Weekly Updates

Week of December 17th

This week first grade finished our Fundations unit about the glued sound -all and the bonus letters ll, ss, ff, and zz. After winter break we will be discussing the glued sounds -am and -an. In math we continued to discuss addition and subtraction strategies. This included identifying numbers that equal 10, using doubles plus or minus 1 to solve equations in the teens, developing way to add 3 or 4 numbers by grouping them together, and finding "friendly" equations, such as 10 and some more. First grade enjoyed Jan Brett books this week and wrote their own family story about their traditions during the holiday season. Some students made a book while others wrote their paragraph in Google Classroom and drew a picture. After break we will begin a science unit on the moon. On Thursday we had Grinch Day. We made green Grinch Goo and watched the 1966 How the Grinch Stole Christmas. On Friday students wore their pajamas to school, we enjoyed hot chocolate, read our tradition writing to students in the other first grade class, and watched a movie. The first grade teachers wish a very happy holiday to all our students and their families. See you in 2019.

Week of December 10th

This week we continued to discuss family traditions during the holiday season. We talked about Kwanzaa and the similarities between this holiday and Hanukkah. These similarities included lighting a candle each night, being with your family, eating special food, receiving or giving presents, and speaking in another language. On Friday, we made Kwanzaa mats. In addition, we began to talk about our own family traditions as they relate to food, gathering together (people/places), music/dance, lights, and decorating/crafts. Next week, we will be writing about these traditions in a five sentence paragraph after discussing the format of a painted paragraph. We have continued to discuss bonus letters (double consonants, ff, ll, ss, and zz, at the end of words) and glued/welded sounds (-all). We are sounding out, writing, and marking words with these sounds. In math we are continuing to discuss strategies to add and subtract. We are using these strategies and math manipulatives to apply this knowledge within 50. During small group instruction in Mrs. Atwater's class, other students are learning to work within 5 and others are discussing place value and writing the expanded form in order to develop flexibility in mathematical thinking in order to add numbers within 100. Students continue to use zearn.org to develop various strategies at their ability level. This week Mrs. Burriss's class was introduced to using the Chromebooks and began to use typing club. During number corner, students are continuing to discuss the calendar and writing the date, telling time, and three-dimensional shapes (cube, rectangular prism, sphere, and cylinder) along with the terms faces, corners/vertices, and edges to describe these shapes. Next week we will have a few special events for the last week of school before the holiday break. Please check Facebook at the beginning of the week for these updates. In addition, attached are pictures of Mrs. Burriss's class last week at the second grade's butterfly presentation.

Week of December 3rd

This week first grade began to discuss family traditions during the winter season. Every family has a story. Some family stories during the winter season involve a holiday, including Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, and some do not. We are beginning to discuss the defining characteristics of traditions and thinking of examples from our own lives. Please have discussions with your child about your family story so that they can identify their own traditions in class. This week we began by exploring Hanukkah by reading books and playing dreidel. Next week we will talk about Kwanzaa. In phonics, we concluded the unit on digraphs and will continue to discuss double consonants (ff, ll, ss, and zz). We have read and discussed elements of Jan Brett books. This week we will be comparing "The Umbrella", "The Mitten", and "The Hat" by looking at the setting, characters, and beginning, middle, and end of each story. In math, we are continuing to discuss strategies to add and subtract within 20, three-dimensional shapes, telling time, and comparing numbers with <, >, and =. Mrs. Atwater's class learned how to use zearn.org this week. This program will be used starting next week during small group math instruction. On Wednesday, first grade visited the second graders as they presented their monarch butterfly projects. The first graders were a great audience by being whole body listeners and asking questions by raising their hands afterwards. In addition, on Wednesday, the students did wonderfully at the winter concert. The concert has put everyone in the holiday spirit.

Week of November 19th and 26th

These past two weeks first grade continued to learn about the Pilgrims and how their lives were different from our own. Ava Gallery returned to discussed N. C. Wyeth’s “Thanksgiving Feast” and explored how life for the Pilgrims compared to the students' lives now in Mrs. Atwater's class. Mrs. Atwater's and Mrs. Burriss's class joined to view the completed mural. It is now hanging in the first grade hallway. In addition, Mrs. Atwater's class continued their cross stitching and wrote with a quill. Both classes chose to either create a poster, a book, a T chart, or act out three ways that the Pilgrims' lives were different than now. On Friday they finished presenting. Next week will begin to talk about traditions, included both holiday and family traditions. In math we have continued to work on strategies to add and subtract. Students will be learning various math games to reinforce these skills. They will be bringing them home next Friday with directions. In reading, students are working in small group to develop their skills in fluency and comprehension at their current reading level. Students continue to develop their ability to elaborate in their writing. We have begun an author study of Jan Brett. We will be reading these books over the month of December. In phonics, first grade continues to practice digraphs and will move to double consonants (ll, ff, ss, and zz) next week. Mrs. Atwater's class will be receiving home packets for this new unit next Friday. Report cards will go home next Friday also with the class picture. We have had a busy week but we have still had a lot of fun! Sledding, snowmen, and preparing for the winter concert on December 6th has gotten everyone is the holiday spirit.

Week of November 12th

This week first grade learned all about the Pilgrims and how their lives were different from our lives. Mrs. Burriss's class was visited by Ava Gallery. They discussed N. C. Wyeth’s “Thanksgiving Feast” and explored how life for the Pilgrims compare to their lives now. Then students created their own mural to display their understanding of how different aspects of the Pilgrims' lives were different than their own. Mrs. Atwater's class explored how Pilgrim children's lives were different than that of the students'. They made and played different Pilgrim era games, such as marbles, whirligigs, and handmade dolls. In addition, they learned that Pilgrim children did not go to school, instead boys were educated by their fathers. However, girls would teach themselves the alphabet through cross stitching. The children explored some Pilgrim samplers, such as the Grace Cobb sampler. Afterwards, students planned and began their own sampler. In other subject areas we have been learning to skip counting by 5 and adding within 10, digraphs, such as ck, sh, ch, th, and wh, and expanding on our ideas while writing by adding details and dialogue. On Friday, students were able to use sleds for the first time this season. They had a lot of fun playing in the snow and the first graders did a wonderful job showing the kindergarten students, who had not yet used sled at school, how to be CSR.