Amanda Drescher

108281
  • First Grade Teacher
  • Valerius Elementary
Urbandale will be a school district that brings learning to life for everyone.

Welcome to First Grade!

My name is Amanda Drescher and I am very excited to be your child’s teacher this school year! This is my fourteenth year as a teacher and my second year of teaching first grade at Valerius Elementary. Before that, I taught kindergarten for eight years and  preschool for four years.

I am from Urbandale (Go J-Hawks!) and graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Early Childhood Special Education and an endorsement in Reading. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband, my daughter, family, and friends, traveling, and shopping at Target!

I believe that open communication and a partnership between home and school is vital for the success of every child, so please don’t hesitate to call or email me if you ever have any questions or concerns.

I am looking forward to a school year of learning, fun, and adventures!

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First Grade Information

 

Educational Websites

Learning Goals

  • LITERACY
    • READS GRADE LEVEL TEXT
    • ASKS AND ANSWERS QUESTIONS
    • IDENTIFY THE MAIN TOPIC AND RETELL USING KEY DETAILS
    • USES STORY ELEMENTS TO RETELL A TEXT
    • ACKNOWLEDGE POINT OF VIEW
    • EXPLAIN MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FICTION AND NONFICTION TEXT
    • USE TEXT FEATURES TO COMPREHEND
    • MAKES CONNECTIONS WITHIN AND BETWEEN TEXTS
  • WRITING
    • OPINION WRITING
    • WRITE TO INFORM/EXPLAIN
    • NARRATIVE WRITING
  • MATH
    • NUMBER NAMES
    • PLACE VALUE
    • ADDITION WITHIN 100
    • SUBTRACTION WITH MULTIPLES OF 10 WITHIN 10-90
    • SHAPES
    • COMPOSE AND DECOMPOSE SHAPES
    • MEASUREMENT
    • REPRESENT AND INTERPRET DATA
    • TIME (HOURS AND HALF-HOURS)
  • SCIENCE
    • PLANTS AND ANIMALS
    • SOUND AND LIGHT
    • AIR AND WEATHER
  • SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CHARACTER EDUCATION
    • KINDNESS, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, GRATITUDE, EMPATHY, PERSEVERANCE, HONESTY,  COOPERATION, COURAGE, CREATIVITY
    • EXPLAIN HOW MY ACTIONS AFFECT OTHERS
    • COMMUNICATE WITH KINDNESS
    • PRACTICE FOCUSING BY LISTENING, IGNORING DISTRACTIONS, AND TRACKING MY THOUGHTS
  • END OF YEAR GOALS
    • COMPREHENSION
    • SIGHT WORDS
    • WORD SEGMENTING
    • NONSENSE WORDS
    • CBM-R READING