Grade1 A2 Blog

Week6 Tuesday Hello parents, No, we were not so lucky to get a day today, but let's make the best of it. In class we went over vocabulary words 6-10. As usually, we read the words, spelled the words, and read the sentences in class. I am feeling confident that soon the students will be able to make their own sentences in class. We read and listened to the unit story once more. The story is quite difficult to understand because it is a poem rather than a story, but I will go over it a few more times to allow the students understand it more. You can view from the photo below. We had discussions about today's weather, and wrote down our sentences in the MyView textbook. I also explained all the necessities when making sentences. They need to start with a capital letter, have space between each word, end with a period, and most of all write neatly. Sensay will be ready soon, and the school will send you the log-in information. In the meantime you could practice by clicking the lin...

Dear parents, The first thing I did today was talk about emergencies in class. I made sure to let the students know that if they really need to go to the bathroom or are feeling sick, don't be afraid and just raise their hand to let me know. There is no shame in needing to do so. They can even just leave if it is an emergency. However, I will have to remind them everyday for a period of time to really let it sink in. Hopefully they will understand. I also told the students that it is not ok to laugh at their classmates if there are any accidents. It will make their classmates feel sad, and it is not very kind to do so.  I handed back their unit test and last week's homework. All the students did very well. In class we went over the answers and discussed the test and homework together. Hopefully the students get used to the homework and won't need much assistance from parents anymore. But I want to thank the parents for helping and guiding their children. It is very difficul...

Dear parents, Today we had our first unit test. I saw that many students found it quite challenging and difficult. I will adjust it and make it a bit more easier for them. In class we first discussed the homework from Wednesday. I've made a mistake with one of the sentences and I told the students of the problem, and the correct answer. Many parents caught the mistake and were able to assist their children with the correct answer. I must apologize for the mistake.   We also wrote a draft of the writing task and it looks very good. Once I'm finished marking them, they will write their final draft. Homework: 1. Complete worksheet *for the drawing part, students must choose 4 words from the vocabulary list to write and draw

 Week5 Thursday Dear parents, Today we wrote a rough draft of our writing task and I returned their worksheet from yesterday. You can take a look at it. It is a small step to imporving their writing skill. We focused on the Long A sound and Short A sound in class today, and did an exercise of it in our Myview textbook. We will have a unit test tomorrow, and it will be very similar to their worksheet homework. Please review the worksheets. Homework: 1. Complete worksheet 2. Review for unit test

Dear parents, Today I handed back the MyView textbook to the students. I explained that if a page is folded, it means that there is a mistake. Please do not erase the mistake and make corrections near the mistake. We went over the rest of the vocabulary words today, and also began working on our first writing task. The writing task is quite simple, and the students enjoyed doing it. For homework, the students need to write the vocabulary words 11-14 four times. They also have a worksheet that will need to be done with their MyView textbook. Lastly they would need to correct their MyView textbook. Thank you

Good afternoon parents, I am very pleased to inform you that only 2 students did not hand in their homework today. The students are making progress. Because there were a few students that lost their books, I went hunting yesterday. I was able to locate bubble books, and communications books in various classrooms and baskets. I hope I have recovered all of their books. Unfortunately I cannot always be tracking their books, they will need to learn to be responsible with them. Today we went over 6-12, and many students could read the sentences fluently. In the second period we learned different ways to make the number 6, 7, and 8. For homework I've assigned them to write the vocabulary words 6-10 and write 3 sentences from the PowerPoint. Thank you

Dear parents, Today I handed back the quiz to the students and discussed it with the students. Most students did very well. Congratulations on completing the first quiz. I've collected the homework and progress is visible. Only a few students are missing homework. I am very happy to see the improvement. Today we went over the first 5 vocabulary words in class. Some words are very difficult to understand, but I will try my best to translate them and give examples. I reviewed the story " A Desert in Bloom", and asked students questions regarding the story. We've also had one period which we learned the short A sound from our Oxford Phonics World 2 textbook. For homework I assigned them to write the vocabulary words 1-5 four times, correct spelling quiz and homework. I had to hand A2 communication books to the English Department for checking, therefore I am not sure if they will have it returned to them by the end of the day. If not, parents can just sign it t...

Week4 Friday Dear parents, The students survived their first quiz today. It went well, but some did cry due to pressure. I told them that it is okay, and do not worry too much. They will become better at it gradually. As I mentioned before, I have two level classes that I teach, and I am usually occupied in the morning. I will have to collect their homework in class and mark them straight after. Yesterday I was unable to find the homeroom teacher from one class, therefore the students didn't receive their bubble book. I will try to avoid situations like this in the future, but if it does ever occur, students can just write their homework in their second bubble book. For homework I have assigned a worksheet, vocabulary word practice, homework correction, and a new reading assignment. They will need to read a page from their MyView textbook, page 89. Today I was informed that the oral practicing system will be ready next week, and parents will all receivd their child's account an...

 Week4 Thursday Dear parents, We had a great day in class today with some minor issues. However, the issues were overcome. I've collected and marked the students' homework, but a few were missing still. I've slipped or stapled a point card in the bubble book for rewarding them for handing in both homework on time. Today in class we went through all the vocabulary words and read the sentences. Many students were able to raise their hands and read the sentences without my assistance. The students also learned about blends, but they are still quite confused as what they are. We will be learning more and more phonics throughout the semester. We are gradually making progress in class and is covering more and more materials in one period. Again, it will still take a lot of time for them to adjust to having regular English classes, so please be patient. For homework, students will need to write vocabulary words 7-10 four times. They also have a worksheet to complete. ...

 Week4 Wednesday Dear parents, I hope you all had a wonderful  holiday with your family. Today more students were able to hand in the homework on time, but only a few were still missing or incomplete. I will continue to work on this. In class we learned more about deserts, which season it is dry, and which season flowers can grow. A Desert In Bloom During the second period we had math class. The students learned to count, and pick out larger and smaller numbers. For homework, I assigned a worksheet for the students to complete. They will also need to write vocabulary 4-6 four times and correct their previous homework if mistakes were made.

 Dear parents, Today is the first day that I started to hand out point cards to the students. I have already told them that they need to be responsible for it, keep all point cards safe. I collected the worksheets, but some students were still missing homework. I will keep trying, and hopefully the students will be able to complete and hand in homework on time. I've also marked their sentences from last week and handed them out. Most students had two bubble books today, but some had one, and some had no bubble books at all. I've asked them to try to locate their book in their homeroom class. In class we went over the new vocabulary words, and started the unit story, "A Desert in Bloom". For homework, I have assigned them to write vocabulary words 1-3 four times, and copy the sentences. They will also need to correct their previous homework. On Saturday I mentioned Sensay, an oral practice platform. I have included a slide for you to view. The school will upd...

Dear parents, Today we reviewed all the vocabulary words to make sure that the students can recognize all of the words. Then we proceeded to learn about sentences and questions. We learned that all sentences and questions must begin with a capital letter. We wrote a short description of ourselves and also drew a self portrait of us. Some students were still missing homework and confused with which book they need to write their homework in. I did explain to the students, but it does take time to adjust to the new learning system. For homework, the students received a worksheet. We went over the worksheet before class ended to give them an idea of what they will need to do. However, this is their first worksheet homework, and from my experience, many students will still be confused. It will be great if the parents could assist them with their homework. I have Week3 Friday Dear parents, Today we reviewed all the vocabulary words to make sure that the students can recognize all ...

 Week3 Thursday Dear parents, today I was able to gather enough bubble books to hand out to the students. Ive already wrtten their names and wrote a giant HW on the front cover. In class we reviewed the vocabs and discussed the rest of the vocabulary words. I will send the PowerPoint in the group. I also went over the alphabets, and taught them the 5 vowels, and 21 consonants. For homework, I asked the students to write three sentences of their choice from the vocabulary PowerPoint. Please show them the slides when they begin their homework. They just need to copy three sentences. Thank you

Dear parents, today I still focused most of our class time explaining to students of what is expected of them in the class, the rules, and corrected their behaviors. It will take some time for them to adapt to the routine, but we are on track. I also checked the student's bubble book to make sure that homework was done, and correct. Some of you might notice that there is a strange drawing in the middle of the words that they have written. Unfortunately I am not a great artist, and the drawing is a finger. I constantly remind the students that they need to have a finger space in between words. Today we went through vocabulary words 6-9. We read the words and the sentences. I also asked them questions related to the vocabulary words to let them speak out. For the textbook, we read the story and drew a picture of ourselves in certain weather condition. For homework, the students will just have to write vocabulary words 11-14 four times. And if there are any mistakes with ye...

 Week3 Tuesday Good morning parents, because it is the first week of the A2 class, we are going through an adjustment period. At the momenet we are focusing on the rules, proper behavior, expectations, etc. In class we reviewed the first five vocabulary words. They can be found in the student's communication book. We also discussed about the weather and worked in our "myView" textbook. Homework for yesterday was to write the vocabulary words 1-5 four times. Many students have completed the assignment but some did not. I will remind them again tomorrow. For today's homework, the students will need to write the vocabulary words 6-9 four times. I have been teaching the students to use finger spacing instead of folding the pages or drawing lines. Thank you

 Hello parents,  I have created a line group for the parents to discuss class matters. Parents should feel free to send messages in the group to discuss homework, progress or any other matters that regard our Grade 1 A2 class. I will also send materials that are useful when I see fit.  I will not discuss students grades, scores, behavior and other personal remarks in the group, but will write notes for the students to take home when necessary. Parents can also email me at  anthony@hmps.tp.edu.tw  or make an appointment to speak with me if needed.  Today: Getting to know the class Explanation of rules and expectations The first five vocabulary words from Week 3 wordlist Practice writing of student's name Homework: Write vocabulary words 1-5 four times (don't fold paper, practice using finger spacing)