On to November!

Curriculum

Reading:
The decoding strategy we learned about this week was Stretchy/Slippery Snake.  Students learned to point to the word and say each sound to figure out unknown words.  We talked about how you can use this strategy along with our other decoding strategies to help you read tricky words.  Students also learned words with the short i vowel pattern.  Next week, we will learn about Chunky Monkey (chunk the parts of the word you know), and the short o vowel pattern.

Book Baggies:
Please remember, we change out our book baggie books every Friday.  Please help the students keep their books organized by always keeping them in their baggie.  Included in the bag, was a bookmark and a tracking sheet.  Please keep these with the bag.  One side is for us to track how many books each student has and for you to verify that they did bring these books home. The other side is for students to track their reading at home.  For each day they read 15-20 minutes, students should color in a star. 

Writing:
In writing, students have been learning how to revise and edit their personal narratives about Fun Run.  They are now working on their final copies.  I hope to have them finish their final copies early next week, so that they can begin a new personal narrative on a story of their choice.

Math:
This week, we learned how to use diagrams to help organize our thinking when solving math problems.  We learned to use the Change-to-More and Change-to-Less diagrams.  In addition, we learned how to write number models that go with these diagrams and how to find unknowns.  Next week, we will review for our Unit 2 test and take our assessment on Wednesday.  We will then look back at the goals we made for Unit 2 and reflect on if we met our goals.  Finally, we will take our Unit 3 Pretest and then make a goal for Unit 3.

Unit 2 Skills
o I can find pairs of numbers that add to 10
o I can use strategies to add
o I can label my counts
o I can explain how I solved problems
o I can write number models

Unit 2 IXL Skills - Students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.
Unit 2 Study Guide

Science/Social Studies:
Family Unit:
This week we discussed what our families do and and how we are similar and different.  Next week we will take a break from this unit in order to learn about properties of objects and sinking and floating.

Sinking and Floating Unit:
Next week, students will have an opportunity to test whether certain candies float or sink.  In order to do this, we are asking that each child bring in 10 snack size pieces of candy (any candy WITHOUT NUTS...it will NOT be eaten).  For example, 10 Starburst, 10 Whoppers (not packages, simply 10 individual whoppers), 10 Skittles, 10 sticks of gum, etc.  You can send this in any time between now and Halloween!  Thank you for your help!

MakerSpace/Play
Cardboard Play:
Students really enjoy playing with cardboard and being creative with it!  If you have any old shoe, cereal, tissue, etc. boxes, please send them in any time for us to use!  We could also use egg cartons or paper towel/toilet paper rolls.

Diwali: 
This week we had the opportunity to learn about a holiday called Diwali.  Thank you Dr. Ely for coming in to teach the students why and how the holiday is celebrated!  Students had a great time learning about it!  Ask your child about what they learned!

November Homework
Here is a link to the November Play Based Homework! 

Important Dates

October 31: Halloween Parade (9:20am)
                  1st/2nd grade Halloween Party (10:20-11:20 - See the previous email about volunteering opportunities for this! You must have a Volunteer Background Check form on file if you choose to volunteer!)
                 
                  Background Check Form

November 1: The Sign-Up Genius for Conferences will be sent out
November 2: Unit 2 Math Assessment
November 3: LEAD Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
November 4: End of 1st Marking Period
November 8: Election Day (No School)
November 10: Buddy Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
November 11: Report Cards go Home
November 15: Conferences (1-4pm, 5-7pm)

Updates

Below are updates for some events coming up.

Diwali Volunteers:

So far I have one volunteer to help us discuss Diwali on Friday, October 28th.  If anyone else would like to help, I would love more volunteers!  After discussing the holiday, we will be doing a couple crafts related to the holiday.  I would love for you to stay and help with that as well!  It will probably take about an hour of your time.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping out!

Sinking and Floating:

On Monday, October 31st, students will have an opportunity to learn about sinking and floating by testing whether certain candies float or sink.  In order to do this, we are asking that each child bring in 10 snack size pieces of candy (any candy...it WILL NOT be eaten).  For example, 10 Starburst, 10 Whoppers (not packages, simply 10 small whoppers), 10 Skittles, 10 sticks of gum, etc.  Please do not send in candy with nuts.  You can send this in any time between now and Halloween.   Thank you for your help!

Volunteer Opportunity:

On Friday, November 4th, I need one more volunteer from our classroom to come in to help us put together some picture frames of student work and hang the work in the alcove near our wing.  If you are interested and have time (it may take a couple hours), please let me know!  You will be working with parents from the other 1st grade classrooms as well.  We will be starting this in the morning (probably around 9:15 or 9:30).

Halloween:

As you know our Halloween parade is next Monday, October 31st at 9:20.  We will have the 1st and 2nd grade party from 10:20-11:20.  If you're interested in volunteering you may sign up using the following link: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0c4ea5ab2fa4fc1-1st2nd/6469634.  As for costumes, students are asked to wear their costumes to school that day over top of their normal school clothing.  After the parade/party, students will be changing to their normal clothes so that nothing happens to their costumes throughout the day.  Please remember costumes should be school appropriate, no weapons or masks!  Also, it is best not to send in any accessories as they could be lost.  

Week 7

Curriculum

Reading:
We learned all about how to decode unknown words using our Lips the Fish this week.  Students also learning words with the short e vowel pattern.  Next week, we will be learning about how Stretchy Snake can help us decode (stretch out each sound of the unknown word).  In addition, students will learn about words with the short i vowel pattern.

Book Baggies:
Please remember, we change out our book baggie books every Friday.  Please help the students keep their books organized by always keeping them in their baggie.  Included in the bag, was a bookmark and a tracking sheet.  Please keep these with the bag.  One side is for us to track how many books each student has and for you to verify that they did bring these books home. The other side is for students to track their reading at home.  For each day they read 15-20 minutes, students should color in a star. 

Writing:
In writing, students have worked very hard to plan out the beginning, middle and end of their personal narrative about the Fun Run.  They have also drafted each of the parts.  Next week, we will learn to revise and edit our stories to make them better.  We will then begin publishing our stories.

Math:
This week, we learned several addition strategies.  Students also learned about how to make combinations of 10.  Next week, we will continue to learn different addition strategies.  We will also learn about using a Change-to-More and Change-to-Less diagram.  We will be completing lessons 2.7-2.11.  We will take our Unit 2 test the week of Halloween.

Unit 2 Skills
o I can find pairs of numbers that add to 10
o I can use strategies to add
o I can label my counts
o I can explain how I solved problems
o I can write number models

Unit 2 IXL Skills - Students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.
Unit 2 Study Guide

Science/Social Studies:
Family Unit:
The students' timelines turned out wonderful!! We will continue to use them to discuss the members of a family and their responsibilities.  Next week, we will focus on what families do.  Please make sure students have their Family Tradition/Family Vacation homework on Monday, October 24th.  If your family does not take many vacations, that is fine! The students and I talked about simply writing about something you do together with your family in place of writing about a vacation.

Sinking and Floating Unit:
On Halloween, students will have an opportunity to test whether certain candies float or sink.  In order to do this, we are asking that each child bring in 10 snack size pieces of candy (any candy...it will NOT be eaten).  For example, 10 Starburst, 10 Whoppers (not packages, simply 10 individual whoppers), 10 Skittles, 10 sticks of gum, etc.  You can send this in any time between now and Halloween!  Thank you for your help!

MakerSpace/Play
Cardboard Play:
Today during our Play time, students had an opportunity to build with cardboard.  They LOVED it!!  We will continue to work on our creations in a couple weeks.  If you have any old shoe, cereal, tissue, etc. boxes, please send them in any time for us to use!  We could also use egg cartons or paper towel/toilet paper rolls.  The students would LOVE to create with these items!  

Diwali: 
Next week during play, we will learn about Diwali.  I am hoping to have a couple volunteers who are willing to come in and discuss the holiday with the students (what it is, why it is celebrated, how it is celebrated, etc).  After learning about the holiday, we will then do a couple craft projects related to Diwali.

October Homework
Here is a link to the October Play Based Homework! 

Important Dates

October 27: Cabin Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
October 31: Halloween Parade (9:20am)
                  1st/2nd grade Halloween Party (10:20-11:20 - See the previous email about volunteering opportunities for this! You must have a Volunteer Background Check form on file if you choose to volunteer!)
                 
                  Background Check Form

November 2: Possible date of the Unit 2 Math Assessment
November 3: LEAD Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
November 8: Election Day (No School)
November 10: Buddy Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)

Fun Run

Thank you parents for all of your support and efforts for the Fun Run!  It was another huge success!  The students had a great time and the money you all earned will go to supporting some wonderful events and resources at Deerfield!

Curriculum

Reading:
We learned all about how to decode unknown words using our Eagle Eye this week.  Students also continued to practice learning words with the short a vowel pattern.  Next week, we will be learning about how Lips the Fish can help us decode (get your lips ready to say the first sound of the unknown word).  In addition, students will learn about words with the short e vowel pattern.

Book Baggies:
Please remember, we change out our book baggie books every Friday.  Please help the students keep their books organized by always keeping them in their baggie.  Included in the bag, was a bookmark and a tracking sheet.  Please keep these with the bag.  One side is for us to track how many books each student has and for you to verify that they did bring these books home. The other side is for students to track their reading at home.  For each day they read 15-20 minutes, students should color in a star. 

Writing:
This week we completed our picture project writing.  I will be putting those together to be hung up soon!  Next week, we begin our personal narrative writing unit.  Students will all start off by writing about the Fun Run.  We did a pre-writing together today to begin planning our stories.  Next week, students will have the opportunity to write their rough drafts of their stories.  Using a common story for our first personal narrative will help us to learn about what to include in a personal narrative.  Eventually students will write another personal narrative on a topic of their choice.

Math:
We learned all about how to count on this week.  We also reviewed odd/even numbers. Next week, we will continue in Unit 2 with lesson 2.2-2.6.  In these lessons, students will learn about decomposing the number 10 and finding pairs of numbers that make 10.

Unit 2 Skills
o I can find pairs of numbers that add to 10
o I can use strategies to add
o I can label my counts
o I can explain how I solved problems
o I can write number models

Unit 2 IXL Skills - Students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.

Science/Social Studies:
This week we discussed families.  We asked a lot of questions about families so next week, we are ready to begin answering and exploring some of our questions.  We will begin by discussing the members of a family.  Please remember to have your child return his/her timeline on Monday so that we can share those during our sharing time.  They will help us in our discussion about families and the members of a family!

MakerSpace/Play
Today during our Play time, students learned about Seesaw!  Your child should have brought home a QR code that will allow him/her to access their Seesaw folder at home.  We will begin adding more and more to our Seesaw accounts as the year progresses, so if you can, don't forget to download the app so that you can get updates on what your child has added!

Next week, I would like students to be able to build a bit more during our MakerSpace/Play time through the use of cardboard.  If you have any old shoe, cereal, tissue, etc. boxes, please send them in any time for us to use!  We could also use egg cartons or paper towel/toilet paper rolls.  The students would LOVE to create with these items!  

October Homework
Here is a link to the October Play Based Homework! 

Important Dates

October 20: LEAD time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
October 20: Scholastic Book Orders are Due if you choose to order!
October 27: Cabin Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
October 31: Halloween Parade (9:20am)
                  1st/2nd grade Halloween Party (10:20-11:20 - See the previous email about volunteering opportunities for this! You must have a Volunteer Background Check form on file if you choose to volunteer!)
                 
                  Background Check Form

It's October!!

Curriculum

Reading:
We learned about our last two Daily 5 Stations this week.  Students now know how to Read to Self, Read to Someone, Practice Writing, Learn Words and Listen to Reading.  Next week, students will have the opportunity to participate in all of these stations daily.  Students will also begin learning about decoding strategies.  We will begin with Eagle Eye and Lips the Fish.  Here is a brief description of all of the strategies.  When you are reading at home, you can encourage your child to use these two strategies (Eagle Eye and Lips the Fish) when they come to unknown words.

Book Baggies:
Your child came home with a bag of 6 books today.  We will change out these books every Friday.  Students should have three different levels of books.  This is done purposefully to help your child be successful but also push them to grow as readers.  Please help the students keep their books organized by always keeping them in their baggie.  Included in the bag, was a bookmark and a tracking sheet.  Please keep these with the bag.  One side is for us to track how many books each student has and for you to verify that they did bring these books home. The other side is for students to track their reading at home.  For each day they read 15-20 minutes, students should color in a star. 

Writing:
This week students will wrap up their concept books.  We will then work on a picture project that we would like to display in the hallway.  Students will need to come up with a quote, a word and an I will...statement.  These will all be related to a goal they have for this year.  

Math:
We wrapped up our first math unit this week.  Next week, we will begin Unit 2 which focuses on Addition and Addition strategies. We will begin by learning about the "counting on" strategy.

Unit 2 Skills
o I can find pairs of numbers that add to 10
o I can use strategies to add
o I can label my counts
o I can explain how I solved problems
o I can write number models

Unit 2 IXL Skills - Students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.

Science/Social Studies:
We did several team building exercises this week in order to prepare us for working in groups for our next social studies unit.  The next unit is about families.  Students will learn about different kinds of families, the members, the roles and responsibilities of different members and family traditions.  Next week, we will be introducing the unit and beginning to explore what we will need to know in order to figure out how to define a family.  Please look for a note early next week about students completing a family timeline at home. We will provide more information and materials on Monday or Tuesday.

MakerSpace/Play
Our Friday MakerSpace/Play time so far has really been a time for students to practice working together by playing games, building structures, completing puzzles, and creating.  Next week, I would like to continue this, but I would like students to be able to build a bit more through the use of cardboard.  If you have any old shoe, cereal, tissue, etc. boxes, please send them in any time for us to use!  We could also use egg cartons or paper towel/toilet paper rolls.  The students would LOVE to create with these items!  

October Homework
Here is a link to the October Play Based Homework! 

Important Dates

October 11: Fun Run Final Pledge and Shout Out Due Date
October 13: Buddy Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
October 14: Fun Run (9:40am-10am)
October 20: LEAD time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)
October 27: Cabin Time (Wear Deerfield shirts or green)