Literacy We are excited to see our students’ growth in reading as they have all been working so hard in and out of the classroom on their literacy skills. In Writer’s Workshop we are paying closer attention to the correct spelling of high frequency words and learning how to edit our writing for spelling errors. We’ve talked about adding details to our writing as well as using juicy words or words that describe. We will work on Opinion Writing in December. During this month, we will do some fun winter activities and incorporate those into our literacy and math blocks. Math In math we are continuing to work on writing and solving story problems as well as finding the missing addend to solve addition and subtraction equations. Students should be working on automaticity of math facts 0-10. Please help them practice by making flashcards, or you can print some from this website: https://www.k5learning.com/free-flashcards/math Science/Social Studies We will be busy finishing up our Families unit this month. We have been enjoying learning about how families are alike and different in many ways. As a part of this, we will learn a bit about different holidays celebrated in the winter. We will also continue to compare and contrast life in America and Japan. Reminder Please remind your child that toys and Pokemon cards are not allowed at school. We have been noticing an increase in these coming to our classrooms. If you could remind your child and look into their backpack to make sure they are staying at home, it would be much appreciated. Please remember to label, label, label snow clothes and boots! Snow clothes look alike and having names on them is a HUGE help! Also, please send in extra shoes on these snowy, muddy days. Especially when we have PE, it’s a big help to be able to change out of snowboots inside. Muffin Morning We will be celebrating our “Classroom Family” on Wednesday, December 14th at 10:15 with muffins, fruit, cheese, and juice. Please click on the link of your child’s classroom if you would like to contribute to our brunch. Thank you! Ms. Bogner’s Link- Bogner Muffin Morning 2022 Ms. DiCorelto/Ms. Weisman’s Link: 1 D/W Muffin Morning Ms. Naber’s Link: Naber Muffin Morning Thank you! The First Grade Team Literacy
Our writing focus this month is opinion writing, which will tie into our social studies unit. The reading comprehension focus will be determining the author’s message in a text, and our Fundations phonics work will entail glued letters (word families), blends, and long vowel sounds. We will begin weekly reading homework. Look for an email explaining this. Thank you for continuing to ensure that your children are doing their reading homework and returning their reading logs to school each day! Math We are wrapping up Unit 2 and starting Unit 3 in Math Expressions. This unit focuses on using math mountains to help solve addition and subtraction problems and we start to look at story problems and figure out the unknown partner number. Students should be working on automaticity of math facts 0-10. Please help them practice by making flashcards, or you can print some from this website: https://www.k5learning.com/free-flashcards/math For more at home math practice, students can access Dreambox on their BVSD student portals. Science/Social Studies Our social studies unit for November and December is How We Belong in the World. We will learn about our families and discuss similarities and differences with families around the world. We will also study the country of Japan and compare and contrast children’s lives in America and Japan. Other As the weather cools down, please remember to label jackets, boots, gloves and hats. It really helps us get the belongings to the right person. Thank you! The First Grade Team Literacy
This month we will be learning bat and Halloween poems, adding details to our narrative writing, and creating class books. We’ll transition from narrative writing to informative writing as we learn Bat Facts and Opinions. We will continue focusing on choosing “just right” or “good fit” leveled books. We’ll also practice decoding strategies, fluency, and phrasing when reading aloud. Math We are continuing in our Math Expressions workbook, Unit 2. We have been adding and subtracting numbers up to 10. We are working on automaticity and practicing facts. Unit 2 includes “counting on”, circle drawings, and writing equations. We will all practice using addition and subtraction in word problems. Some of the vocabulary we will be introducing in this unit is: count on, vertical form, equation, and total. We’ll continue playing games to reinforce these important math concepts. Science This month we will explore all kinds of cool bat facts. We’ll learn about bat wings, and how they are similar to a human hand. We will also continue our learning about weather and air. Lessons with Ms. B, our school counselor (every 3rd week) The Zones of Regulation is a framework that provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts. This month students will practice identifying the four different zones: Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red and what feeling words go in each zone. Students will be able to start identifying when they are feeling out of balance and what tools and/or coping skills they need to bring them back to Green Zone where they are feeling good to go, focused, calm and ready to learn! Please use the definitions below to understand each of the zones: The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone. The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. This is the zone where optimal learning occurs. The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored. Other Stay tuned for Halloween information this month... Thank you! The First Grade Team Hello Families,
It was nice to see so many of you at Back to School Night! If you were unable to attend, we have linked the slide deck from the presentation here. Please check the calendars and schedules tab on this website for important dates and upcoming events. We will update our site about once a month and will send email reminders to check it out! Literacy Fundations (phonics)- The beginning of the year is a review of letters and sounds. Writing- In first grade we do not worry about perfect spelling! The focus is on getting ideas onto paper and paying attention to handwriting, spacing, capitals, and punctuation. When your child is writing at home, encourage kid spelling and have them sound the word out for themselves. Reading- We are focusing on how to choose a good fit book and decoding strategies. We are also practicing building stamina. We are just about done assessing students' reading level, comprehension and phonics skills in order to plan instruction at the appropriate level for each child. Math Unit 1 focuses on partners and number patterns through ten, and math mountains. A fun math game to reinforce these skills at home is Snap It! Science/Social Studies We have been working on school rules, classroom routines, and reminders about how to be a good friend. We are starting our first social studies unit, We Belong in the Community. We’re talking about the qualities of teammates and leaders– in our classroom, school community and larger Boulder community. We’ll be evaluating ourselves as teammates and leaders and will conduct interviews with leaders in our school. Later this month, we will begin our first science unit on Air and Weather. We will learn about how scientists make observations and will observe the properties of air and of the sky to make predictions about weather. Thanks, The First Grade Team Dear First Grade Families,
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to first grade. We are looking forward to sharing this year with you. First grade is an exciting year! This is the first of many newsletters you will receive. We will do our best to keep you informed about our days. Please take some time to look over the information. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Information for the first days of school We would like to ask for your cooperation in making our first days of school comfortable and assisting your child to ensure a smooth transition.
Thank you for your time, we look forward to a great year! The First Grade Team May News from 1st Grade
Hello Families, We are looking forward to a wonderful last few weeks of school! The students have been working so hard and we are proud of all of their progress! Here are some updates. Literacy
Math Unit 8 focuses on 2-digit addition. We will focus on different methods to solve problems such as making ten sticks and ones, showing all totals, new groups above, and new groups below. Science/Social Studies This month we are studying American Symbols as well as Economics. The economics unit will be a Junior Achievement program which focuses on needs and wants, and goods and services. We will learn about several important American symbols and their significance. We’ll also talk about our favorite first grade memories as we wrap up the year! Upcoming Events/Dates
Thank you! The First Grade Team Hello Families,
We hope you had a wonderful spring break! We are looking forward to a fantastic couple of months until the end of the school year. Literacy
Math Unit 6 focuses on data collection and word problems. Unit 7 will focus on measurement, geometry, and time. Science/Social Studies We are planting seeds in our classroom, learning about the different parts of a plant, planting lettuce in our school garden, and doing many other plant based activities. We are about to begin our exciting study of the rainforest! We will learn all about the different layers of the rainforest and the fascinating ways animals and plants adapt to this environment. We will continue to practice our research and writing skills during this unit. Upcoming Events/Dates
Thank you! The First Grade Team Hello Families,
Thank you for meeting with us at parent teacher conferences! We are so proud of all the great work your children are doing and we are looking forward to more wonderful progress the rest of the school year! Literacy Fundations (phonics)- We are wrapping up Unit 8 that has focused on glued sounds and introduced consonant blends. Unit 9 will introduce closed syllables and vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, and oy). Writing- We will focus on informative writing. This will pair nicely with our plant and animal science focus and learning about the rainforest. Reading- We are connecting our Fundations lessons and applying these skills to decoding in Guided Reading Groups and spelling patterns in our writing. We are also continuing to work on comprehension, fluency, and expression. iReady is part of our daily literacy block but students may also access iReady lessons anytime on the BVSD student portal, including evenings and weekends. Username: first initial, middle initial, last name01 Password: BVSD lunch number.d Thank you for your support with this! Math Unit 5 focuses on story problems, making a friendly group of 10, adding tens to any 2-digit numbers-with totals to 100, and exploring 2-digit subtraction. Students should be working on automaticity of math facts 0-20. Please help them practice by making flashcards, or you can print some from this website: https://www.k5learning.com/free-flashcards/math Science/Social Studies We are finishing up our Light and Sound unit. The next unit will be Plants and Seeds. During this unit we’ll be planting lettuce in the Foothill garden! We will also plant our own seeds and discuss the structure and function of different plant parts. This will lead into a more in depth study of plant and animal adaptations and our rainforest unit that will take us through the end of April. Thank you! The First Grade Team Hello Families!
Fingers crossed, we hope to continue with regular classroom structure and routines for the remainder of the school year. We appreciate your support and look forward to continuing the collaboration between home and school! Literacy This month our Fundations phonics program will focus on continuing to recall Trick Words, and reading, tapping, and spelling words with glued sounds (ex. -ing, ang, ong, ung, unk, ank, onk, ink) and R-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur) We are also focusing on long vowel sounds and vowel combinations. In reading groups we will continue to focus on decoding strategies and recognizing spelling patterns in words. We will also delve deeper into reading comprehension activities such as exploring point of view, finding the author’s purpose for writing, and asking and answering questions. The writing focus this month is narrative writing. iReady is part of our daily classroom routine, but students may also access iReady lessons anytime on the BVSD student portal, including evenings and weekends. Username: first initial, middle initial, last name01 Password: BVSD lunch number.c Math Unit 5 will focus on Place Value. We will specifically focus on unknown partner numbers with teen totals, subtraction with teen numbers, practice with teen problems, and three addend word problems. Students should be working on automaticity of math facts 0-20. Please help them practice by making flashcards, or you can print some from this website: https://www.k5learning.com/free-flashcards/math Science/Social Studies This month we’ll be studying Light and Sound. We will discuss President’s Day, and we are quickly approaching the 100th Day of School. Valentine’s Day Celebrations Will will be having a Valentine’s card exchange on Monday, February 14th. Your child can bring a decorated box/bag for Valentines as they complete them (any day up to the 14th). In addition, thank you for not sending in candy or treats with Valentines. We will be emailing parents a list of students in the classroom for the cards. On Valentine’s Day, we will be having a 1st grade breakfast in each of our classrooms, and then watch a movie together as a grade level. If you would like to contribute to the classroom breakfast, please see the Google Doc from your child’s teacher. Thank you for helping us make February 14th a fun day! Thank you! The First Grade Team Hello Families!
Happy New Year and welcome back to school! We are looking forward to a great second trimester! Literacy This month our Fundations phonics program will continue focusing on glued letter sounds (word families: -ing, -ong, -ang, -ung, -ank, -ink, -onk, and -unk) as well as suffixes. In reading groups we will be focusing on non-fiction and continuing to build on decoding, reading for fluency, and comprehension. Just as a reminder, the expectation is that your child reads 10-15 minutes per night. Homework is sent home Monday-Thursday and the expectation is that it comes back each day. This is really helpful with the school home connection so that you can see how your child is progressing with reading. The goal for students by the end of the year is to be reading at an independent level I. The homework books are labeled with levels that we are using in reading groups based on the midyear BAS and iReady reading assessments. Thank you for your support with this! Our whole class reading focus will be point of view and the writing focus this month is narrative writing. We’ll include some poetry in this as well. Math We’ll continue working on two digit number sense with groups of tens and ones. Students should be working on automaticity of math facts 0-10. Please help them practice by making flashcards, or you can print some from this website: https://www.k5learning.com/free-flashcards/math Students can also access math optional math practice on Dreambox which can be found in the BVSD student portal online. Science/Social Studies This month we’ll be focusing on weather and working in the community. Miscellaneous Clothing For snowy days, please have your child bring/wear snow boots, coats, hats, gloves/mittens, and snow pants if they would like. We plan to be outside for our recesses if the temps are high enough. Water Bottles Please remember to bring water bottles. With all of the germs and precautions, it is best to take those home daily to clean and bring in a new one each day. Masks Please ensure your child has a comfortable, well fitting mask and remind them about the importance of keeping it over their noses. We have some child sized masks, but it is super helpful if you put one or two extra ones in your child's backpack. Upcoming Dates 1/17- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- no school 2/2-Term 2 Report Cards viewable in IC (postponed) Thank you! The First Grade Team |
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