Why choose immersion?

Most immersion students can be expected to reach higher levels of second language proficiency than students in other school-based language programs (Met, 1998). Over three decades of studies consistently show that immersion students achieve as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized measures of verbal and mathematics skills administered in English (Cloud, Genesee, & Hamayan, 2000; Genesee, 1987). In addition to reaping the social and economic advantages of bilingualism, immersion learners benefit cognitively, exhibiting greater nonverbal problem-solving abilities and more flexible thinking (Met, 1998). It has been suggested that the very processes learners need to use to make sense of the teachers meaning make them pay closer attention and think harder. These processes, in turn, appear to have a positive effect on cognitive development.

First Grade Spanish Immersion

Mrs. DeFazio & Sra. Baca

Mrs. Krista Westmorland

Mrs. Westmorland will be taking over for Mrs. DeFazio during her maternity leave Please feel free to contact her with any questions/concerns You can use Mrs. DeFazios email to contact her: bdefazio@cfsd16.org

Bucket Fillers
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Students earn "warm fuzzies" for saying and doing kind things. Each student has their own bucket where they put their warm fuzzies. At the end of the month students who earn 15 or more will earn lunch with the teachers.

Color Chart
Excellent Choice
Students can move their clip up or down from any color except when on red. Red = No Friday Fun If student gets to orange, a "Making Better Choices form is filled out. Student must get this signed by parent and return the next day. Student will lose a privilege that week. If student gets to orange 3 or more times, Friday Fun is lost. All students begin each day on green.

Lose a reward

6 Pillars of Character
Respect Responsibility Trustworthiness Caring Kindness Citizenship
Books and/or activities about one pillar is selected on Friday during our class meeting with Tigres & Leones. 2 students (1 Tigre, 1 Leon) are selected each week who model one of the pillars.

Friday Fun
20-30 minutes of free play in both rooms with both classes. Students play board games, do puzzles, play with trains, Legos, animal toys. Fun earned after a working hard all week!

Birthday Celebrations
As per our student handbook, we are asked to not allow students to bring in birthday treats. Dedicate a book to the classroom library Great benefits! Helps to build classroom library and still allows us to honor birthdays A special dedication sticker will be put on the inside of donated book Donated books can be old books or bought books

English Language Arts

Reading: Daily 5 read to self read to someone listening to reading word work Spelling will be embedded into the students word work and their writing pieces. Students will be learning various spelling patterns over the course of the school year. This will enable students to develop strategies for the correct spelling of words in a hands-on manner! Additionally students will be learning high frequency words. They need to know the first 100 words on the Fry list. * The Daily 5 allows students to focus on the important skills and strategies needed to be a good reader: fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awareness, and phonics. *All students will be reading "good-fit" books that are just right for them. During independent reading time I will be working with individual and small groups of students.

English Language Arts

Writing: Writer's Workshop Begins every day with a mini lesson to focus students on the conventions of writing Writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, publishing and sharing Genres of writing: personal narratives, opinion pieces, research reports (nonfiction), and poetry

Social Studies
Character Counts Responsible citizenship America: A Land of Cultural Richness Thanksgiving Unit Cultural diversity and the elements of culture Winter traditions around the world Continents Economics Buyers and sellers, needs and wants, goods and services Exploration Maps and globes Exploring the world

Math
Operations & Algebraic Thinking Add/subtract within 20 Word Problems Equations Number & Operations in Base Ten Place Value Add w/in 100 10 more, 10 less greater than, less than Measurement & Data organize, represent , interpret data length order measuring end-end (w/nonstandard units) coins up to $1 time to hour, half-hour Geometry attributes fractions

Students will be placed in a leveled math group (4 students/group). I will work with each group during the week to either review, reinforce or extend what they are learning. Grouping is based on performance from BOY assessment.

Science
Yearlong question: How are we part of a system?
Themes:: Rocks, soil & minerals natural resources conservation Garden & Insects plant life cycle insect life cycle comparing life cycles Objects in the sky sun (energy) moon (phases) Research project

using "bottle biology" to create ecosystems

*Science guest speakers wish list: miner, geologist, entomologist, botanist, astronomer *Volunteer gardeners needed for our class garden.

Spanish Language Arts

Identify differences between English and Spanish (alphabet, sounds, accents, punctuation). 30-45 minutes daily Question of the week book poem vocabulary high frequency words palabras asombrosas ("wow" words) bilingual dictionary phonics writing assessments Increase student use of Spanish by end of the year to 2 hours while in my room

Homework
Homework will be distributed on Mondays and will be due the following Monday. Homework will include: English Language Arts: Poem & reading log (honesty about reading) Math: 1 worksheet in Spanish (directions will be given in English for parents separately) Spanish Language Arts: Story or poem (book reading available on my website to check for pronunciation) and finding selected sight words/amazing words in their reading (*Vokis). Students need to return the story/poem to place their personal readers

Items Needed
Every student will need: Earbuds- 1/student (bagged & labeled) Please try to put your childs name on the actual earbud. Other Items Needed: Empty, cleaned, disassembled soda bottles Books to help build our classroom libraries

Snack
One snack in the AM ONLY Usually around 10, so please make sure your child eats a big breakfast! Students need bring their own snacks dailyMAKE SURE ITS LABELED with your child s name!!!! Pack snack and lunch separately for easy unpacking Please send water only in your childs water bottle.

Absences
Limit vacations during school days Student work is only done in classnone is sent to makeup during vacation Homework packets are not given ahead of time

Conferences
We will send out a link for conference signup. Please check your email in the coming weeks for the link. Conferences will be held: October 14 & 15 from 7:30-3:00 and October 16 from 12:30-3: 00.

Immersion Schedule
Beginning week after Labor Day (September 9), students will switch to a full day schedule. Tigres will be with Sra. Baca all day Monday & Wednesday and with Mrs. Defazio Tuesday & Thursday. Leones will be with Sra. Baca all day Tuesday & Thursday and with Mrs. Defazio Monday & Wednesday. The following week will be vice-versa and will switch each week. Full days allow for more in-depth learning and more individualized instruction with reading and math groups On Fridays students will continue to switch at the halfday unless it is a shortened week, then we will not switch on Friday- it will be a full day.

Immersion Schedule Cont.

Starting next week students will be coming upstairs on their own in the morning. We will no longer be meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. Please remind your child to head upstairs when they get to school. In order to help us begin on time and establish smooth morning transitions as well as independence, we ask that you say, goodbye to your child at the bottom of the stairs.

Classroom Websites:
Go to Ventana Vista homepage For Parents (in the drop down menu select Teacher Websites) Find Sra. Baca & Mrs. DeFazio Please check our classroom websites regularly for updated specials schedule, classroom happenings, important information, and much more!

Color Chart
It is extremely important to make sure the color chart is returned every day!!
Each student will receive a color chart for the month. The chart is clipped on to their purple home folder. If the black clip is lost it will be the families responsibility to replace it. Please sign it each night. We will collect it at the end of the month and a new one will be given.

Library

Library day is Wednesday. PLEASE make sure your child returns books to return or renew for that day!

****for curriculum night to show parents: color chart making better choices form how to make voki Homework packet soda bottles