Week of November 1st-November 5th

 

First Grade Newsletter

November 1st-November 5th

Literacy

Reading Street: Unit 1 Week 5

Main selection:  Get the Egg!

Weekly Question:  Which wild animals live in our neighborhood?

Amazing Words: habitat, hatch, survive, chirp, croak, moist

High-Frequency Words: saw, tree, your, small

Phonics Target: Short e: e; Initial Consonant Blends (st-, bl-, pl-, gr-)

Comprehension skills:  Main idea and Details

Comprehension strategy: Important Details

Genres:  Realistic Fiction

Reading Street Parent Connection:

• Unit 1 Family Talk letter for concept conversation starters and 6 week overview of the unit. (Sent home Oct. 4th) 
• 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 1, Week 5 (fifth column only). Practice the words in column 1, 2, 3 and 4 that have a dot/star/dash next to them. These are the words your child struggled to read. 

PHONICS

Spelling 

• Skill(s): Use digraphs (sh, wh, th, ch, and -ck)
• Tapping out sounds in words with CVC patterns (Consonant, Vowel, Consonant; such as 'cat') 
• Trick Words: we, he, she, be, me, or, for
• Review trick words and practice using in writing: the, of, and, a, is, his, as, has, in, into

**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


Handwriting Without Tears
• Review all letter formations
• Alphabetical order 

Math in Focus

Chapter 2

Addition and Subtraction within 10

Pre-requisite skills and number sense

**Chapter 2 Test on Thursday, November 4th**

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

-                                                -  Make number patterns

Science

Space Unit
Patterns in the Sky
     Last week students represented the phases of the Moon using Oreos. Each student was paired up with a partner to complete this activity. After each group had completed their Moon phase page, the class enjoyed a sweet treat. This week students will research more about the Moon's patterns.

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 "Which wild animals live in our neighborhood?".

This week students will learn about Election Day. They will learn about what it is and why we have the day off from school. Students will listen to Duck for President read aloud and decide if they think Duck should be president.

In Second Steps, students will continue to learn the 4 Skills for Learning. This week, students will learn how to be assertive when learning. I encourage the students to use the skills that they have learned about throughout their day and find the strategy that works best for them. In the last couple of week students learned how to be a bucket filler and shared with their classmates different things that fill their buckets (compliments, acts of kindness, safe words and actions, etc.). They also learned the difference between tattling and reporting. We recited our Tattle Battle Pledge every morning after we recite our classroom rules.

Specialists

MONDAY: P.E.

TUESDAY: NO SCHOOL!

WEDNESDAY: Art

THURSDAY: Music

FRIDAY: P.E.

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.

Genre Writing-Narrative

     This week they will continue to write and I will conference with each student to help him/her continue their story.

Genre: Opinion- Duck for President (Social Studies)

     This week students will listen to Duck for President. After listening to the read aloud, students will decide if they think Duck should be president or not. After making a decision, each student will give two reasons why they do or do not think Duck should be president in a friendly letter form.

                  
Parent Reminders

1.  There is no school on Tuesday, November 2nd.

2.    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.

3.    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.

4.    Scholastic Catalogs: The September catalog orders will be sent home on Wednesday, November 3rd. Holiday catalogs will be sent home on Monday, November 1st. Holiday catalog orders are due on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH.

5. Math Homework- For math homework this week, please rewatch the "Cluster Cards 4" and "Cluster Cards 5" videos. Once you have watched each video, fill out the corresponding worksheet.

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.

  

Have a great first full week of Novemeber!

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 rewatch the Cluster Card 4 & Cluster Card 5 math videos that are posted on Bloomz. Once your child watches each video, please fill out the corresponding worksheet.

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. Please practice the marked column words in Column 1,2, 3 & 4 and all of the words on the fifth column 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. I will take it out on Friday.)