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)