This week in First grade...

February 25^th- March 1^st  

Reminders:

Saturday, March 2^nd Family Dinner Night

Tuesday, March 5^th  Kindergarten Roundup

Wednesday, March 6^th  Early Release Day

Monday- Friday, March 11-15  Spring Break

Reading Workshop:

In Reading Workshop we will begin our unit on Fables!  We will learn about the elements of a Fable as well as read different fables.  We will complete activities that will strengthen our comprehension as we learn “the moral of the story”.

Writer’s Workshop:

In Writer’s Workshop we will complete our Fairy Tale Writing!  As we write we are learning about how to write as readers.  We are thinking about how we, as readers, like to read exciting pieces.  We’ve also been conferencing with students and listening to their ideas.  They are so creative and have written some phenomenal Fairy Tales.  We are so excited for Author’s Chair on Friday so we can share our stories!

Math:

In math we will continue our unit on Measurement.  In first grade we estimate capacity, weight and mass.  We will also discuss using a thermometer to measure temperature. 

Science:

In Science this week we will begin our unit on the Objects in the Sky.  We will be learning about what makes night and day different and how the sun affects our world.  We will read books about the Sun to support our learning.  We will record sunrise and sunset times in our science notebooks and look for patterns. 

**Thanks for coming to share our Fairy Tale Parade with us!  It was so fun to dress up and parade around the school!**

This week in First grade...

**No school on Monday, February 18th**

February 19^th- 22^nd

Reminders:

Monday, February 18^th- Student Holiday

Friday, February 22^nd Fairy Tale Parade

Saturday, March 2^nd Family Dinner Night

Tuesday, March 5^th  Kindergarten Roundup

Wednesday, March 6^th  Early Release Day

Monday- Friday, March 11-15  Spring Break

Reading Workshop:

In Reading Workshop we will begin our unit on Folktales!  We will learn about the elements of a Folktale as well as read different folktales.  We will record our thinking in our Reader’s Response Notebooks.  **A note about our Fairy Tale Parade will go home in the Tuesday Folder.**

Writer’s Workshop:

In Writer’s Workshop we will continue our Fairy Tale Writing!  We will use our imaginations to write our own fairy tale based on what we learned about Characters, setting, problem and solution!  We can’t wait to share our Fairy Tales.

Math:

In math we will begin our unit on Measurement.  In first grade we estimate the length of objects based on non-standard units of measurement.  We will measure with paper clips, cubes and string.  This week we will focus on measuring length.

Science:

In Science this week we will begin our unit on the Night Sky.  We will be learning about the moon, starts and what makes night and day.  We will read The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons to learn about how the moon changes and how it affects nature.

First Grade will be having a Fairy Tale Parade on Friday, February 22^nd  at 8:30am to celebrate the end of our Fairy Tale Unit.  Please have your child come to school dressed as their favorite fairy tale character.  Please do not think that you have to go out and buy a costume for your child.  You and your child can make a homemade mask and/or costume.  This should be fun….not stressful!

Also, if you can, please have your child’s snack reflect what he/she dressed up as.  For example, if your child is dressed as Snow White, send apple slices for her.  If he is dressed as the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, maybe send cookies with him. 

The parade will start at 8:30 and we will walk all around the school.  We would love for you to come and cheer us on!  If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher.

Thanks!

The First Grade teachers

This week in First Grade...

February 11-15

Reminders:

Thursday, February 14^th – Valentine Party 1:30pm-2:30pm

 **We hope you are able to join us for our class valentine parties this week.  As always, we welcome you to share this experience with your children.  Please enter (with your identification handy) on the Oak View side.  The Carlwood doors will be locked.  Class party times will vary:

K-Tea Party 1:30-2:30

1- 1:30-2:30

2- 1:30-2:30

3- 1:00-2:00

4- 1:00-2:00

5- 1:30-2:30

Friday, February 15^th – Chocolate Fever Day (Pajama Day)

Monday, February 18^th- Student Holiday

Reading Workshop:

In Reading Workshop we will continue our unit on Fairy Tales!  We’ve discussed the Elements of a Fairy Tale and how magic is a main theme in these stories.  We read a new Fairy Tale each day and practice our comprehension strategies during Reading Workshop. We will also investigate Fractured Fairy Tales.  We will read different fractured Fairy Tales and discuss how they are different or the same.

Writer’s Workshop:

In Writer’s Workshop we will begin our Fairy Tale Writing!  We transfer our knowledge from what we’ve learned during Reading Workshop with the Elements of a Fairy Tale and we begin to write our own Fairy Tales.

Math:

In math we will continue our learning of Subtraction facts. We will practice our facts, learn and apply new strategies and use our new skills to solve problems.

Social Studies:

In Social Studies we are learning about culture.  We will have mini celebrations all week.  On Monday we will observe Chinese New Year (Feb. 10) and help usher in the Year of the Snake.  On Tuesday we will learn about the traditions and history of Mardi Gras.  We will also learn about the history of Valentine’s Day as we celebrate it on Thursday.  We will wrap up our week with Chocolate Fever!!

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we will have “Chocolate Fever Day” on Thursday, February 14^th and Friday, February 15^th.  These days will be filled with all kinds of “chocolaty” activities.

On Thursday, we will read the story The Chocolate Touch.  In the story, everything the little boy touches turns to chocolate!  Our Valentine’s Day Party will be on Thursday, February 14^th  at 1:30pm-2:30pm.  The kids will make ice cream sundaes, and then open and read their valentines.  Parents and siblings are more than welcome to attend.

On Friday, your child can come to school in pajamas, with a stuffed animal and blanket.  Here’s the most important part…please draw brown spots all over your child’s face!  You can use eyeliner, washable markers, paint, etc….  We will have “chocolate fever” all day long and do lots of fun activities:  BINGO with M&M’s, writing about having chocolate fever, M&M graphing, estimating how many chocolate chips are in a cookie, etc…  It will be so much fun!

This week in First Grade...

February 4-8

Reminders:

Tuesday, February 5^th- 7pm 1^st grade P.E. program

Wednesday, February 6^th – Early Release

Thursday, February 14^th – Valentine Party  1:30pm-2:30pm

Monday, February 18^th- Student Holiday

Reading Workshop:

In Reading Workshop we will begin our unit on Fairy Tales!  This a such a fun unit where we explore the genre and discuss the element of a Fairy Tale.  After our whole unit we will have a Fairy Tale Parade!

Writer’s Workshop:

In Writer’s Workshop we continue our learning about Small Moments.  We will discuss how to work with a partner, how to add detail to our story and how to shape our stories.  We will encourage our students to write about an experience and twist it to make their own Fairy Tales.

Math:

In math we will our unit on Subtraction.  We are learning strategies on how to solve subtraction problems and how to think about grouping problems.  We will learn about related facts such as 6-4=2 and 4+2=6.  We will discuss fact families and how the problems are related.  These skills will help your child build their math fact fluency.

Social Studies:

In Science we will continue learning about Natural Resources.  This week our focus will be on Soil.  We will observe, describe and experience topsoil, sandy soil and clay.  We will record our observations in our Science Notebook.  We will hypothesize how water flows through each of these types of soils and how that can affect our environment.