REMINDER... There is no school tomorrow;  enjoy the long weekend!  

WHAT a BUSY WEEK!

Once upon a time, in a land (not very) far, far away, there were many kindergartners who were learning about fairy tales. We read several familiar stories that included groups of three characters: Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The children loved listening to different versions of these classic stories. In literacy, we are learning about about consonant blends. These are groups of two consonants that are blended together quickly, where each individual consonant sound is still audible. For example, in the word "stop" the /s/ and the /t/ each make a sound. A blend is different than a digraph, which has two letters but only one sound. In the word "chop" the /ch/ only makes one sound. In math we organized and sorted data.  We used this data to build graphs and answer questions about the graphs.  In social studies we talked about timelines and in science we learned about the basic needs of animals.

WRITING EXPECTATION

By the end of the school year (only a few weeks away, YIKES!) students should be able to write between 4 - 6 sentences all on one topic - basically a short story. They should be using capital letters at the beginning of sentences - not in the middle of words, one finger space between words and punctuation at the end. It is appropriate for students to sound out words, however, sight words should be spelled correctly. Sight words need to be practiced often, since most of them cannot be sounded out. Notepads and colored pencils or fun pens are a good way for students to practice writing these words.

Here is some valuable information about what a first grader should look like in August.

Is My Child Ready For First Grade in GCISD?

Please review this list, created by GCISD first grade teachers of the expectations they have for their students at the beginning of a new school year. Students should have these skills after completing a year of Kindergarten in GCISD or any other public school district in Texas.

Academic Factors to Consider

Math

• Has knowledge of shapes, graphs, number sense - zero to 50, identifying numbers in isolation, and different ways to make numbers.

• Has understanding of how to sort/classify objects, more or less, skip counting, and ordering numbers.

Reading/English Language Arts

• Has knowledge of letters/sounds, left to right and top to bottom progression, upper and lower case letters, putting words together, and can identify letters/words in isolation.

• Has understanding of word families, sentence formation, reading comprehension, story elements, and can retell a story.

• Has the ability to write first and last name correctly, reads and writes sight words, uses writing conventions-punctuation and capitals, write and say rhyming words, and write a simple story with at least 4 sentences. First graders at Glenhope typically enter 1st grade reading at least a Text Level 6.

Additional Factors to Consider

Behavior

• Will part from parents, general sense of independence, demonstrates respect for others, has peer to peer communication, and seeks help when needed.

• Follows directions, shares, sits in a group without distracting others, takes turns, and attends to a task until completed.

• Takes care of personal needs, lunch, picks up after self, and keeps up with supplies.

Fine Motor Skills

• Grasps pencil correctly and copies vertical and horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, and triangle.

• Grasps scissors correctly and cuts out square, triangle, and circle on construction paper.

• Uses appropriate amounts of glue for tasks.

April Character Trait: Courage

Courage involves making good choices in the face of fear or obstacles. It’s another term for bravery. Bravery doesn’t mean fearlessness; it means we do not let fear hold us back from exploring new opportunities, developing our skills, and doing what is right. For a five-year-old, courage might look like starting a new school, trying a new activity that stretches them, and learning new skills that take effort.

For more information, visit: 

https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-5/character/courage

Sight words we have learned so far:

a   the   I   see  am   at   did   in   my   by  go  to  can   it   like   she  look  and said  get  you  are  not  put  do  have here  went  him  her  that   they  saw  come  where  could  is  was  from  with

Curriculum Objectives

Language Arts: 

I can identify the medial short vowel sounds in words.

I can spell words with CVC patterns. 

I can read and write my sight words.

I can identify the letters that make digraphs.

Math:                                                                                                                                            

I can count to 100 by 1s starting with any number and count backwards from 20 to 1.  

I can sort objects that are the same and different into groups. 

I can use data to create real-object and picture graphs.

I can draw conclusions from real-object and picture graphs.

Social Studies:

I can identify words to help me understand time and chronology.

Science:

I can identify the basic needs of animals.

I can identify the different structures that animals have that allow them to interact with their environment such as seeing, hearing, moving, and grasping objects