Week of February 28th-March 3rd

 

First Grade Newsletter

February 28th-March 3rd

Literacy

KNOWLEDGE

Reading Street: Unit 4 Week 1

Main selection:  Mama's Birthday Present

Weekly Question:  How can a surprise be a treasure?

Comprehension skills: Draw Conclusions

Comprehension strategy: Monitor and Clarify

Genres:  Realistic Fiction

SKILLS 

• Skill(s):  ee-/ee/ & a_e-/ae/
• Language: Noun Identification & Proper Nouns 
• Tricky Words: he, she, be, me, we
• Stories & Readers: Gran's Trips / The Pet / Where Is Wong?

Math in Focus

Chapter 6

Numbers to 40 

**Test on Friday, March 3rd**

-Review all skills students learned in chapter

Chapter 7

Calendar & Money

Objectives

     -Read a calendar

     -Know the days of the week

     -Know the months of the year

     -Know the season of the year

     -Use the term "o'clock" to tell the time to the hour

     -Read and tel time to the hour on an analog clock.

     -Read and tell time to the hour on a digital clock.

     -Use the term "half past" to tell the time to the half hour.

     -Read and tell time to the half hour on an analog clock.

     -Read and tell time to the half hour on a digital clock.

Science

This week students will wrap up our light and sound unit. Students will also begin the new life science unit by discussing information they already know about birds and how animals survive.

 

 

Social Studies

Reading Street

Our social studies learning this week is embedded in our reading program. We will be focusing on communities and change through our readings.  This week the children will work to answer the question "How can a surprise be a treasure?".

Second Steps

In Second Steps, students will continue to practice calming strategies, such as belly breathing, and learn a new way of calming strong emotions.

Economics

This week students will learn about what natural resources are, examples of natural resources, and the role of producers & consumers in our economy.

Specialists

MONDAY: Art 

TUESDAY: Music

WEDNESDAY: P.E.

THURSDAY: Art

FRIDAY: Music

Writing Workshop

This week students continue the morning work assignment that requires students to about two activities that they did over the weekend, including who was there, where the event took place, and how did the child feel about this event (favorite/worst part, sad, excited, etc.). Since students need to write about two events, we will be discussing transitional words to help students move from one event to another within their writing. The purpose of this exercise is for students to practice putting their ideas on paper through words and illustrations in narrative form.

When I Grow Up Writing Project

     This week students will begin our published writing project. Students will brainstorm different jobs and careers people can have when they grow up. After brainstorming, each student will choose a job that s/he wants to have when s/he is grown up AND has knowledge about. Once each student has chosen a job, they need to come up with 3 reasons why they want to have that job.

                  
Parent Reminders

1.  Library on Monday- Please make sure your child has their library book in their backpack to return it and check out a new story!

 2.    Before school help is this Tuesday morning at 8AM.

 3. Please be sure your child returns their green school-to-home folder and their homework folder to school everyday.  Also, please check your child's school-to-home folder each day for important handouts. I will write about specific handouts that you should be looking for throughout the week in this section of the newsletter. Students should also have their red homework folders in their backpacks every day.

4.    Children should bring in a small healthy snack (separate from their lunch) to have in class at 9:50 a.m. Please make sure that it is nut-free and has no glass products.

5.  Homework Update- There are some changes to our homework schedule. 

     a.) Discussion Questions-Students will only need to record Discussion Questions for 1 out of the 4 homework nights. Even though you are only recording 1 night of discussion questions, your child still needs to continue to discuss the stories they are reading and listening to all 4 days of homework using the questions given.

     b.) Phonics: Spelling- Your child will bring home a list of spelling words. Please choose 2 nights to practice spelling the words given.

     c.) Automaticity: Words/Phrase/Passage- Automaticity means when something can be performed involuntarily and is an automatic response pattern or habit. Your child may have a word chart, phrase chart, or reading passage. Please the chart or passage twice per day. (This exercise counts towards your child's 10 minutes of reading per day.)

I cannot believe March begins on Tuesday! Have a great week!

Mrs. Ash

Homework

Your child will bring home their red homework folder on Monday. Inside the folder is a reading log, math activity (with materials), and individual login information for all of our online platforms. This week students should be reading for 10 minutes, write a letter in their journal, practice addition math facts to 10, practice spelling word list, and read word chart, phrase chart, or reading passage twice.

Your child also will bring home their Dialogue Journal (penpal journal). Please read my letter and have your child respond to it in 1 penpal letter. If I did not write your child a letter, 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.