Week of November 26th

Welcome back first grade families!
This quarter is absolutely flying by and we are heading into the home stretch. Take a look at what we will be doing this week:

Spalding
Phonograms 1-70
Words
card, south, deep, inside, blue, post, town, stay, grand, outside
dark, band, game, boat, rest, east, son, sun, help, hard
race, cover, fire, wire, tire, age, gold, read, read, red

Literature
This week we will begin reading Frog and Toad are Friends. Scholars will compare frogs and toads. We will continue to study story elements including characters, setting and plot. We will sequence the major events in the story using transition words. If your child does not have a copy of this book at school please send it in Monday.

Math
We will review and test on shapes. Our next unit is on measurement. This week we will focus on length and measuring in non-standard units.

Science
We continue our unit on oceans. This week we will take a closer look at coral reefs, waves, tides and currents.

History
We will start our unit on the history of the Three World Religions. We will cover Christianity, Judaism and Islam. We will answer the question "What is religion?" and compare and contrast the three religions that shaped our history.

In partnership,
The First Grade Team

Week of November 19th AND Thanksgiving!

First Grade Families,
Thank you for your dedication to your children and our community. I know you all put in time and effort to make our fall concert a success, and we could not have done it without you. From rushed dinners, to parking and late bedtimes thank you. It is always such a joy for me to see your children in this light.

I say it every week, but this week I mean it! How is it already Thanksgiving?! This week is short. Please remember we are off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Whether you will be cooking, traveling or catching up on rest I hope you enjoy your break.

Due to the short week we will deviate from our schedule slightly and there will be no homework.

We will hone our reading and writing skills by reading and responding to Thanksgiving stories. We will review concepts learned in math and wrap up our Early Civilizations unit, our goal is to test on Tuesday.

In science we will finish our foldable book on the layers of the ocean. Your scholar will learn to differentiate between the different layers and describe each the plants, animals and characteristics of each one. In math we will compare shapes and complete patterns.

In Gratitude,
The First Grade Team

Week of November 12th

First Grade Families:
We are looking forward to another great week together please remember that Monday, November 12th there is no school and Thursday the 15th is our compulsory music concert at Higley Center from 5:30-6:30 for grades K-2. Your child will need to be dropped off at 5:00 in appropriate attire. There will be no homework this night. If you have further questions please refer to the yellow logistics page that went home or my previous blog post. The information is also on Mrs. Boswell's blog. New Family Information night is November 15th from 6-7.

This week we will hold our class spelling bees. Stay tuned for more information. Scholars planning on entering the yearbook cover contest may do so November 5th-30th.

We will move forward in our curriculum as follows:

Spalding
Phonograms 1-70
Words
dance, dinner, doll, egg, fruit, looks, pick, rich
zoo, zip, zero, seven, forget, happy, noon, think, sister, cast

Literature
We are reading the Princess and the Pea this week. We will continue to analyze the elements of a Fairy Tale and hone our summarizing skills.

Math
This week we dive into the unit on shapes. We will look at corners and sides, flat surfaces 2D to 3D shapes and the different ways in which we can sort shapes.

Science
We are still studying the ocean habitat. We will delve deeper into the different layers of the ocean and the types of plants and animals found there. We begin working on a foldable book that will showcase each layer.

History
Ancient civilizations will take us to the Inca this week. We will learn where this civilization made their home as well as the important discovery of Macchu Picchu.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy week,
The First Grade Team