Weekly News

Reminders for This Week:  August 25-August 28

Monday:   Return Friday Folder! 

Tuesday: Day 3-STREAM

Wednesday:  Day 4-Music

Thursday: Day 5-Art

Friday: Return Homework Folders!  Day 6-P.E.

What Are We Learning in Room 1B?

Christ Our Life – Chapter 1: God Gives Us Life

Welcome to our first Christ Our Life chapter! In Chapter 1, students learn that God is our loving Creator and that every person is a special gift from Him. We will explore how God created the world out of love, how each of us is made in God's image and likeness, and how we can show our love for God by caring for His creation and treating others with kindness and respect.

What We Are Learning

Students will:

• Discover that God created the world and everything in it.

• Understand that every person is a unique and special child of God.

• Recognize that God loves us unconditionally.

• Learn ways to care for God's creation and one another.

• Practice showing love through kindness, respect, and gratitude.

• Grow in prayer by thanking God for His many gifts.

Faith Vocabulary

Throughout this chapter, students will learn and use important faith words, including:

• God – Our loving Creator and Father.

• Creator – The One who made everything.

• Creation – Everything God made.

• Gift – Something given with love.

• Prayer – Talking and listening to God.

• Blessing – A special gift or favor from God.

• Love – Caring for God, ourselves, and others.

• Respect – Treating people and God's creation with kindness and care.

• Gratitude – Being thankful for God's gifts.

How You Can Help at Home

•  Say a simple prayer together each day, thanking God for His blessings.

•  Take a nature walk and talk about the beauty of God's creation.

• Encourage your child to show kindness and respect to family members, friends, and neighbors.

•  Read the story of Creation together in Genesis 1 and discuss how God made the world with love.

•  Talk about ways your family can care for God's creation by recycling, conserving water, or caring for plants and animals.

•  Ask your child to share one thing they are thankful to God for each day.

Conversation Starters

Ask your child:

• What are some wonderful things God created?

• How do you know that God loves you?

• How can you take care of God's creation?

• What is one way you showed kindness today?

• What are you thankful to God for today?

CKLA Skills – Unit 1: Welcome to First Grade!

Welcome to first grade! In our CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) Skills lessons, students will build on the reading and writing skills they learned in kindergarten. Unit 1 reviews important phonics skills while helping students become more confident and independent readers. Students will practice reading decodable stories, spelling words, writing complete sentences, and learning new Tricky Words (words that cannot always be sounded out) and Tricky Spellings (spellings that can make more than one sound).

What We Are Learning

• Letter-sound relationships and phonics

• Blending sounds to read words

• Reading decodable stories with fluency

• Spelling and handwriting

• Tricky Words and Tricky Spellings

• Writing complete sentences

• Building confidence as readers and writers

How You Can Help at Home

• Read together for 15–20 minutes each day.

•  Practice letter sounds and blend simple words.

•  Review Tricky Words using flashcards or sticky notes.

• Encourage your child to write sentences, notes, or a journal.

•  Play word games such as rhyming, changing beginning sounds (cat → hat), or finding words that start with the same sound.

• Praise your child's effort and encourage them to "stretch out" unfamiliar words.

CKLA Knowledge – Unit 1: Fables and Stories

Welcome to our first CKLA Knowledge unit! In this unit, students will enjoy listening to classic fables and stories from around the world. Through these engaging tales, students will build vocabulary, strengthen listening comprehension, and learn important life lessons about kindness, honesty, responsibility, and perseverance.

What We Are Learning

Students will:

• Listen to and enjoy a variety of fables and folktales.

• Identify characters, settings, and major events.

• Retell stories in the correct sequence.

• Determine the lesson or moral of each story.

• Compare different characters and their actions.

• Build vocabulary and practice speaking in complete sentences.

Key Vocabulary

Throughout this unit, students will learn and use story vocabulary, including:

• Fable – a short story that teaches a lesson or moral

• Folktale – a traditional story passed down through generations

• Moral – the lesson or message of a story

• Character – a person or animal in a story

• Setting – where and when a story takes place

• Problem – a challenge the characters face

• Solution – how the problem is solved

• Honest – telling the truth

• Kindness – being caring and helpful

• Greedy – wanting more than you need

• Wise – making good choices

• Consequence – what happens because of a choice or action

How You Can Help at Home

• Read a story or fable together each evening.

• Ask your child to retell the story in their own words.

• Talk about the lesson or moral the story teaches.

•  Ask questions such as, "What would you have done?" or "Why did the character make that choice?"

• Encourage your child to act out favorite stories using toys, puppets, or family members.

• Visit your local library to find collections of fables and folktales from different cultures.

• Use the unit vocabulary during conversations. Ask questions like, "Who was the main character?" "What was the problem?" or "What lesson did the story teach?"

Conversation Starters

Ask your child:

• Who was your favorite character? Why?

• What happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story?

• What lesson did the story teach?

• Did any character make a good or bad choice? Explain.

• How is this story similar to another one we've read?

Bridges in Mathematics – Unit 1

Welcome to first-grade math! In our first Bridges in Mathematics unit, students will review and strengthen the foundational math skills they learned in kindergarten while building confidence as mathematicians. Through hands-on activities, games, number talks, and problem-solving, students will develop a strong understanding of numbers and mathematical thinking.

What We Are Learning

Students will:

• Count, read, write, and compare numbers.

• Practice counting forward and backward.

• Develop number sense by composing and decomposing numbers.

• Identify numbers that are one more, one less, ten more, and ten less.

• Represent numbers using pictures, ten frames, number lines, and objects.

• Solve addition and subtraction story problems within 10.

• Explain their mathematical thinking using words, pictures, and numbers.

Key Math Vocabulary

Throughout this unit, students will learn and use important math vocabulary, including:

• Number sense – understanding numbers and how they work together

• Count – say numbers in order

• Compare – decide which number is greater, less, or equal

• Greater than – a number that is larger

• Less than – a number that is smaller

• Equal – the same amount

• Addition – putting numbers together

• Subtraction – taking away or finding the difference

• Ten frame – a tool used to help count and see numbers

• Number line – a line that shows numbers in order

• Equation – a math sentence using numbers and symbols

• Strategy – a way to solve a problem

How You Can Help at Home

•  Count everyday objects such as toys, snacks, or steps.

• Play board games and card games that involve counting and recognizing numbers.

• Practice simple addition and subtraction using small household objects.

• Ask your child to compare quantities while shopping (Which group has more? Which has fewer?).

• Look for numbers in your daily routine, such as calendars, clocks, house numbers, and prices.

•  Encourage your child to explain how they solved a math problem. Talking about math builds deeper understanding.

• Practice counting by 1s, starting from different numbers instead of always beginning at 1.

Conversation Starters

Ask your child:

• How did you solve that problem?

• Can you show me a different way?

• Which number is greater? How do you know?

• What happens if we add one more?

• What happens if we take one away?

Health/Growth Mindset:   

In first grade, we believe that learning is about more than reading, writing, and math. We also focus on helping students develop healthy habits, strong character, and a positive mindset. Throughout the year, we will learn how to care for our bodies, build friendships, manage emotions, and develop the confidence to take on new challenges.

What We Are Learning

Students will:

• Practice healthy habits such as proper handwashing, nutrition, exercise, and getting enough sleep.

• Learn ways to identify and manage their emotions.

• Build positive friendships through kindness, respect, and teamwork.

• Develop self-confidence and independence.

• Set goals and celebrate progress.

• Learn that mistakes help us grow and that effort leads to success.

Our Growth Mindset Goals

We encourage students to:

• Believe that their brains grow stronger when they learn new things.

•  Keep trying, even when something feels challenging.

•  Set personal goals and work toward achieving them.

•  Learn from mistakes and use them as opportunities to grow.

•  Encourage classmates and celebrate each other's successes.

• Use positive self-talk, such as "I can do hard things" and "I can't do it...yet!"

How Families Can Help at Home

• Talk about your child's day and celebrate their effort, not just the outcome.

• Encourage your child to try new things and remind them that mistakes are part of learning.

• Model healthy habits by eating nutritious foods, staying active, and getting enough rest.

• Practice calming strategies together, such as taking deep breaths or counting to ten when feeling frustrated.

• Read books about perseverance, kindness, and friendship.

• Praise persistence with comments like, "I'm proud of how hard you worked," rather than focusing only on getting the right answer.

Conversation Starters

Ask your child:

• What challenged you today?

• What mistake helped you learn something new?

• How did you show kindness today?

• What goal are you working on this week?

• What are you proud of today?