Week of January 9th-January 13th

 

First Grade Newsletter

January 9th-January 13th

Literacy

KNOWLEDGE

Reading Street: Unit 3 Week 5

Main selection:  I'm a Caterpillar

Weekly Question:  What changes can be seen in nature?

PHONICS

Fundations: Unit 7 (Week 2 of 3)

• Skill(s): Words that end with -ng (ang, ing, ong, ung) and -nk (ank, ink, onk, unk); Narrative story form: character, setting, main events; Reading with accuracy and prosody
• Trick Words: put, two
• 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
• 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

    This week students will complete their first light experiment. They will use a cardboard box and a flashlight. Students will observe and discuss the inside of the enclosed cardboard box from a cut out without the flashlight, and then observe the inside of the box with the flashlight. Students will record their observations in their science journals. 

Social Studies

Community Economics

  This week students will learn about the meaning and difference between wants and needs. They will complete an activity where they are shown two objects and have to identify the want and need.

 Specialists

 

MONDAY: P.E.

TUESDAY: Art

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art

  

Writing Workshop

Opinion Writing

     This week students will be continue to build their knowledge on opinion writing. They will participate in interactive activities that help students practice verbalizing their opinions and reasons why. Students will begin their first opinion writing piece.

                 

                   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. One More/One Less Math Game: This game includes a dry erase marker and the "new" number cards sent home last week. To begin, mix up the cards and turn them face down. Flip the top card and place it in the center box on top of the page protector. Then have your child write the number that is 1 less in the left hand box and the number that is 1 more in the right hand box with their dry erase marker. Continue playing until you fill the entire chart. (Note: Please don't write on this page in pencil so you can play again and again.) Please check off the days you play the game on the Homework Log and then pick one night to discuss what your child noticed while playing and record their answers on the back of the log.

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 great 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 1 more/ 1 less math activity. 

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.