December 16th-December 20th Newsletter

First Grade Newsletter

December 16th-20th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 2 Week 5

Main selection:  Life in the Forest

Weekly Question:  How are plant and animal communities important to each other? 

Amazing Words: environment, require, thrive, inhale, slimy, sludge, capture, creature

High-Frequency Words: grow, under, water, around, food, find 

Phonics Target: Long e_e (Pete)/ Long u_e (use); Inflected Ending -ed (called, printed, fetched)

Comprehension skills: Author's Purpose

Comprehension strategy: Background Knowledge

Genres:  Expository Text

Written Expression: Predicate Expander "How" (The kitten pounced quickly on the sleeping boy.)

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 white sheet sent home Wednesday) for Unit 2, Week 5 (fifth 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 digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh, ck) & blends (st, mp, br, sl)
• Spelling words with blends & welded sounds (an, am, all)
• Trick Words: from, have, do, does
• 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 7

Numbers to 20
Prerequisite Skills: Count & compare to 10 , Make patterns (counting on/back)

Thinking Skills
- Analyzing patterns & relationships

Problem Solving Strategies  
                                     - Look for patterns

                               Objectives

                                                                                  - Count on from 10-20
                                  - Read and write 11-20 in numbers and words.
                                  - Use a place value chart to show numbers to 20.
                                  - Show objects up to 20 as tens and ones.

*                                      

Science

Light and Sound Waves
Last week students brainstormed everything that they know about light. This week students will conduct a pinhole experiment using a box, flashlight, and red crayon. Students will observe the inside of the box with and without the light (shown through a pinhole on the side) looking through an opening.
 Gingerbread Ingredient Smell Test: Students will be challenged to explore their sense of smell as they investigate the question, "Do all things have odor?" They will also determine whether the ingredients are solids or liquids. 

Social Studies

Jan Brett Author Study 

   Through the story Annie and the Wild
Animals, children will learn about animals that
hibernate /migrate during the winter. They will
create a bird feeder for those animals that
stay and adapt to the change of the season. Students will also listen to Christmas Trolls and Gingerbread Friends.

Second Steps—We are continuing our
Empathy Unit by discussing how feelings can change in a situation.

 Specialists

MONDAY: Music 

TUESDAY: P.E.

WEDNESDAY: Music

THURSDAY: Jan Brett Celebration

FRIDAY: Holiday Sing-a-long; Polar Express

Writing Workshop

Six Traits of Writing~ Ideas

Jan Brett Mittens     
This week the students will be putting their final touches on their animal riddles that will be a part of our Jan Brett celebration and hang out in the hallway for other students and visitors to enjoy. They turned out fantastic! 

Tom the Turkey
     This week students will be conferencing with me about their stories and writing their final drafts that include illustrations. 

Gingerbread Story Endings
     Last week students listened to  the stories, The Gingerbread Baby and The Gingerbread Man. At the end of the week, the students needed to choose which story they wanted to write an alternative ending for. Once the student chose the story, they began to brainstorm their ideas for their endings. This week students will write and illustrate the endings to their story. 

                   Parent Reminders

1. We will not be going to library this Friday (12/20). Enjoy the book your child picked out for two weeks! 
2. Snack Time- There has been a wave of students who are throwing away the food that they bring from home. Please remind your child to eat the snack that they have brought from home. 
3. Jan Brett Celebration-Thank you for supporting our class by donating supplies and/or taking the time to come volunteer in the classroom! If you have not brought in your supplies, please bring them in no later than Tuesday, December 17th. We are very excited for Thursday!
4. Pajama Party- On Friday, December 20th, there will be a pajama party for our class to celebrate our hard work over the past four months. Your child should have a clean pair of pajamas on and are allowed to bring their slippers to wear around school. Please do not bring in any valuable stuffed animals or blankets from home. Each student should have another pair of shoes to wear for outside.
5.   Winter break practice packets- Reading is essential in first grade and it is imperative your child continues to read throughout the break as well as practice letter and number formation. On Thursday, December 19th, I will be sending a practice packet home for your child to use during winter break that includes decodable readers, a number formation guide, and letter formation guides. 
6. Holiday Break Reading Challenge- On Thursday (12/19), I will be sending home a reading log for students to complete over break. The logs will be due on our first day back, Thursday, January 2nd. The reading log is a challenge to add some excitement for students' reading. 
7. Homework- All homework will be sent home on Monday (except for the dialogue journal) for this week. Please complete the activities in the packet that was sent home today, Monday December 16th and return on o before Friday, December 20th at the latest.

Have a fantastic week! Happy Holidays!

Miss Biggar

Homework for the Week

 Daily

Reading Words (Phonics/Sight)

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

This week's homework: 

Reading Log (due on Friday)
 Help the Snowman! Hundreds Chart  (due on Friday) [Sent home on Monday]
Dialogue Journal Letter (due on Friday) [Sent home on Tuesday]
December Celebrations Comprehension Sheet (due on Friday) [Sent home on Monday]