February 21, 2025

Zootopia Animal Project 

Due Monday, March 3rd

Dear First Grade Families,

The first graders are beginning to study animals during our new Life Science unit. We will be studying characteristics that help animals survive as well as their life cycles. For a final project, the students will be synthesizing all they’ve learned about animals by taking on the role of zoologist and doing a deep dive into a specific animal. They will create a model of their animal and a brochure describing its characteristics and how these characteristics help it survive. 

The only thing you will be doing at home is creating the model of the animal. You can choose to include the model of the animal in its habitat if you would like. We will create the brochure and complete other activities at school.

Your child will have 3 weeks to complete the model at home. ANIMAL PROJECTS WILL BE DUE Monday, March 3rd. 

**We don’t expect you to buy a lot of items- instead, we want the kids to think creatively… “how can I use recycled materials to build my animal?” 

Here are some tips - But please leave the final decision to your child! Let them be creative!  

• Begin by gathering supplies… try to gather items from around the house! Be creative! What recycled materials can you find that you might use?  

• As you plan your animal and habitat - LAY IT OUT BEFORE GLUING IT ALL TOGETHER

• Think about how you can add color! 

• HOT GLUE GUNS really work best to put everything together… This is where they will need your help!

• You could also make your animal out of clay!

We want it to be as homemade as possible to showcase their creativity! 

We hope you have fun with this project!  

We can’t thank you enough for your help and support!

This week in math, we began a new unit on measurement and time. In first grade we study linear measurement with non standard units. We estimated measurements with a wide variety of items. Students practice the skill of estimation before measuring. Whatever items we use, first graders have learned that the unit must be exactly the same size and match the length of the item when lined up end to end with no gaps. We will begin time next week and practice telling time to the hour and half hour.

We finished Module 7 this week in English Language Arts and move to Module 8 next week. The module parent information is included below. When reading with your child, ask them questions about what they are reading to practice comprehension and fluency. When they read, they should have the fluency and prosody of a social conversation. Reading the same material multiple times is a great way to practice these skills.

Included below is a daily calendar for February for some quick phonemic skills to practice at home. The QR code at the bottom will take you to a video that explains how each exercise works. They are short and quick but can be extended if you want more practice. ALL students can benefit from practicing these skills. 

If you have not returned the Zootopia form for your student, please send that back. We will be researching and preparing materials at school while they are building models at home with you. They are all very excited to share their creativity.

Request for LEGO Donations for LEGO Club

We are looking to enhance our LEGO Club by incorporating LEGO bricks into our lessons and activities for kindergarten through second grade.

We would greatly appreciate it if you would consider donating any unused or unwanted LEGO sets or pieces that you may have at home. These donations will be used primarily for STEM challenges. No contribution is too small, and any LEGO pieces—whether large or small, complete or partial—would be incredibly helpful.

If you have any LEGO pieces you’re willing to part with, please send them in with your child or feel free to drop them off in the foyer with Lego Club or Mrs. Griffard labeled on them. If you have any questions or would like more details, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you so much for your support and generosity. We’re excited to see the creativity and learning that will come from this project!