1st Grade Specials
NFS Curriculum Update :: May & June, 2015
ART
First grade artists will move away from Native American artwork, but will continue to work with collage, shape, and pattern through a study of the work of Henri Matisse. Students will learn about geometric and organic shapes, warm and cool colors, and to trust their artist's intuition while layering different collage elements. Later in the month we will investigate the work of Matisse further by looking at his still life and interior paintings and drawings.
LIBRARY
First grade will finish folktales of the United States with John Henry. We will read, write, and illustrate fairy tale Mad Libs and finish the year with fairy tale bingo.
MUSIC
I have had such a wonderful time working with this first grade class. We will end the year by finishing up our unit study on “The Carnival of the Animals," singing some fun songs, playing instruments and dancing to the beat! Thank you for sharing your child with me this year!
P.E.
We will spend much of this month preparing for Field Day. Students will be familiar with the activities prior to Field Day so they will be able to comfortably perform the required tasks. Following Field Day and weather permitting, we will go outside on the fields for outdoor games and activities. At the end of the school year the students will have the opportunity to choose a few of their favorite games and activities that were played during the year and repeat these activities one final time before the end of school.
SCIENCE
First graders have started their new unit on Botany called “Botany on Your Plate." Each week we dissect a different part of the plant (one part each week) with a knife (the kind at a place setting). We observe it in depth by drawing and diagraming it. We will use the actual item to color it in by rubbing it on the paper. We finish each class with the opportunity to taste different foods that are from that part of the plant. We have already explored roots. We will continue with stems, leaves, flowers, fruit and nuts. Special care is taken for students with allergies. After each class, ask them not only what they did and learned, but what new food they tried.
SPANISH
First grade is finally wrapping up their clothing final projects. They have been fun to work on! We will end this school year with food. Students will learn the names of foods in Spanish and the names for meals eaten throughout the day. We will work with “Me gusta” and “No me gusta” to express our likes and dislikes for food items. As usual we will continue to practice responding to and asking basic conversational questions in Spanish.