WHAT ARE WE LEARNING IN ELA?
Unit 16 Spelling Test will be Thursday, February 19th
Unit 16 Spelling Words (open syllables in one-syllable words): she, shed, go, got, shy, pro, prom, fly, me, mesh
Unit 17 Spelling Test will (tenatively) be Friday, February 27th
Unit 17 Spelling Words (two-syllable words with open and closed syllables):
menu, unit, begin, zero, motel, react, music, banjo, lilac, focus
As you can see, our spelling words are getting more difficult...they include this week's phonics concept and review previously learned concepts.
It will be important to study at home! Thanks so much for your help! ☺️
2/17/2026
Hi first grade families,
Most of our work in class is done as a whole group, with lots of participation and opportunities for discussion. A few times each week, students complete individual assignments so I can check their understanding and see whether we need more practice on our weekly focus.
On days when we do not have individual work, the daily grade is based on participation. Each student automatically receives 3 points for being in class. They can earn 1 point for participating in phonics and handwriting, and 1 point for participating during our knowledge curriculum time—for a total of 5 points. If a student is absent, they are marked “exempt,” and it will not count against them.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
Here is what we are learning this week in ELA:
Phonics (the part of reading where students learn how letters and letter patterns make sounds and how to blend those sounds together to read and spell words):
This week we will be learning a new phonics concept: the r-controlled vowel /or/ (like in corn, fork, and storm). When a vowel is followed by the letter r, the r changes the sound the vowel makes.
We will also be reviewing open and closed syllables by blending them together in two-syllable words.
A two-syllable word is a word with two “chunks” or beats (like robot or napkin). In these words:
An open syllable ends in a vowel, and the vowel usually says its long sound.
A closed syllable ends in a consonant, and the vowel usually says its short sound.
For example, in the word robot:
ro is an open syllable (the “o” says its long sound), and
bot is a closed syllable (the “o” says its short sound).
Students will practice reading words that combine these syllable types to strengthen their decoding skills. Keep up the great work practicing reading at home!
Knowledge Curriculum (helps students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers):
Module 3 Essential Question: "How is the wind powerful?"
This week we are continuing our study of the wind. Our focus text is Wild Is the Wind, and we will take a closer look at the book to learn more about what wind is and how it affects the Earth. Students will dig deeper into the science behind wind while strengthening their reading comprehension skills.
We will also be learning more about commas—what they mean and how they are used in writing. Students will practice using commas correctly as they compose their own letter.
We are excited to see their learning come together in both reading and writing!
Handwriting: Students are learning and are applying the "3 P's of Handwriting": Pencil, Posture, and Paper. We will begin to learn and practice new letters and their sounds, along with their proper formation each week.
Research points to the importance of teaching handwriting and the benefits of learning proper handwriting techniques. According to a July 2019 article on the Edutopia website, MacKenzie states, "Research has demonstrated a correlation between letter-naming and letter-writing fluency, and a relationship between letter-naming fluency and successful reading development." In other words, teaching handwriting is an important part of teaching students to become fluent readers!
1st Grade Families:
Reading regularly with your child will help them to become more fluent readers themselves. Additionally, practicing sight words with your child will greatly benefit them. A sight word is defined by Julie Rawe (Understood, n.d.) as,"...a common word that kids recognize instantly without sounding them out. Recognizing words by sight helps kids become faster, more fluent readers. Many sight words are tricky to read and spell - they aren't spelled the way they sound."
Here are a couple of lists for you to get started with that, if you are interested:
Kindergarten Sight Words (Dolch):
all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, ear, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes
First Grade Sight Words (Dolch):
after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, going, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when
HEART WORD LISTS: At fall conferences, you received the first heart word list for your child to begin practicing at home with you. We call these words "heart words" because there are parts of these words that students need to learn "by heart" since they are irregular (they do not follow the traditional phonics generalizations). These lists are meant to be done at each students' own pace...when they can independently read the words, sign the page with the parent signature space and send it back to school with them. I will listen to them read it and get them the next list. This will be of great help with their reading fluency. I appreciate your help with this!! Students who have consistently worked on these lists at home with their families have made great gains in their reading fluency.