February 5th-9th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

February 5th- 9th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 3 Week 4

Main selection:  Frog and Toad Together

Weekly Question:  What changes happen in a garden?
Amazing Words: gardener, nature, sprout, dim, shade, sprinkling, humongous
High-Frequency Words: afraid, again, few, how, read, soon
Phonics Target: Adding endings; Vowel r-Controlled ar

Comprehension skills: Author's Purpose
Comprehension strategy: Visualize

Genres:  Animal Fantasy
Written Expression: Predicate Expander "When" (The goose honked nervously this morning.)

Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 3 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home January 10th)
• Practice reading words (see white sheet sent home Friday) for Unit 3, Week 4 (fourth column). Please return sheet by Friday, February 9th for students to be tested on Week 4 words. 

Fundations: Unit 8, Week 2

Students will learn about...

• Consonant blends and segmenting and spelling words with four sounds (review)
• Baseword and suffix -s (review)
• Digraph blends (lunch)
• R-controlled vowels (er, ir, ur)
• Sight Words: her, over, number
• Unit Story: The Pink Dress

Math in Focus

Chapter 9

Length

Thinking Skills
- Comparing
Problem Solving Strategies  
- Act it out
- Use a diagram

           Objectives

                                    - Compare two lengths, using the terms tall/taller, long/longer, and short/shorter.
                 - Compare more than two lengths using the terms tallest, longest, and shortest.
                 - Use a common starting point when comparing lengths.
                 - Measure lengths using non-standard units and understand that using different non-standard units may give you different measurements for the same thing.

*                                      

Science

This week students will be learning about how sound travels. Students will be using string, a plastic cup, and a spoon this week to experiment with how sound travels and will record their findings into their science journals. 

Reptile Show

     Last week West Parish was able to enjoy a reptile show. Students learned about all different types of reptiles including boa constrictors, marine toads and alligators. We learned about their habitats, adaptations to the environments around them, and specific characteristics of each animal. We also learned about new rich vocabulary, such as omnivore, osteoderms, parata glades, and pokilothermic. Each animal that was discussed was shown and even held by some of our very own students! 

Social Studies

   Economics Unit- This week we will shift gears to learn about goods and services. The students will sort pictures into two piles, goods and services and determine which ones fulfill a need or a want. 
Second Steps- We are continuing our Emotional Management unit this week with a lesson on positive self-talk.

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music; Library

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop
Six Traits of Writing: Organization
     The students will start understanding the format and elements necessary for a 'how-to' book. The students will be picking a topic that they know a lot about and begin writing their own 'how-to' guide.
This week's mini-lesson will include...
     - Uppercase, spacing and punctuation
     - How to organize our writing

     

                   Parent Reminders

1. We went to the library today. Make sure to return books by Friday or Monday morning!
2. Fluency & Comprehension- For students who are working on reading with expression and for meaning, I'm sending home a sample conversation you might have with your child about this week's reading passage homework and ways to dig for deeper meaning.
3.Wish list- Paper towels
4. Missing Snow Pants!- A student in our class is missing a pair of snow pants. The snow pants are black bib styled pants that are size 6/6x and Iceburg brand. If you find these snow pants at your home, please return them to school with your child ASAP. Thank you! 
5. Scholastic Book Club: February book orders have been sent! I will update you when the shipment will arrive once the order has been completely processed. 
6. Valentine Celebration (2/16)— $2.00 for supplies is due ASAP so we can order everything. Thank you for your support!
7. February 7th will be our 100th day of school! The children are encouraged to bring in 100 of something that can fit into a sandwich baggie. 
8. Shoe tying- When your child wears snow boots to school, they have up to 6 opportunities to tie their shoes. Please help your child learn this important life skill. 

Have a fantastic week! 

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)

 Shopping Coin Game & Math Facts  (Daily) [Sent home on Monday]

 Dialogue Journal (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]
Wants & Needs Comprehension (due on Friday)