Week of December 20th-December 24th

 

First Grade Newsletter

December 20th-December 23rd

Literacy

Review

   During this shortened week, students will be reviewing literacy skills they have already been taught in different hands-on activities, read alouds, and small group work.

PHONICS

Spelling 

• Skill(s):  Glued sounds (-an, -am)
• Review: Bonus letters at the end of a word: ff, ll, ss (and sometimes zz); Use digraphs (sh, wh, th, ch, and -ck)
• Trick Words: REVIEW
• 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, from, have, do, does, were, are

**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

Review Skills from Chapter 1-4

   This week students will be reviewing concepts and skills that they have learned in Chapters 1-4 in independent work, whole class exercises, and small group activities.

Science

Sound & Light Unit
        Last week students brainstormed everything that they know about light and conducted an experiment with a cardboard box, a pinhole, flashlight, and red crayon. This week students will learn three important vocabulary words: transparent, translucent, and opaque.

Social Studies

This week students will review information they have learned about the three winter holidays they have studied: Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas.

In Second Steps, students will continue to learn about empathy. Students will learn how to identify how the other person is feeling by observing their face, body language, and learning about the situation the student is in.

This week, the class will complete activities that tie into Jan Brett and the themes that she incorporates into her stories.

Students social skills mission this week is to complete 3 acts of kindness.

Specialists

MONDAY: Art  

TUESDAY: Music

WEDNESDAY: P.E.

THURSDAY: In-School Holiday Sing-a-long

FRIDAY: NO SCHOOL!

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.

Opinion-Gingerbread Man

     This week students will write their final drafts explaining which Gingerbread character s/he wants to be and the reasons why.

Parent Reminders

1.  Our class goes to the library on Mondays at 2PM. Please make sure your child has their library book in their backpacks, so that they can take out a new book for the week.

 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.  Jan Brett Celebration- On Wednesday afternoon, the class will go through different centers that are Jan Brett and winter-themed. They will be making an ornament, playing a math game, creating their own riddle, and eating a sugar cookie.

6. On Thursday, December 23rd, students will be dismissed at noon.

7. Thursday Celebration- The class will have Pajama Day and watch The Polar Express on Thursday, December 23rd. (Please make sure your child brings sneakers to wear during P.E.)

  

I hope you have a fantastic week full of warmth and relaxation! 

Happy Holidays! 

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 'Cluster Card 10' on Bloomz and complete the corresponding sheet.

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 all of the marked words on the sheet this week. Keep the orange word sheet in your child's homework folder.

Holiday Comprehension Pages

**This week I have added a holiday review page for students to complete. This week it is a Christmas review page. Please read the passage at the top of the page and answer the questions below.**