October 31st-November 4th Newsletter

 First Grade Newsletter

October 31- November 4th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 5

Main selection:  Get the Egg!

Weekly Question:  Which wild animals live in our neighborhood?
Amazing Words: habitat, hatch, survive, chirp, croak, moist
High-Frequency Words: saw, tree, your, small
Phonics Target: Short e: e; Initial Consonant Blends (st-, bl-, pl-, gr-)

Comprehension skills:  Main idea and Details
Comprehension strategy: Important Details

Genres:  Realistic Fiction
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 1 Family Talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6 week overview of the unit. 
• Family Times gives various activities that can be done at home that connect to the concept we're learning this week.
• Practice reading phonics and sight words for Unit 1, Week 5 (fourth column only).   

Fundations: Unit 4 (Week 1 of 2)

Students will learn about...

• Bonus letter spelling rule: ff, ll, ss, and sometimes zz
• Glued sound: all
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events) 
• Punctuation: exclamation point and quotation marks
• Story: The Big Mess
• Sight words: you, your, I, they

Math in Focus

**I felt the students needed a couple more days working with addition word problems and sentences before taking the test. Chapter 3 test will be on Wednesday**
Chapter 3

Addition to 10 

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing parts and a whole
- Deduction

Problem Solving Strategies 
- Act it Out
 - Draw a diagram

Objectives

      - Count on to add 
   - Use number bonds to add in any order

- - Write and solve addition sentences
- - Tell and write addition stories about pictures

*

Science

We will not be starting a new science unit until after Thanksgiving. We will continue with some Science mini-lessons while our main focus is on Social Studies. 
Our science learning is embedded in our reading program. This week we will be focusing on wild animals that live in our neighborhood.

Social Studies

Thanksgiving Unit
We will be working on developing an understanding of life as a colonist and a Wampanoag Native American. We’ll start by learning about each of their homes.
Second Steps—We began our Empathy Unit last week with identifying feelings. This week we are learning where to look for clues for how someone is feeling.

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art, Music

Writing Workshop

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas
     This week we will begin the first steps to writing our very first story. Each student will be looking at their heart inventory paper to find ideas of what topic they would like to write about. Once the students have a topic, they will write five important details they want to share in their story about the topic. These details will be in one or two word phrases on the Five Finger Detail organizer. By giving students the organizer, the focus will be more on five solid details about the topic than writing a proper sentence.
     The students did a great job writing some facts they learned about the birds (owls or falcons) we saw at the Wingmasters assembly last week. This week they’ll learn how to create an introduction and closing to complete their informative writing.

This week’s mini-lessons will include…

• Choose a topic 
• Use important details to tell about a topic
• Use spacing in between words 
• How to write an introduction and closing

                   Parent Reminders

1.  Scholastic Reading Club-November catalogs/Holiday Catalogs are due tomorrow (November 1st).
2. Library day was today. Please make sure you help your
child with remember to bring in their
book for next Monday.
3. October 27th West Parish changed our
school color to PINK! It was great to see
our community come together for such a
great cause.
4. Halloween parade was so much fun! I’m glad
so many parents could attend. The children
had a blast!

Happy Halloween!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter formation

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)

Tuesday: Math (due on Wednesday)

Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)
Thursday: Comprehension (due on Friday)

October 24-28th Newsletter

 First Grade Newsletter

October 24-28th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 4

Main selection:  Fox and a Kit

Weekly Question:  How do wild animals take care of their babies?
Amazing Words: observe, wild, parent, canopy, screech, million, native, reserve
High-Frequency Words: eat, five, four, her, this, too
Phonics Target: Inflected Endings -s and -ing

Comprehension skills:  Main idea and Details
Comprehension strategy: Important Details

Genres:  Literary Nonfiction
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 1 Family Talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6 week overview of the unit. 
• Family Times gives various activities that can be done at home that connect to the concept we're learning this week.
• Practice reading phonics and sight words for Unit 1, Week 4 (fourth column only).   

Fundations: Unit 4 (Week 1 of 2)

 ** Unit 3 Test on Thursday**

Students will learn about...

• Bonus letter spelling rule: ff, ll, ss, and sometimes zz
• Glued sound: all
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events) 
• Punctuation: exclamation point and quotation marks
• Story: The Big Mess
• Sight words: you, your, I, they

Math in Focus

Chapter 3

Addition to 10 

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing parts and a whole
- Deduction

Problem Solving Strategies 
- Act it Out
 - Draw a diagram

Objectives

      - Count on to add 
   - Use number bonds to add in any order

- - Write and solve addition sentences
- - Tell and write addition stories about pictures

*

Science

Seasons-We will be learning about what makes up each season and the order they are in throughout the year this week. The class will be having whole and small group discussions, observing the outdoors and videos of the outdoors during each season, and creating a four square showing what a tree would look like in all four seasons. 

Social Studies

     We will be focusing on how adult animals take care of their babies through our weekly readings. This week the children will work to answer the question, "How do wild animals take care of their babies?"

For our character education this week, we will continue our discussion on feelings and empathy in our second unit of Second Steps. Students are learning how to figure out what someone else is feeling (looking on their face and at their body) in different social situations. We will be identifying different emotions and putting what we know into action through activities that help us practice the listening strategies and skills for learning that we have learned in our previous lessons. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art, Music

  

Writing Workshop

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas
     This week we will begin the first steps to writing our very first story. Each student will be looking at their heart inventory paper to find ideas of what topic they would like to write about. Once the students have a topic, they will write five important details they want to share in their story about the topic. These details will be in one or two word phrases on the Five Finger Detail organizer. By giving students the organizer, the focus will be more on five solid details about the topic than writing a proper sentence.
     The students did a great job writing some facts they learned about the birds (owls or falcons) we saw at the Wingmasters assembly last week. This week they’ll learn how to create an introduction and closing to complete their informative writing.

This week’s mini-lessons will include…

• Choose a topic 
• Use important details to tell about a topic
• Use spacing in between words 
• How to write an introduction and closing

                   Parent Reminders

1.  Homework Reading Log- Please make sure to write down the discussion question number(s) you and your child talk about each night you read underneath the title of the book.

2. Dialogue Journals- Please send in your child's dialogue journal with the second letter completed before Wednesday. If there is a letter written to your child after their second letter, the third letter they will write should be a response to my letter. If there is no letter written from me after your child's second letter, they are able to write to me about anything they want. This dialogue journal is help me get to know your child more and practice their writing skills.
3. Library- Our library day is on Mondays. Please help your child in remembering to bring in their book.
4. Unit 1 Reading Card- I recorded how many of the phonics and high-frequency words your child read correctly. I also starred the words he/she did not read correctly. This week they will practice the fourth column of words. Please note I am looking for your child to be able to read these words with automaticity (within 3 seconds). If your child needs a new list, please let me know. (Reminder: please return these on Fridays.) 
5. Parent Conferences-All conference confirmation slips went home between last week and today. If the time no longer works for you, please let me know ASAP.
6. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The West Parish community will be showing our support by wearing pink this Thursday. Please join in! 
7. Please let me know if you are interested in helping get the children dressed for our Halloween parade on Friday. I’m looking for 3 volunteers! Thanks!
9. Halloween parade is this Friday at 2:25pm. Please send a costume that fits in your child’s backpack and they can put on themselves over their clothes. If you would like to dismiss your child after the parade, please send a note in. 

Have a great week!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter formation

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)

Tuesday: Color by Addition (due on Wednesday)

Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)
Thursday: Black Cat Poem (due on Friday)

October 17-21st Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

October 17-21st

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 3

Main selection:  The Big Blue Ox

Weekly Question:  How do animals help people?
Amazing Words: past, present, produce, transportation, danger, serve, snuggle, enormous, powerful
High-Frequency Words: blue, help, little, from, use, get
Phonics Target: Short 'o', plural -s; consonant 's'/z/

Comprehension skills:  Character and Setting
Comprehension strategy: Visualize

Genres:  Animal Fantasy
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Family Times gives various activities that can be done at home that connect to the concept we're learning this week.
• Practice reading phonics and sight words for Unit 1, Week 3 (third column only).   

Fundations: Unit 3 (Week 2 of 2)

Students will...

• Segment individual sounds of words
• Spell words with -ck at the end
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events) 
• Story: Cod Fish
• Sight words: into, we, he, she, be, me. or, for

Math in Focus

Chapter 3

Addition Fact to 10 

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing parts and a whole
- Deduction

Problem Solving Strategies 
- Act it Out
 - Draw a diagram

Objectives

      - Count on to add 
   - Use number bonds to add in any order

- - Write and solve addition sentences
- - Tell and write addition stories about pictures

Science

 Last week, an organization called Wing Masters came to the school to educated the children on five different birds they would be able to see in their area. The birds they present to the children are birds that have been rescued and are unable to 

return to the wild due to their handicaps. The children were able to learn about a 30 year-old red tailed hawk, an American kestrel, a peregrine falcon, a barred owl, and a northern saw-whet owl.

We will be taking a break from science activities and be focusing more on Social Studies and History topics until our unit on matter. We will be briefing reviewing and discussing science topics that relate to our Reading Street program.

Social Studies

     We will be focusing on communities over time and transportation through our weekly readings. This week the children will work to answer the question, "Who helps animals?"

This week the class will be continuing to put into practice the four Skills for Learning throughout the day. We will begin Unit 2 of Second Steps on Wednesday by discussing empathy. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music
TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art, Music

  

Writing Workshop

Framing Your Thoughts 
    This week students will begin reviewing the connector ('and') of 'barebone sentences'. Students will be writing their own barebone sentences with the help of word lists, pictures, and their own creativity. 

Process Writing~ Informative 
     This week we will be writing about the Wing Master birds that we learned about on Friday. Students will decide which bird they want to write on, pick three facts about the bird, and then write the facts into complete sentences and construct their introduction and conclusion to their paragraph. 

                  Parent Reminders

1.  Homework Reading Log- Please make sure to write down the discussion question number(s) you and your child talk about each night you read.

2. Dialogue Journals- Please send in your child's dialogue journal with the first letter completed. The first letter your child writes should be a response to the letter I have written them. For the second letter your child writes, if there is no letter from me the student can use the idea page on the inside of the front cover to come up with an idea of what to write. 
3. Library- Our class will be going to the library on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. I have sent home library permission slips with the students who I did not get a permission slip back from. Please sign and date the permission slip. Your child will be able to take a book out today (Monday, October 17th), but will not be able to bring the book home until I receive the permission slip back. 
4. Unit 1 Reading Card- I recorded how many of the phonics and high-frequency words your child read correctly. I also highlighted the words you did not read correctly. This week you’ll practice the third column of words. Please note I am looking for the students to be able to read these words with automaticity (within 3 seconds). If your child needs a new list, please let me know. (Reminder: please return these on Fridays.) 
5. Parent Conferences- The first round of conferences will be held this week on Thursday, October 20th in my room (Room 116). If your child's conference is this week, please be thinking about concerns you may have about your child as well as academic and social goals you have for him/her. 

Have a great week!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with Discussion questions)

Number/Letter Formation   

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)
Tuesday: Number Bond Worksheet (due on Wednesday)
Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)

October 10-14th Newsletter

 First Grade Newsletter

October 10-14th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 2

Main selection:  Pig in a Wig

Weekly Question:  Who helps animals?
Amazing Words: career, service, sloppy, scrub, tool, exercise, comfort, search
High-Frequency Words: she, take, up, what
Phonics Target: Short 'i', consonant 'x'/ks/

Comprehension skills:  Plot
Comprehension strategy: Summarize

Genres:  Animal Fantasy
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 1 Family Talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6 week overview of the unit. 
• Family Times gives various activities that can be done at home that connect to the concept we're learning this week.
• Practice reading phonics and sight words for Unit 1, Week 2 (second column only).   

Fundations: Unit 3 (Week 1 of 2)

 Unit 2 Test on Wednesday

Students will...

• Segmentation
• Spell words with -ck at the end
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events) 
• Story: Cod Fish
• Sight words: a, was, to

Math in Focus

After grading the students' Chapter 2 tests, I have decided to reteach the concept of number bonds. We will begin Chapter 3 at the end of the week.

Chapter 3

Number Bonds

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing parts and a whole
- Deduction

Problem Solving Strategies 
- Act it Out
- Guess and Check

Objectives

      - Identify the use for number bonds (to show parts and a whole)

      - Use different math materials to find number bonds, such as connector cubes and math balance

- - Find different number bonds for numbers to 10
- - Understand there are more than one set of parts for a whole
*

Science

Living vs. Non-Living & Life Cycles- Last week we continued to build on the students' knowledge of living and non-living things by discussing plant life cycles. The class took a field trip to the Topsfield Fair and Backyard Growers came to the school to teach us about plants. This week we will be looking at how seasons fit within life cycles of plants.

Social Studies

     We will be focusing on who helps animals in our community through our weekly readings. This week the children will work to answer the question, "Who helps animals?"

For our character education, we will continue to practice listening strategies and skills for learning throughout our day. Also, Lisa Labella will be coming into our class on Wednesday to talk to the children about mindful listening and how it not only supports them individually, but also their relationships with other children.

 Specialists

 

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art, Music

  

Writing Workshop

Framing Your Thoughts 
    This week students will begin reviewing predicate (verb) and connector ('and') of 'barebone sentences'. There will be whole group discussion and brainstorming, partner discussion activities, and individual writing activities. 

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas 
     Since we did no get to this activity last week, we will be reading Go Away Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley. The students will be asked to draw the monster's features with each step that the book gives them without knowing what they are drawing until the very end. Once they have drawn the monster from the book, they will be asked to draw a monster of their own as well as three or four steps that makes their monster unique and would help someone identify the monster. This lesson is to help students see how strong and specific details are important to see the whole picture.  

                  Parent Reminders

1.  Topsfield Fair Field Trip- The first grade had a great time at the fair! Keep an eye out for an update about our trip and what we learned at the fair. Thank you to the parent volunteers who came with us!

2.  Scholastic book order- The September orders will be arriving in the next couple days. October orders and money are due on Friday, Oct. 14th. 

3. Wish List- Thank you for your donations and support!
4. Our class will be going to the library on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. Due to having no school this Monday, our first trip to the library will be on Monday, October 17th.
5. CORI Checks- If you have had a CORI done through the Blackburn Drive main office, please contact Lois Lane in the main office at West Parish Elementary to get another one done. Due to positions and procedures moving around, the CORI paperwork needs to be done through West Parish's main office, not the Blackburn Drive office. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your support of our class!
6. Unit 1 Reading Card- I recorded how many of the phonics and high-frequency words your child read correctly. I also highlighted the words you did not read correctly. This week you’ll practice the second column of words. Please note I am looking for the students to be able to read these words with automaticity (within 3 seconds). (Reminder: please return these on Fridays.) 
7. On the back of your child's Daily Reading Log, you'll find a numbered list of discussion questions. Please jot down which questions you discussed with the books each night in the 'title' box. 
8. Dialogue Journals—I will be sending home a letter about this homework tomorrow. You will find the same letter glued inside the back cover of your child’s journal. They should read (with help) and respond to my letter. (Use the sample in the back as a guide.)

I hope you all have had a fantastic long weekend!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with Discussion questions)

Number/Letter Formation   

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)
Tuesday: Christopher Columbus Number Bond Worksheet (due on Wednesday)
Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)