Reading : Over the past few weeks we have been working on strategies that readers use when they get struck on tricky words. In school, we add fun animal names to those strategies to help the students remember them, but they are strategies that readers of all ages use when they get stuck. Ask your child to tell you about Eagle Eye, Lips the Fish, Stretchy Snake, Chunky Monkey, Skippy Frog, and Tryin' Lion. If your child gets stuck on a word when he/she is reading at home, remind him/her to use the animal strategies!
Phonics : So far, we have reviewed a lot of the sounds that the students learned in kindergarten except we're taking it to a little bit of a deeper level in first grade. At this point, first graders should be able to successfully read and spell CVC words (words that have a consonant sound at the beginning, a short vowel sound in the middle, and a consonant sound at the end).
Writing : We've completed two writing units so far - the introductory unit and the small moment unit. In the most recent unit, the small moment unit, the students narrowed the focus of their stories and worked on adding details to make their stories more interesting. We worked on adding in names, places, size words, color words, feeling words, and dialogue. The students also learned how to end their pieces in exciting ways. At this point, your child should be able to write a three page story (with a beginning, middle, and end) about an event that has happened in his/her life.
Math : We've completed two math units so far! The students have gotten a lot of practice using numbers in many different ways. We started by showing and manipulating numbers on ten frames, but we've also learned about tally marks, number lines, number grids, and word problems. The students are all doing great work! Your child can get extra math practice by working on Happy Numbers and Xtra Math at home. (Both of them can be found on Classlink.)
Science : Our first science unit was Earth Science. The students studied patterns that we notice with day & night, the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Social Studies : Back in September, we did our first social studies unit on the community. The students learned all about the importance of a community and community helpers.