Week of March 5-9

Dear Parents,

We hope you all enjoyed the snow!  Our First Grade Reading Party in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday was a success!  Students enjoyed sharing their reading through Dr. Seuss books and were very excited to show off their classroom and work to everyone.  This week CMT testing will begin in grades three through six.  Due to testing our special times will be affected slightly.  On Monday and Tuesday for the next two weeks students will have specials from 10:00-10:40.  

Here is a look at the week ahead:

Reading: Reading non-fiction books has been a real hit this week.  Students are very motivated and eager to learn new things from their reading.  Next week, we will explore non-fiction books to locate specific information and begin to share the knowledge we learn.   Students are energized to talk about facts, pictures, and diagrams they find when reading.   We will also spend some time sharing information between both first grade classes.  

Word Work/Handwriting: Students have done a wonderful job adding “s”, “es”, and “ing” to the end of words to show plurals.  Next week, we begin changing middle and ending parts of a word to form new words.  Magnet letters will be used to make the new words before writing.  We will end our week by saying and sorting beginning consonant chunks.   Students will practice handwriting letters and numbers on white boards, chalkboards, and in hands-on activities. 

Writing: It is amazing what students are creating and writing during this time!  Our “Author’s as Mentors” unit is complete and students have published amazing pieces that they will be bring home soon to share.   Next week, we will start a new writing unit “Informational Text” where students will write their own non-fiction pieces!  We will begin by exploring different informational text for ideas, generate a topic list, and go to the library to learn where we can find information to begin.  By the end of the week students begin collecting pieces on themes of their choice! 

Math: Students have worked hard to find combinations and solve addition and subtraction story problems.  Next week, we will continue to work on addition and subtraction story problems and discuss different strategies to help solve each type of problem.  Games, activities, small group, and whole group discussions will allow students to explore strategies that will help them solve the problems independently.  

Science: Students have really enjoyed studying all the animal classifications and are now ready to show off what they have learned in an animal project.  Next week, students will be introduced to the project guidelines and be asked to start thinking about an animal they would like to study further.  Technology resources and books will be used to help students chose an animal and begin their research.  Students will search for facts and record their discoveries to begin the project process.   More information on the project will be sent home shortly.  

~Your first grade teachers: Miss Field and Mrs. McIntire