December 2-6, 2013

Math: This week, we will start learning about Money.  We will learn the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter, and we will discuss the characteristics that make each coin unique.  We will make a money book and compare and contrast the coins.

Parents,

As part of our unit to learn about the different coins, we are asking that each child bring the coins in a plastic bag on Monday, December 2.  Please write your child's name on the bag.  The coins will go back home at the end of the week.

2 pennies

2 nickels

2 dimes

2 quarters

Thanks!

Reading Workshop:  This week we will begin our "giving" unit.  For the next two weeks we will focus on literature that shows the benefits of having a giving heart.   We will do different activities that focus on giving to others and to nature.  The comprehension strategy that we will use this week is summarizing/retelling.  As we read, we should always stop to ask ourselves what we just read and retell what is happening in the story.  If we don't remember, we should go back and reread.  If we do remember, move on with our reading until we get to the end and then retell/summarize again when we are finished with the story.

Word Study:

Green Group: ug, ut, and un word families (run, cut, mug)

Blue Group:  h, sh, and ch diagraphs (house, sheep, chain)

Red Group:  short –e (CVC and CVVC) and long –e (CVVC)  (short –e:  when, dead, long –e:  trees, each)

Writing Workshop: We are learning all about writing a friendly letter during Writer's Workshop this week. We will be putting our skills to practice by writing a letter to another first grade class as we learn the five parts of a friendly letter. We will learn about "Pen Pals", and encourage writing letters to friends and relatives throughout this unit! 

Social Studies:  For the next several weeks we will be learning about the many different winter celebrations around the world.  This week, we will learn about celebrations in the USA, Irael, England and India.

Habit #6:  Synergize.  I value other people’s strengths and learn from them.  I seek out other people’s ideas because I know that by teaming with others, we can create better solutions than anyone of us can alone.

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Tuesday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.

Dates to remember:

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

November 25-29, 2013

Math: We will be finishing up our Patterns unit and then doing some fun Thanksgiving math activities.

Reading Workshop:  We will read several fun fictional Thanksgiving books.  We will make connections and retell the stories to our partners.

Word Study:

No Word Study this week.

Writing Workshop: This week, we will finish up any Expository texts we have started and we will write about what we are thankful for. 

Social Studies:  We will finish up our Maps and Directions Unit.

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Tuesday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.

*No Homework will go home this week*

Dates to remember:

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays- NO SCHOOL!

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

Thank you!

Hisae Ikejiri

November 18-22, 2013

Math: Students will use repeating and additive growing patterns to make predictions. They use patterns to skip count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. We will collect, sort, and organize data in up to three categories using models/representations such as tally marks or T-charts. The Students will display math concepts using concrete and pictorial models in problem solving connected to everyday experiences.

According to John A. Van de Walle, author of Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics K-3 the "big ideas" behind Algbraic Reasoning are grounded in patterns.  Students who can "recognize, extend and generalize with both words and symbols in many different forms" will master reasoning skills.  "Patterns are found in physical and geometric situations as well as in numbers." 

Reading Workshop:  This week we will be learning how to make meaningful connections.  There are 3 ways to make connections…text to self, text to text, and text to world.  We will also learn why it is important to explain our connections.  Lastly, we will learn that strong readers stay focused on the story once they have made their connection.

Word Study:

Green Group: et, eg, en word families (net, peg, hen)

Blue Group:  c, h, and ch diagraph (comb, heart, check)

Red Group:  Short –e and Long –e (CVVC)  (next, sweet, speak)

Writing Workshop: This week, we will begin learning about Expository text.  We have talked about how Expository texts can be a lot of different types of writing (Informational, How-To, Graphs, Maps, Newspapers, etc…).  We will begin by focusing on Informational text.  We will learn the difference between fact and opinion.  We will learn about the different features of an Informational text, and we will begin writing Informational pieces about topics that we are familiar with.

Social Studies:  This week we will be learning about maps, globes, compasses, and using these tools to tell direction.  We will look at and compare and contrast many different maps. The kids will even make their very own map!

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Tuesday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.

Dates to remember:

November 20:  Pilgrim Dolls are due!

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

Thank you!

Paula Scafe

Hisae Ikejiri

Jubeet Singh

November 11-15, 2013

Math: This week we will be continuing our unit on Addition Strategies that focus on Computational Fluency (quick math fact recall).  We will discuss strategies that count on 2 and count on 0.  These skills help children build their computational knowledge as they learn thinking strategies.  Children will relate their knowledge of solving math facts when they are problem solving now and later in life.

Reading Workshop:  This week, we will continue our research on Thanksgiving.  We are learning to read Expository Texts for the purpose of finding the answer to a question.  We are also learning to take notes. 

Writing Workshop: Our research of the first Thanksgiving is well under way. We have already read several books about the first Pilgrims to settle in the United States of America, the Native American Indians, the Mayflower, and the first feast with the two different cultures together to celebrate a new beginning and a bountiful harvest. We have been learning so much about the history of our country and are excited to continue researching and writing. We will even be sighting our works and making a glossary in our research writings this week!

Science: This week in science we will put our knowledge and understanding of energy and force and understand how energy, force and movement are related.  Energy causes force and force causes movement. We will explore how objects change location when they move such as moving closer to, nearer to, and farther from.  We will also demonstrate and record ways that objects can move such as in a straight line, zig zag, up and down, back and forth, round and round, and fast and slow.

Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Tuesday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.

Dates to remember:

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

November 4-8, 2013

Math: This week we will begin our unit on Addition Strategies.  We will teach the students strategies for math facts using a research based philosophy written by an Australian company, Origo.  In RRISD we believe students learn best by using thinking strategies instead of memorizing procedures for computations.  According to James Burnett, Calvin Irons and Allan Turton, the authors of The Book of Facts: Addition, “Research shows that the most effective way for students to learn the basic facts is to arrange the facts into clusters.  Each cluster is based on a thinking strategy that students can use to help them learn all of facts in that cluster (Fuston, 2003; Thornton, 1990).”  We begin our unit by teaching cluster facts that “count on 1” so students master the concept and develop a deeper understanding and thinking strategy.  Students who master the concepts of “count on” strategies will be given enrichment opportunities to develop their thinking further and apply their knowledge to problem solving situations.

Reading Workshop:  This week in our reading workshop we will start the week off by reading Molly's Pilgrim and talk about pilgrims and our heritage.  A special note will go home in theTuesday folder explaining about a special research project to be completed at home.  We will continue our unit on researching with non fiction literature.  The children had so much fun learning about spiders, bats and pumpkins and this week we will start our research on Thanksgiving and spend this week writing facts about Thanksgiving, the Mayflower, and the Pilgrims.  Next week we will complete our research and begin using the facts collected from our research to make a Thanksgiving book.  

Writing Workshop:  This week, we will begin our Research Unit.  We will look at different Expository texts.  We will learn that when we write Expository texts, we become teachers, therefore, we have to write our facts in a way that is understandable for our readers.  We will be researching Thanksgiving.  

Science:  Students will be given opportunities to predict, explore, and describe whether a magnet attracts or repels various objects.   Students will explore the poles of magnets to experience attraction and repulsion.  Students should understand that a magnet has energy that can be used to push or pull different objects.

 The student knows that force, motion, and energy are related and are a part of everyday life.

 Habit #5:  Seek first to understand, then to be understood.  I listen to others without interrupting.  I try to see things from their viewpoint.  I am confident in voicing my own ideas.

 

Reminders:

*Please remember to send a healthy snack every day.  Snack time is @ 9:30am.

*Make sure your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

*Library day is Tuesday.

*Please remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.

Dates to remember:

November 2:  Harvest Festival

November 13:  Family Skate Night

November 27-29:  Thanksgiving Holidays

December 4:  Early Release Day

December 5:  Family Art Night

December 9-13:  Book Fair

December 23:  Winter Break Begins

Thank you!

*Paula Scafe

*Hisae Ikejiri