Week of June 4-8

Dear Parents,

June is here!  With only a few weeks left in first grade we are busy completing final projects and starting to reflect back on what we have learned this year.  

A few reminders for the remainder of the year: 

• Friday, June 8^th- Reading Celebration (Edible Projects) at 1:30 p.m. in the classroom
• Saturday, June 9^th- Kids-Marathon
• Tuesday, June 12^th – Enrichment program (Earth Balloon) at 1:30 p.m. in the gym
• Wednesday, June 13^th- Field Day (Half day)
• Thursday, June 14^th- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (Half day), 9:15 Awards Assembly, Report Cards come home

Here is a look at the weeks left in school:

Reading: Students have enjoyed rereading books we have read together this year.  For the next two weeks we will complete our Edible Book Reviews, reflect on how we have grown as readers, and look ahead to make plans for summer reading.  Students will have a chance to work on their edible summaries inside and outside of school.  We will also take time to reread old class favorites to see if they bring back any memories from this year!

Word Work/Handwriting: In Buddy Study, students are participating in the routines independently.  Students create their own spelling lists and are learning their words through a variety of activities.  Students also have been bringing home their list of words to share and practice at home.  Next week, students will continue the Buddy Study with their final list of works ending in –ed and works with long vowel sounds like ‘-oa’ and ‘oi’.  After our spelling test on Thursday we will take the remaining days to review what we have learned this year.  We will revisit vowel sounds (long and short), adjectives, nouns, and even synonyms and antonyms.  Games, activities, and re-instruction will occur.  We will also take time to review handwriting.  

Writing: Students have published their digitals stories and they will be reading to share shortly.  Stay tuned to our classroom websites, emails, and blogs for further information.  For the final weeks in first grade we will be exploring poetry.  Students will have a chance to read poetry of others and experiment to write their own.  Samples from famous authors, like Shel Siverstein, will be introduced for students to use as a guide to their own creations.  We will begin by discussing different kinds of poems and their components before beginning to create our own.  

Math: Our final unit, Unit 9, focusing on 3-D Shapes, has been a great success!  Students are very engaged and motivated to explore and build with geo-blocks.   Students are using vocabulary, attributes, and compare shapes, sizes, and orientations of 3D shapes.   For the next two weeks, as we inch towards the last day of school, we will spend time reviewing what we have learned with spiraling lessons.  We will discuss how to get ready for second grade math and revisit concepts of money and time telling.  

Social Studies/Science:  A final “Thank You!” goes out to all of our special guests that have come in to talk with our classes about their careers!  Students have learned about many jobs and are beginning to express interest in certain occupations.  Over the next two weeks, we will discuss the final Science unit for this year, Life Cycles.  Students will learn about what a life cycle is and the different creatures that transition through life cycles.  By the last week of school, we will be ready to review what we have learned in first grade in Science and Social Studies as well as give students a glimpse at second grade Social Studies and Science topics.  

Have a wonderful week and we hope to see you all on June 8^th for our reading celebration!  

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