Week of 5/1

Dear First Grade Families,

We had a busy, rainy week! I did not remember to take pictures and one day, I forgot my camera altogether! I'm glad to report that even though the week was full of RAIN, we were able to get outside for outdoor recess every day!

Here's a glimpse at what we're working on...

Math - In math, we've been learning about Geometry. We've been learning about dividing shapes into equal pieces (halves, quarters). We've learned about polygons and solid (3D) shapes. We've been talking about the defining attributes of shapes (i.e., sides, vertices).  

Science - We have been learning about plants.  On Tuesday, we planted grass seed and we're waiting for it to germinate! We will be observing our "grass seed heads" for the next week or so and writing about what we see.  We also did an experiment with celery and food coloring. We learned about how water travels up the stem of plants to the leaves.  Fun, fun, fun!

Phonics - In phonics, we've been focusing on vowel-consonant-e words, for example, cake, name, and vote.  We are learning tricks for when to use c and when to use k.  We learned that k takes i and e and c takes the other three.  We also learned that s can make the /s/ or /z/ sound when it is between two vowels or a suffix.  The kids have learned so much and it's amazing to see!

Writing - We have been writing poems.  We have learned about list poems, -ing poems, concrete poems, acrostic poems, and color poems.  Next week we will finish up our poetry unit.

In the next couple of weeks, we will be starting our Character Study! The students will learn a lot about a character in a book and then they will dress up as that character in a parade.  I PROMISE I will give you PLENTY of notice and details as soon as I have them!

This week, we needed a LOT of reminders about following directions and first-time listening. Students are taking a long time to transition from one activity to the next.  We have also needed a lot of reminders about following our classroom routines. We will keep working on this!

Reminders

-PLEASE pack your child a snack every day. I do not have snacks for children who forget!

-PLEASE put water in your child's water bottle. Juice spills are happening quite often and they're messy and sticky! 

-It is our school policy that students cannot bring candy for snack.  Please save candy for home!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  It's FINALLY going to stop raining! Yahooo!

PS - We got a Chocolate Lab puppy.  His name is Walter. He's a handful, but we love him so much!