Welcome to First Grade1. Parents, please fill out the following forms:• Blue emergency card• Directory paper• Welcome to First Grade paper

2. First Graders, please place your supplies in the labeled boxes

3. Visit the lunchroom for PTO items, lunch accounts, Extended Day Information, and Carpool numbers

4. First Grade Parent Meeting tonight at 5:30.5. We will dismiss at 1:00 on Monday and Tuesday

Welcome to First Grade

Kim GurganusShades Mountain Elementary SchoolHoover, Alabama

Daily Schedule7:35-8:00 Morning Routine and Meeting: unpack, daily

data, morning message8:00-9:40 Reading9:40-10:40 Writing10:45-11:10 Recess11:15-11:40 Lunch11:45-12:00 Read Aloud12:00-1:00 Math1:05-1:35 P.E.1:40-2:10 Specials (M-art, T-music, W-library, TH-

computer)2:15-2:45 Discovery2:45 Pack up and dismiss

Reading• Shared reading- Students will read a poem

aloud with the class.• Phonics- Students will identify examples of

phonics skills in the poem.• Focus lessons- Students will be introduced to

the strategies readers use to decode words and comprehend text.

• Reading Conferences and small groups- Individualized instruction with the teacher to practice reading strategies

DECODING/Tricky Word Strategies

• Break the word into pieces.• Skip the word, read to the period and go back to

the word.•  Read the sentence again.•  Think about what makes sense.

• Look at the picture.• Look for a little word in the big word.• Try the long and short sound for the vowels.

Writing

Students will be given opportunities to participate in numerous writing activities.

Concepts:• Letter formation/spacing• Spelling• Punctuation, capitalization• Writing Process: prewriting, draft, revise,

edit, publish

MathLearning Goals:• Students will become problem

solvers.• Students will learn to

communicate their mathematical thinking using words, pictures and numbers.

• Students will learn to reason mathematically.

• Students will become confident in their own ability.

• Students will use a variety of strategies to problem solve.

Problem

Solving

Math Games

Number Talk

Discovery hands-on-activities, research projects, and field trips for science and social studies units

Social Studies Units• Past and Present• Alabama• Citizenship

Science• Space• Earth/Weather• Matter• Energy• Diversity• Interdependence• Human Body

Homework

• Reading-Reading at home with your children is crucial. – Students should bring home 2 books each night to read.– Poem Practice- Practice each week’s poem every night

to build fluency. Also, identify each week’s phonics skill in the poem.

– Sight Words- Read sight words every night.

• Math- Fluency games from 1st Grade Math Packet

• Daily Review- Please review your child’s

papers daily and talk with them about what they learned at school.

Shades Mountain Rules

7 Habits of Happy First Graders

• We are respectful• We are responsible• We are safe.

Fieldtrips

• Theater- “Junie B. Jones First Grader At Last”- October

• American Village-November• Miss Annie (on going)• First Grade Planting Day- April• Community Tour- May

Conferences• Conferences –We will have a fall and a spring

conference. If at any time, you would like to schedule additional meetings, please email me at school or send a note with your child. Telephone conferences can also be arranged.

• Parent/Teacher Communication – Take-home folders will come home every day. Please check these for any important information concerning your child. The easiest way to get in touch with me is by email. I encourage you to communicate with me via e-mail at:

www.hoovercityschools.net

kgurganus@hoover.k12.al.us

kgurganus.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us

Parent Volunteers

• Classroom Photographer• Scholastic Book Orders• Room Mother• Classroom volunteer

Wellness Policy

• Snack Calendar• Snack choices – individual packs of

crackers, pretzels or goldfish or individual packs of apple slices or grapes (allergies ?)

• Please place fresh fruit in small snack size Ziplock bags

Birthdays

• You may send a special snack with your child to celebrate his/her birthday.

• Please bring something that is individually sliced. (No cakes that need cutting.)

• Summer birthdays will be celebrated in May.

• Please email me if you are sending a birthday snack.