October 2026
Here’s on overview of our learning goals for October:
We have a fun and busy October planned in grade 1! We have two field trips planned which will be fun and educational. As we get closer to Thanksgiving, we will discuss what we are thankful for and learn about gratitude and appreciation. At the end of October, there is Halloween! Since it is on a Saturday this year, we will celebrate on Friday, October 30th. We know this is a fun time for the kids and we look forward to lots of fun in Grade 1. We will keep you posted with the school’s plan for dressing up as well as our plans for celebrating in the grade one hallway!
Please note that there is no school Monday, October 12th for Thanksgiving.
Reading: We will continue to build our reading stamina and build reading strategies to support decoding new words. The strategies we will focus on are:
Pointing Porcupine (point under the first letter of each word as we read); Tapping Turtle and Blending Bear (use our fingers to tap the individual sounds in consonant/vowel/consonant words and blend them together to read the word). We will be encouraging and practicing reading CVC words quickly, as opposed to tapping, once the kids are ready. Reading these words will build automaticity which in turn increases reading fluency.
Read it Rabbit (re-read the sentence after they decode new words so their voice sounds smooth and fluent, just like talking).
We will continue to emphasize quick recall of Trick Words/Sight Words/Heart Words (we will continue practicing our weekly sight words in a variety of ways in our literacy centers and morning messages). The sight words all have a ‘hard’ part in which the letters have an irregular sound that we have to know by ‘heart’. We will be working in small groups geared towards group skills during guided reading as well.
Writing: This month, we will continue to develop independent work skills. We will encourage the students to sound out words on their own to spell new words. We will make some class books together with Fall as a theme and practice writing full sentences. We will also complete “All About Me” books where students will share things about themselves (family, friends, etc).
Math: We will be working on the teen numbers 11-19 and representing these numbers in a variety of ways, counting forwards and backwards within 20, subitizing (recognizing numbers to 10 at a glance), and practice counting skills (counting a set by one at a time, moving items/crossing off, last number said is how many in all; as well as using the count on strategy to count sets/when subitizing).
Fundations Units 2, 3 and 4:
Unit 2: We will teach/review how to tap and blend consonant/vowel/consonant (CVC) words to read and spell. For example: sat (s-a-t)
Unit 3: We will teach the digraph sounds (letters that ‘stick together’ to form one sound (wh, ch, sh, th and ck). Even though they are two letters, they form one sound.
Unit 4 :We will teach the ff, ll, ss bonus letter rule. At the end of a one-syllable word, if the word has a short vowel sound and is immediately followed by an f, l, or s, at the end, then you double that consonant. Examples: miss, hill, puff. However; if the letter a is followed by double l , it does not have the expected short vowel sound. We will teach all as a glued sound. We mark words with the glued sound all by drawing a box around all. Example: ball, mall, fall
Sight words:
Week 1 - come, here, his, of
Week 2 - see, little, play, was
Week 3 - as/has, we/he/she/be/me
Week 4 - or/for, down, want, out
Week 5 - you, your, there, where
September 2026
Here’s on overview of our learning goals for September:
September is a big month in grade one! We will spend a lot of time getting to know each other, building relationships, learning expectations and rules, and reviewing academic skills learned in kindergarten. There are a lot of differences between kindergarten and grade one. We will be sure to include a lot of opportunities to play and learn in a variety of ways!
Reading: We will be exploring books, reviewing words, building stamina for reading and establishing readers’ workshop routines. Later this month, we will begin partner reading, small group reading, and strategy groups as well.
Writing: This month, we will work to establish Writer’s Workshop and independent work skills. We will make some class books together and practice/review writing sentences.
Math: We will be reviewing numbers 1-10, counting forwards and backwards, subitizing (recognizing numbers at a glance), and representing these numbers in a variety of ways.
Fundations Unit 1: This unit is a review of letter sounds (vowels and consonants) and letter formation.
Humanities: Zones of Regulation. Our feelings/emotions can be categorized into 4 colored zones: Green Zone- calm, ready to learn, happy; Yellow Zone- nervous, anxious, silly; Blue Zone- sad, tired, shy, slow moving; Red Zone- angry, frustrated, losing control. We will discuss these zones, learn to recognize and name our feelings and which zone they belong to, and strategies we can use to get our bodies back to the Green Zone. We will, also, learn about building positive friendships/peer relationships.
Social/Emotional Learning: This month, we will learn how to use "I Messages".
An "I message" is a way for children to communicate their feelings and needs in a kind and respectful way, especially when they are having a disagreement or something is bothering them. Instead of blaming or accusing someone, children learn to explain how they feel and what they need.
We are practising the simple format:
“I feel _____ when _____. Can you please _____.”
For example:
“I feel sad when you don’t let me play. Can you please let me have a turn.”
“I feel frustrated when you interrupt me. Can you please let me finish.”
“I feel upset when you take my things. Can you please ask me first.”
Students will practise using I messages through role-play and during real-life classroom situations. Learning this skill is important because it helps children express their feelings, solve problems peacefully, listen to others, and build positive friendships. At this age, children are still learning how to navigate friendships and manage emotions, so having a simple tool like an “I message” can be very helpful.
You can also encourage your child to practise using I messages at home.