First Grade Newsletter
November 29th-December 3rd
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
Reading Street Parent Connection:
- Unit 2 Family talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6-week overview of the unit. (Sent home November 15th)
- Family Times gives various activities that can be done at home that connect to the concept we're learning this week.
- Practice reading phonics and sight words for Unit 2, Week 3 (third column only). Please practice the words that are marked on Columns 1 & 2. I sent home Reading Street Unit 2 sheets on Monday, November 15th.
PHONICS
Spelling
- Skill(s): Bonus letters at the end of a word: ff, ll, ss (and sometimes zz) [For example: puff, less, tell]
- Review: Use digraphs (sh, wh, th, ch, and -ck); Tapping out sounds in words with CVC patterns (Consonant, Vowel, Consonant; such as 'cat')
- Trick Words: from, have, do, does
- Review trick words and practice using in writing: the, of, and, a, is, his, as, has, in, into, we, he, she, be, me, or, for, you, your, I, they, was, one, said
**Trick words are irregularly spelled words that each child is expected to be able to spell in their writing.**
Lively Letters (Sounds)
- Review stories and sounds for each letter pair: No new pairs
- Last week’s letter pairs: p/b, t/d, k/g, f/v, qu, m/n, s/z, j/ch, r/l, x/y/c, w/h, a/o, u/i, e, ng, wh
- Review all letter formations
- Alphabetical order
Handwriting Without Tears
Math in Focus
Chapter 3
Shapes and Patterns
Pre-requisite skills and number sense
**Chapter 3 Test on Friday, December 3rd**
Objectives
- Recognize flat and solid shapes
-Identify sides and corners in flat shapes
- Sort shapes in different ways
-Divide shapes into equal parts
- Move solid shapes in different ways
- Use flat shapes to make pictures
- Use solid shapes to make models
- Recognize repeating patterns involving flat shapes and solid shapes
- - Identify flat and solid shapes around you
Space Unit
Patterns in the Sky
This week students will finish their space posters and share their findings with their classmates. They will also complete a check in to see everything that they have learned about space.
Patterns in the Sky
This week students will finish their space posters and share their findings with their classmates. They will also complete a check in to see everything that they have learned about space.
Social Studies
Our social studies learning this week is embedded in our reading program. We will be focusing on families and community through our readings. This week the children will work to answer the question "Who works to make our community a nice place?".
On each Friday in December, students will learn about a different winter holiday. The three holidays we cover are Kwanzaa, Hanukah, and Christmas. We will begin with Kwanzaa (the story, important symbols/objects, and special traditions) this Friday.
In Second Steps, students will continue to learn about empathy. Students will learn how to identify how the other person is feeling.
This week, the class will begin our winter Jan Brett author study. Throughout the month of December, we will be reading, writing, and discussing Jan Brett as an author and the unique characteristics of her stories.
Specialists
MONDAY: Art / Book Fair PREVIEW Day
TUESDAY: Music
WEDNESDAY: P.E.
THURSDAY: Art / Book Fair PURCHASE Day
FRIDAY: Music
Writing Workshop
This week students continue the morning work assignment that requires students to about one activity that they did over the weekend, including who was there, where the event took place, and how did the child feel about this event (favorite/worst part, sad, excited, etc.)The purpose of this exercise is for students to practice putting their ideas on paper through words and illustrations.
This week they will continue to write and I will conference with each student to help him/her continue their story.
Tom the Turkey Narrative Writing
Students will continue to write their Tom the Turkey stories.
Opinion-Gingerbread Man
This week students will begin to listen to different versions of the Gingerbread Man story. After each story, we will write down the details of the story. Once we have read another version, we will compare it to the others.
Parent Reminders
2. Before School Help is on Tuesday morning at 8AM.
3. Please be sure your child returns their green school-to-home folder and their homework folder to school everyday. Also, please check your child's school-to-home folder each day for important handouts. I will write about specific handouts that you should be looking for throughout the week in this section of the newsletter. Students should also have their red homework folders in their backpacks every day.
4. Children should bring in a small healthy snack (separate from their lunch) to have in class at 9:50 a.m. Please make sure that it is nut-free and has no glass products.
5. Holiday Fridays-This week students will learn about KWANZAA.
6. Monday Library Time- Our class has library time on Mondays at 2PM. Please make sure your child has their book in their backpack on Monday morning to return in the afternoon. If a student does not return their book on Monday, s/he will have to wait to take another book out the following week.
I cannot believe it is already December this week!
Have a fabulous week!
Mrs. Ash
Homework
Your child will bring home their red homework folder on Monday. Inside the folder is a reading log, math activity with materials, and individual login information for all of our online platforms. This week students should be reading for 10 minutes, write a letter in their journal, and watch 'Cluster Card 8' & 'Cluster Card 9' on Bloomz.
Your child also will bring home their Dialogue Journal (penpal journal). Please read my letter and have your child respond to it in 1 penpal letter. If I did not write your child a letter, your child can write to me about anything s/he wants. Once your child has finished his/her letter, return it to school. If I did not receive your child's journal last week, please have your child write a letter to me this week and I will check both letters once the journal is turned in.
Behind the reading log, there is our word lists for the next 6 weeks on orange paper. Please practice the words in Column 2.3 on the sheet every day this week. I will check in with each child at the end of the week. The homework folder should always be brought to school in your child's backpack, but only returned on Fridays. (Keep completed work in the homework folder.)
