November 26th-November 30th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 26th-November 30th

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. 
• Practice reading phonics and sight words for Unit 2, Week 1 (first column only). I will be sending home Reading Street Unit 2 sheets on Monday, November 26th.

Fundations: Unit 4 (Week 2 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: said, one, was
• **Unit 4 Test on Friday, November 30th**

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 finished testing the last three materials and recording the outcomes. This week students will learn about the law of reflection. We will begin the week brainstorming the information we already know about reflections and then physically demonstrate the law of reflection using wall, a ball and bucket to show that when light hits a reflective surface it bounces back. Students will record and reflect on the activity demonstrating the law of reflection. 

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
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 clothes the Native American children wore and 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; 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 write their stories about how Tom the Turkey escapes Thanksgiving dinner. Each student will develop their own story using details such as different characters, whether or not if Tom escapes or gets caught, and how he is either captured or escapes. I am excited to read each student's story!

Framing Your Thoughts ~ Predicate Expander of Where
     This week students will be practicing using the predicate expander of where (The snow drifts across the field.) by constructing their own from pictures, fall and winter-themed activities, and unscrambling sentences given to them during literacy centers and writing time. 

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 yesterday (11/26) and
their book wish lists have gone home.
We’ll shop for books on Thursday, November 29th at 2:35 p.m.. 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 Thursday, December 20th . A letter will be going home today with more information.
4. Math Flashcards (Addition to 10)- I will be sending home the first three rules (+0,+1,+2) of our addition to 10 math fact flashcards. Cut out the cards and keep them to practice at 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
Math Fact Flashcards (Addition to 10)

Trick Word Reading and Spelling

This week's homework:
Reading Log (due on Friday) [Passed out on Monday]
Ten Frame Sentences! Game Sheet [Passed out on Tuesday]
Dialogue Journal #6 (due on Friday) [Passed out on Wednesday]

November 19th-21st Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 19th-21st

Literacy

**Unit 1 Test on Tuesday, November 20th**
Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 6 (Review)

Main selection:  Animal Park

Weekly Question:  What can we learn about wild animals by watching them?

Amazing Words: 

High-Frequency Words: home, into, many, them

Phonics Target: Short u: u; Final Consonant Blends

Comprehension skills:  Cause and Effect

Comprehension strategy: Text Structure

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. 

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: said, one, was

Math in Focus

**Chapter 4 Test is on Tuesday, November 20th**
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
Light- Last week students continued to build on their knowledge about how light can pass through some objects, but not others. We reviewed the three types of objects: transparent, translucent, and opaque, and made predictions about our last three objects (cardboard tube, plastic container, and mirror). This week students will be experimenting with these last three types of materials and the flashlights. They will be making observations as to what they see when they shine the flashlight on the object. 

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 clothes the Native American children wore and 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 write their stories about how Tom the Turkey escapes Thanksgiving dinner. Each student will develop their own story using details such as different characters, whether or not if Tom escapes or gets caught, and how he is either captured or escapes. I am excited to read each student's story!

Framing Your Thoughts ~ Predicate Expander of Where
     This week students will be practicing using the predicate expander of where (The turkey trots behind the barn.) by constructing their own from pictures, fall-themed activities, and unscrambling sentences given to them during literacy centers and writing time. 

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 21st 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 26th to begin practicing Unit 2 Week 1 words. Look for the bright pink paper!
6. Book Fair is here! Our class will have a chance to preview the fair on Monday, November 26th at 1 p.m. and will shop for books on Thursday, November 29th. 
7. Over Thanksgiving break...please continue to have your child read daily. I will be sending home decodable readers for each student to practice text with our previously taught phonics skills.
8. Trick Word Test… we will have our trick word reading and spelling check-in this week on Wednesday. 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.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

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

This week's homework: 

Reading Log (due on Wednesday)- Passed out on Monday
Fact Family Practice (due on Wednesday)- Passed out on Monday

November 12th-16th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 12th-16th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 6

Main selection:  Animal Park

Weekly Question:  What can we learn about wild animals by watching them?

Amazing Words: 

High-Frequency Words: home, into, many, them

Phonics Target: Short u: u; Final Consonant Blends

Comprehension skills:  Cause and Effect

Comprehension strategy: Text Structure

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 5 & 6 (last two columns only). I will be finishing Reading Street Unit 1 sheets on Friday, November 16th.

Fundations: Unit 3 (Week 2 of 2)

 ** Unit 3 Test on Tuesday, November 13th**
Students will learn about...

• Introduced to digraphs: wh, sh, ch, th, ck
• Spell words with digraphs
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events)
• Sight words: or, for

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

Light- Last week students discussed how light can pass through some objects, but not others. We reviewed the three types of objects: transparent, translucent, and opaque, and tested the first three objects (construction paper, wax paper, and plastic wrap). This week students are experimenting with the last three types of 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

Thanksgiving Unit
We will be continuing to work on developing an understanding of life as a colonist and a Wampanoag Native American. We’ll finish learning about the homes of the Wampanoags and begin learning about the Pilgrims' home.
Second Steps—We began our Empathy Unit last week with identifying feelings. This week we will continue to build on our knowledge in identifying our own feelings.

 Specialists

MONDAY: No SCHOOL!

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music; Picture Retakes

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop

Genre Writing~ Narrative
     This week students will have to brainstorm ways to escape a Thanksgiving dinner and write sequential steps to help a feathery friend out of trouble. Students will learn how to write an introduction and concluding sentence.

Writing Fluency-This week the class will complete their second fluency prompt. Each fluency prompt will be 5 minutes long. One minute for students to brainstorm ideas about the prompt's sentence starter and 4 minutes to write their ideas. The goals for each fluency prompt are to see growth in the number of words students write and to see students applying grammar and writing skills they are learning throughout the year. 

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas
     When writing the stories, 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.

Framing Your Thoughts ~ Connector ('and')/Predicate Expander of Where

     This week students will be introduced to the predicate expander of where (The dog races in the park.) and will also practice using the connector ('and') in bare bone sentences. Students will practice using this part of a sentence during literacy centers and convention writing time. 

This week’s mini-lessons will include:

• Choose a topic 
• Use important details to tell about a topic
• Use uppercase at the beginning & punctuation at the end
• Use spacing between words
• Writers reread their writing to see if it makes sense and stays on topic.

                   Parent Reminders

1. We do not have library this week. Please make sure you help your child remember to bring in their book for next Monday.
2. No school on Tuesday (11/12).
3. Scholastic Orders- November orders will be placed today.
4. Just a heads up…photo retakes will be on Wednesday, November 14th.
5. Reading Phonics & Sight Word Lists (Unit 1)- Unit 1 Cards will be handed back next Tuesday, November 13th. Please practice Week 6 (the last column only) of your child's Reading Street word lists. I will be collecting the Reading Street Unit 1 sheets on Friday, November 16th to check-in with students for the last week. Thank you!
6. Dialogue Journal- A journal entry should be written each week. I hand out journals on Wednesday and the journal should come back on Friday or the following Monday.
7. Thanksgiving Week Homework- Next week, all homework will be sent home on Monday, 11/19 and is due back on Wednesday, 11/21. 

Have a wonderful week! 

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)

Thanksgiving Math Activity (due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday] 

Dialogue Journal #6 (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]

November 5th-November 9th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 6-10th

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 (fifth column only).   

Fundations: Unit 3 (Week 2 of 2)

 ** Unit 3 Test on Friday, November 9th**
Students will learn about...

• Introduced to digraphs: wh, sh, ch, th, ck
• Spell words with digraphs
• Observe the form of a narrative story (character, setting, and main events)
• Sight words: or, for

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

Light- Last week students discussed how light can pass through some objects, but not others. We reviewed the three types of objects: transparent, translucent, and opaque, and tested the first three objects (construction paper, wax paper, and plastic wrap). This week students are experimenting with the last three types of 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

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 Mrs. LaBella will be coming into our class to continue discussing strategies to help us with calming our emotions. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: NO SCHOOL!

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: Early Release

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop

Genre Writing~ Narrative
      This week we will begin our pre-write with brainstorming characters, the setting, and discuss problems vs. solutions of students' stories. 

Writing Fluency-This week the class will complete their second fluency prompt. Each fluency prompt will be 5 minutes long. One minute for students to brainstorm ideas about the prompt's sentence starter and 4 minutes to write their ideas. The goals for each fluency prompt are to see growth in the number of words students write and to see students applying grammar and writing skills they are learning throughout the year. 

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas
     When writing the stories, 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.

Framing Your Thoughts ~ Connector ('and')

     This week students will be practicing using the connector ('and') in bare bone sentences. Students will practice using this part of a sentence during literacy centers and convention writing time. 

This week’s mini-lessons will include:

• Choose a topic 
• Use important details to tell about a topic
• Use uppercase at the beginning & punctuation at the end
• Use spacing between words
• Writers reread their writing to see if it makes sense and stays on topic.

                   Parent Reminders

1. Library day was yesterday. Please make sure you help your
child remember to bring in their
book for next Monday.
2. No school on Tuesday (11/6).
3. Scholastic Orders- November orders and money are due on Friday, November 9th.
4. Ten Frame Build Math Game— Play the ten frame game Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday, please have your child record what his/her answers are when playing on the recording sheet passed out on Wednesday. This will allow me to see how your child is progressing with their number sense.
5.  Just a heads up…photo retakes will be on Wednesday, November 14th.
6. Reading Phonics & Sight Word Lists (Unit 1)- Unit 1 Cards will be handed back next Tuesday, November 13th. Please practice Week 6 (the last column only) of your child's Reading Street word lists. I will be collecting the Reading Street Unit 1 sheets on Friday, November 16th to check-in with students for the last week. Thank you!

Have a wonderful week! 

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)

Ten Frame Math Game (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday] 

Dialogue Journal #5 (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]