Week of January 23rd-27th

First Grade Newsletter

January 23rd-January 27th

Literacy

KNOWLEDGE

Reading Street: Unit 4 Week 1

Main selection:  Mama's Birthday Present

Weekly Question:  How can a surprise be a treasure?

PHONICS

Fundations: Unit 8 (Week 1 of 2)

• Skill(s): Consonant blends (fl, bl, tr) and digraph blends (nch, shr); Blending and reading words with up to 4 sounds; Segmenting and spelling words with us to 4 sounds; Suffix -s added to words with 4 sounds; R-controlled vowel sounds (-ar, -or, -ir, -er, -ur); Reading with accuracy and prosody
• Trick Words: would, could, should
• Review Trick Words: the, a, and, is, his, of, as, has, to, into, we, he, she, be, me, you, your, was, one, from, have, why, by, my, try, put, two, very, too, also, some, come
• Alphabetical order*Please note that Unit 1 of Fundations and Lively Letters are very fast paced reviews of the alphabet letter sounds and formations taught extensively in Kindergarten.

Math in Focus

Chapter 5

Addition and Subtraction Facts to 20

Prerequisite skills: Add/Subtract 0, use fact families to solve problems, addition facts (expanded form 10 + __, compare numbers to 19)

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing parts and whole

Problem Solving Strategies  
- Guess and Check
- Solve part of the problem

           Objectives

                                                      - Use different strategies to add 1- and 2- digit numbers.
                 - Subtract a 1-digit number from a 2-digit number with and without regrouping. 
                 - Solve real world problems

Science

Light & Sound

    Last week students learned the meaning of the words transparent, translucent, and opaque. They explored the room to find objects that were examples of each of these words.

This week students will conduct an experiment. Using their knowledge, they will identify if a material is transparent, translucent or opaque when shining a light on it. Each group will have to explain why they chose one of the three words to describe the material.

  

Social Studies

Community Economics

  Last week students learned about natural resources, producers, and consumers. Students learned that many materials they have heard about originate from a natural resource, such as paper, food, and gasoline. Students also learned that they are consumers when they buy items at the store and can be producers if they make goods.

This week students will learn about supply and demand in our community, and learn about making money choices. Students will have a chance to discuss situations where they could either spend their money or save it.

 Specialists

 

MONDAY: P.E.

TUESDAY: Art

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art

  

Writing Workshop

Opinion Writing

     This week students will continue to practice quality supporting details about opinion topics. We will discuss sentence starters to help begin the different parts of an opinion piece (introduction, details, and conclusion), and write another opinion piece about a different topic.

                 

                   Parent Reminders

1.  Library- Our class will go to the library at 2PM on Thursday. Please make sure your child returns his/her book before or on Thursday morning to check out a new book for the week.

2.    Please be sure your child returns their school folder to school everyday.  Also, please check it each day for important handouts and homework assignments. I will write about specific handouts that you should be looking for throughout the week in this section of the newsletter.

3.    Children should bring in a small healthy snack (separate from their lunch) to have in class at 10:00 a.m. Please make sure that it is nut-sensitive and has no glass products.

4.    Homework Update: This week your child will begin homework. In your child's red homework folder, you will see 4 sheet protectors and a recording page. Please keep the pages in the sheet protectors unless you are filling out the reading log. Once you have filled out the Reading Log, please make sure the paper gets back into the sheet protector. I will collect the red folders on Friday and take out all of the completed work.

a. Doubles Math Game: You will need 16 bingo chips (pennies work too) per plater and one deck of cards with the kings and jacks removed (ace=1, queen=0). On the bingo boards, the doubles sums have been written (0, 2, 4, etc.). To begin, draw a card from the deck. Each player must use that card to make an addition doubles fact. For example, if a 4 is drawn, players find the answer to 4+4 and cover the doubles sum (8) on their cards. Only one space can be covered on each turn, and players cannot move a bingo chip after it has been placed. Four chips in a row (horizontally, diagonally, or vertically) results in a bingo.

b. Reading (Activity) Log: The first page in the sheet protector will be your child's reading or activity log. This log will be collected every week on Friday when your child brings their red homework folder back. Please check off the boxes of what activities you have complete on specific days. For the Discussion Question box, please fill in the questions that you discussed with your child while reading 1 out of the 4 days.

c. UPDATED Word List, Phrase List OR Passage: This week students will either be come home with a word list, phrase list, OR passage. As we move into the new year, our focus is on fluency. Fluency is the speed in which students can identify and read words, phrases, and passages. Once students show they are fluent in words or phrases, they will move to phrases or passages.  Your child should read their word or phrase list every day. For the passage directions, there is a page attached to your child's passage for the week that will explain in more detail the directions for passage reading.

d. Pen pal Journal: Students will bring home their journals home to write 1 pen pal letter for the week. If I have written a letter to your child, please have your child read the letter and respond to it. If I did not respond to your child's letter from last week, your child can write a letter about something that they want to tell me about.

5. Login Sheet- The online websites that are listed on the login sheet are extra from the the homework given to your child unless stated otherwise. Lexia is a great program for students to practice their current phonics skills at home. I Know It Math is great math skill practice when I assign review or current skill practice activities.

6. Before school help is on Thursday morning at 8AM.

Have a fantastic week!

Mrs. Ash

Homework

Your child brought home a red homework folder today. Inside the folder is a reading log and math activity with materials. I will also include individual login information for all of our online platforms. This week students should be reading for 10 minutes, read phonics word list everyday, write 1 penpal journal entry, and doubles math game. 

Your child also will bring home their penpal journal this week. Please read my letter and have your child respond to it in 1 penpal letter. In future weeks, if I did not write to your child, your child can write to me about anything s/he wants. Once your child has finished his/her letter, return it to school. If I did not receive your child's journal last week, please have your child write a letter to me this week and I will check both letters once the journal is turned in. 

The homework folder and journal should always be brought to school in your child's backpack, but only returned on Fridays.