November 25th-November 29th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

November 25th-November 29th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 3 

Main selection:  Who Works Here!

Weekly Question:  Who works to make our community a nice place? 

Amazing Words: citizen, community, law, leader, branch, headquarters, earn, patrol

High-Frequency Words: people, live, work, who, out

Phonics Target: Long i: i_e; Digraphs- wh, ch, tch, ph

Comprehension skills: Author's purpose

Comprehension strategy: Important ideas

Genres:  Expository Text

Written Expression: Predicate Expander "Where" (The sunflower blooms under the blazing sun.)

Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 16th)
• Practice reading words (see orange sheet sent home Monday) for Unit 2, Week 3 (third column). 

PHONICS

Lively Letters (Sounds)

• Review each letter/letter pairs: p/b, t/d, k/g, f/v, qu, m/n, ng, a/o, j, s/z, ch, r/l, u/i, wh, e, x/y/c, w/h

Spelling 

• Skill(s): Tapping out sounds in words with CVC patterns (Consonant, Vowel, Consonant; such as 'cat') 
• Spelling words with digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh, ck)
• Trick Words: REVIEW
• Taught Trick Word List: the, of, and, a, was, to, or, for, me, be, she, he, me, as, has, into, you, your, I , was, one, said

**Trick words are irregularly spelled words that each child is expected to be able to spell in their writing.**

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  

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

Patterns in the Sky

 Last week students learned about the stars. This week students will be learning about observing stars through a fictional story, How Many Stars in the Sky? by Lenny Hort. Students will also be split into three groups to learn about how to present the different patterns we have learned about, the Sun, Moon and stars. Each group will create a poster that will hang out in the hallway for the rest of the school to use to learn about the patterns of the sky. This week in our groups, we will work on collaborating and planning.

Social Studies

Thanksgiving Unit

We are wrapping up our work on developing an understanding of life as a colonist and a Wampanoag Native American. We will be learning about 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 Mrs. LaBella will come a talk to us about our emotions.

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: EARLY RELEASE!

THURSDAY: THANKSGIVING!

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!

Timed Write #3
     This week students will complete their third timed write. The students will be read the story starter, given 1 minute to think about how they will continue to story, and write for 4 minutes.

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 Thanksgiving on Thursday, we do not have library this week.

2. Wednesday, November 27th is an early release at 12 noon.

3. **UPDATED** Trick Word Reading & Spelling- On Monday, November 25th, I sent home the trick word reading and spelling list. I will be checking in with students on these words on Tuesday, December 3rd and Wednesday, December 4th. I will send home which words each child need to continue to work on. 

4. Reading Phonics & Sight Word Lists (Unit 2)- Unit 2 Cards will be handed back out on Monday, December 3rd. Thank you!
5. Dialogue Journal- A journal entry should be written each week. I hand out journals on Monday and the journal should come back on Wednesday or the following Monday.
6. Recess Gear- Due to the temperature slowly becoming colder, children need to wear or bring a coat, hat, and/or mittens to school in order to go out to recess. Please be sure to write your child's name on the tag or another convenient place on their gear. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

Reading Log (with discussion questions)
Number/Letter Formation
Number Sense Math Games

Trick Word Reading and Spelling

This week's homework:
Reading Log (due on Wednesday) [Passed out on Monday]
Flip & Create Number Bonds Recording Sheet (due on Wednesday) [Passed out on Monday]
Dialogue Journal #8 (due on Wednesday) [Passed out on Monday]