a common thread to tie all subject areas together when possible!
Literature:
I love to read and I make it a goal to pass that love of literature on to my students. One way of doing that is to use literature to introduce lessons. I also do several author studies throughout the year!
Language Arts Focus:
In what we call 'shared reading,' we touch on a number of Language Arts skills, but there are usually 1-2 per week that we really focus on.
Phonics Focus:
Phonics study is a big part of "Balanced Literacy," which is the reading philosophy practiced in CSISD. We will focus on numerous phonics skills weekly, but there will be a handful that make up our primary focus for the week.
Writing Focus:
Teaching writing separate from my Language Arts/ Literacy block is something I am passionate about for a few reasons... For one, I was a very good writer in elementary school, but I absolutely hated it. I now love it and our writing lessons will be full of energy and life. I hope you will be excited to read what your children are publishing in our classroom!
Math:
In CSISD, Math is something we teach in cycles, so even though we may have a specific focus for the week, your child will be practicing and applying all strands of mathematics each week in our classroom through our class math meetings, lessons, small group learning, and math stations and games.
Science and/or Social Studies Focus:
Science and Social Studies are such fun subjects in first grade. We will get to learn about real people and real things, we will get our hands dirty and truly experience many different things throughout the year.

Extra Information?
If there is additional information for the week I feel you need to be made aware of, I will post it here.

Now you know a bit about how our weekly updates will work. Please be looking for our first Weekly Update in a few minutes!

Recipe for First Grade

I so enjoyed meeting you tonight and can't wait for the year to get started!

EASY RECIPE FOR A PERFECT FIRST GRADE CLASS

1 Bunch of Happy Eager Students
1 Enthusiastic, Energetic and Loving Teacher
Combine the above ingredients with:
2 Cups of Reading
1 Cup of Phonics
1 Cup of Math
1 Cup of Spelling
1 Cup of Science/Social Studies/Health
1 Cup of Honesty
1 Cup of Friendship
1 Cup of Respect
1 Cup Concern and Love for Each Other
Spices (for extra flavor)
A dash of P.E., Library, Music, Art, and Computers
A Large Portion of Learning Stations
An Abundance of Supportive and Concerned Parents



Blend reading, phonics, math, spelling, science, social studies, and health very carefully and thoroughly each day. Add honesty, friendship, respect, and concern for each other. Daily add a bunch of love and enthusiasm along with a scoop of understanding and a dash of discipline. Sift in P.E., Music, Art, Library, and Computers to give it a little spicy flavor. Carefully blend in Learning Stations to enhance all learning styles. Mix thoroughly and check to see if all ingredients are blending and being learned. Bake in a first grade classroom everyday. Watch them grow and learn daily adding more of each ingredients as needed. When they are done and the year is through - turn them out into the world with knowledge, love, respect, and self- esteem!

**Courtesy of Valley View ISD**