FIRST GRADE FOOTNOTES



Dear First Grade Families: 4/9/10

Happy summer weather! First Grade has been enjoying the summer-like weather, eating lunch on the lawn and practicing spelling outside with sidewalk chalk! Here’s an overview of what else we’ve been doing in First Grade:

MATH: This week we continued our study of money and introduced the quarter and practiced adding quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. Please continue to reinforce these skills by getting your child to count your spare change! We also learned about the digital clock and the analog clock and practiced telling time on each type. Our Math Reference Book was introduced and we had a fun “scavenger hunt” looking for information in the Reference Book and using the Table of Contents. The students also enjoyed a “hunt” for objects that were 1 cm and 10 cm long. Boy, were they creative in what they found in our room! The week ended with teams playing the Fact Family Game created by Mrs. Hoppe. Thanks, Mrs. Hoppe for sharing your games with us!

Next week we will wrap up Unit 6 and take the Unit 6 Assessment.

READING: Our realistic fiction story “A Bed Full of Cats” was enjoyed by all. I am proud of the way First Grade completed our usual 5 days of reading work in just 4 days! Way to go First Grade! Next week’s story will be a nonfiction story called, “Me on the Map.” Several students have read this as part of the Guided Reading (book bag) series. I’m counting on them to show what they know about this story!

BOOK BAGS: Please continue to read these books with your child. This is their chance to read books on “their” level and work towards the next level books. Please read them at least 2 times over the weekend and return them on Monday. Feel free to send a note with the books to let me know how they “fit”. Just as our First Graders are outgrowing their clothes because of physical growth, they are growing educationally in their reading and we want to make sure the books are a good “fit”! Keep up the good work!

SPELLING: Next week’s spelling words will be long a words:

came, game, gate, late, lake, take, feet, me, know, also
Bonus (high-frequency) words: country, Earth, over, special, town, world

ART: If you haven’t done so already . . . please send in a clean, clear, glass jar/bottle for an art project we will be doing next week. If you have extras, we’ll take them too! Thanks for your help with this project.

In addition to the glass jar art project, First Grade will also get to work with “MK”, our temporary resident artist, on making bug kites!

SCIENCE: The students worked in groups to create posters that showed “living” vs. “nonliving” objects and discussed what things a living creature needs (air, water, food) and that they grow and change.

UPCOMING DATES:

4/9 – (after school) Talent Show Auditions
4/13 – (after school) Talent Show Auditions
4/30 – Mid-Marking Period 3
5/18 – Kite Launching event
5/19 – Talent Show
5/21 – First Grade Class Trip

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions/concerns. Feel free to send a note in the homework folder or email me at dmahoney@elmerschool.com.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Mahoney/Mrs. Johnson