Two notes went home with your First Grader before break about at home educational opportunities. First, is KidBlog which we have been using for about 2 months now! Students have showed persistence and striving for accuracy towards writing goals since then. They continue to amaze me with how capable they are of writing to an audience and teamwork as well. Before break, we were able to utilize the cart of Chromebooks that Salem has obtained and used KidBlog on them. As I was busy distributing, logging students on, etc. they each took on the role of helping their classmates with "tech" issues! This has brought up a new classroom job: Tech Guru AND a new topic we will discuss in class: How to have "Helping Hands." This brings attention to students helping with their words rather than their hands and doing all the work for their classmate. A way to use your "helping hands" is to have your hands behind your back so they don't take over so quickly. I encourage students to use KidBlog at home with adult supervision(remind your student to Log In). I also encourage family members to log on every now and then and comment on student posts. This brings the true meaning of an audience in real form, which is essential with writing engagement. Happy Commenting! P.S. there is an App for this on your iOS device.
http://kidblog.org/MrsWilsonsFirstGrade13/
Another *NEW* opportunity is RazKids which was graciously provided by our wonderful Salem PTO for all Salem students. We have not used this much in class yet, so I am learning right along with you! I encourage you to have your student utilize this resource at home as they will have access to "Just Right" books and quizzes to check their reading comprehension. If you have not done so yet, provide me with your email if you would like "Parent Access" on RazKids where you can view the progress your student makes. Also, you can do this on your own by logging in with your student's login info, and then going to the top right corner and click on Parents. P.S. there is an App for this on your iOS or Android device.
http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login
Needed: Room Parent
We are in need of a room parent to organize our last classroom party of the year: Valentine's Party on February 14th @ 2:30-3:30. Please contact me if you are willing to be the Party Manager. Thanks in advance!
Classroom Volunteer
At the beginning of the year I had parents fill in a form about your classroom volunteer availability. I have re-posted this on the Parents page of the classroom website if any of you would like to edit your availability to help in or outside of the classroom. I use this information when sending out email requests for things I could use help with throughout the year. If you have already filled this in and nothing has changed, you do not need to fill out again. This is simply for parents that may have had schedule changes or missed out at the beginning of the year. Thanks for your volunteer assistance :)
Volunteer Form
Flashlight Friday Begins
Starting this Friday, EVERY Friday will be Flashlight Friday! Yes, we will be using flashlights during Readers' Workshop every Friday! We will have the lights turned down to get cozy in our reading nooks while reading with a flashlight :) I invite students to bring in flashlights to school on Friday morning and they will come home with your student every Friday as well. Please make sure to label your student's flashlight so they get home safely.
Happy (half) Birthday to James on Sunday!