Week 19 - January 26, 2018

Curriculum

Reading

This week, we focused on habits 5, 6, and 7 - Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood, Synergize, and Sharpen the Saw.  Next week, we will learn about the 8th habit - Find Your Voice.  Please continue to encourage your children to think about these habits in their daily life.  Next week, we will also explore character traits in our reading.  We will be reading about influential people in our history and then we will try to describe them using character traits.  In addition, we will explore the long i sound.

Book Baggies:
Students have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  It is good to encourage reading and rereading of these books!  We will exchange books on Fridays, so please have students return these books next Friday.  (Just FYI, Library books are sent in on Thursday.)  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday. 

Writing
Next week, students will continue to write their own how to books on building a snowman.  They are encouraged to include transition words, write detailed specific steps, numbered steps, and more. 

Math
This week, students learned to balance equations and decide if equations were true or false.  Next week, we will work on solving comparison number stories.

Unit 5 Skills
o I can use a number grid to find 10 more and 10 less than a number.
o I can identify true and false addition and subtraction number sentences within 10.
o I can identify 2-digit numbers represented by base-10 blocks.
o I can use <, >, and = to compare numbers.
o I can answer questions about data in a tally chart or bar graph.
o I can measure a path using base-10 cubes.

Unit 5 Study Guide - You may use this to guide you in helping your child study for this Unit 5 Assessment.

Unit 5 IXL Skills - If you would like to, students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.

Social Studies/Science
Students did a wonderful job spreading kindness this month.  This all came out of our unit on families.  Next week, we will begin our science unit on weather and seasons in Michigan.  Students will explore why we have the seasons, different types of weather that we encounter in the different seasons, tools we use to measure different parts of the weather, etc.  This will be a very big unit for us!

Purposeful Play
Students are really enjoying the opportunity to be creative and use their imagination.  I enjoy seeing the problem solving and collaboration that happens. Ask your child what he or she created!

Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 
• January Homework - This is all "Play based" to encourage the students build fine/gross motor skills, creativity and imaginative skills.

Important Dates

January 31 - Multicultural Night (6-8 PM)
February 2 - Report Cards are accessible
February 19-20 - Midwinter break - No School
March 30 - Good Friday - No School
April 2-6 - Spring Break - No School
May 18 - PBL Presentation (AM) - more information to come, Celebration of Learning (PM)
May 28 - Memorial Day - No School
June 15 - Last Day of School - 1/2 Day (12:30 dismissal)

Week 18 - January 19, 2018

Sharpen the Saw Day - January 25, 2018

If you have not already signed up, please make sure to sign up your child for 1 activity during each session.

• Take the time with your student(s) to choose two DIFFERENT activities that they are interested in attending. 

• When completing your student's sign-up, be sure to use BOTH links below (Session 1 AND Session 2) to ensure your child has an activity for each session.

• When you sign up, use your STUDENT'S first and last name.

• Student sign-up will close at 11:59pm on Tuesday, January 23.

STUDENT SIGN-UP - SESSION 1:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4ea8ae2ba7f58-sharpen1

STUDENT SIGN-UP - SESSION 2:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4ea8ae2ba7f58-sharpen2

PARENT VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4ea8ae2ba7f58-sharpen

Curriculum

Reading

As a school, we have been learning about the 7 Habits of Happy Kids.  Students learned to Be Proactive, to Begin with the End in Mind, the Put First Things First, and to Think Win-Win.  Talk to your child about these different habits and how they can do these things at home and at school.  In addition, we will explore the long e sound.

Book Baggies:
Students have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  It is good to encourage reading and rereading of these books!  We will exchange books on Fridays, so please have students return these books next Friday.  (Just FYI, Library books are sent in on Thursday.)  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday. 

Writing
Next week, students will continue to write their own how to books on building a snowman.  They are encouraged to include transition words, write detailed specific steps, numbered steps, and more. 

Math
This week, students continued to work on place value and comparing numbers.  Next week, we will work on solving number stories.

Unit 5 Skills
o I can use a number grid to find 10 more and 10 less than a number.
o I can identify true and false addition and subtraction number sentences within 10.
o I can identify 2-digit numbers represented by base-10 blocks.
o I can use <, >, and = to compare numbers.
o I can answer questions about data in a tally chart or bar graph.
o I can measure a path using base-10 cubes.

Unit 5 Study Guide - You may use this to guide you in helping your child study for this Unit 3 Assessment.

Unit 5 IXL Skills - If you would like to, students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.

Social Studies
Our lead time has been going very well.  Students are trying to spread kindness and help remind the school to spread kindness!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE PARENTS WHO HELPED US DECORATE DOORS and for providing materials or cutting materials to decorate doors!  It was a HUGE task and we truly appreciate your kindness and support!

Purposeful Play
Students are really enjoying the opportunity to be creative and use their imagination.  I enjoy seeing the problem solving and collaboration that happens. Ask your child what he or she created!

Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 
• January Homework - This is all "Play based" to encourage the students build fine/gross motor skills, creativity and imaginative skills.

Important Dates

January 25 - Sharpen the Saw Day (see the sign up at the top of the post)
January 25 - 1/2 Day for Students (12:30 dismissal) - Records Day
January 26 - No School
January 31 - Multicultural Night (6-8 PM)

Week 17 - January 12, 2017

Curriculum

Reading

This week, our main focus has been on our kindness project.  During our reading times, the students came together as a first grade and decided to create a video to encourage the rest of the school that we should spread kindness.  The students wrote a script and created a video.  Next week, we will begin a school initiative to review the 7 Habits (one per day) of Happy Kids.  As we do this, students will also explore the long a sound.

Book Baggies:
Students have 6 books in their bag (two below their reading level to help them work on fluency, two at their level to focus on good reading skills, and two above level to continue to push and grow as readers).  These bags will stay at home all week for students to practice reading.  It is good to encourage reading and rereading of these books!  We will exchange books on Fridays, so please have students return these books next Friday.  (Just FYI, Library books are sent in on Thursday.)  If a student forgets or is absent one week, they will need to return them the following Friday. 

Writing
Next week, students will begin to write their own how to books on building a snowman.  They are encouraged to include transition words, write detailed specific steps, numbered steps, and more.

Math
This week, we began learning about place value.  Students are learning the difference between ones and tens.  They are learning to identify 2-digit numbers represented by base 10 blocks and to exchange ones for 10s.  Next week, we will continue to practice and learn place value.  

Unit 5 Skills
o I can use a number grid to find 10 more and 10 less than a number.
o I can identify true and false addition and subtraction number sentences within 10.
o I can identify 2-digit numbers represented by base-10 blocks.
o I can use <, >, and = to compare numbers.
o I can answer questions about data in a tally chart or bar graph.
o I can measure a path using base-10 cubes.

Unit 5 Study Guide - You may use this to guide you in helping your child study for this Unit 3 Assessment.

Unit 5 IXL Skills - If you would like to, students may use IXL to help them practice these skills.

Social Studies
Rather than sharing in cabins as we had originally planned, students shared their ideas on kindness and a kindness chain through a video.  We started our kindness chain today.  We are encouraging the kids to do meaningful acts of kindness, not just to earn a chain link, but simply to spread kindness.  Next week, we will be decorating doors to remind each other to "Throw Kindness Like Confetti".  If you are willing to help in any way, please sign up using our sign up genius: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0945a5a62da1f58-kindness

Purposeful Play
Students are really enjoying the opportunity to be creative and use their imagination.  I enjoy seeing the problem solving and collaboration that happens. Ask your child what he or she created!

Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 
• January Homework - This is all "Play based" to encourage the students build fine/gross motor skills, creativity and imaginative skills.

Important Dates

January 15 - No School - MLK Jr. Day
January 25 - Sharpen the Saw Day (more information to come)
January 25 - 1/2 Day for Students (12:30 dismissal) - Records Day
January 26 - No School
January 31 - Multicultural Night (6-8 PM)