February 25th-March 1st Newletter

First Grade Newsletter

February 25th- March 1st

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 3 Week 5

Main selection:  I'm a Caterpillar

Weekly Question:  What changes can be seen in nature?

Amazing Words: cycle, develop, insect, rearrange, flurries, emerge, fragile, vessel

High-Frequency Words: done, know, push, visit, wait

Phonics Target: Contractions; Vowel r-Controlled er, ir, ur

Comprehension skills: Fact and Opinion

Comprehension strategy: Text Structure

Genres:  Literary Nonfiction

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 5 (fifth column). 

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

Physical Science
Light & Sound Review
     This week students will be bringing together everything they know about light and sound through an engineering project. Students will be assigned to groups to imagine, plan and create a machine that relays information through light and sound. After the groups have completed the construction of their machines, each group will present how their machine works.   

Social Studies

   Dr. Seuss- This week we will be learning about Dr. Seuss. Along with the history of his life, we will be going through many of his most famous books and discussing important literary elements that he uses throughout them.
Second Steps- This week Mrs. LaBella will be wrapping up her safety unit with the students. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music; Library

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop
Pen Pal Letters
     This week students will receiving a letter from another first grade student in Gloucester. Each student will read and respond to their pen pal's letter using our letter format (greeting, body, closing, & signature). Students will be asking their pen pals questions to gather information about him/her. 

This week's mini-lesson will include...
- Letter format
- How to respond to a letter
- Grammar (punctuation, uppercase)
**We will also be finishing all of our other writing projects that we have been working on to make room for our big writing project that begins in March.**

     

                   Parent Reminders

1. Our library time is Mondays at 1 p.m. Please have books brought back to school by the Friday before or Monday morning.
2. Reading passages are due on Thursday. Reading Street Word Lists are due on Friday. 
3. Please make sure to record the comprehension questions you discuss with your child on the reading log each night. Thank you!
4. Math Homework-This week's math homework is practicing addition math facts to 10. Please play the coin games and number sense games given during previous weeks to help students practice and maintain their skills. 
5. Scholastic Book Club: March catalogs will be going home with students this week.  
6. 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.
7. Our Valentine Celebration was HUGE success! The kids had lots of fun using money to shop for goodies. Thank you again for all of your donations and support!
8. Spring Conferences- I will be sending home conference sign-up messages to a few select students. If you receive one, please send a message back with your availability ASAP. I hope to be sending confirmation notes with your conference time early next week. Thanks!
9. On Friday, March 1st, we will have a special, surprise guest reader! 
10. Math Facts- I will be checking in on your child's progress with the addition math facts. If they have the majority of the math facts mastered, I will send home the subtraction fact cards. Keep up the good work! 
11. Read Across America Day/Character Day (3/1)- On Friday March 1st, students will be able to dress up as their favorite book character. We will also be reading many different types of books to celebrate Read Across America Day as well as Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2nd). If your child would like to bring in the book that they are the character in to read to a friend, please have them bring in a copy on Friday. 

Welcome back! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation

Math Number Sense Games
Coin Games

This week's homework:

 Reading Log (due on Friday)

All Addition Math Facts  (Daily)
 Dialogue Journal (due on Friday) [Sent home on Wednesday]

Dr. Seuss Comprehension (due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday]

February 11th-February 15th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

February 11th- 15th

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

• Unit 8 Test will be on Thursday, February 14th.

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.

This week we will be wrapping up our mini-lesson on money at our Valentine's Celebration. The students will be making change and shopping at three different stores. **Continue to play the coin games at home for added practice.**

*                                      

Science

Physical Science
Sound Waves
     This week students will be learning about how sound travels over a distance through vibration waves. They will be using string phones to experiment whether then can hear a friend speak quietly through the phone. 

Social Studies

   Economics Unit- This week we will continue to review our knowledge about economics. The class will be completing activities that apply what they know about needs, wants, goods, and services. 
Second Steps- We are continuing our safety unit with Mrs. LaBella

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music; Library

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music 

THURSDAY: P.E.; Valentine's Celebration

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop
Pen Pal Letter Writing
     This week students will be given a pen pal letter from another Gloucester first grader. We will go over what a pen pal is and begin writing our introduction pages with a portrait of each student and their names. We will be going over letter structures and how a letter should be written. I am very excited to see how these pen pal letters come out!

100 Year Old Prompts
      Last week students wrote creative writing pieces about what they would be like when they were 100 years old. There were so many great ideas ranging from what the students thinks they will look like at the age of 100 to what activities they would do. 

     

                   Parent Reminders

1. We will be going to the library this week. Please return your child's library books either on Friday or Monday morning. 
2. Reading passages are due on Thursday. Reading Street Word Lists are due on Friday. 
3. Please make sure to record the comprehension questions you discuss with your child on the reading log each night. Thank you!
4.. Scholastic Book Club- February book orders have been ordered. I will send home the books when they arrive at school.
5. Valentine Celebration (2/14)— Thank you to everyone who signed up for donations and have offered to help out! Supplies need to be turned in by Tuesday, February 12th. We still need 1 more parent volunteers to come in and help! Volunteers, please be here by 12:00 so I can let you know which centers you will be running. The kids are very excited! Thanks again!
6. On Friday, I will be sending home your child's Math workbook from the first half of the school year. You can use this at home for extra practice. 
7. 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. 
8. Sing! Movie- On Friday, February 15th the first grade will be watching the movie Sing!. 

One more week to go! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Fluency Reading
Number/Letter Formation
Number Sense Math Games
Money Games
Addition Facts to 10

This week's homework:

 Reading Log (due on Friday)

 Valentine Math Fact Sheet  (Due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday]

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

February 4th-February 8th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

February 5th- 9th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 3 Week 3

Main selection:  The Class Pet

Weekly Question:  What do we learn as animals grow and change?

Amazing Words: features, nibble, swoop, natural, wriggle, crumple, tumble, mature, nudges

High-Frequency Words: away, car, friends, house, our, school very

Phonics Target: Ending -es, Plural -es; Vowels: r-controlled or, ore

Comprehension skills: Fact and Opinion

Comprehension strategy: Monitor and Clarify

Genres:  Expository Text

Written Expression: Predicate Expander "How" (People cheer loudly!)

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 3 (third column). Please return sheet by Friday, January 27th for students to be tested on Week 3 words. 

Fundations: Unit 8, Week 1

Students will learn about...

• Consonant blends and segmenting and spelling words with four sounds
• Sight Words: could, would, should

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. 

Alternatives

     Last week the West Parish first grade was able to enjoy a lesson run by Change is Simple. Change is Simple is an organization that better helps the environment through educating communities about reuse, recycle, and alternatives for harmful materials that we use to package our food. The class played two games and was able to learn more about alternative food packaging that they could use in their own life.

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 safety unit with Mrs. LaBella this week. 

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music; Library

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: P.E.

FRIDAY: Art; Music

Writing Workshop
Genre Writing- Opinion
      This week we will review the meaning of opinion, explore our opinions on different topics, and look at key components of an opinion writing prompt.
      We will continue to practice writing how-to pieces. 

     

                   Parent Reminders

1. We went to the library today. Make sure to return books by Friday or Monday morning!
2. Book Swap- The book swap is here! Students will be able to bring in books that they do not want at home to donate towards the school wide books swap. During the week of the swap, students will be able to go find new books from the collection of donated books. If students do not donate books, they will be able to come in and get books for 25 cents each. 
3.Wish list- Paper towels
4. Scholastic Book Club: February book orders are due on Friday, February 8th. Please send in or order online before or on Friday. Thank you! 
5. Valentine Celebration (2/14)— A supply list was given to Katharine Worth, our room parent, to contact volunteers to donate supplies for our Valentine celebration. Please let her know if you would like to donate any supplies. Thank you for your support!
6. February 8th will be our 100th day of school! The children are encouraged to bring in 100 of something that can fit into a sandwich baggie. 
7. 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. 
8. Lexia Competition- This week is the first week (out of four weeks) of the Lexia competition. The class with the most students who have completed 45 minutes or more for each week by the end of February will win.

Have a fantastic week! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)

Reading Fluency Passage

Number/Letter Formation

Math Number Sense Games

Addition Math Facts to 10

This week's homework:

 Reading Log (due on Friday)

 Collect 25 Recording Sheet  (Daily) [Sent home on Monday]

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

Goods & Services Comprehension (due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday]