1st Grade News

 

We have done plays based off the books, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "The Night Before 1st Grade."

 

Now we are learning how to use "Stingray Talk" which is talking in complete sentences. For example, ask your child what their favorite color is. Instead of saying "blue", they would say, "My favorite color is blue." This helps to set the stage for writing.

 

Afterwards, we will practice "Stingray Scholar Talk" which is talking in complete sentences AND giving a supporting detail. Students are encouraged to use the word "because" to help them give a supporting detail. For example, "My favorite color is blue because I like Superman!" 

 

While practicing "Stingray Talk" and "Stingray Scholar Talk" we are using whole-brain teaching. When a student comes up to share their sentence they say "class, class" and the rest of the class responds with "yes, yes." The student then says "mirror please" and all the students hold up their hands to match the student. The student then uses hand motions to help go through the sentence. Here are some of the common motions:

 

-One hand over the other and expanding outward: capital letter

-Clap hands like a crocodile: to show a connecting word such as "because"

-Putting hand out like a stop sign and saying "Erk!": to represent ending punctuation.

 

From there, we will transition to getting thoughts on paper. 

 

1st Grade Standards

 

W.1.1 I can write an opinion piece where I give a topic and provide an opinion on the topic. 

 

W.1.2 I can write an informative piece where I name a topic, give some facts about the topic, and provide a closure. 

 

W.1.3 I can write a narrative piece where I retell about two events in order, give details, and provide a closure. 

 

W.1.5 I can respond to my classmates questions or suggestions to strengthen my writing.

 

W.1.6 I can use digital tools to produce and publish my work.

 

W.1.7 I can participate in research and writing projects with my classmates.

 

W.1.8 I can use provided sources to find information.