It is hard to believe that three months of school have gone by! It seems like fall is starting to dwindle and we are looking toward winter arriving at any time. Please be sure to send in cold weather clothing on a daily basis. We go outside for recess everyday unless it is raining. At this time of the year, the children need to have a winter coat, hat and mittens or gloves. A change of footwear when boots are needed is a good idea so we do not have sweaty feet!!
We continue to use our class big books with multiple small copies as we move through one portion of our literacy program. In addition, guided reading groups have begun. Students are grouped based on many different factors and the groups are fluid throughout the year. Our literacy block begins with a reading strategy mini lesson, a phonics lesson and/or formal handwriting practice. We then move into our reading groups.
This month our Author Study will focus on Jan Brett and the many whimsical winter stories she has written.
How Many of Each? How Many in All
This math unit develops students’ ideas about counting and quantity, place value, and the structure of the base 10 number system, the meaning of operations with whole numbers, the development of computational fluency and the generalization about numbers and operation. We will focus on counting on/back as a strategy for adding/subtracting; composing and decomposing numbers into two or more parts and playing games that invomve unknown change; adding more than two numbers; expanding students understanding of addition and subtraction notation, in particular the meaning of the equal sign; and counting and comparing larger quantities.
The students love to write! We have written and continue to write fiction and nonfiction stories. We continue to focus on the proper use of spacing and upper and lower case letters. We also continue to focus on the concepts of beginning, middle and end. As their focus slowly begins to change from the proper formation of letters, and deciding on which letters should represent each sound to content, the children’s’ writing is becoming more complete, more interesting, and more readable. We will be starting a new writing unit next week: Nonfiction Chapter Books
We have completed our study of the Rotting Log in our classroom. We will do a few brief lesson on the changing weather over the next few weeks. During the second half of the year we will focus on People Who Make a Difference
Inclusive School Week. Next week we will take some time to stop and recognize each child in our class. We will be generating a list of compliments for each child, one a day, and that will be sent home on a large chart paper. We will keep one compliment and place it on our bulletin board in class.
Computer Science week is also coming up this month. Students will participate in an Hour of Code in class.
Ms. Cai will be completing her student teaching with us next Friday. She has done a great job and has grown so much. I know you will join me and wish her the best of luck as she ventures out into the world of education.
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Special request……Happy Holidays!!! please be sensitive to the spirit of the season and encourage your children to do the same.
Report cards will be available on line in Janurary. These reports are based on standards developed by the State of Massachusetts and the City of Newton. I hope that you will find them to be helpful and informative in providing a glimpse of your child’s mid-year performance in first grade. Please keep in mind we have only a limited number of characters that we use in our written comments.
As you know, we have no formal homework in first grade; however, we do expect that children will read aloud to an adult for 10 to 20 minutes every night. If you haven’t already done so, please structure this activity into your already busy nights. Children who read texts at their independent or instructional levels do make progress in their reading. Good luck!
News and Odds and Ends:
No Nuts (etc.) Reminder: PLEASE remember to check your child’s snack and lunch for appropriate contents. We have several children with life-threatening allergies. (some examples of items that may be being overlooked are some granola bars, Nutella spread and energy-type bars). We ask that you please check labels carefully. Thanks for your attention to this important matter.
Please email me if you have any questions or thoughts to share. Again, thank you for working with me everyday. I see you as the expert on your child, and I appreciate your willingness to share information with me as well as to be open to any information or thoughts that I may share with you about your child. Your children are growing and learning every day!
Warmly,
Adele Haratsis