Cotton Creek Elementary



First GradeHandbook165163517780000Cotton Creek ElementaryDear Families,Welcome to first grade! WE are very excited to work with you and your child this year. You will find first grade to be full of growth, both emotionally and developmentally. Our year is planned with many interesting activities to enhance your child’s knowledge. We will be covering the curriculum in reading, writing, math, social studies, and science. These core subjects and units will stimulate your child’s learning process as well as provide a fun atmosphere for learning.We are providing this first grade handbook as the first of many important communication tools between us and the families of our first graders. Included in this handbook are:Grading SystemReading strategies to use with your studentsFirst Grade No-Excuse Spelling WordsSpelling InstructionHandwriting ModelFrequently Asked QuestionsOther ways you will be hearing from us will be take home folders. Please discuss with your child their successes and improvements needed each week. Please return the folder the following school day with the papers removed.393763598996500This year is sure to be filled with excitement, learning, and many wonderful memories! We are excited to have the opportunity to help build the blocks for your child’s learning. Please let us know of any questions or concerns your family may have.Sincerely,The First Grade TeamGrading SystemIn Adams 12 we use a standards-based grading system. In a standards-based system, teachers report what students know and are able to do in relation to the Colorado and District Standards.?In Standards-Based Grading, a 1 is a very narrow range which communicates that the student has made little or no progress toward the standard.? A 2 tends to have a larger range because it includes student performance that ranges from just a little closer to the standard than a 1, to just a little short of meeting the standard of a 3. A 3 indicates that the student has met the standard, and is right where we expect the student to be.? A 4 is quite narrow because it indicates that not only has the student met the standard, but has also taken the skills and concepts and transferred them with greater complexity and depth into other areas and disciplines. In traditional grading, letter grades report the number of points earned in a subject, and doesn’t report very much about what the student has learned.-258445151828500Reading- Reading is based on a reading record level. Students will be assessed on the standards within the curriculum as well as the level of text they are reading. See pacing chart below. Students are also required to know how to read 100 first grade high frequency words and 50 kindergarten high frequency words by the end of first grade.Writing- Writing will be assessed through daily writing activities using the district writing standards and curriculum.Spelling- Spelling is taught using the district’s Spell to Excel spelling program. We teach spelling using patterns of words. Students will be assessed on the spelling patterns with a weekly spelling test and dictated sentence using previous patterns. Students are also required to know how to spell the No-Excuse Writing words for our district. Many of these overlap with the words in our spelling program. They are included in this document.Math- We use Everyday Math within our district. This is a spiraling curriculum that builds upon itself with each passing lesson. Students will be assessed on their math standards through unit tests, math journals and daily math lessons.Science and Social Studies: Students will be assessed based on the district standards throughout the unit of study.44767540957500 No Excuse Writing Wordsmanlastasnotofboylooksawhimif hislittledidbutusjustherwillallthisthatthenthemschoolplayfriendgirldaytheymaysaytakecamemakemadehavehomeso someoneI’mbyherebewerebecausesaidnowhowaboutoutouryourgoingwentfororverywithhadSpelling Assessments:As a first grade team we will be grading spelling based on standards based grading. Your students will take a traditional spelling test with two challenge words based on the spelling pattern that week. They will also have one dictation sentence. This will help us to better assess how well students apply their spelling strategies. The following is how your student will be assessed.left825500It will look like this on the spelling assessment. We will grade each section and then give an overall spelling grade that will appear in IC.?Scoring GuideWord Patterns:Score:First Grade Spelling Words1 2 3 4Dictation Sentence:1 2 3 4 Capitalization1 2 3 4Handwriting1 2 3 4Punctuation1 2 3 4Spelling: High Frequency / Previous words1 2 3 4Spelling: Word Pattern1 2 3 4Ideas for Practicing YourSpelling Words at Home(some of these ideas may be appropriate for the beginning of the year while others will be more appropriate towards the later part of the year)1.Write each word 3 times.2.Alphabetize the words.3.Sort your words into categories (for example: words that end with ‘an” OR words that have 4 letters OR words that all begin with ‘th’, etc.)4.Do “rainbow words” with the words. (Write first in 1 color. Write over a 2nd time with a different color. Write over them a 3rd time with a different color again.)5.Write sentences using your words.6.Write 2-3 rhyming words for each spelling word.7.Write your words in shaving cream, sand, salt, flour, etc.8.Make flash cards for your words. Practice with your flash cards.9.Sing, dance or act out your words.10.Air write – use your finger and spell the words in the air.11.Separate your words into groups depending on how many syllables they have.12.Cut out letters from old magazines and newspapers and spell your words.13.Play Word Hunt – write each word on a card. Hide them around the room. When your child finds the word they have to spell it. If they get it correct- they get to keep the word. If wrong – parent hides the word again!14.Write a story using all of your words.15.Write your words two times. Put a circle around the neatest writing of each word.16.Write your spelling words in order from A to Z and then write them again in order from Z to A.17.Write each word once in all lowercase letters and once in all capital letters.18.Have someone give you a practice test on your words.19.Write each spelling words. Write them again using one color for all the vowels and one color for all the consonants.Handwriting:Handwriting is extremely important in first grade. It allows your student’s audience to read their writing, math and reading responses. Below is an example of how each of the letters and numbers should look for practice at home.-438150112395005252720-7366000309245-34036000First Grade F.A.Q.s4953004127500Can my child hand out birthday invitations at school?Our school has a policy that birthday invitations may be handed out outside of the school before and after school. In first grade classrooms, we hand them out after school. If your child has invitations to hand out, please have them tell their teacher and she will let them be the first one out the door so they can wait for the students.4953007239000 Can my child bring in birthday treats?Due to the increased incidences of food allergies and the risks associated with these, the disruption to the learning process and in conjunction with?the Superintendent Wellness Policy 3720.1.0,?we will now celebrate birthdays via daily announcements and a gift from the office. We will continue to celebrate classroom holiday parties. Your child’s classroom parent will be in charge of coordinating the holiday parties.55245024828500Can I get a list of phone numbers and addresses of my child’s classmates?We cannot give out phone numbers and addresses. If your child would like to call another student, they will need to ask the student to write down their phone number. If you don’t want your number shared by your child, please be sure they know not to give it out. We will not have classroom phone directories.480695-10477500We are going to be out of town for a week. Can I get my child’s homework before we leave?Regular attendance is very important for academic success. However, we understand that emergencies do happen. And, while vacations are best planned for out-of-school times, travel opportunities do arise during the school year.We do not send homework home in advance since things change so rapidly in first grade and what is planned may not be covered at the specified time. We will, however, save all homework and school assignments while your child is absent and send them home with him/her when he/she returns. District policy allows make up work to be completed over the same number of days as the absence plus one, so there should be plenty of time to complete assignments.2762257556500Can you let me know when my child has PE so I can be sure she wears the right shoes?The P.E. schedule can be found on the main website. Please print the schedule or check often. ................
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