Weekly Letter May 7th

Last week students had a busy week and it was quite hot! Please remember that if the temperature is expected to reach above 80 degrees’ students may wear their gym uniforms. On Friday, we will be going to the Queens Botanical Garden. Please make sure your child is wearing their gym uniforms.Please continue reading to learn what class 1-2 will be doing this week…

Reading & Writing:

This week we will continue with our plant and animal adaptations unit. This morning, students looked at various plants that make adaptations to survive in their environment. For example, a cactus has a thick stem so that it can hold water longer in the dry desert. A Venus fly trap can snatch insects and digest them to get nutrients. Towards the end of the week, we will begin looking at various animal adaptations.  

Phonics:

This week we will be looking at words that have “aw”. Some examples include, crawl, lawn, yawn, etc. During our word work center, students will also identify words that have “au” which also makes the same sounds as “aw”. Please continue to practice spelling and sight words each night.  

Math:

We will begin Chapter 11: Geometry. During this chapter the students will learn how to identify and describe three-dimensional shapes. The students will practice combining different shapes to make new shapes. This chapter provides for a perfect opportunity to explore the different shapes around them during everyday activities.

Announcements & Reminders:

• Garden Trip Friday, May 11^th
• If your child received a dress down coupon for Friday the 11^th(which was for the gala event), your child may dress down on either May 8^thor May 14^th. I realize I gave a different date a few weeks ago, but we cannot dress down on Wednesday or Thursday this week for May Crowning and Ascension Thursday.

Weekly Letter April 30th

I hope you all had a great weekend! Reminder: Zoo Trip Tomorrow! Please have your child wear their gym uniforms. Students also need a lunch because we are eating at the zoo. When we return, those who get special lunch will be given the chance to do so.Please read on to find out what class 1-2 will be doing this week…

Reading & Writing

This week we are starting with our new unit about Plant and Animal Adaptations. Tomorrow, students will have a chance to tour the Queens Zoo! While at the zoo, students will participate in interactive activities. Towards the end of the week, students will classify animals into groups such as mammals, reptiles, birds, etc. Plants will also be introduced by reading many nonfiction texts to determine the lifecycle of a plant. During this unit students will be learning about the many adaptations that plants and animals use to survive in their environments.

We are almost done with our How To Books! On Wednesday, students and I will conference with each other to begin our final copies! They will be displayed in our classroom and then they will be sent home for families to see!

Math:

On Wednesday we will complete our study guide in chapter 10! Our test will be on Friday, May 4^th!  

Reminders & Announcements:

-Zoo Trip Tomorrow 5/1 (wear gym uniforms)

-Chapter 19 Religion Test Tomorrow 5/1

-Friday 5/4 Noon Dismissal

–Think First and Stay Safe & Child Lures Program:This is a program taught in the diocese to help ensure the personal safety of children and youth through increased awareness, education, advocacy, and action. Child Lures helps children stay safe from harassment, abduction, and bullying. Over the next few weeks, conversations will take place about these topics in an age appropriate manner. The goal is to prevent harassment, abduction, and bullying by teaching students how to recognize, interrupt and report inappropriate behaviors and situations. These discussions are mandatory and must take place in every classroom each y

Weekly Letter April 16th

I hope you all had a nice weekend! Hopefully we see more warm weather like Saturday in the upcoming weeks. Please read below to find out what we will be studying this week…

Reading & Writing:

This week we are continuing with our engineering design unit. Students were put into groups today and given a final task. Some of those finals tasks included building a bridge, vehicle, or home out of the materials given. Students loved coming up with a plan and seeing if their plan worked. We are also learning how to work together as a group! This week we are continuing up our poetry unit! We will start our very own color poems! Color poems have students use their senses to describe what their color may be. For example,

Red

Red is the stripes I see on the American Flag

Red is the new crayon I see in a box

Red is the apple that I eat

Red tastes like…

Red smells like…

Math:

Chapter 9 test on Tuesday! On Wednesday this week we will begin Chapter 10: Represent Data. During this chapter, the students will learn how graphs and charts help them organize, represent, and interpret data. The students will learn about a picture graph and a bar graph, as well as how to use tally marks to make a tally chart. When working with graphs and chart, students have a high level of curiosity and many questions to ask. This will be a fun and interactive chapter that the students will enjoy!

Announcements & Reminders:

• Scholastic book orders due by Friday
• Dress Down Day Friday
• If your child received a dress down coupon for May 11^th, please change the date to May 10^th! We are going on our trip May 11^thand need to wear gym uniforms.

Weekly Letter April 10th

I hope you all had a fabulous spring break. Hopefully we will be seeing some spring like weather very soon. The students were excited to share what they did over break. It sounds like everybody had a fun relaxing vacation!

Reading & Writing:

Happy poetry month!!! First grade works with poems all year long, especially in our morning meeting, but this month students will have a chance to create their own poems. Each week of April we will focus on a different type of poem. This week we will be looking at what a sensory poem is. Children by the end of the week will be writing their own sensory poem focusing on one of the seasons. Next week we will create our own acrostic poem! By the end of the month we will be poets!

This week we will beginning a mini unit. This unit is about Engineering Design where students will begin to focus on simple machines! We will start the week by watching Brain Pop videos about the 6 simple machines we have. These machines are everywhere! The 6 simple machines are screw, lever, wheel and axle, wedge, pulley, and inclined plane. Over the next couple of days’ students will be looking around our classroom and school for examples of these simple machines.

Phonics & Spelling:

This week the phonics skill will focus on the variant vowelow as in flower. This could be a difficult skill for the students since we already studied the “ow” that makes a long o sound, however they are beginning to incorporate these skills into their writing and it is important to instruct in this area. Please remember to review the spelling words each night!

Math:

This week we will continue and finish with chapter 9. This chapter was all about measurement! We used cubes and paperclips to help us measure various objects around our classroom. This week we started taking a closer look at time. We are practicing telling time to the hour and half hour. A study guide for the chapter will be going home on Friday. The chapter assessment will be on Tuesday, April 17^th.

Announcements & Reminders:

• If your child is absent, please send in a written note explaining why they were out. If I do not receive anything I mark the absence illegal.
• Scholastic Orders Due April 15^th