1A Classroom Update 6
January 11, 2019
Dear 1A Families,
Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a nice break. In 1A, the new year means more learning and fun going on. At the beginning of February, our specials schedule will change until the end of the school year. First Grade will no longer have PE and Science. Instead, we will have Art and Music. We will share the specials schedule when we receive it so that families can plan accordingly. Please read till the end to check out what we've been doing and for some fun pictures!
Important Dates
- Monday, January 21 | Dr. Martin Lurther King Jr. Day (School closed)
- Monday, January 28 | No School | School Professional Development
- Wednesday, February 13 | General PTSO Meeting
Message from PTSO
Academics
Phonics & Sight Words
We have spent the past few weeks reviewing the -s suffix, as there are many tricky instances that require explicit instruction. The suffix s can be added to verbs in order to match the noun. For example, the suffix -s is added to verb "run" in the following sentence so that it "makes sense" (I.e "The dog runs in the park" Vs. "The dog run in the park").
Additionally, adding the s- suffix to words that end in -ck is tricky, as the ending -cks sounds like /x/ (i.e. sacks). In any of these tricky instances, students are first asked to spell the base word by tapping out, and then they should add the suffix -s for the final step to avoid any confusion!
ELA
Red table writes about the patterns in the sky
Yellow table writes what the sky looks like at night
Orange table writes what the sky looks like in the daytime
Felix holds Elvin, the boy who asks a lot of questions about the space!
Leo pretends to be the earth rotating as the sun (lightbulb) shines
Maggie holds the flashlight to mimic the star and we see what happens when the sun (flashlight) rises
Math
1A shares how they are doing their work using "mental math"
Hmm.. how can we make a 10 to add?
Focused 1A friends solving math in tricky strategies!
IB
We have begun our new Inquiry unit on homes! First, we brainstormed what we already knew about homes. Then we compared and contrasted homes in both the urban and suburban settings. We also read Houses and Homes by Ann Morris and discussed how these homes are similar or different from their own homes as well as how homes are different around the world! Next week, we will be taking a virtual trip around the world to "visit" homes in other countries. We will be examining what these homes are made of and what cultural and environmental factors influence the way they are built.
Pajama Day Fun!
Leaner Profile of December: Thinker
Town Hall
All K-3 classes gather in the gym
We are so intrigued by the performances
1A loves to sing and "dance" along
4th grade choir was lovely!
4th graders playing our school song with the guitar
3rd graders sang and danced to a self-written risk-taker song
Work Hard, Play Hard
Specials Update
Science
Spanish
¡Hola Familias de 1A!
I am feliz to share what our first graders have been up to in the past weeks. 1A learned about the seasons: primavera, verano, otoño and invierno. Most of them choose invierno/winter as their favorite. Moreover, as if they were meteorologists, they learned about the weather by asking ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? They had a lot of fun learning songs and phrases in order to answer this question. They learned:hace frío, hace calor, hace viento, lluvia and sol.
In Español they also learned about Resoluciones de Año Nuevo, which means New Year resolutions, it was great to find out that a lot of them wanted to keep learning how to read and write in Español.
1A started this New Year by learning about La Ropa/Clothing. They had a blast making paper suitcases or maletas and filling them with all the items they are learning such as: camiseta, vestido, chaqueta, pantalones, suéter and botas.
Another thing I am excited to share is that 1A is creating their own Spanish dictionary. This is an ongoing project where every Friday they concentrate in one letter of the alphabet and learn a few words starting with that letter. After learning the meaning of each word they get to choose their favorite, write and make a picture of it. They are doing a wonderful job. It is great to see them get more excited about the language and we are looking forward to learn more Español. Well done 1A!
Gracias,
Maestra Nivia