October 30-November 3 Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

October 30- November 3rd

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

Chapter 4

Subtraction Facts to 10 

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing parts and a whole

Problem Solving Strategies 
- Guess and check

Objectives

      - Take away to subtract
                                        - Count on OR back to subtract
                                        - Use number bonds to subtract
                                        - Write and solve subtraction sentences.
                                        - Tell subtraction

*

Science

Last week students made wonderful observations about our decomposing pumpkin. Once students recorded their observations, they made a prediction. Some students think the pumpkin will continue to grow while others think it will start to rot. The class will continue to record and predict what will happen to the pumpkin over the next couple of weeks. 
We will not be starting our new science curriculum next week on physical science. 
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.
Character Education—We began our Empathy Unit last week with identifying feelings. This week This week we are learning the similarities and differences of emotional expressions and body language in specific situations.

 Specialists

MONDAY: No School! 

TUESDAY: P.E.; Halloween Parade

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.

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 are due Thursday, November 9th.
2. We will not have library this week due to the day off on Monday. Please make sure you help your
child with a reminder to bring in their
book for next Monday.
3. Halloween parade was so much fun! I’m glad
so many parents could attend. The children
had a blast!
4. Ten Fram Math Game- I sent home the directions to the newest math game. Use the number symbol cards (ex: 1, 2, 3, 4..) for your child to choose from. Each child can choose what they would like to build the number with (ex: Legos, buttons, Goldfish, etc.)

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: Ten Frame Math Game

Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)

October 23-27 Newsletter

 First Grade Newsletter

October 23-27th

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

Weather- This week we will be wrapping up our weather unit. Students brought home their completed study guides last week. They should review the packet for their test on Friday, October 27th.

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: Early Release

FRIDAY: Art, Music; Science Enrichment

  

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 based off of their senses. These details will be in one or two word phrases on a Sense organizer. By giving students the organizer, the focus will be more on five solid details about the topic than writing a proper sentence using specific sense vocabulary.

This week’s mini-lessons will include…

• Choose a topic 
• Use important details to tell about a topic
• Sense vocabulary
• Use spacing in between words 

                   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 next letter completed before Wednesday. If there is a letter written to your child, the next letter they will write should be a response to my letter. If there is no letter written from me after your child's last 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 Monday. I’m looking for 3 volunteers! Thanks!
9. Halloween parade is this Monday 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.
9. Scholastic Catalog- The November Scholastic catalogs went home today. Orders are due on Thursday, November 9th.
10. Weather Study Guide- Last week I sent home a completed study guide for our weather unit. Please go over the packet with your child to get them ready for our unit test on Friday, October 27th.  

Have a great week!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter formation
Match the Numbers Math Game
Flash the Dots! Math Game

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)

Tuesday: Flash the Dots! Game & Recording Sheet (due on Friday)

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

Dialogue Journals 10/18

Dear First Grade Families,
     I completely forgot to hand out dialogue journals as students left today! I will send each student's journal home tomorrow. Students will have the weekend to finish their third entry if they need the extra days. Entry #3 will not be due until Monday, October 23rd. I am sorry for the inconvenience!

Enjoy your Wednesday afternoon!
Miss Biggar

Flash the Dots! Homework Math Game

Flash the Dots! Math Game

Materials:

- Flash the Dots! mat (with instructions) in clear protector sleeve

- 1 thin dry erase marker

- 1 piece of paper towel for eraser

- Dot pattern cards (from Activity #1)

Game Description

This activity includes a partner and the dot cards from Activity #1. The child’s partner will pick out one dot card, put it in their hand, and show him/her the card for three seconds. (This makes sure that the child is not seeing the pattern from the back of the card.) The partner will then hide the dot card and ask the child to draw what he/she saw in the space below without showing the pattern again. Give the child ample time to draw the dot pattern he/she saw. Once the child has finished their drawing, ask your child about what they saw. (See the back of this paper for an example conversation.) The partner will continue to do this process until all of the pattern cards have been used.

Example Conversation

[After showing the dot card and your child drawing what they saw.]

Partner:  What did you see?  

Child:  I saw 5 dots.

Partner:  How do you know?  Did you see any patterns to help you remember there were 5 dots?

Child:  Yes, I saw 4 dots here and then one more dot on the side. (Or they might say, I saw 2 dots on top and 3 on the bottom.)

{Repeat this process with the other dot cards.}

Here’s a little blurb from the article “Subitizing is an Important Math Skill” to explain more about the purpose behind it.

While “subitizing” may not be a well-known word, it is certainly an important mathematical skill.  It is the ability to instantly recognize the amount of objects without actually counting them. Much like the importance of being able to calculate estimates, subitizing is something that comes up in the everyday lives of students.  One example is counting the dots on the faces of dice: when you roll a six, chances are you don’t actually count out each of the dots. Rather, you have come to recognize the pattern of three rows of two as being equal to six.  According to The National Council of Teachers and Mathematics, one key part of effective subitizing is developing pattern recognition.

As author of Subitizing: What Is It? Why Teach It? Douglas Clements says, “Students can use pattern recognition to discover essential properties of numbers, such as conservation and compensation. They can develop such capabilities as unitizing, counting on, and composing and decomposing numbers, as well as their understanding of arithmetic and place value—all valuable components of number sense.”

October 16-20th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

October 16-20th

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 1 of 2)

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

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 we will be looking at wind, clouds types, and how weather fits within the four seasons.This week the class will review the three main weather tools we have discussed (thermometer, rain gauge, and weather vane). The class will also be filling out a weather study guide for our first celebration of learning for science.

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?"

Last week, Mrs. LaBella came into our classroom to teach us about how to stop, think, and respond when we come across a problem. 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. We will be focusing on autumn inspired subjects and predicates.

Genre Writing~ Narrative
      Last week, we discussed that fantasy is make-believe and the key components of a fantasy story. We began our pre-write with coming up with characters and the setting of their stories. This week each child will write their own fantasy story. We will discuss problems vs. solutions and begin mapping out the events of the students' stories. 

                  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 second 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 goes to the library on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. Please bring in their library books the Friday before or on Monday morning. Students need to return their library book in order to check out another one. Thank you!
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 & Confirmation Slips- The first round of conferences will be held next week on Thursday, October 26th in my room (Room 116). If your child's conference is next week, please be thinking about questions and/or concerns you may have about your child as well as academic and social goals you have for him/her. I sent home conference confirmation slips for all conferences today. If I have not received a conference slot time from you, I attached a updated late sign up sheet. Please send back in ASAP. Thank you!
6. Wish List- Our class is in need of a healthy, nut-free, individual packaged snack option for students who do not bring a snack to school. If you would like to donate but do not know what snacks meet the requirements, you can look at the snack list I gave you at Meet the Teacher Night. Thank you for your donations and support!
7. I will be out of the classroom at a science training on Monday, October 16th for the whole day. For homework, I only left the Reading Log. I will be sending home the new math game directions and materials on Tuesday.
8. Flash the Dots! Math Game- With the math homework going home on Tuesday, I will be posting a separate message on the blog tomorrow explaining more about the new math game for this week's homework. The description will also be on your child's homework sheet. I will send a reminder home with the game materials.

Have a fantastic week!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with Discussion questions)

Number/Letter Formation   
Match the Numbers! Game

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)
Tuesday: Flash the Dots! Game
Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)

Topsfield Fair 2017

While the first grade was at the fair...
           The moment we stepped off the bus and into the unusually warm, autumn air, we were off! Ready to explore and conquer the fair!     

     Our class' first stop was in the beekeeping building to learn all about bees from the American Honey Queen herself! She explained

how bees grow from eggs into adult bees, the two different types of bees (drone (worker) bees and a queen bee), and their jobs within the hive. The Honey Queen also took the group through the process of how bees make honey and how the worker bees eat the honey as their food. She showed us pictures inside of the hive, the growing bees in the honey combs, and the ingredients the worker bees have to go get in order to make nectar and honey. Once the American Honey Queen gave the students all of the information they needed to know about bees, each student was able to watch a live honey comb and pick out where the queen bee was located. All of the students found the queen bee. It was unbee-lievable!

     After wrapping up our honey bee class, we walked over to  where the elephant show usually takes place. To our surprise, they had changed the show to an information camel show instead! During the camel show, we learned about dromedary and bactrian camels and how to tell them apart. Dromedary camels have a lot of creamy tan hair, woolly ears and nostrils to keep sand out, and live in dry, hot places such as Australia and the Middle East. Bactrian camels have two humps that look like a 'B' and live in colder areas such as Russia. Both of the camels that they had out for the audience were dromedary camels. Some other facts we learned were they have long necks to eat grass, they only have teeth on the bottom of their mouth besides their back molars, and they are vegetarians. We also learned that the hump on their back consists of a fatty saturated tissue that stores water. They feed off of it when food and water is scarce. The show was very informative and allowed the students to learn more about camels!

          All of the groups were able venture off and explore around the educational parts of the fair until lunch time. There are many fun and exciting experiences that the fair offers. Some of the attractions students observed were prize-winning rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens,  roosters, vegetables, and pumpkin decorating. Other attractions were the incubation of chicks, and learning about honey bees. Students were also able to learn about products some of the different animals are needed to make, such as sheering sheep for their wool, milking cows for their milk, and wax from honey bees. 

           The first graders had such a fun experience at the fair on Thursday. It was a beautiful, sunny day to experience all of the sights, sounds, and smells the fair had to offer. When the students returned back to the school, they had a time of reflection. Students thought about their experience through the five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch) and explained each sense they experienced using descriptive words. They all came to the same conclusion that "The fair food smelled delicious". I would have to agree with them!


     Our Topsfield Fair trip would not have been possible without our first graders, the amazing parent volunteers, our fantastic bus driver, and the staff of the fair. Thank you! 
 

October 10th-14th Newsletter

 First Grade Newsletter

October 10-13th

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 2 (Week 2 of 2)

 Unit 2 Test on Friday

Students will...

• Manipulate the beginning, middle, and end sounds of words
• Blend and read words with three sounds, including short vowel sounds
• Segment and spell words with three sounds, including short vowel sounds
• Begin learning sentence dictation starting with capitalization, punctuation (period), and proofreading steps 
• Sight words: the, of, and

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

Weather- Last week we continued to build on the students' knowledge of weather by snow and rain. The class discussed how snow and rain are formed and the different patterns of each weather type. This week we will be looking at wind, clouds types, and how weather fits within the four seasons.

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. We will begin Unit 2 of Second Steps on Wednesday by discussing empathy.

                  Specialists

 
MONDAY: Columbus Day!

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 
      Magic Camera
          Last week the students went over the five senses (sight, scent, sound, taste, and touch). We discussed words associated with the different senses and experiences students have had where they observed with their eyes, ears, nose, mouth or skin. This week we will be taking a sensory walk through and around the school to practice using our senses with our magic sense cameras. Each student will have a chance to discuss what they observe and reflect on what they saw on our walk. During this week's walks, we will be focusing on sight, sound, and smell.

                  Parent Reminders

1.  Topsfield Fair Field Trip- The first grade had a great time at the fair! Take a look at the 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- I sent home an order reminder with each child today. October orders and money are due on Friday, Oct. 14th. 

3. Wish List- Our class is in need of a healthy, nut-free, individual packaged snack option for students who do not bring a snack to school. If you would like to donate but do not know what snacks meet the requirements, you can look at the snack list I gave you at Meet the Teacher Night. 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 next trip to the library will be on Monday, October 17th.
5. CORI Checks- If you need to have a CORI done, the paperwork needs to be done through the main office at the Blackburn Drive office. 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 each child did not read correctly. This week each child will 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 the journals tomorrow for students to write their 2nd letter. A couple reminders are that students should be sound spelling words that they do not know how to spell, skipping lines for corrections and comments to be made, and writing each letter in pencil. Use the sample letter on the last page of your child's journal 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  
Match the Numbers! Game
  

Monday:  Reading Log (due on Friday)
Tuesday: Play Match the Numbers! Game
Wednesday: Dialogue Journal (due on Friday)
Thursday: Fill out Match the Numbers! Game recording sheet (due on Friday)