October 15th-19th Newsletter

 First Grade Newsletter

October 15-19th

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- This week students will be learning about weather. We will discuss what weather is and important vocabulary that is associated with weather. We will also learn about clouds, how they are formed as well as the names & characteristics of the different types. 
Light- 
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?"

In Second Steps, we will continue to learn how to be assertive when learning for the fourth and final Skill for Learning. I encourage the students to use the skills that they have learned about throughout their day and find the strategy that works best for them. 

                  Specialists

 
MONDAY: Music

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art, Music

Writing Workshop

Framing Your Thoughts 
    This week students will begin creating their own fall-themed 'barebone sentence'. There will be whole group session to brainstorm fall-themed subjects (noun) and predicates (verb) a rough draft, and final draft of the sentence including an illustration. Our class will publish our fall barebone sentences. We will also be learning about adjectives.

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas 
     Magic Camera
           This week students will be focusing on creating word lists associated with each sense. For example, the words 'bitter', 'salty', and 'sweet' are all associated with taste.

                  Parent Reminders

1.  Our class goes to the library on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. 

2.  Scholastic book order- The October catalog orders have been shipped! I will send home the orders with your children once they are in. 

3. Wish List- Thank you for your snack donations!
4. 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!
5. Unit 1 Reading Card- I recorded how many of the phonics and high-frequency words your child read correctly. I also starred the words each child did not read correctly or read fluently (within 3 seconds). 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.) 
6. 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. 
7. 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 weekend!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation

Math Number Sense Games

This week's homework:

 Reading Log (due on Friday)
Math Sense Number Game (due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday]
Dialogue Journal #2 (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]