Week 4

Dear 1C families,

This was a very busy and exciting week in our classroom! On Monday, we learned about the solar eclipse and our scholars made some beautiful artwork with Mr. Marshall to show what the full eclipse looks like.

It was wonderful to see so many parents at curriculum night on Wednesday! Thank you for attending.

We ended our week with fun stories and a glowstick for our August birthday celebration.

Ms. Kaye and I are so happy with the way that everyone in the class is adjusting to first grade. Today the class was very calm, attentive, and respectful! We are so grateful for all of your support in your child's learning so far!

Next week we will have DIBELS testing. I am looking forward to continuing to assess the reading skills of all of our students. During our first benchmark, we will test letter naming, saying the sounds in words, and decoding nonsense words. I look forward to sharing the results with you.

Coming up this week:

This week in Literature we are continuing our Tom Thumb stories from around the world! We will read “Little Finger of the Watermelon Patch,” a story from Vietnam. Then we will compare and contrast the characters of Tom Thumb, Issun Boshi, Thumbelina, and Little Finger. There will be a small assessment on Thursday.

 In Spalding are 29 spelling words this week. Some of these words have silent e’s! Here’s how we remember them:

 Job 1 – in the word time – “e lets the i say i”, in the word make – “e lets the a say a” (vowel, consonant, e) (this is only marked with single underlines)

Job 2 – English words do not end with v or u.  “v, u – job 2!” (ex: have, blue)

Job 3 – e helps the c/g say the second sound “c, g – job 3!” (ex: chance, charge)

Job 4 – Every syllable must have a vowel. (ex: lit tle)

Job 5 – no job e! (ex: are)

Please practice the following phonograms at home: b, d, g, r, t, ar, ay, ch, oo, ou. Spelling Test and McCall-Harby Reading Comprehension Test on Friday!

Words this week:

Monday: my, up, last, not, us, am, good, time, have, blue

Tuesday: chance, charge, little, are, ago, old, bad, red, of, be

Wednesday: but, this, all, your, you, out, may, into, him

In Grammar, we are continuing to study nouns and discussing the differences between common and proper nouns. There will be a small noun quiz on Friday!

Idiom: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Golden Rule)  

Poem: “Caterpillar” by Christina Rossetti – We will recite in partners on Friday!

On Monday, we will take our unit 2 Math test. Then, we will begin to work on addition. We will use manipulatives to show addition, write addition sentences, and tell addition stories. On Friday, we will take our cumulative units 1 and 2 test.

This week in Science, we will continue to study habitats. We will learn about the plants and animals that live in forests. We will also learn about some animals that make their homes underground.

This week in Geography students will describe various landforms and bodies of water such as mountains, hills, canyons, volcanoes, peninsulas, and islands. Students will also recognize specific features for each of the 7 continents.

Have a great week!




On a personal note...I shared some very exciting news with the class on Thursday!

Week 3

Dear 1C families,

I hope that you all enjoyed a restful weekend. Mr. Raya and I spent the weekend relaxing near Flagstaff with some friends and I'm looking forward to an exciting week in first grade!

Upcoming Events:

Solar Eclipse-Monday, August 21:  Students will be staying inside as a safety precaution and will learn about this phenomena during the school day.  Parents are welcome to sign their child out to view the eclipse.

K-2 Curriculum Night -Wednesday, August 23 from 6pm-8pm: Come switch places with your child as you sit in their desk to learn all about life in first grade!  From curriculum overview to your child's daily schedule and procedures, you are not going to want to miss this very informative night.  You will also get a chance to see a sample of your child's work and leave a special note for  them to read the next day! We look forward to seeing you there!
*Please note that this is an adults only event. 

1st Grade Coffee Shop Conversation-Thursday, August 24 from 8am-9am: Parents are invited to come spend some time chatting with the administration, first grade teachers and other first grade parents during this informal gathering. We hope to see you there!

Grandparents day- Friday, September 8th from 8am-10am



In Literature, we will be starting Tom Thumb stories from around the world! We will read and compare Tom Thumb, Issun Boshi: One Inch Boy, and Thumbelina, which are from England, Japan, and Denmark.

In Spalding, we are excited to begin spelling words this week! Directions for completing spelling homework will be sent home on Monday. Our first spelling test will be on Friday. It will contain all 30 words, as well as the ten phonograms of the week. We will also take the McCall-Harby reading comprehension test every week after the spelling test. This consists of a short reading passage that we will read to the class. There are ten “yes”/“no” questions that the students will answer following the listening of the story.

In Writing, we are doing copy work and narration exercises from The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Idiom: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (the Golden Rule)

Poem: “The Caterpillar” continued! Work on stanza 2 – we will recite on September 1^st (practice for 1 minute every day!)

This week in Math we will continue to work with making ten and creating number stories. We will also learn all about number bonds, this will include combining two parts to make a whole.  We will also continue working hard on our Rocket Math addition fact sheets so that we can keep “soaring” through each level!

In Science, we will begin our unit on habitats this week! First we will discuss what a habitat is and what different animals and plants need to survive. The first habitat we will study is the desert. We will learn about what makes a desert habitat different from other places. We will also study some of the plants and animals that live there.

In Geography, we will identify, label, and name the 7 continents and the 4 oceans of the words. We will also compare different bodies of water as well as describe the parts and importance of rivers and streams. 

Week 2

Dear 1C families,

We had a very successful first week of school. I am so proud of the hard work that I have seen from the new first graders so far. Everyone is doing well in learning our routines and procedures. Ms. Kaye and I are enjoying getting to know each of our new students.

Coming up this week:

This week in Spalding we will be working on forming our capital manuscript letters. We will also be working on two-letter phonograms to prepare us for our upcoming spelling words! At home, please listen to your child say the sounds as they write each phonogram three times. There are also some single letter phonograms to review each night!

In Grammar, we will learn about nouns. We will discuss how a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. We will also distinguish between common and proper nouns that name people and apply this knowledge on a noun word sort. 

In Literature, we will continue to explore the morals in Aesop’s Fables. We will read “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs,” “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” “The Maid and the Milk Pail,” and “The Fox and the Crane”. We will talk about the human-like characteristics that the animals have and the different virtues that could have been shown in the stories, had the characters made different choices. We will take a mini quiz on Aesop’s Fables on Friday, where students will match up each moral with the corresponding story we covered in class.

Idiom:

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Poem:

“The Caterpillar” by Christina G. Rosetti – Work on stanza 1. We will recite the entire poem on September 1st in class!

In Math we will review numbers 1-10 in the beginning of the week and homework on Monday will be a unit review. We will take our first math test on Tuesday! Then, we will practice telling number stories and begin number bonds.

This week in History we will be learning about what maps are used for and map features. Students will also create their own map.

In Science we will continue to review the scientific method. We will make observations about flowers, and focus on making observations while doing a simple experiment with oil and water.

Week 1

Good evening,

It was wonderful to meet everyone on Friday, and I looking forward to the first day of school tomorrow! It is going to be a great year.

Monday morning there will be teachers at drop off to assist your children out of their cars, help unload school supplies, and remind them where to go. You don't need to worry about getting out of your vehicle.

Always feel free to contact me by email if you have any questions or if there is anything you want to let me know.

I will update this blog every week. On the blog, you will find all homework listed for the week, spelling words, important dates, reminders, and classroom news. Please subscribe to receive email updates when the blog is updated.

Please remember to send school supplies (if you haven't already), a lunch, two healthy snacks, and a water bottle with you child to school every day.

See you soon!

This week in 1C:

In Spalding, this week we will focus on proper posture, pencil grip, and handwriting features. We will learn how to form all of the manuscript lowercase letters, focusing on a particular handwriting feature each day. We will also learn the single letter phonograms associated with each letter formation. We want to have a strong handwriting start, so please make sure your child is holding his or her pencil properly and forming letters in the correct way (left to right, top to bottom, etc.) We will be sending home a “Features Formation” packet to assist you in helping your child with homework!

In Writing, this week’s copy work and narration exercises come from Little House in the Big Woods.

In Literature, we have some exciting stories this week! On Monday we will read First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg, discuss how we are feeling on the first day of first grade, and tie this in with the virtue of friendship. Tuesday, we will begin our first unit, which is Aesop’s Fables! We will be reading “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” “The Fox and the Grapes,” and “The Dog in the Manger”. As we read each fable, we will discuss the moral of the story and identify common fable components.

Idiom:  We will be introduced to our first idiom “Sour Grapes”. This idiom refers to something a person decides is not worth having only after they find out that they cannot have the desired object.

Poem:  “The Caterpillar”  by Christina Rosetti

In Math this week will review how to count, read, and write numbers within 10. We will also learn all about our Rocket Math program which will allow us to practice our subtraction and addition math facts all year long. Lastly, we will practice our daily Calendar routine which will include everything from time and money to place value and measurement.

In History, we will be learning about what maps are used for and map features. Students will also create their own map.

In Science, we will begin by discussing what science is and what a scientist does. Students will learn about the steps of the scientific method by completing an experiment together.

Welcome to 1C!

Welcome to 1C!

Ms. Kaye and I look forward to meeting you tonight! There will be two sessions to alleviate traffic and parking:

Last name beginning A-M—5:30-6:30

Last name beginning N-Z—6:30-7:30

There will be limited parking on campus; however, overflow parking will be available in the shopping center across Baseline Road, as well as next door at CarLife after 6:00. The Archway building is the westernmost building on campus, and the entrance is on the west side.

Students should bring all school supplies to this event. Literature books and the book of poetry can be kept at home. We will let students know when to bring each book in. (We will begin with Owl at Home.) I’m also attaching a student information form to be filled out and turned in on the first day of school. There will be paper copies supplied, but you are more than welcome to print and fill out the form ahead of time and turn it in tonight!

We look forward to meeting you tonight. It’s going to be a great year!

Sincerely,

Lori Raya