December 18th-22nd Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

December 18th-22nd

Literacy

This week we will be reviewing concepts and skills from previous weeks of Reading Street.
Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 4 

Main selection:  The Big Circle

Weekly Question:  How do animal communities work together to survive?
Amazing Words: enemy, extinct, boisterous, protect, crater, holler, swamp, bluff
High-Frequency Words: down, inside, now, there,       together
Phonics Target: Long o: o_e; Contractions (can't)

Comprehension skills: Sequencing
Comprehension strategy: Inferring

Genres:  Fiction
Written Expression: Predicate Expander "Where" (Snowmen melt in the front yard.)
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 16th)
• Practice reading words for Unit 2, Week 4 (fourth column). 

Fundations: Unit 6, Week 3

Students will learn about and review...

• Base word and suffix with the suffix -s
• Sight Words: where, here, there
• Reading Selection: Jack's Bags

Math in Focus

Objectives
- Practice reading and writing 1-20 in
numbers and words.

- Use a place value chart to show and
compare numbers to 20.

- Create number bonds for numbers to 10.

- Review addition and subtraction
strategies.

- Introduce addition fact flashcards to 10

*                                      

Science

Light and Sound Waves
Last week students carried out two different experiments using mirrors, a flashlight and target in order to test the law of reflection. They learned about concave and convex curves as well as how light's reflection changes with each curve.  This week students will be wrapping up our lesson on the law of reflection by using paint and their hand prints. 
 Gingerbread Ingredient Smell Test: Students will be challenged to explore their sense of smell as they investigate the question, "Do all things have odor?" They will also determine whether the ingredients are solids or liquids. 

Social Studies

          Jan Brett Author Study 

   Through the story Annie and the Wild
Animals, children will learn about animals that
hibernate /migrate during the winter. They will
create a bird feeder for those animals that
stay and adapt to the change of the season.

Second Steps—We are continuing our
Empathy Unit by discussing accidents.

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: Sing-a-Long; Jan Brett Celebration

FRIDAY: Polar Express; Early Release

Writing Workshop

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas

     This week the students will be putting their final pieces on their animal riddles that will be a part of our Jan Brett celebration and hang out in the hallway for other students and visitors to enjoy. They turned out fantastic! 
     The Polar Express letters are also coming along! Students have finished planning their letter using a graphic organizer and are writing their rough draft, conferencing with me, and completing their final written draft. After they have completed their final written draft, I will be typing each student's letter. We will be passing the letters out to the other classes on Wednesday, December 20th. 

                   Parent Reminders

1. Our class went to the library today. Students will be allowed to take library books home for the holidays. If you have received a slip for an overdue book, please return it as soon as possible. 
2. Early Release Friday, December 22nd.
3. Jan Brett Celebration-Thank you for supporting our class by donating supplies and/or taking the time to come volunteer in the classroom! We are very excited for Thursday!
4. Pajama Party- On Friday, December 22nd, there will be a pajama party for our class to celebrate our hard work over the past four months. Your child should have a clean pair of pajamas on and are allowed to bring their slippers to wear around school. Please do not bring in any valuable stuffed animals or blankets from home. Each student should have another pair of shoes to wear for outside.
5.   Winter break practice packets- Reading is essential in first grade and it is imperative your child continues to read throughout the break as well as practice letter and number formation. On Thursday, December 21st I will be sending a practice packet home for your child to use during winter break that includes decodable readers, a number formation guide, and letter formation guides. 
6. Holiday Break Reading Challenge- On Thursday (12/21), I will be sending home a reading log for students to complete over break. The logs will be due on our first day back, Tuesday, January 2nd. The reading log is a challenge to add some excitement for the students. 
7. Dialogue Journal- There will be no dialogue journal entry for this week. Please complete the activities in the packet that was sent home today, Monday December 18th and return on Friday, December 22nd.

Have a fantastic week! Happy Holidays!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Math Number Sense Games

This week's homework: 

Reading Log (due on Friday)
 Shape Find Math Activity (due on Friday)
Holiday Tree Comprehension Sheet (due on Friday)

December 11th-15th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

December 11th-15th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 4 

Main selection:  The Big Circle

Weekly Question:  How do animal communities work together to survive?
Amazing Words: enemy, extinct, boisterous, protect, crater, holler, swamp, bluff
High-Frequency Words: down, inside, now, there,       together
Phonics Target: Long o: o_e; Contractions (can't)

Comprehension skills: Sequencing
Comprehension strategy: Inferring

Genres:  Fiction
Written Expression: Predicate Expander "Where" (Snowmen melt in the front yard.)
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 16th)
• Practice reading words (see white sheet sent home Wednesday) for Unit 2, Week 2 & 3 (second and third column). 

Fundations: Unit 6, Week 2

Students will learn about...

• Base word and suffix with the suffix -s
• Pluralization
• Narrative fiction vs. informational books 
• Reading with accuracy
• Sight Words: who, what, when
• Reading Selection: Jack's Bags

Math in Focus

Chapter 7

Numbers to 20
Prerequisite Skills: Count & compare to 10 , Make patterns (counting on/back)

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing patterns & relationships

Problem Solving Strategies  
                                     - Look for patterns

                               Objectives

                                                                                  - Count on from 10-20
                                  - Read and write 11-20 in numbers and words.
                                  - Use a place value chart to show numbers to 20.
                                  - Show objects up to 20 as tens and ones.

*                                      

Science

Light and Sound Waves
Last week students learned about the law of reflection by watching a demonstration using a ball. Students recorded what they saw with a scientific drawing and a small explanation in their science journals. This week students will carry out two different experiments using mirrors, a flashlight and target in order to test the law of reflection. 

Social Studies

Jan Brett Author Study 
Gingerbread Baby
   This week students will be read Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Man, and The Gingerbread Girl. The students will have state which character they liked best and explain why they liked that character. 

Second Steps—This week Mrs. Labella will come into our classroom to continue to teach us about our emotions. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music; Library

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop

     

This week students will write their rough drafts in a structured graphic organizer for writing a letter to someone. I will conference with each student and encourage them to put their own creative spin in their letters. After conferencing with each student, I will type their letters into a final draft for students to learn how to fold and put in an envelope. In each letter envelope, there will be a special Polar Express train ticket the other students will need in order to enter our classroom to watch the movie with us.

Polar Express Invitations 

     The week of December 19th, the first grade will be watching The Polar Express. Since the movie is going to be showing in our classroom, I thought it would be a fun idea for each student from our class to write a letter to two students (one from each of the other first grade classes). I explained to the students that this is a "top secret writing mission" for the next couple of weeks. This week, we will plan the important pieces of information that should be in our invitation (where, when, time, and what to bring to the movie). 
    
     I also have been asked how the students of our class will be able to "board" the Polar Express train if they do not have tickets. I explained to the class that they will be receiving a special piece of mail during the week of December 18th. :) 

                   Parent Reminders

1. Our class went to the library today. Please remind your child to bring back their library book by next Monday, December 18th. 
2. Please make sure to pack a snack and water for your child each day. 
3. Jan Brett Celebration-  If you have signed up to donate supplies for our celebration, please send in your supplies any time between today and Tuesday, December 19th. The supplies are due on Tuesday, December 19th at the latest. Thank you for your support!
4. Pajama Party- On Friday, December 22nd, there will be a pajama party for our class to celebrate our hard work over the past four months. Your child should have a clean pair of pajamas on and are allowed to bring their slippers to wear around school. Please do not bring in any valuable stuffed animals or blankets from home. Each student should have another pair of shoes to wear for outside.  
5. Reading Street Unit 2 Word Lists- This week have your child practice reading and spelling the words from column 2 and 3 on their Reading Street word lists. I will collect the lists on Friday, December 15th to have each child read the words in the second and third column. 

Have a wonderful week! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Math Games

This week's homework:

  Reading Log (due on Friday)
 Number Bond Sentences Math Game  [Sent home on Tuesday]
 Dialogue Journal (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]
 December Celebrations Comprehension Sheet (due on Friday) 

December 4th-8th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

December 4th-8th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 3 

Main selection:  Who Works Here!

Weekly Question:  Who works to make our community a nice place? 
Amazing Words: citizen, community, law, leader, branch, headquarters, earn, patrol
High-Frequency Words: people, live, work, who, out
Phonics Target: Long i: i_e; Digraphs- wh, ch, tch, ph

Comprehension skills: Author's purpose
Comprehension strategy: Important ideas

Genres:  Expository Text
Written Expression: Predicate Expander "Where" (The sunflower blooms under the blazing sun.)
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 16th)
• Practice reading words (see white sheet sent home Wednesday) for Unit 2, Week 2 (second column). 

Fundations: Unit 6, Week 1

Students will learn about...

• Base word and suffix with the suffix -s
• Pluralization
• Narrative fiction vs. informational books 
• Reading with accuracy
• Sight Words: are, were
• Reading Selection: Jack's Bags

Math in Focus

Chapter 7

Numbers to 20
Prerequisite Skills: Count & compare to 10 , Make patterns (counting on/back)

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing patterns & relationships

Problem Solving Strategies  
                                     - Look for patterns

                               Objectives

                                                                                  - Count on from 10-20
                                  - Read and write 11-20 in numbers and words.
                                  - Use a place value chart to show numbers to 20.
                                  - Show objects up to 20 as tens and ones.

*                                      

Science

Light and Sound Wave Unit 
Last week students experimented with six different materials to test if they were transparent, translucent or opaque. They made predictions as to what they thought the object was (transparent, translucent or opaque) and then using their flashlight, they tested the material. After they tested a material, they recorded the outcomes.  
This week the student will review what they already know about how light travels and learn about the law of reflection through a series of experiments.  

Social Studies

          Jan Brett Author Study 

The Hat
How is The Hat similar and different from
the story The Mitten? 
Vocabulary: ridiculous,
startled, magnificent

Second Steps—We are continuing our
Empathy Unit by thinking about how....

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: Early Release

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop

Jan Brett Author Study~ Mitten Riddle

     This week I will be conferencing with the students about their animal riddle clues. Students will move onto their final draft of their animal riddle and complete the riddle with a picture of the animal they chose. 

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas

      This week students will continue to brainstorm ways to escape a Thanksgiving dinner and write sequential steps to help a feathery friend out. Students will also be learning about conferencing and I will conference with each student about their writing.

Framing Your Thoughts~ Predicate Expander of Where
This week students will begin to practice making their own barebone sentences using the predicate expander of where. This expander begins to allow students to add detail to their barebone sentences. Students will be creating sentences based off of pictures, personal experiences, and brainstorming winter-themed subjects, predicates and predicate expanders of where. 

This week’s mini-lessons will include… 
- What an individual conference is 
- How to give compliments to their peers 

- How to make constructive suggestions to improve their peer’s stories

                   Parent Reminders

1. Our class went to the library today. Please remind your child to bring back their library book by next Monday, December 12th. 
2. Early Release Tuesday, December 5th at noon!
3. Scholastic Book Club catalogs will be going home
tomorrow (Tuesday, December 5th). I know we just had the book fair and I
do not want anyone to feel pressure to order
more books. I had some parent requests for the
December catalogs and thought I would just send
them to everyone. If you want any “surprise” or gift
books for your child, please let me know and I
can contact you when the books are in.) Orders
are due by Monday (Dec 11th), so the books can
be delivered before the holiday break.
(Online code—P9JVK).
4. DIBELs Winter benchmark testing will be
done with Ms. Nedde this week.
5. It’s just about hat and glove season…please label everything, if possible. Sometimes the children have a hard time identifying their
own clothes.

Have a fantastic week! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Number Sense Math Games

This week's homework: 

Reading Log (due on Friday)
Number Bond Math Game Recording Sheet  (due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday]
 Dialogue Journal (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]
 December Celebrations: Kwanzaa (due on Friday)

November 27th- December 1st Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 27th-December 1st

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 2 

Main selection:  The Farmer in the Hat

Weekly Question:  How is a school a community?
Amazing Words: group, respect, share, aquarium, borrow, lines, rehearsal, soothe
High-Frequency Words: be, could, horse, of, old, paper
Phonics Target: Long a: a_e; Consonants c /s/; g /j/

Comprehension skills: Cause and Effect
Comprehension strategy: Monitor and Clarify

Genres:  Realistic Fiction
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 16th)
• Practice reading words (see green sheet sent home Monday) for Unit 2, Week 1 (first column). 

Fundations: Unit 5, Week 1

**Students will take the Unit 5 Fundations test at the end of this week.**
Students will learn about...

• Two new glued or welded sounds: /am/ and /an/ as in 'ham' and 'pan'. 
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events) 
• Story: The Big Mess
• Sight words: from, have, do, does
• Trick Word reading test is on Wednesday and spelling test is on Thursday. 

Math in Focus

Chapter 5

Shapes and Patterns

Thinking Skills
- Induction; Analyzing patterns and relationships

Problem Solving Strategies  
- Guess and check

                               Objectives

                                                                                  - Identify, classify, describe, and sort plane and solid shapes.
                                  - Divide shapes into two and four equal parts and describe the parts.
                                  - Describe the whole as the sum of its parts.
                                  - Combine and separate plane and solid shapes.

*                                      

Science

Light and Sound Waves
Last week students discussed how light can pass through some objects, but not others. We discussed the three types of objects: transparent, translucent, and opaque. This week students are experimenting with six different materials. They will be making predictions as to what they think the object is (transparent, translucent or opaque) and then using their flashlight to test the material. After they have tested a material, they will record the outcomes.  

Social Studies

          Jan Brett Author Study 

The Mitten

Animal Riddles: Students will come up with
animal clues and make an interactive writing
piece for others to guess their animal.
Vocabulary: admire, jostle, commotion

Second Steps— This week students will be learning about how people can have different feelings towards the same situation. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music; Book Fair Preview Day

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.; Book Fair Purchase Day

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas

      This week students will continue to brainstorm ways to escape a Thanksgiving dinner and write sequential steps to help a feathery friend out. Students will also be learning about conferencing and I will conference with each student about their writing.

Framing Your Thoughts~ First Barebone Book
The students will be finishing their individual pages of our first class barebone book and by the end of the week, the book will be bound and published! This week the students will be introduced to another part of the Framing Your Thoughts sentence structure. The predicate expander of where allows students to add detail to their barebone sentences. Students will be practicing writing barebone sentences using all of the parts we have learned so far.

This week’s mini-lessons will include… 
Students will also learn about conferencing… 
- What a whole-class conference is 
- How to give compliments to their peers 
- How to make constructive suggestions to improve their peer’s stories

                   Parent Reminders

1. Due to the book fair, we did not have library today.
2. Book Fair is here! Our class will have a
chance to preview the fair today and
their book wish lists have gone home.
We’ll shop for books on Thursday, November 30th. Book Fair catalogs went home last week.
3. Throughout the month of December, we will
be working on an author study of Jan Brett’s
books. Before we break for the upcoming
vacation, we will have a Jan Brett celebration. Our Jan Brett Celebration will be on Wednesday, December 21st . A letter will be going home tomorrow with more information.
4. Trick Word Test- Our trick word reading and spelling test is this week on Wednesday, November 29th and Thursday, November 30th. Please have your child continue to practice spelling and reading the trick words on the study guide I sent home.

Welcome back! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Number Sense Math Games

Trick Word Reading and Spelling

This week's homework:
Reading Log (due on Friday)
Number Bond Math Game

November 20th-22nd Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 20-22nd

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 1

Main selection:  A Big Fish for Max

Weekly Question:  What does a family do together?
Amazing Words: chore, household, cooperation, rule, commute, subway, downtown, display
High-Frequency Words: catch, good, no, put, said, want
Phonics Target: digraphs sh, th; /ol/ sound in ball

Comprehension skills:  Sequence
Comprehension strategy: Predict; Set a purpose

Genres:  Animal Fantasy, Literary Nonfiction
Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 16th)
• Family Times gives various activities that can be done at home that connect to the concept we're learning this week.

Fundations: Unit 5, Week 1

Students will learn about...

• Two new glued or welded sounds: /am/ and /an/ as in 'ham' and 'pan'. 
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events) 
• Story: The Big Mess
• Sight words: from, have, do, does

Math in Focus

**Due to students needing more time to practice the concepts at the end of Chapter 4, the test will be on Tuesday, November 22nd**
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

Light and Sound Waves
Last week we began our lesson on transparent, translucent and opaque. In this lesson, students are discussing how light can pass through some objects, but not others. We are discussing the three types of objects: transparent, translucent, and opaque. The students are learning about each word's meaning and then making predictions as to what materials that have the same characteristics as that word and then experimenting with their flashlights. This week the class will wrap up this activity and summarize their experience of predicting and experimenting.

Social Studies

Thanksgiving Unit
We are continuing to work on developing an understanding of life as a colonist and a Wampanoag Native American. We will be learning about the activities the colonist and Native American children did for fun.
Second Steps—We continued our Empathy Unit last week with identifying feelings. This week we are learning about how a person's feelings can change about the same situation.

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Early Release

THURSDAY: NO SCHOOL

FRIDAY: NO SCHOOL

Writing Workshop

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas

     This week students will have to brainstorm ways to escape a Thanksgiving dinner and write sequential steps to help a feathery friend out. 

Framing Your Thoughts~ First Barebone Book
The students will be finishing their individual pages of our first class barebone book. To complete the book, we will make a cover and then have the book bound. 

This week’s mini-lessons will include…

• Use uppercase at the beginning & punctuation at the end
• Use spacing between words
• How to write an introduction and closing
• Writers reread their writing to see if it makes sense and stays on topic.

                   Parent Reminders

1. Library day was today. Please make sure you help your
child remember to bring in their
book for next Monday.
2. Early Release for Thanksgiving break on Wednesday, November 23rd at 12 noon.
3. Math—Please continue to work on number formation at home. The students are writing many numbers backwards, which is confusing them when trying to solve their math problems. Thanks for your support!
4. Unit 2 Reading Street Card will be given out on Monday, November 27th to begin practicing Unit 2 words.
6. Book Fair is here! Our class will have a chance to preview the fair on Monday, November 27th at 1 p.m. and will shop for books on Thursday, December 1st. Catalogs will go home this week.
7. Over Thanksgiving break...please continue to have your child read daily. 
8. Trick Word Test…due to the craziness of this week, we will have our trick word reading and spelling test the week of November 27th. Please have your child practice spelling and reading the trick words on the study guide I sent home today.
9. It’s just about hat and glove season…please label everything, if possible. Sometimes the children have a hard time identifying their
own clothes.

10. Unit 1 Reading Street Celebration…Overall the

students did a really good job on this test

last week. They all worked really hard and

gave their best effort. It’s amazing how

much they’ve grown already since the first

day of school! As I tell them in class before

every celebration, there are two reasons we take

these assessments. First it’s to give them a

chance to “show off” everything they’ve

learned so far and feel proud of themselves.

The second reason is so that I can learn

what they don’t know and still need to

practice. 

11. Homework Schedule- At the bottom of the blog, I have changed the format of the homework schedule. Instead of the days of the week by each homework assignment, I have simply listed out all of the homework that is to be turned in at the end of the week under "This week's homework". All of the homework will be given on Monday unless listed otherwise. For example, Dialogue Journals [due on Friday] - Passed out on Wednesday. I do not expect all of the homework to be done on Monday, but I do expect it all to be turned in on Friday or the last day of that week unless you have contacted me otherwise. Please feel free to schedule the homework assignments that best fits your weekly schedule. Thank you for your support!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Sight Word Spelling & Reading List

This week's homework: 

Reading Log (due on Wednesday)
Math Game Recording Sheet (due on Wednesday)
Pilgrim Comprehension worksheet (due on Wednesday) -Passed out on Tuesday