2-Sept. 7-17, 2021

2 - Sept. 7-17, 2021

Happy Friday Families!!! Here’s an overview of our first couple weeks of school, a homework note and an update on plans to go to the garden next week.

1. Also, take your child outside to play with rocks, stones, and sticks and anything else nature related. Please allow them to throw stones in the water and build with sticks. This will help us leave them alone when we are outside. Thanks!

2. Additionally, talk with your child about finding a quiet place they can go when they need a break. We will be establishing one in our room and if they have one at home, it might help make a connections.

Garden: We have been harvesting and doing math and science from our garden harvests of the tomatoes and beans. I do hope to do a rotation with volunteers soon.

Reading: We practiced different Ways to Read a Book (words, pictures, both, retell a familiar story). We’re also learning what it looks, sounds, and feels like to be an independent reader during Read to Self time. Our Stamina is up to 5’35”. That shows great growth from 24 seconds.

Writing: We’re learning how to create words through beginning, middle, end sounds and giving words spaces to create a sentence. We have written sentences in our poetry books in addition to searching for sight-words in books and 2 poems. Next week we’ll also plan to write about our 1st science observation of our Congdon Stream.

Phonics/Sight Words: We’ve reviewed Mm, Ss, Aa, Tt, Pp, Nn, Aa and have begun to write words based on the beginning, middle, and end sounds. We wrote our upper and lowercase letters to have a benchmark of where we are at. We looked for and identified these sight words in our book from home/school.

Sight Words: I a my do to you can like go has is you he

Mathematics: We’re identifying numbers through the number, word, and amount. We’re also practicing making patterns and how to do individual and partner work in math. We have identified different kinds of patterns ourselves and in a game with a partner as well as created nature patterns outside. We also collected apples to do math related activities with them.

Social Studies: Students were asked to think and write about their hopes for first grade and dreams when they grow up. We’re doing different games and community building activities that help define the ARCH. We’ve begun making our classroom rules for the ARCH to help us meet our hopes and dreams. Please talk with your child about their great ideas. We've talked about the need for quiet places and practiced Take a Break. Next week will introduce Consequences if one of the ARCH stones fall.

Science: We’re learning to make observation around us. We went to the Outdoor Classroom and will go to the Congdon Stream next week to start a year long study of it. We’re also covering how to be safe and learn outside. A paper will come home Monday to review with you.

Other: We did a class fire-drill practice, the entire school will do one next week.

Next week we’ll continue with learning routines and procedures as well as have more of an academic focus. Stay tuned!

Thank you for sharing your wonderful and inspiring first grader with me! Mrs. Pilate