First Grade
Fall Update
We are off to a great start in first grade! We are pleased that the students are learning the rules and routines. We will continue to practice them until they are automatic.
Special Events in October
- The FUN RUN Fundraiser will be on October 11th.
- We will have a field trip to Gaver’s Fam on October 15th. Permission slips coming soon.
- Our conference sign-ups should be coming out soon. You will need to sign up electronically. The conferences are to be held October 23-25th. Those are half days of instruction.
- Our Fall Party will be on October 28th from 1:30 -2:30. Many thanks to the room moms, volunteers, and parents who will be volunteering and/or donating supplies to make the party possible.
Curriculum Information
Language Arts – Word Study/Foundational Skills
We have been practicing the high-frequency vocabulary words. The first lists were sent home to you in the Back-to-School Night packet. We have also practiced color and number words. If your child needs extra practice with these words, you can make flashcards or games using the words.
We have done some phonemic awareness activities in which students will manipulate sounds within words. These activities are done auditorally (out loud) and students are not looking at letters.
Examples:
Change the /j/ in jet to a /p/ to make a new word.
Change the /t/ in hit to a /m/ to make a new word.
Change the /a/ in cat to an /o/ to make a new word.
We are also doing phonics activities in which the sounds are paired with the letters. Most students are experts with the consonant sounds already. We will be practicing the short vowel sounds and short vowel word families. Your child should be able to decode CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) such as dog, red, sat, pig, rug, etc. You can help to develop these skills at home by having a child listen for rhymes in texts and by playing with words. Dr. Seuss books are great for word play!
Reading – Decoding
We are still in the process of the initial and ongoing assessments that determine your child’s reading level. The running record benchmark assessment gives us a reading level, but it is only one measure that we use to make the best placement for your child. Remember that “word calling” without comprehension does not equal real reading. Also remember that the groups are flexible and often change, depending on your child’s needs. Our goal remains the same – we strive to have all students on or above grade level by the end of the year, with deep understanding and strategies for reading in place. We also want to develop a love for books so we encourage that you continue reading to and with your child daily.
When readers come to words they don’t know, they need to have strategies in place for decoding the words (other than just asking for help). The more of these “tools” in your child’s toolbox, the better they will be at figuring out tricky words. “Sounding out” does not always work! You will be receiving a bookmark with a list of these strategies so that you can use them at home.
Reading - Comprehension
During the first quarter we are primarily focused on reading fiction texts. We will continue identifying elements of fiction; characters, setting, problem, and solution. We will work on sequencing the events of stories. Students should be able to retell a story in the correct order and include important details. Students should be able to ask and answer questions about a story.
Language Arts – Writing
Students will continue to work on producing neat and legible handwriting. We will continue to use the guidelines on the paper to make letters the correct sizes. We will expect correct spacing between words. They will work on developing fluency in their handwriting as well. This means that students should be able to write letters and words neatly, quickly, and automatically.
We will continue our writers’ workshop in which students will work on self-expression in “small moments”. Sometimes students have trouble coming up with ideas for these “small moments”. You can help at home by talking about the events of the day. If something funny or exciting happens, you can say, “That sounds like a great thing to write about in writers’ workshop!” Have your child practice telling you the story with lots of details. Rehearsing orally helps with expressing ideas in writing.
The writing conventions that first graders are expected to use correctly are capitalization at the beginning of sentences and names, punctuation marks at the end of sentences, and correct spelling of high-frequency and given words. Work will be scored for ideas as well as these conventions of writing.
Even though we aren’t assigning homework, you can still help at home by providing extra writing practice in a fun way, having your child keep a journal and write notes, and by looking over the work that comes home. If work comes home that you or the teacher feels is not acceptable, sometimes having to redo it at home will fix the issue quickly at school!
Math
Students explore concepts using manipulatives, such as pattern blocks or cubes and they represent ideas pictorially before showing their understanding concretely (pencil and paper activities). We also play many interactive games to reinforce math concepts.
We worked with counting, making sets, and on place value - developing a number sense of what numbers mean. In this quarter we’re working primarily with numbers to 75, but will use numbers to 120 this year. We will work with addition facts and story problems. We will use many strategies and tools to assist with addition, such as counting on, number lines, using doubles, and making ten. It is alright for students to use fingers as a tool, but that should not be the only way your child can solve a problem. We will be working toward fact fluency, so practicing the basic facts will be helpful.
Students are expected to communicate about math ideas through objects, pictures, verbally, and in writing. We also want students to recognize how math is used in everyday life. We connect math concepts to other areas and to personal experiences.
Science
We will be starting our science unit about Light and Sound soon. It will include many hands-on activities. Your child may come home wanting to experiment with flashlights or wanting to make homemade instruments!
Sorting and classifying objects is another important scientific skill. Soon it will be a perfect time to collect and sort leaves!
Social Studies
We learned about our school rules and why having rules is important. We have enjoyed learning about symbols for our country and what they represent. Look for the symbols around you, like the bald eagle and flag. A real or virtual field trip to Washington, D.C. would also be a great way to enrich this unit.
Other
- Please help your child remember library books, home-school notebooks, and folders.
- Playing board games can be a fun way to practice problem solving, math skills, and important social skills such as taking turns and showing good sportsmanship – win or lose! Sometimes first graders have a hard time with this! Social skills, like any other skills, get better with practice and encouragement.
- As the weather changes, please send jackets, coats, and/or sweatshirts for your child to wear when we go outside. At times, the temperature inside is also chilly.
- Please help your child learn to zip, button, and tie shoes independently.
Curricular Resources
Since we are not assigning official homework, please feel free to use these resources to work with your child at home. Look for specific sites or games that go along with what we are learning at school. Your child may also use Bookflix and Pebble Go, two of our favorite resources from the media center homepage. The media center website also has a list of passwords you may need to access some of the areas. Other digital first grade favorites (most are free) are Epic books, Starfall, PBS Kids, Xtra Math, and ABCya. The following is a picture of how to find some of these resources from our school website.
Other digital first grade favorites (most are free) are Epic books, Starfall, PBS Kids, Xtra Math, and ABCya.
As always, the first grade teachers appreciate the support you provide at home in this very important foundation-building year!
THANK YOU!
TEAM ONE