Welcome to First Grade Dr. A. Brown Mrs. M. Williams

All About Dr. A. Brown Education Chicago State University B. S. ~ Elementary Education ~ 1995 M. A. ~ Educational Leadership & Administration ~ 2004 Ed.D ~ Educational Leadership ~ 2013 Personal Married for 23 years Parents are retired Chicago Public School educators 1 brother is a High School French teacher 1 brother is an electrician

First Grade Curriculum o Language Arts o Math o Science o Social Science

Language Arts oGoGoGoGuided Reading oIoIoIoIndependent Reading oSoSoSoShared Reading oRoRoRoRead Aloud oPoPoPoPoetry oPoPoPoPhonics oFoFoFoFryWords oDoDoDoDaily Writing oSoSoSoSpelling Practice oToToToThe Writing Process oJoJoJoJournal Writing oHoHoHoHandwriting oRoRoRoReports

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) Students will be tested on 3 occasions: o September/October, January & May o DIBELS consist of the following assessments: Letter Naming Fluency Letter Naming Fluency Phoneme Segmentation Fluency Phoneme Segmentation Fluency Nonsense Word Fluency Nonsense Word Fluency Word Use Fluency Word Use Fluency Accurate & Fluent Reading Accurate & Fluent Reading

3D Reading Assessment Consists of students reading and answering comprehension questions o Beginning of 1 st grade (October) ~ Level C o Middle of 1 st Grade (January) ~ Level E o End of 1 st Grade (May) ~ Level I o Students will be divided into guided reading groups according to their reading level o Students not on reading level will receive a few extra minutes of daily instruction and progress monitoring on a weekly basis

Math Everyday MatProgram First Grade Math Concepts Understanding Addition & Subtraction Five & Ten Relationships Addition & Subtraction Facts to 12 Addition Facts to 20 Subtraction Facts to 20 Counting & Number Patterns to 120 Tens & Ones Adding with Tens & Ones Subtracting with Tens & Ones Length Time Using Data to Answer Questions Fractions of Shapes In addition to homework, students will be given assignments to be completed online. The necessary information is included in the parent letter.

Science Full Option Science System (FOSS) Module 1 - Solids and Liquids Module 2 - Pebbles, Sand & Silt Module 3 - Organisms Module 4 - New Plants

Social Studies Culture Culture Economics EconomicsCitizenship GeographyHistory

A B C D F 59 and below Quizzes and assessments with grades of D or F will need to be signed. Homework10% Class Assignments15% Quizzes15% Assessments30% Projects25% Participation5% Grades can be found on Grade Book. Please go to murray.cps.k12.il.us and click on “Parent Links”.

Homework Assignments can be found on the weekly homework calendar. Check on Monday to see the homework for the entire week. Please expect 4-5 nights of homework each week. Our homework is necessary reinforcement of the skills taught in the classroom and review for tests. Homework is due the next day, signed by a parent or guardian unless otherwise noted.

Students should read every night for at least 20 minutes and then complete their reading log. The logs will reflect what we are learning in class. Reading logs are due every Thursday and given a grade.

Homework

World Language Bonjour Konnichi Wa Hola Students will attend World Language classes: Monday: 2:00 – 2:45 Thursday and Friday: 2:45 – 3:30 Ni Hao

Specials Fine Arts Mr. Brown Physical Education Mr. Jackson Library Science Mrs. Holzhauer Monday – Fine Arts Tuesday – Physical Education Wednesday – P. E. & Library Science The children should wear blue shorts or sweatpants, a white shirt, and gym shoes on gym days. The PTO sells Murray wear, which is appropriate (but not required) for gym. Children will not have an opportunity to change before gym, so gym clothes should be worn instead of, or underneath, regular clothes.

Breakfast & Lunch Breakfast - served between 8:15 and 8:30 every day Free Students may bring their own lunch from home in an appropriate container. We will go to lunch everyday at 11:55 for 25 minutes followed by 20 minutes of recess. Lunch for every student is free.

Please send in a note if your child: is absent is absent has an appointment has an appointment is leaving early is leaving early has a transportation change has a transportation change *When picking up your child from school early you must sign them out in the office. Notes to School

Report Card Pick-Up (by appointment only) Wednesday, November 18 th times will be announced later Progress Report Distribution Wednesday, October 9th

Contact Information I am available for conferences between 8:00 a.m. & 8:15 a.m. and by appointment only.

Remind Me! Please sign up for Remind Me. It’s a free app. This tool is used to send out reminders (via text) about field trips, upcoming events, etc. Sign up to receive text messages by to:

Take out your cell phone or tablet! Log onto: Kahoot.it

Please consider donating your old iPad to our class! With this being a world of technology we try to incorporate it as much as we can. It just needs to able to go on the internet!

Thanks for Coming to Back-to-School Night!