Grade 1 February Newletter:
Reader's Workshop
Our current reading unit is on nonfiction. We are working on identifying and retelling important facts, asking questions, and learning new information. We will also be learning about "text features" of nonfiction books such as the Table of Contents, Glossary and Diagrams. The students are enjoying reading nonfiction books during independent reading and are excited to share new facts they have learned. Please include some nonfiction reading at home and don't forget to fill in and return your reading logs every Monday. We are in the middle of DRA testing and will send home your child's score at the end of the month.
Writer's Workshop
The children completed "How to _____" books. We worked on sequencing steps, drawing detailed illustrations, and giving clear directions using action words. We have begun writing informational books. Right now, all students are writing a book about First Grade. Soon children will research and write about a topic of their choice.
Math
We finished Unit 4 which covered nonstandard and standard units of measure. The dime was introduced and we continued practicing counting combinations of coins and coin exchanges. We worked on telling time to the quarter hour. Time and money tend to be challenging for first graders. Please take advantage of opportunities to practice these skills at home. We have begun working on place value and comparing numbers.
Science
Our science unit is on Balance and Motion. Students enjoyed many investigations on balancing objects. Ask your children how they got different objects to balance? Upcoming investigations will be on spinning tops, zoomers, and twirlers.
Social Studies
We learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and discussed being fair and treating all people equally. We learned about Chinese New Year. We continue to discuss our school rules and what it means to work hard and be safe, responsible, and respectful.
Upcoming Events
We will be having a small Valentine's Day concert for parents on February 14th at 1:45. Each class will be performing one song. We hope you can join us.
Thank you,
The First GradeTeam