In 1st grade, the Bear Cubs are continuing the Daily 5. This is a framework practiced in all our elementary TCDS classrooms, K-5th Grade. The Bear Cubs were introduced to the Daily 5 last year in Ms. Adrienne's Kindergarten class. It structures literacy time into a 90-minute block every morning so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently. Students select from five authentic reading and writing choices, working independently toward personalized goals, while the teacher meets individual needs through whole-group and small-group instruction, as well as one-on-one conferences. These choices include “Read to Self”, “Read to Someone”, “Work on Writing”, “Listening” and “Word Work”.
What does the Daily 5 look like?
"Read to Self"- Students choose from the Fiction shelves or their leveled readers
"Read to Someone"- Students practice reading out loud and listening with a partner.
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"Word Work"- Students create words using letter tiles. Students are challenged to find 2-5 letter words. Some students find each others' names!
"Listening"- Students listen to Ms. Adrienne read the Magic Tree House book series with fluency. As active listeners, students.... Make Predictions, Compare/Contrast two stories, Create Story Maps (characters, setting, beginning, middle, end), Write Responses, Learn About the Author, Interact with the text- example, Magic Tree House Mission Game online
The "Trophies" Curriculum
Students in the Bear Cave are also following the Trophies curriculum from the Harcourt School this year. Trophies is a series of leveled readers with accompanying reading comprehension assessments, as well as grammar lessons. It will provide a weekly theme. The students take weekly assessments through this program. The content covered for both Reading and Writing directly correlates to state standards for 1st Grade. The students' progress is tracked in their blue Reading Comprehension Folders and red Grammar Folders.
Writing Class- Penmanship, Spelling, The Writing Process, Revisions/Edits/Drafts, Parts of Speech, Writing Conventions, Sequence
Daily 5 "Work on Writing":
Group Writing:
Partner Writing:
Editing and Revising Our Work:
Writing Narratives: Using picture prompts, Practicing Beginning-Middle-End, Adding Characters and Setting
A Student-Driven Project: Creating our own Magic Tree House book!
This project came about when a Bear Cub, Kiara, suggested we write our own Magic Tree House book.
Step 1: Brainstorming a topic.
Step 2: Voting on our topic. Initial ideas about potential characters, settings, and "missions".
Step 3: Gathering ideas on our new topic: Snakes in Tucson- What do we see at a ranch? What do we see in the desert?
Step 4: Further research. Students gather ideas from resources on desert animals and desert vegetation.
Step 5: Students consider sequence. What happens at the beginning, middle and end of every Magic Tree House story? Students brainstorm as a class about "Beginning", then work at their tables to write about "Middle" and "End".