1st Grade Newsletter
March 21, 2022
Language Arts
What are we learning?
Reading: Talking about Books
- Young students love to talk. You see evidence of this daily from listening to morning chit-chat, to hearing every single detail of when a student lost a first tooth. When students are offered the opportunity to socialize with peers in an academic context, they become deep thinkers and effective communicators. In this unit, Talking About Books, students learn how to listen, respond, and contribute to a meaningful conversation around an engaging text.
Writing: Realistic Fiction
- Many children have vivid imaginations. In this unit, students draw on their imaginations, their experiences, and their interactions with mentor texts to create a fiction story in which their own creativity determines the direction of the story. Focusing on realistic fiction allows students to write better stories because they are writing about what they know. Writing these kinds of stories gives students the opportunity to approach dilemmas with relationships and real-world problems through fictional characters’ eyes. Students explore crafting believable characters that encounter realistic obstacles. This unit taps into students’ choice and voice. Additionally, students grow their understanding of plot and character development while improving their use of elaboration techniques. This unit builds on their understanding of how stories work from both the reading and writing perspective.
Phonics: Vowel Pairs
- When two vowels (and sometimes other letters) work together, they can make new sounds! We’ve been practicing the different vowel pairs and noticing how they can make the “long vowel sounds”.
- ay & ai = long ā (play, sail, etc.)
- ee & ea = long ē (green, beach, etc.)
- _y & igh = long ī (my, light, etc.)
- oa & ow = long ō (boat, mow, etc.)
- oo = ȫ (soon, moon, etc.)
- ew & ue = ǖ (dew, glue, etc.)
Home/School Connection
- Tell us about your favorite part in the book.
- What connections do you have to the characters?
- Create a story about a problem and solution that a first grader would have.
Math
What are we learning?
Fractions
- In this unit, students investigate how to subdivide a whole into equal parts, test those parts to be sure they are equal, and use those parts to recreate the whole. The focus of this unit is on making sense of fractions as equal sharing (division) and part-whole relationships.
Home/School Connection
- Talk with your student about how to make fair (equal) shares with others. Use examples like food or toys. “We have 8 cookies to split between 4 people. How many will each person get to make it an equal share?”
Science
What are we learning?
Living Things
- Animals need adequate air, food, water, shelter, and space (habitat)
- Animals, including humans, have many different physical characteristics
- Plants and animals can be classified according to a variety of characteristics
- Plants need nutrients, air, water, light, and a place to grow
- Plants have parts with specific functions
- Changes in temperature, light, and precipitation affect plants and animals, including humans
Home/School Connection
- Take care of an indoor or outdoor plant! See what happens when you give a plant everything it needs (sun, water, air, space, and nutrients)
Social Studies
What are we learning?
Geography
- Where people live affects how they live.
- Geographic features may impact daily life for people around the world (food, clothing, shelter).
Home/School Connection
- How does where we live affect how we live?
- How might geographical features (rivers, mountains) impact daily life for people?
- In what ways do maps show us how places change over time or stay the same?
Important Dates & Reminders
- Picture Re-takes Day: Friday, 3/25
- PTO Basketball Challenge: Thursday, 3/31 at South Lakes HS Gym. Doors open 5:30pm, event starts at 6pm
- Early Relase Day: Thursday, 3/31
- Teacher Workday/Student Holiday: Friday, 4/1
- Spring Break: 4/4-4/8
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Reminder: As the weather gets warmer, please make sure that your student comes to school with a water bottle!
Cuddle Up and Read Event - SAVE THE DATE!! WEDNESDAY May 11th 6:30-7:30 is Terraset’s Cuddle Up and Read event. Come get your new, free books and learn how to help your child become a life-long reader. Beginning now, please send in pictures of your Tiger reading, (the cuddlier the better), gently used magazines for kids and grownups, and gently used blankets all of which will be used at the event. Thank you!!
Positivity Project
Week of:
- March 20-26: Self-Control (Make-up)
- March 27-April 2: Humor
Family Resources: https://posproject.org/p2-for-families/
Password: P2