Each month, 1st graders get a chance to read with 6th graders. This month, 1st graders got to see a 6th grade classroom and ask questions before reading! They learned a lot about International Town (a recent field trip for the older students).
A slide show of our trip! Families, please send any pictures you would like posted on the blog!
Today we wrote a friendly letter to Claire. Please share one sentence from your letter. Then you can give feedback on someone's comment.
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Not sure what to do with your child over spring break? Check out these sites for some ideas! Take pictures! I will be sure to post them on this blog!
http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/activities-for-children/
https://www.pinterest.com/grkids/spring-break-activities/
http://fun.familyeducation.com/activities/vacations/48557.html
http://childparenting.about.com/od/funcelebrations/tp/spring_break_activities.htm
http://stayathomemoms.about.com/od/activitiesandfun/tp/Spring-Break-Fun.htm
http://www.signupgenius.com/home/50-inexpensive-and-fun-spring-break-activities.cfm
Five things that happened in Ms. Feinman's class this week.
We went to the Denver Zoo! We had so much fun! Thank you to all the parent volunteers! It was a beautiful spring day here in Colorado! 
We finished reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe! Students will soon be checking out books from the Narnia series! We are only half-way through the movie because Ms. Feinman only lets us watch a few minutes at a time for a brain break. 
In math, we have been studying three addend addition, quarters, math problem solving strategies and patterns in math facts. That is a lot of learning!
After learning about key details in text, the students read Respecting Others. Then, they were given an assessment on key details from that text. 97% of students were Proficient or Advanced! Way to go!
We are so excited for Spring Break! It officially starts at 3:00pm on Friday! The students do not return until April 6th.
Thank you to Kacey for this wonderful idea! Check out her website here:
Pictures of the zoo!
Share your favorite part of the zoo trip. My favorite part was when ____________________________________________.
Today the students were given a pretest to determine which spelling group they would be in. Then they practiced their words, by writing them on a white board. Some students had fun testing themselves with the words. Remember, your student can go to www.spellingcity.com to practice their words!
Today we read Respecting Others. We talked about how we respect others at home and at school. We took a test on key details.
The first graders are crazy about these guys! They will be playing at the Vans Warped Tour (not exactly kid-friendly) on August 2nd.
In DPS, we are currently testing students on high stakes exams. I came across this article and couldn't agree more. It stemmed from the question of What is the purpose of education?
I love working at Dora Moore where it is so diverse. I love bringing in that diversity to my classroom. I love learning and teaching new words from different languages.
We are a global society. I feel it is important to prepare my students for this global society. Do I still teach to the standards? Yes. But I also show them how it connects to the real world. Do I have to teach how to take a test? Yes. Because if I don't, I'm not preparing them for global society, which ranks things such as education. Do I enjoy teaching how to take a test? No. But it has to be done. Do I spend all day doing it? Of course not. There clearly has to be a balance. (I will say, that I had one student say to me, "I can't wait to take the PARCC". He has an older brother who is currently testing, and doing well. Developing a culture of tenacity and GRIT can help us get of the "testing" hurdle.)
It excites me to see that there is a shift happening. For instance, in Maryland, a superintendent called for a three year moratorium on standardized testing. In Washington, schools have started to boycott certain tests. In Texas, a senator filed a bill that would bring tests from 15 to five in reading, writing, biology, Algebra I and U.S. history in order to graduate.
I hope the shift continues. Time will tell.
Today we wrote a friendly letter to Jayden, to practice the parts of a friendly letter.
Share one sentence from your letter.
You can give feedback to someone else's comment.
"I like how ______ used ______."
I like how Ms. Feinman used a period at the end of her sentence.
To help students better understand what they are learning, why they are learning it, and what connections they can make, I have implemented the Light Bulb Idea.
This picture is a sample of how the class used it for math. Students should always know what they are learning and why, or how it connects to the bigger idea. I have explained to students, they if they do not understand- they need to ask!!!
In first grade, students are learning to identify their emotions and how to deal with them. Anger, frustration, anxiety are a few that are very hard for first graders to understand. To help students calm down, I have introduced the Relaxation Station. Students can ask to go there, as long as I am not in the middle of direct instruction. There are many items at the station (play-doh, legos, candles to smell, textured items, stress balls, etc.) The students really just wanted to explore today.
Rules for the Relaxation Station:
You can only use it, when you really need to calm down (not to get out of doing work, or to play).
One person at a time.
A limit of 3 minutes.
You cannot go while I am giving direct instruction or there is testing.
There is an interesting article, "How to Break Free From Life's Irritations". I am not sure this would work in three days for first graders, but it is very interesting.
Talk to your child about times they might need to use the relaxation station.
I wish I would have found this at the beginning of the year!
Click here for homework help pages.
I found this great resource at Tracy Pippin's TeachersPayTeachers Store
Students were given a spelling test today. Based on their performance, they are either in Group 1, Group 2, or Group 2 Challenge words. You can find this information on the homework calendar.
Please go to www.spellingcity.com and search for Feinman. You will find the same words from last week, are the words for this week.
A reading log was also sent home. Please make sure your child reads for 20 minutes everyday. The reading log is due next Monday.
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