My goals as a teacher are to spark curiosity and wonder, allow students to explore and question through hands-on experiences, build empathy and community through literature, and to foster a mindset of life-long learning. I grew up in western New York and have always loved animals, the outdoors, science, and traveling. After graduating from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a bachelor’s in education/sociology and a master’s in literacy, I moved to North Carolina. My career has included experience as a literacy specialist, special education teacher, and classroom teacher. After taking a break to be with family, I searched for a school that aligned with my beliefs as an educator and parent. I’m so excited to be a part of the TMCS community, where I found this and more! I truly enjoy seeing the vast changes in first grade students as they grow as citizens, friends, readers and writers, scientists, and inquisitive learners.
Angie Sullivan, M.Ed.
First Grade
Classroom FAQ
- Always create a positive atmosphere when you read with your child. Cozy up side-by-side and ask your child to take a picture walk of the book.
- The pictures offer clues for harder to read words and increase comprehension.
- Then, read the title to your child. Now your child is ready to read the book to you.
- Help as needed, but avoid giving a word to your child. Instead, point out picture clues, try the first letter sound, last letter sound, and use picture clues to help.
- If it’s a hard-to-read work (sight words) still have him/her try the first letter sound and then help.
- Discuss the story afterwards to build comprehension.
- Reread books to build fluency, deepen comprehension, and increase your child’s confidence.
- Read every night, if possible, even if you only have a few minutes.
Yes! Read chapter books that are beyond your child’s reading level, but not their listening comprehension level. Story time is a wonderful way to increase vocabulary, comprehension, and expand your child’s experiences through stories.
In our class, we build a community based on care, compliments, and concerns. We learn to respect because we care. We compliment because we celebrate the achievements of our classmates. We discuss concerns because we learn how to communicate effectively.
Currently the first grade class will foray into Water as our first expedition. In the spring, we’ll study Structures.
The HERO Notebook is an acronym for: Have Everything Ready and Organized. Classroom newsletters and other important school information are filed in this notebook. Please check the HERO Notebook each night and clean out papers that need to stay home.
Teach your child how to pack the HERO Notebook each night so it’s ready to return to school each morning.
Do you have a question or comment?
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