Weekly News

Reminders for This Week:  January 26-January 30

Monday:   Return Friday Folder! Day 6-P.E.

Tuesday: Day 1-Spanish

Wednesday:  Day 2-Library

Thursday: Day 3-STREAM

Friday:  Return Homework Folders! Day 4-Music

What Are We Learning in Room 1B?

Religion- Chapter 16 Jesus Teaches Us to Love Others

CKLA Grade 1 Skills — Unit 4 Overview

The Green Fern Zoo

What is this unit about?

In Unit 4, students focus on r-controlled vowels—vowel sounds that change when followed by the letter r. This unit also strengthens reading fluency, spelling, grammar, and writing using fun, animal-themed stories.

Phonics & Reading Skills

Students learn that when a vowel is followed by r, it makes a new sound.

R-Controlled Vowels Taught

• ar as in car
  
  

• er as in her
  
  

• ir as in bird
  
  

• or as in fork
  
  

• ur as in turn
  
  

Children practice:

• Reading words with r-controlled vowels
  
  

• Reading sentences and short stories with these patterns
  
  

• Blending sounds smoothly to read more fluently
  
  

CKLA Grade 1 – Skills Unit 4 Weekly Spelling Lists

(These match the official teacher/student activity sheets and take-home pages.)

Week 1 – Days of the Week & a Common Tricky Word

Spelling Words (All Tricky Words):

1. Monday
   
   

2. Tuesday
   
   

3. Wednesday
   
   

4. Thursday
   
   

5. Friday
   
   

6. Saturday
   
   

7. Sunday
   
   

8. would
   * These are memorized as they don’t follow regular phonics rules. Core Knowledge
   
   

Week 2 – r-Controlled Vowels (er, ar, or)

Spelling Words

1. sharp
   
   

2. fern
   
   

3. start
   
   

4. spoil
   
   

5. verb
   
   

6. shark
   
   

7. crawl
   
   

8. Tricky Word: because
   *Students practice more phonics patterns and one tricky word. Amazon Web Services, Inc.
   
   

Week 3 – Two-Syllable and r-Controlled Words

Spelling Words

1. zipper
   
   

2. barking
   
   

3. perfume
   
   

4. morning
   
   

5. carpet
   
   

6. forest
   
   

7. border
   
   

8. Tricky Word: today
   *Focus on reading/spelling longer words and chunking in syllables. teachloveshare
   
   

Week 4 – Past-Tense /ed Words & More r-Controlled Patterns

Spelling Words

1. parked
   
   

2. sounded
   
   

3. lifted
   
   

4. pointed
   
   

5. tripped
   
   

6. grinned
   
   

7. waved
   
   

8. have
   *Students begin writing and reading past-tense verbs and compound patterns. 

Fluency & Comprehension

• Students reread decodable texts like The Green Fern Zoo
  
  

• They practice reading smoothly, accurately, and with expression
  
  

• Repeated reading helps build confidence and stamina
  
  

Writing & Grammar Skills

Students practice:

• Writing complete sentences
  
  

• Using capital letters and punctuation
  
  

• Identifying and using:
  
  

  • Nouns
    
    

  • Verbs
    
    

  • Adjectives
    
    

• Using past-tense verbs (words ending in -ed)
  
  

• Writing descriptive sentences about animals and stories
  
  

How Families Can Help at Home

Here are simple, effective ways to support learning:

 Reading Together

• Read aloud with your child every day
  
  

• Point out r-controlled words (car, bird, fork)
  
  

• Ask: “What sound does the vowel make with the r?”
  
  

Spelling Practice

• Practice spelling words using ar, er, ir, or, ur
  
  

• Sort words by spelling (bird vs. her vs. turn)
  
  

• Say the word, stretch it out, then write it
  
  

Tricky Word Practice

• Make flashcards for tricky words
  
  

• Read them quickly for automatic recognition
  
  

• Use them in spoken sentences
  
  

Fun Activities

• Go on a “word hunt” for r-controlled words
  
  

• Clap syllables in longer words
  
  

• Build words with letter tiles or magnets
  
  

⭐ Why this unit is important

• Builds strong decoding skills
  
  

• Helps children read harder words with confidence
  
  

• Strengthens spelling and writing accuracy
  
  

• Prepares students for more complex reading

Math:  Unit 5

In Module 5, first-grade students explore geometry—the study of shapes and how they fit together.

Students learn to recognize, name, and describe shapes, including both flat (2-D) shapes like circles, squares, and triangles, and solid (3-D) shapes like cubes, spheres, and cylinders. They talk about shape features such as number of sides, corners, and faces, and learn that shapes can look different but still be the same shape when turned or flipped.

Children also build and combine shapes to make new shapes, helping them develop spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills. They practice sorting and grouping shapes based on shared characteristics and representing their ideas visually.

Toward the end of the unit, students begin exploring equal parts by dividing shapes into halves and fourths. This introduces early fraction ideas in a hands-on, visual way.

Overall, this unit helps students:

• Build confidence recognizing and describing shapes
  
  

• Develop mathematical language
  
  

• Strengthen visual and spatial thinking
  
  

• See how math connects to the world around them
  
  

How Families Can Help at Home

Families can support learning in simple, everyday ways:

• Talk about shapes you see around your home or neighborhood (windows, doors, signs, cans, balls).
  
  

• Ask your child to describe shapes using words like sides, corners, flat, or solid.
  
  

• Build shapes using blocks, LEGOs, or household items.
  
  

• Draw and cut shapes together and see how smaller shapes can make bigger ones.
  
  

• When sharing food (pizza, sandwiches, fruit), talk about halves and equal parts.
  
  

• Encourage your child to explain why a shape belongs in a group—this builds reasoning skills.
  
  

Learning geometry at home can be fun and playful, and everyday conversations make a big difference!

Social Studies:  Unit 1 Responsible Citizenship 

Science:  Unit 4 Survival of Living Things

Health/Growth Mindset:   Healthy Habits