Reading

"Reading to children enables the teacher to demonstrate the nature, pleasures, and rewards of reading, and to increase children's interest in books and their desire to be readers." ~Margaret Mooney Reading To, With, and By Children

Reading Aloud All children will be read to many times daily, whether it is in a whole group, small group or individual situation. Children will be exposed to many different kinds of reading materials through the daily read alouds. They may hear fiction, non-fiction, poetry, letters or personal narratives. We will also become familiar with the work of several specific authors.

You can support your child by continuing to read to him/her on a daily basis.

Readers' Strategies

Attend and Search
The reader focuses on the text and looks for specific information.

Anticipate
The reader forms expectations about the print, based on prior knowledge and information from the text.

Check
The reader checks that the chosen response makes sense and matches information already processed

Confirm
The reader accepts the response

Self-correct
The reader notices a mismatch, tries again and produces an accurate response.

Writing

Children will participate in the writing process on a daily basis. The draft book will be used for writing in all content areas. The teacher's job is to monitor the draft books and to make decisions about the child's next learning steps based upon the child's writing.The children will be writing about a subject of their own choice (Topic), writing to a specific audience (Audience) and writing for a specific reason (Purpose). The writing process includes: planning, proofreading, drafting, publication, revising, editing
During this process, students will confer with others in order to improve the piece of writing. The teacher will meet with each student for final editing. During this meeting, students receive instruction on spelling (which will include phonics), punctuation and content. The writing will be published in order to reach its audience for sharing and response from others.

The children will be supported in finding authentic topics and purposes for writing. During the course of the year, students will write: personal narratives, imaginative stories, letters, simple reports and poems.

Students will be introduced to the six traits of writing (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions) on which they will be tested by the AIMS* test beginning in 3rd Grade.

Mathematics

Math is learned naturally by the inventive, curious mind. Your child will be in a mathematics program this year designed to help him or her learn a wide range of mathematical concepts as well as insuring knowledge of basic arithmetic skills. The daily mathematics program will include:

Mental Math~an opportunity for children to understand the strategies that they use in computation and problem solving.

Concept Development~Children will be introduced to a concept through the use of concrete materials, moving on to the connecting level in which children are connecting numerical symbols to the concrete materials and using the symbols themselves.

Independent Practice~opportunity will be provided for the children to practice what they have learned at the concrete, connecting and symbolic level.

Small Group Instruction~children will be brought together in small groups to explore a concept in depth and to teach children with similar needs.

Science, Social Studies, Health & Technology Children should learn about science, social studies, technology and health because they need to understand and use them in their daily lives well into the future. Education in the elementary years should sustain children's natural curiosity: allow children to explore their environment; improve children's explanations of their world; help children to develop an understanding and appreciation of science, social studies, health and technology; and contribute to the informed choices children must make in their personal and social lives.

Our Social Studies, Science and Health curriculum is based on a combination of the district 1st and 2nd Grade standards and the interest of the students. All units of study will begin with the questions: What do you know about ________? What do you want to know about ________? The final question in each unit of study is: What have you learned about__________?

In order for the students to study curriculum for the first and second grade, the Multi-Age classroom uses a blended two year curriculum cycle. The two year plan allows an adequate amount of time to teach the curriculum for the two grade levels.

Students will go to the Computer Lab for instruction in Technology. Students will also have access to computers in the classroom. Topics include: word processing, drawing, painting, spreadsheet, opening and closing programs, and navigating the internet.

Am I Becoming A Good Speller?

Very likely you are if you can say... I care about spelling. I will need good spelling for the rest of my life. My parents want me to be a good speller.

I write often. The more I write, the more I am practicing spelling. I may not stop to check spelling as I write my first draft, but I always check my spelling when I proofread my draft.

I read every day. Reading leave impressions of spelling on my mind. It also adds to the number of words I know how to use. While I am reading, I sometimes pause to notice spellings.

I explore words. I notice letter patterns such as /ing/ and /tion/. I notice prefixes such as /un/ and /dis/ and suffixes such as /less/ and /ful/.

I use things around the room (such as posters, ABC charts and writing models) to help me spell correctly .Sometimes I ask for someone to help me spell a word. I use my Spelling Dictionary when I proofread my writing. I am learning to use a dictionary to check my spelling.

I learn new spellings. 1. Look at the new word, take a picture of it with my brain and say it softly. 2. Cover it and try to see it in my mind. 3. Write it from memory. 4. Check. I will repeat the process if my spelling is not correct.

Children will have individual spelling lists in this classroom. The words will be selected from close approximations in the child's draft book. (Example-the child spells first "frst" Before words appear on the child's list, the teacher will have discussed the words (and often similar words) and its correct spelling. Students will practice each word list for two weeks. The words will be recorded in the spelling notebook which will come home each Monday. It is very important for your child to return the spelling notebook the next day. We use spelling notebooks daily! The spelling notebook we create will follow the child for many years. Please encourage your child to take good care of it. To help your child utilize the spelling notebook, we will be compiling an individualized dictionary at the back. If your child is new to Multi-Age, please follow these steps to begin your child's dictionary. Turn to the back of the spelling notebook and count out the last 26 pages [apple]use manuscript printing to label each page like this: Aa [apple]when your child receives a new list of words, record them alphabetically (by first letter only) <bullet>eventually the Aa page might look like this: and as around about We find that as the children proof read they refer to their dictionary on a daily basis. It is essential that it be kept up to date.

Your child will have spelling homework every week, usually on Monday nights. To help your child use the Look, Cover, Write, Check sheet, please follow this procedure: Child copies words one at a time onto the Write section of the sheet, then looks at each word, takes a picture of it in their brain, then folds the sheet so the Cover section hides the word from view, then they write the word in the Check section. Next, the child unfolds the paper proof reads the word in the Check the section against the word in the and Look section letter by letter. Repeat process for each word on your child's list. If you wish to practice on other days, any paper can be used in this way!

Children will be given quizzes on their lists from every two weeks, but the true measure of their ability to spell the words will come from their ability to use them in their writing. We want to create life-long spellers!

Discipline

I believe in a positive approach to discipline. During the first weeks of school, the students and I will discuss our dreams of an ideal school, an ideal classroom and the ideal citizens we can be to make our dreams a reality. We will make a list of ideal behaviors and display them in our room to remind ourselves what an ideal citizen looks like. We will also discuss the logical consequences of inappropriate behavior. When necessary, a student and I will choose a logical consequence for not being an ideal citizen.

The students, parents, and staff of Las Brisas support high behavioral and academic expectations.

We encourage citizens to: ~Show responsibility ~Treat others and our environment with respect ~Always be prepared to learn ~Remain flexible and ~Self-motivated

Self-Management We have 5 basic needs: love/belonging, achievement, fun, freedom and survival (food, water, shelter). We firmly believe that all behavior is a reaction to an unfulfilled need. When students are content in their learning environment, behavior is not an issue. We will encourage and teach your child to become an independent and self-controlled individual. If a situation arises in which a child cannot control him/herself, logical consequences will be implemented. In order to provide your student with the excellent learning environment that he or she deserves, the students and I will be working together to establish a classroom agreement that builds a common picture of how we will work together this year in our classroom.

Environment

>=A predictable environment provides children with lots of invitations to write, to read and to learn. Such a classroom works to create a learning community where all learners, including the teacher, can grow as human beings. The teacher is a kid-watcher who joins students as the explore and discover language together, engages them through demonstrations of learning, and creates a warm and supportive atmosphere that encourages change.? ~Creating Classrooms for Authors Harste, Short, Burke, 1988

In this >=predictable environment? the children are introduced to the classroom in a very orderly fashion so that they know exactly how to use the materials and where to store them. After becoming familiar with the classroom, they will feel confident when making informed choices. This will enable each child to work in a concentrated way on any task.

Handwriting In this classroom, legible handwriting is considered to be a courtesy to the reader. The children will be expected to use handwriting that is as neat and readable as possible. When writing, children should be using uppercase letters at the beginning of a sentence or with a proper noun. You can support these efforts at home by encouraging your child to follow these standards in any writing done at home. Handwriting instruction will be a daily part of our schedule. Some children may require extra practice at home.

Organization

Organizing for learning has a fundamental aim - to enable children to have satisfying, rewarding and independent experiences. In our classroom, expect to find the following:

A warm, workmanlike atmosphere in which children are treated with affection and respect.

A structured environment where children!=s opinions are encouraged and valued.

An environment in which children are immersed in reading, writing, speaking and listening throughout all curricular areas.

A classroom of high expectations where every child will succeed.

A classroom where children are aware of specific standards that are in place.

A classroom where approximations are valued as a step toward correctness.

My Educational Philosophy:

I believe we are all teachers and learners.

I believe it is my job to model the joy of teaching and learning.

I believe all children come to school with vast knowledge.

I believe that each child is valuable and important.

I believe learning occurs most rapidly when parents, children and teachers are working together.

I believe it is my job to know my learners, to provide appropriate learning materials, and to utilize instructional approaches that will allow maximum learning to take place.

I believe that the best teachers are enthusiastic learners.

I Value...

Immersion Learners need to be constantly surrounded by a variety of meaningful language, both spoken and written.

Demonstration Learners need to have demonstrations of how oral language is used and how texts are conceived and used.

Expectation Learners are influenced by the expectations of peers and adults around them. They need to know they will learn to read and write successfully.

Responsibility Learners become independent if allowed to make their own decisions about learning tasks.

Use Learners must have the time and opportunity to practice what they are learning if they are going to gain control over it.

Approximation Learners work confidently and are more prepared to attempt new things when they know that teachers and other adults will encourage their approximations.

Response Learners are encouraged when those around them respond with interest and sensitivity.