Newsletter for the Week of October 15, 2012

Dear Family, 

Phonics/ Spelling:

This week in phonics we will introduce the H brothers; th, sh, ch, and ar like in armadillo.  In spelling students will learn the ZLFS rule: When a one-syllable word has a short vowel sound followed by the sound /z/, /l/, /f/ or /s/, it is usually spelled zz, ll, ff, or ss. Our red words for the week are:  one, two, four, they, do.

Math:

Students will learn their plus one math facts this week. We will be measuring the weight of pennies and other objects with a scale. We will also be reviewing the concept of shortest to tallest.

Science:

We will begin our study on bats. We will cover science standards of what animals need to live and what they need in their habitat.  Students will learn what bats eat, where they live, what they look like, and other fascinating facts.

Art connecting to Literature:

We will be reading the book Stellaluna and doing a directive drawing as our art project.

Home Support:

Thank you for listening to your child read each night! They are so excited to bring new books home each week. 

Dear Family,

Phonics/ Spelling:

This week in phonics we will introduce x and z.  In spelling we will review j, f, short vowel e, long vowel e, and x.

Our red words for the week are:

one, they, he, what, do

Math:

Due to minimum days we will only have math facts for homework this week. Please have your child practice the doubles rap and complete both sides of the math fact sheet for homework each night.

Science:

Students planted seeds last Friday. This week we will watch them grow in our windows and write about the process.

Important Reminders:

School will be released Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday two hours early.  There will be school next Monday on October 15.

Thank you for reading with your child at home. It is the key to their success!  

Newsletter for the Week of October 1, 2012

Dear Family,

Phonics/ Spelling:

This week in phonics we will introduce f, e, and, j spelled j and dge.  In spelling we will review that short vowel sounds are followed by ck. We will focus on the blends: tr, cr, gr, pr, br, and dr.

Our red words for the week are:

put, you, are, what, do   Thank you for working with your child to practice their red word rings.  Please keep those rings in their homework folder!

 Math:

This week we will start our fact homework. Students should complete side b just like they do on their Guided Practice. Please practice the doubles rap that we sent home last week. It is a great way for students to learn their double facts and they love singing it!

Science/ Social Studies:

Last week students learned the parts of a plant and their function to help the plant grow. They completed an art project of a flower and labeled it.

This week students will learn that plants need water, soil, and sun to grow.  We will do three science experiments to discover those basic needs of plants.

Reminders:

There is no school for students Next Monday, October 8^th. The First Grade Team will be meeting with parents that day for conferences.

Newsletter for the Week of September 24, 2012

Dear Family,     Happy Fall!

Phonics/ Spelling:

Review of the c, k rule and final digraph –ck (after a short vowel).

After we administered our prespelling test last Thursday, we met and decided the students do not have full understanding of this phonic's rule and need more practice.  We felt the students were memorizing the spelling words vs. applying the rule for when to use a 'c' and when to use a 'k.'  Therefore, we are going to have the same spelling lesson again this week, and spend more time practicing this rule. 

Math:

We began our first set of math facts last week, “the doubles.”  This week we will focus on completing this set of facts, “doubles to 18.”  Your child will bring home a set of flash cards to keep and use at home.  With each new set of facts introduce, we will  continue to send home a set of fact cards with which to practice at home.  

Science/ Social Studies:

We will take our knowledge of what we learned is required of living things from our last unit, and apply it to our new unit on plants this week. 

Red Word Ring:

We are starting something new this week…The Red Word Ring! It is a quick practice for your child to perform each night, but a practice that will pay off in big ways!  Please read the note about the Red Word Ring that was sent home in your child's homework folder! Thank you!

Reading Log:

Thank you for signing your child’s reading log.  Please keep this log in your child’s homework folder so that we are able to check your child’s weekly reading for the homework grade.  If your child is absent, simple write absent so we do not count that day. 

We are trying to help the children build personal responsibility.  The students understand the routine and are aware of their homework responsibilities.  We encourage you to help your child to ultimately develop his/her responsibility to be sure all the homework is in the folder, and the folder makes it into the backpack.  These are big steps, we know!

Newsletter for the Week of September 17, 2012

Dear Family,

Phonics/ Spelling:

This week in phonics we will introduce r, short vowel u, and g.

 In spelling we will learn that c is followed by a, o, or u – k is followed by i, e, or y.  Short vowel sounds are followed by ck..

Our red words for the week are: what do    

Math:

This week we will be writing addition number sentences. Students will identify ordinal positions to the 6^th. This is a great thing to practice at home! We will start our addition facts this week. We will start with doubles; 1+1, 2+2, etc. Students will also identify angles and sides of triangles.

Thank you to the parents who are reviewing side B of your child’s math homework and signing at the top each night.

Science/ Social Studies:

We will continue our science unit of living and non-living. Students will work on a book identifying living/non-living items. Students will learn what living things need to grow and change.

Keep sending snacks for your hungry little critters.

 

Newsletter for the Week of September 10, 2012

Dear Family,

Remembering September 11th

Phonics/ Spelling:

This week we will introduce the /k/ sound spelled with a c, k, and ck. Our red words for the week are:  put, are.  

Math:

This week we will be counting pennies. We will be identifying numbers between numbers. Students will also divide solids into halves. A vocabulary word from last week to use with your child is fewer.

Please go over side B of your child’s math homework and sign at the top each night. Circle any errors made. Please have your child correct the error, but leave the mark so we know on what your child needs extra practice.

Science/ Social Studies:

For Social Studies, we will be reading a book about The Golden Rule. In Science students will learn the different characteristics of living and non-living.

School is going very well. Students are learning classroom routines and expectations. Reading workshop is flowing nicely and we will be in full swing soon!  We will have P.E. this week Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Don’t forget to bring library books to school on Wednesday.

 

Newsletter for the Week of September 4, 2012

Dear Family,

Phonics/ Spelling:

This week we will introduce the letters b, d,  short vowel o, long vowel o, and review letters taught the last two weeks. Our red words for the week are: you,was.    We will have a pre-test every Thursday so you will know what words your child still needs extra practice on. Spelling homework is due every Friday.

Math:

Your child took their first math test last week. The math vocabulary they will use in word problems are “we have some; we got some more; or we have some and some went away”.

Thank you for helping your child study their math and spelling tests. Pleasego over their math homework and sign at the top each night.

Science/ Social Studies:

Students will continue working on the theme “All About Me” this week. 

Art/Special Activities:

We will be discussing how many letters and vowels are in our names. Students will then graph the letters in their name.           

Classroom Needs:  

We are in need of bandaids in our classrooms. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. We hope you had a wonderful three day weekend with your families!

Thank you,

Your First Grade Team