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