Campin g

out In
First Grade
(1E)

Parent Information
Book
Camp er Rules
 1. Be Respectful

2. Be Responsible

3. Be Ready to Learn

4. Be Safe

Behavior

Have you been “beary” good

today?
Our Classroom Behavior System

• Everyday we start out with a green fish

 • If we do not follow the classroom or school rules
we have to move our fish
• Once we move our fish we do not get a chance to
go back to another color
• Yellow is the first warning
• Orange is the second warning
• Red means that a note will be sent home that
a family member must sign
• At the end of the day if we have a green or yellow
fish we will get a power chip
• We can use power chips to buy prizes at our classroom store
called the Trading Post
• Everyday we color in our calendar to match the
color fish we had at the end of the day
• A family member must initial our calendar everyday
• The teacher will give special prizes to children who stay on
green for the whole month

Have yo u fi lled
a bucket Today?

A positive behavior strategy that I use is based off of a wonderful story

that explains to children that we all carry an invisible bucket in which
 we keep our feelings about ourselves. When our buckets are full, we
are happy and when they are empty, we are sad.

The children learn about two types of people:

"Bucket fillers"
People who help without being asked, give hugs and compliments, and
generally spread their love and good feelings to others.

"Bucket dippers"
People who rob us of happy feelings by refusing to help with a task or
by saying or doing cruel things.

The children each have their own bucket in our classroom, which their
classmates can fill with happy thoughts and compliments.

Snack s and
Tr eat s

Snacks
Every afternoon our class takes a snack break.
Please makes sure to send in a healthy and mess
free snack. Thanks!

Treats
 Birthdays- Treats for this special occasion are
welcome. We have 18 children in our class so please
be sure to send enough treats for everyone. Don’t
forget plates and napkins if needed. Also, please
keep in mind food allergies and how messy the snack
is.

Mystery Reader- Treats for this occasion is also

welcome, but not necessary. Same rules as above
apply.

Sp ecia ls
Schedu le

Monday
Music 9:50-10:10
P.E. 10:25-10:45
Art 2:20-3:00
 Tuesday
Library 9:20-9:50
P.E. 10:25-10:45

Wednesday
P.E. 10:25-10:45
Library 10:50-11:20

Thursday
P.E. 10:25-10:45
Music 12:30-12:50

Friday
P.E. 10:25-10:45
Computer Lab 12:30-1:20

Field T rips

Tanner’s Orchard
September 23

Lakeview Museum
November 13
 Children’s Discovery Museum
March 10

Miller Park Zoo

April 21

* Chaperone Sign Up Forms are being passed out on

Curriculum Night

Star C amp er
Each child has been assigned a week that they will be the “star
camper”. This is very special week for each child. Below is the
schedule for what we will be doing for your child when it is
their special week.
Monday
The class will interview the star camper. They will ask questions about
the student’s favorite things. The information that is learned from this
activity will be made into a book for the star camper to keep. The star
camper will be given a poster to complete for homework. This will be
put in a classroom display.
Tuesday
The star camper will bring in a bag with special items to share to the
class. They can include pictures, items that mean a lot to the students,
and other favorite things. Please don’t send in things that can’t fit in a
bag.
Wednesday
The star camper will bring in and read their favorite book to the class.
Please make sure to practice the story with your child. Also the story
should not take longer then 10-15 minutes to read.

*On this day the star camper will eat lunch with Dr. Nafziger*
 Thursday
Parents will write a letter to the class telling us how special your child
is to you. Send the letter in a sealed envelope to school with your
child, and I will read the letter to the class. The content of the letter is
up to you, but you may want to choose from the following ideas:
Describe special or funny stories about your child for the class to hear,
write a silly or serious poem about your child, tell us some neat things
we may not know about your child, send silly or special pictures with a
letter describing the pictures. or write a short story with your
child a
Friday
The star camper will be recognized by his or her classmates and will be
presented with a special certificate.

Star C amp er
Schedu le
Grace Tyra- August 31st

Emma Nguyen- September 28th

Nathan Dahl- October 5th

Cameryn Bromley- October 19th

Jenna Hiller- October 26th

Isaiah Roeder- November 2nd

Evann Johnson- November 30th

Erin Kuehn- December 7th

Nicolo Crisler- January 4th

Sarah McClone- January 11th

Aidan Swift- January 25th

Maxwell Morris- February 1st

 Tegan Roberts- February 15th

Brooke Barlow- February 22nd

Audrey Joyner- March 1st

Lucas Phillips- March 15th

Calvin Haynes- April 12th

Jackson Sale- April 19th

Myster y Reade r

I would like to invite any parents, older siblings,

grandparents, relatives, or other special people to
surprise your child by being a “Mystery Reader” this
year in our classroom.

Students LOVE having their family, friends, and

relatives visit our classroom to share in our learning
by reading a favorite story aloud to our class.
Mystery Readers will visit us on Fridays at 10:05
am each week. Readers are asked to bring a book to
read.
If you can find a date that works for you, please sign
up to be a Mystery Reader! There are many open
dates to choose from throughout the year.

Remember, you are a mystery to the class, so try

not to tell your child when you will be coming!

Mystery Reader
Da tes
Below are the available Mystery Reader Dates. Please e-mail
me or drop me a note with a couple dates that work for you so
that I can best accommodate everyone. I will send home a
“secret” note with your date when the schedule is set.

When it is your day please bring a book or books that will take
no longer than 20 minutes to read. Thanks!

September 4th
September 11th
September 18th
October 2nd
October 16th
October 30th
November 13th
November 20th
December 4th
December 11th
January 8th
January 22nd
January 29th
February 5th
February 19th
February 26th
March 5th
March 12th
March 26th
April 16th
April 23rd
April 30th
May 7th
May 21st

Mo ose bo oks

Moose
Management
Of
Organizational
Skills
Everyday
This system is a way of staying organized at
school and at home. Organization is an
important life skill that will be taught
throughout first grade. Mrs. Herren is an
extremely organized person and believes that
if is she models this behavior that her students
will quickly catch on.
 What is in a Moose book?
Zippered pouch- In the very front of the notebook there is a pencil
pouch. This pouch will hold your child’s “Hiker Handbook” and any
other important materials that can easily get lost like lunch money or
box tops.

Plastic Paper Protector- In the front of plastic protector you will find
a weekly newsletter and on the back the weekly spelling list. Each
week your child will update this section. I suggest making a special
spot at home for all of the old newsletters. They are great resources!

Folder- On one side of the folder is a section for things that your child
is bringing home from school such as class work or school notes. On
the other side is a section for things that need to go back to school so
they can be returned to the teacher.

Schedule- It is very important that each child clearly understands our

class schedule so they feel confident and comfortable with the daily
routine. A special section is reserved for the class schedule.

Poetry Section- This section will also be updated weekly and will
include the student’s very own copy of first grade poetry that we learn
throughout the year.

Reading Log- This is where we record what we read for homework. In

first grade our only homework is to read because it is such an
important life skill.

Communication Section- This is at the back of the book and should

be used for any notes that you need me to see right away. I check this
section of the book every single day first thing in the morning so this is
the best place to get a hold of me.

Writing Section- This section will hold all of your child’s published
pieces of writing from Writer’s Workshop.

Hom e Lea rn ing

Your Home Learning assignment each night is to read
for at least 20 minutes. When you are done
reading record the information in your Reading Log.

Rules
1. Read with or to an adult or older sibling. First
graders are in the beginning stages of reading
and will need extra support and guidance.
2. Try to pick “just right books” (books that are not
too hard or too easy) so that you do not get
frustrated. Reading is supposed to be fun!
3. Read for at least 20 minutes. You can split up
the time anyway you please as long as it comes
out to 20 minutes. Do what works best for you.
 Firs t Grade
Cur ri culum
Reading
In order to accommodate the diverse learners in our
classroom a variety of teaching techniques will be used.
Students will:
 Read independently

 Read cooperatively with a peer or in a group

 Read with a teacher in a small group

Independent Reading: Everyday the children will read

independently. Children will be allowed to choose a “just
right book” to read. The children will be taught that a “just
right book” is a book that they can comfortably read by
themselves without having to ask an adult for help.

Shared Reading: Children will get the opportunity to read

with a buddy or a small group. Small group reading will be
done using Literature circles. Literature circles are similar to
book clubs.

Guided Reading: At the beginning of the year the children

will be tested on a variety of reading areas including:
phonics, comprehension, and fluency. The results of the
tests will help me find each child’s reading level. The
children will then be placed in flexible reading groups
according to their reading level. Each group will focus on
specific reading strategies that will help them become better
readers.

During Guided Reading time I will work with one reading

group at a time while the other children work independently.
 Math
The children will learn math by working with math
manipulatives, playing math games, and by working in the
math workbook.

Math areas covered include: addition, subtraction, graphing,

number patterns, money, geometry, fractions, probability,
measurement, time, calendar, two digit addition and
subtraction.

Spelling
Each week your child will be given 10 new spelling words
that are from the reading series. Every Friday your child will
be tested on these words. Once a word has been covered
your child is expected to use the word correctly in their
writing.

Writing
Writing will be integrated throughout all subject areas, but
will also be taught through Writer’s Workshop.

Writer’s Workshop: Everyday students will write in a writer’s

notebook about topics that interest them. Writer’s workshop
will begin with a mini-lesson on different writing topics like
grammar and writing genres. Children will also learn about
the writing process and will edit their papers and even
publish them.

*By the end of the year your child is expected to be able to

write a five-sentence paragraph.

Social Studies
Topics covered include: Holidays, Map Skills, and Themes.
Students will read non-fiction articles about current events in
magazines like Scholastic News and National Geographic
Young Explorer.
 Science
The students will be doing many hands-on activities through
the use of Foss Science Kits. Topics covered during the year
include: Air, Weather, Solids, Liquids, Pebbles, Sand, Silt,
Balance, and Motion