1E Newsletter: Week of September 13
What's going on in first grade!
This Week...
Sunday: PHOTO DAY!, World Language, Library
Monday: MSArabic/Explore Time, PE, Music
Tuesday: Art
Wednesday: PE, World Language, Technology
Thursday: Art, Music, Eid Party, Fruit Party
Picture Day!
New Dismissal **Please Read**
The Lower and Upper Elementary Divisions will be implementing a new location for student dismissal starting on Sunday, September 13th.
Pre-Kindergarten
Our pre-k students will continue to dismiss as usual at the picnic tables at gate 5.
Kindergarten to Grade 5
Students will have designated areas in the elementary cafeteria. There will be signs posted as to where each grade level’s gathering areas will be.
We ask that all parents walk around the Lower Elementary building to access the cafeteria rather than through the hallways. The gates for parents will open at 2:45 pm and the cafeteria will provide a cooler place for you to wait. Occasionally, we do hold events for students in the cafeteria at the end of the day. If this is the case we would kindly request that you use the shaded area at the blue basketball courts to wait until 3pm dismissal.
Please note that all ASA’s will continue to dismiss at gate 5.
Wellbeing Awareness Week- Fruit needed for Thursday!
Writing
- setting the scene; reader's perspective
- inside setting
- outside setting
- nouns and adjectives
- capitalization
Reading
- rereading to understand
- rereading to build fluency
- rereading to notice something new
- reread to focus more on pictures
Math
We are continuing to work on addition problems in class:
- Put together, add on, change unknown
- Count on up to three more
- Count on up to three more using my fingers
- Count on to find the missing addend
Social Studies
- Book: If Everybody Did...
- I am responsible
- Being responsible for our devices in technology
Curriculum Night
Join our subject coordinators to hear about the curriculum that will be covered in first grade!
Date: Wednesday, September 16th
Time: 5:30pm
For: Parents of students in the LES
Homework- Start After Eid
Bake Sales
Parent & Counselors Coffee Afternoon
Transitions happen every day in your child’s world. Starting a new school or grade level, moving to a new house or saying goodbye to a friend are all examples of transitions that can cause your child angst.
Join the Elementary School Counselors Monday September 14th at 1:45pm - 3:00pm in the Elementary Cafeteria as we explore ways to help children transition more smoothly.
Subject Unit Letters
Math Unit 1 Letter
Dear Grade 1 Families,
In math we have been working on building routines and setting up expectations.
We are beginning our first math unit, “Sums and Differences to 10.” In this unit, your child will work towards fluency with addition and subtraction of numbers to 10 as they are presented with opportunities intended to advance them from counting all to counting on, which leads them then to decomposing and composing addends and total amounts.
Students will learn to generate equations (addition and substation) from a number bond.
Words to know:
Addend: One of the numbers being added in an addition problem
Count on: Students count up from one addend to the total, e.g. for 5 + 4 they would start with 5, then count 6..7..8..9 to get to the total of 9
Doubles: e.g., 3+3 or 4+4
Doubles Plus 1: e.g., 3+4 or 4+5
Equation and Number Sentence: These words are used interchangeably, e.g. 3+5=8
Expression: e.g., 2+1 or 5+5 (expressions do not have an equal sign, thus are not equations)
Number Bond: a graphic showing part/part/whole (see picture right)
Part: e.g., “What is the unknown part? 3+___=8
How you can help at home:
● Practice “counting on” as a strategy for addition, e.g. if you have 7 LEGO pieces, and then you get 3 more, encourage your child to start with the number 7 and count “8..9..10” to find the total.
● Discuss various ways to take apart a given number, e.g. 6 is made of 1 and 5, 2 and 4, 3 and 3, etc.
● Have them solve word problems within ten. For example, I have 6 potatoes for dinner and have already cut up 2.
How many more do I need to cut up?
Thank you for your support at home as our students become confident mathematicians!
Sincerely,
The First Grade Teachers
Reading Unit 1 Letter
Dear Grade 1 Families,
We are beginning our first reading unit by launching reader’s workshop. The workshop model consists of a whole group minilesson, small group instruction, independent practice, and a closing discussion.
Our first unit is “Building Good Habits”. Students are learning classroom reading routines, such as reading independently, with a partner, and actively listening to read alouds. They are also building reading stamina and learning how to choose justrightbooks. Children as becoming familiar with the classroom library and are adding poems to their very own poetry folder. Websites such as RazKids, Myon, and TumbleBooks provide students with opportunities to listen to, read, and enjoy digital books. Teachers have also begun one-on-one reading assessments to determine students’ reading levels.
Sincerely,
The First Grade Teachers
Ask your child what these words mean:
Reading
Stamina
Good Fit Books
Connections
Prediction
Retell
Fluency
Writing Unit 1 Letter
Illustration Study:The Craft of Composition
“Writers are purposeful and engage in a continuous process of decision making as
they compose a text.” (Matt Glover and Katie Wood Ray)
Dear Parents,
Children are immersed in the world of picture books. Illustration study provides a valuable opportunity to use picture books as mentor texts. By studying illustrations, children can have a concrete vision of composition. We will study the thinking behind illustration techniques so that children can also build ideas such as detail, emotion, and an awareness of the reader into their writing. During this unit, your child will be immersed in mini-lessons that focus on how illustrators: use a variety of techniques to create meaning, use positioning perspective to guide how the reader's view the scene, draw details to show the setting, and how illustrators show emotions in pictures and words (facial expressions and gestures are meaningful details).
The following standards are being addressed in this unit of study:
- Standard 4 - Students will write with clarity and logic on a wide range of topics for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- Standard 5 - Students will use grammatical and mechanicalconventions in writing.
- Standard 6 - Students will demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
Parent Teaching Tips:
- Discuss illustrations in your favourite picture books at home.
- Ask your child to describe how the illustrator shows the setting in a book. How does this connect to the author’s writing
- Ask your child to describe how the illustrator and author show emotions in the pictures and words.
Sincerely,
First Grade Team
Social Studies Unit 1 Letter
Dear Grade 1 Families,
We are beginning our first Social Studies unit, “Creating a Healthy Community”. In this unit we will explore how we can create a healthy learning environment, what makes a good student, and the rights and responsibilities we have at school.
Students will learn what can result from appropriate and inappropriate behaviors when rules are followed or broken. The students will also reflect on how the choices they make affect themselves and others.
Sincerely,
The First Grade Teachers
VOCABULARY:
- Conflict: disagreement or argument
- Cooperation: working together, getting along
- Appropriate: suitable or proper
- Inappropriate: not suitable or proper
- Behavior: the way someone acts
- R e s p o n s i b i l i t y : b e i n g a c c o u n t a b l e f o r s o m e t h i n g
ACTIVITIES TO DO AT HOME:
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Discuss what responsibilities your child has at home.
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Have your child pack his/her own backpack for school.
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Discuss what rules you have at home and the consequences for not following the rules.
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Discuss appropriate and inappropriate behaviors at home, in the car, and at the mall.