First Grade 2010-2011 Welcome to Mrs. Barackman's First Grade Class. I am very excited to be starting my 8th year teaching first grade here at Cottonwood Canyon. I have two children both of which went to school here in the past. My son is starting high school this year and my daughter is in 8th grade at Canyon Lake Middle School. My experiences with my own children and my years of teaching have taught me a lot about how children learn and how to keep them engaged and excited about learning. Your children should love school, having fun at school is the best way to keep children learning. Reading is the most important thing your child will learn in first grade. I love to teach kids to read because it opens up so many new things for them. Students in my class will be challenged to try new things and will be learning new concepts on a daily basis. Beyond the normal academic curriculum for First Grade we will also be doing many exciting things in class including: Art, PE, Computers, Accelerated Reader, Readers Theater and many other activities. Hello Incoming First Graders! ********************School Supplies ************************* Supplies are now on sale for great prices at Walmart and Target so here is a quick list that you can pick up over summer. It would be helpful if each student could bring: 5-10 Pencils, 2 glue sticks, hand pencil sharpener witha shavings compartment, 2-Dry erase crayons or markers(no red), scissors, 2 boxes of Crayons 16-24 count (Crayola works best),1 box of kleenex and a good pink or white eraser, a backpack (should be able to hold a folder, their lunch and snack.No wheels on the backpacks please). Students do not need a pencil box, I have them already purchased and in their desks. If you are able to make Donataions for the classroom I would greatly appreciate any of the following items: Kleenex, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Markers, Glue sticks (lots), Crayola Dry Erase Crayons, Dry Erase Markers, Any fun art supplies that you might have laying around (buttons, pompoms,...) Old magazines that we can cut pictures out of, Large zip lock bags, Sandwich size zip lock bags, Cottonballs, colored copy paper.  Thanks for your support :)    Parents if you want to give your child a jump start into first grade you may do the following: *) Review letters and sounds to make sure they have not forgotten them over summer. *) Review their Kindergarten sight words to ensure they still know them. *) On the main page click on standards and go to the bottom of the page, cilck on download fry's word lists. Start at the number 1 and practice reading the words. Lists numbered 1 - 25 are first grade words. When tested on these at school they will not be allowed to sound them out. They have to know them from memory, they are sight words. *) Pick up some one inch lined paper, with the dotted line in the middle. Have your child practice writing their name, the alphabet, colors, and kindergarten sight words. Making sure to touch the appropriate lines. For students that are ready have them write about something fun they have done during the day. Start with a CAPITAL and end with a STOP SIGN (.?!).