9- Weeks of Oct. 14-25, 2019

Post date: Oct 21, 2019 6:55:06 pm

Conference Week: Last week, although short was packed. I thank all of you who were able to meet with me and discuss how the year is going for your child and plans for the future. Some exciting things we did involved science lab investigations with rocks. We did our October phenology study of our Congdon stream and we also harvested around 13 lbs of produce from our garden. Students collected and sorted broccoli, kale, tomatoes, grapes, cucumbers, celery, beans, ground cherries and even grapes. We also began learning the routine for guided reading groups and choice for reading/writing rotations.

This Week Reading: We learning to find text evidence, describe characters, settings and events. Additionally we'll apply these ideas to our good fit books and even read a lot of books about geology. Our Read to Self focused stamina is up to 17 minutes. Our Read to Someone time teaches students how to respond to the text. Our choice for rotations is going very quickly so we maximize our own time or when we meet in small groups with Mrs. Pilate.

Reading Vocabulary(oral): occupation, community, equipment, fortunately, astonishing. This week’s theme is about communities and jobs that people have to help people live, work, and play in their community. We’re reading different genres of text from fiction to non-fiction and are also beginning to compare texts.

Writing: Informative (rock report) and opinion. Students have brought in a rock from home and are studying its properties, and size to try figure out where in the rock cycle it is and what its story might be. Students do writing in response to our Wonders Textbooks as well as have a chance to do their own Choice writing. We love to share our work. We continue to work on capitalization, spacing, word order and periods in their statement sentences. We’re adding ! and ? in our work. If they don't know how to spell a word, encourage them to underline it. Students are also learning about nouns(naming words), and inflections -ed endings.

Mathematics: Students are moving from “counting all” to “counting on.” We’re applying that to using nickels and pennies. We continue to write equations and solve story probs.

Social Studies: We connected what we've learned about the Anishinaabe and Voyageurs to a brief look at Columbus and the Taino people and how they lived and traded for needs and wants. We're also doing an ARCH Good Behavior Game to help one another work as a team to support their learning and self-regulate their own behaviors.

Science: We've shifted from living things to non-living things and into the Earth’s surface to learn about geology and Earth materials. We’re doing a number of investigations about rocks and their properties and learning about the different rock groups in the rock cycle.

Science Vocabulary (oral): geologist, investigation, observation, sort, rock cycle (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic), properties, boulder, cobble, pebble, gravel, sand

Other: SNACKS. I ask that students bring 1 healthy snack to school (the fresher the better). I ask that they fit it into their mailbox in the class. This helps with time efficiency and also not eating extra food.

Field Trips: Our entire first grade will have another geology field trip the first week of November. We will walk to Tischer Creek with the Great Lakes Aquarium to explore and discover the geology along Tischer on Friday Nov. 4 from 8:30-10:30 . Please see letter coming home soon regarding this and a request for chaperones.

Other Communication/Dates:

Oct. 23rd-Anti-Bullying Day-wear orange.

Oct. 28-No School-Staff Development Day

Oct. 31-Halloween Party in the afternoon-Students will put on their costumes after lunch. A letter will also be going home requesting volunteers for this.