December 1-5

Hello First Grade Families!

Trimester 2 is all about the human body! We started off the week checking in with what we already know about the systems of the body: skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and nervous systems. After recording our questions about how the body works, we dove right in to learning all about the skeletal system!

In math class we connected with our new math partners for Unit 3. Scroll down for photos of us playing at "work places" with our partners!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Home Learning is coming home today! It will be due back on or before Friday, December 12. Scroll down for details!  Photos of completed pages can be found in the weekly email. 

Snow Day Packets are also coming home today. Keep them handy! The first snow day is a "free day" with no school or schoolwork to be completed. Any snow days after that, we will assign pages in the packet to be completed and returned to school. You can find the yellow snow day packet in the back pocket of your student's homework binder.

Body Book Cutouts are due back on Tuesday! If they are not complete, your student will have to use their recess time to create their own, as we will be using class time to glue them down and make diagrams, etc!

Winter Weather is here! Please send boots, snowpants, jacket, hat, and gloves or mittens to school each day! 

Our classroom wishlist: Consider a purchase from our wishlist in honor of your first grader's birthday or a holiday. You can find it here.  

Send a peanut-free snack to school with your first grader every day:)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Tuesday, December 9--Body Book cutouts due

Thursday, December 11--All School Bingo!

Friday, December 19--Winter Fun Day!

December 22nd-January 2nd--NO SCHOOL Winter Break

Monday, January 5--School Resumes

Monday, January 19--NO SCHOOL, Professional Development Day

SPECIALS SCHEDULE:

Monday, 12/8--C day--Gym, Rug Routines

Tuesday, 12/9--A day--Movement, Library

Wednesday, 12/10-- B day--Art, Music

Thursday, 12/11--C day--Gym, Rug Routines

Friday 12/12--A day--Movement

Have an amazing weekend!

Mrs. Shimenetto

Hey 1st grade families,

The red math journal is coming home with pages 39-44 to complete! They are due back following the long break on Friday, December 12th. Your child may be able to do some of the pages independently but may also need help with directions for some problems. Please take the time to sit down, be involved, and help them enhance the math skills they have been learning at school.

Helpful terms this week include:

doubles - adding the same number twice like 4+4=8

doubles plus one - adding one more to a doubles fact such as 4+5=9

show work - using numbers, pictures, or words to express how to get an answer

fact family - a group of the same numbers that can be flipped around to make different equations (2+3=5,   3+2=5,   5-2=3,   5-3=2)

• Your child should be able to complete page 39 independently. Simply trace the numbers on top. On the bottom half, count the bugs and write the number and number word. If they try to pull a "I don't know how to spell that", encourage them to look up on the page.

• Page 40 involves some doubles and doubles plus one facts. Your student should have some knowledge of doubles facts and not have to count each dot one by one. They can apply that knowledge to solve a doubles plus one fact. If you know that 4+4=8, then 4+5 is one more which makes the answer 9.

• Also on page 40 as well as part of 41 and 43 are some missing addend problems. This means that there is an unknown number in the middle of a problem (__ +5=6). These problems can be intimidating to 1st graders so they may need help at first. To solve this problem, the strategy we have practiced the most is using fact families. We can use the 5 and 6 and turn it into a fact we can solve such as 6-5=___. From here, students can find that the answer is 1.

• Page 42 includes story problems which may also require some help from you. Encourage your child to listen closely as you read the story. While you read, they should write down any numbers they hear and listen closely as to whether something is being added or taken away. Showing work as you read will help lead them towards the answer.

• The bead rack questions on pages 43 and 44 can be solved quickly by knowing the gray beads are a group of 5. Counting from 5 or even 10 will get you to the answer quicker than starting at 0. For page 44, students might also count backwards from 20 to figure out the answer.

This should be brought back to school no later than Friday, December 12th. Please send any questions my way! 

Math Partners:

Fun in the snow!