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First Grade - Week of September 18


Learning Commons Orientation


Reading: We added the following strategies to our tool bank for solving hard words:

  • Look at ALL the parts of the word – make sure to look through the whole word so that we can see ALL the letters and sounds. This will help us to know the word is “beetle” not “bug”
  • Check It! Do a Double Check!--this strategy is so important because it makes us check our reading. A word that might make sense MOST IMPORTANTLY needs to look right (meaning all the sounds need to match with the word). First graders often want to just go with their gut and say a word that will “make sense”. Help to remind your child to actually look at the WORD and understand how the letters and sounds work together to make that word.

Writing: Now that we’re writing up a storm, we've been focusing our time learning how to bring our stories to life!  Our classroom Read Alouds are some of the best writing teachers. We’ve noticed that these great authors:

  • Unfreeze Characters: writers make the people in their stories move and talk

  • Tell Stories in Itsy Bitsy Steps: writers include LOTS of detail by dragging one small moment into lots of itsy bitsy steps.


We are working on adding these craft moves into our writing while still focusing on one small moment across many pages.


Word Study: We’ve been working so hard on vowels that the blends and digraphs in words felt forgotten! We’ve been making sure to pay special attention to these letters this week.

  • Blends are letters that keep their original sound but blend together in a word (example /s//t/ blend together in /st/ar)
  • Digraphs are letters that change their sound completely when they’re together (example /sh/ in ship the /s/ and /h/ no longer make their original sound)

Math: This week we used the number rack to explore part-part-whole relationships- particularly missing-addend and subtraction problems (example: 5 + ? = 9 or 9 - 5= 4). We also revisited the use of non standard units (popsicle sticks and Unifix cubes) to measure the lengths of various objects and distances.


Social Emotional Learning: Time to Pay Attention

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that paying attention can look different depending on the situation, for example, listening to the teacher during a lesson, or looking both ways before crossing the street.

Try This at Home: Ask your child to show you how they can pay attention, for example, when you are reading a story with them, explaining a task, or crossing the street.

Second Step Home Link 


IMPORTANT NOTES


Hearts of Gold: Hearts of Gold is a community fundraiser to generate awareness for a local nonprofit organization. The 2023 Hearts of Gold partner organization is i understand. i understand is a nonprofit organization what offers compassionate comfort for those affected by suicide or mental/brain health illness and pain and believes in a future where the stigma associated suicide and mental/brain illness is erased. 

More information will be coming home in Friday folders. Money should be returned to the main office by October 4. T-shirt sales will take place after school on M/W/F the week of September 25 and M/Tu/Th the week of October 2. 


Field Trips: The school pay link for first grade field trips is ready! Please click here to provide payment of $32 for your child’s field trips this school year. If you are unable to pay this school year please email me.


MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Homecoming Week. Spirit Week below:

  • Monday, 9.25:  Rainbow Day- Wear your favorite color

  • Tuesday, 9.26:  Crazy Hair and Hat Day

  • Wednesday, 9.27:  Dress Like Your Favorite Hobby Day

  • Thursday, 9.28:  Dress to Impress- Picture Day

  • Friday, 9.29:  Go East Blue and Gold Day


September 28: Picture Day

September 29: Homecoming Parade @ 4:00 

October 2: Bumblebee Ice Cream Truck


Ask me about my week:
  • What was your favorite workplace during math?
  • How can you show Mrs. Faris you are paying attention during whole group lessons?
  • Tell me about your STEM nametag. How did you make it stand up?
  • What did you work on as a reader this week?
  • What did you learn in the learning commons?
  • How many popsicle sticks did it take to measure you and your partner?



















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