First Grade Newsletter
September 23rd-27th
Literacy
Literacy Assessments: There are no assessments during this week. I will begin to personalize students' book bags for silent reading throughout this week.
Reading Street: Unit R*
PHONICS
Lively Letters (Sounds)
- Review stories and sounds for each letter pair: s/z, ch, r/l, u/i, x/y/c, w/wh/h, e
- Last week’s letter pairs: p/b, t/d, k/g, f/v, qu, m/n, ng, a/o, j
Handwriting Without Tears
- Review formation of the following letters…c, o, s, v, w, t, a, d, g, u, i, e, l, k, y, j, p, r, n, m, h, b, f, q, x, z
- Alphabetical order
*Please note that Handwriting Without Tears and Lively Letters are very fast paced reviews of the alphabet letter sounds and formations taught extensively in Kindergarten.
Math in Focus
Chapter 1
Pre-requisite skills and number sense
**Chapter 1 Test on Thursday, September 26th**
**Chapter 1 Test on Thursday, September 26th**
Objectives
- Count from 0 to 10 objects
- Read and write 0 to 10 in numbers and words
- Compare two sets of objects by using one-to-one correspondence
- Identify the set that has more, fewer, or the same number of object
- Identify the number that is greater than or less than another number
- Identify the number that is greater than or less than another number
- - Make number patterns
*Please note: Math instruction in this unit is reviewing groundwork established in Kindergarten. We will be building upon these skills as we progress through the future math units.
Science
Pumpkin Decomposition Journal
During harvest week with Backyard Growers, our class received a class pumpkin. This week students will be recording what they see and what they predict will happen to the pumpkin as time goes on.
Space Unit
Patterns in the Sky
Last week each student was able to form a question about what they want to know more about or a question about our discussion on the Sun. Students began analyzing the data that they collected while observing the Sun and used it as evidence to support an important pattern the Sun repeats. This week students will continue learning about the sun by watching "The Sun" featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy. Each student will collect facts that they hear about the sun, and then will share with the whole class. We will organize our knowledge on a KWL chart for students to see what we knew before the video, what we wanted to know about the sun, and then what we learned while watching.
During harvest week with Backyard Growers, our class received a class pumpkin. This week students will be recording what they see and what they predict will happen to the pumpkin as time goes on.
Space Unit
Patterns in the Sky
Last week each student was able to form a question about what they want to know more about or a question about our discussion on the Sun. Students began analyzing the data that they collected while observing the Sun and used it as evidence to support an important pattern the Sun repeats. This week students will continue learning about the sun by watching "The Sun" featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy. Each student will collect facts that they hear about the sun, and then will share with the whole class. We will organize our knowledge on a KWL chart for students to see what we knew before the video, what we wanted to know about the sun, and then what we learned while watching.
Social Studies
Our class rules have been posted in our room! Each morning the rules have been posted we remind ourselves what our classroom rules are to give each student a safe and friendly environment to learn in. In our Second Steps lessons, we have learned two of four Skills for Learning: focusing attention and listening. We use our attent-o-scopes to keep ourselves from being distracted and there are three parts of our bodies we use to listen: our ears, eyes, and brains. This week.....
Our social studies learning continues to embed focusing on families and community in our reading program throughout this week. Our questions for the students will need to answer this week are, "What is around us at school?" and "What can we see around our neighborhood?".
Specialists
MONDAY: Music
TUESDAY: P.E.
WEDNESDAY: Music
THURSDAY: P.E.
FRIDAY: Art, Music; Library
Writing Workshop
This week students will continue our morning work assignment that requires students to draw and write about one or more activity that they did over the weekend. The purpose of this exercise is for students to practice putting their ideas on paper through words and illustrations.
Process Writing- Brainstorm Booklet
This week students will finish their 'heart inventory', where students will draw and label people, places, and things that are close to their heart.
Writer's Workshop: Ideas
This week students will listen to a read aloud of It Came In The Mail. This story is about a boy who never received mail and decided that one day he was going to write a letter to his mailbox. After the read aloud, students will write a letter to their own mailboxes asking the mailbox to send them something that they wish to be sent.
Timed Fluency Write #1
This week the class will complete their first 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.
Process Writing- Brainstorm Booklet
This week students will finish their 'heart inventory', where students will draw and label people, places, and things that are close to their heart. Writer's Workshop: Ideas
This week students will listen to a read aloud of It Came In The Mail. This story is about a boy who never received mail and decided that one day he was going to write a letter to his mailbox. After the read aloud, students will write a letter to their own mailboxes asking the mailbox to send them something that they wish to be sent.
Timed Fluency Write #1
This week the class will complete their first 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.
Parent Reminders
1. Meet the Teacher Night is Thursday, September 26th 5:00-6:00pm. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you! Please note—This is an adult-only evening.2. Parent/Teacher Conferences—There will be a sign-up sheet available at Meet the Teacher night for upcoming fall conferences (Oct. 24 /Oct. 29)
3. Topsfield Fair Field Trip (Oct. 10)- The first grade will be going to the Topsfield Fair on Wednesday, October 10th. If you would like to volunteer as a chaperone, please let me know! If you have not turned in your permission slip, please fill it out and return it as soon as you can.
4. Scholastic book order- September catalog orders have been placed!
5. Number Formation Guide- The guide will be sent home this week along with which numbers your child needs practice forming. Try and isolate just one number to practice each night for a couple minutes. Doing too many at once will not help them break bad habits.
6. Wish List- Thank you for all of the donations!
7. Children should bring in a small healthy snack (separate from their lunch) to have in class at 9:45 a.m. Please make sure that it is nut-free and has no glass products.
8. Bloomz- Bloomz is an efficient and effective tool for parents and teachers to communicate in a timely manner about important announcements or reminders. I will be sending home our class code to any parents/guardians who have not signed up for our class' account in your child's green homework folder.
7. Children should bring in a small healthy snack (separate from their lunch) to have in class at 9:45 a.m. Please make sure that it is nut-free and has no glass products.
8. Bloomz- Bloomz is an efficient and effective tool for parents and teachers to communicate in a timely manner about important announcements or reminders. I will be sending home our class code to any parents/guardians who have not signed up for our class' account in your child's green homework folder.
Have a great week!
Miss Biggar
Homework for the Week
Daily
Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Number/Letter Formation
Math Number Sense Games
This week's homework:
Monday: Reading Log (due on Friday)
Tuesday: Match the Numbers! Math Game (Daily**)
[If a homework activity has "daily" in place of a due date, this means the activity should be completed daily throughout the week.]
Tuesday: Match the Numbers! Math Game (Daily**)
[If a homework activity has "daily" in place of a due date, this means the activity should be completed daily throughout the week.]
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