This week with our Wonders program we will look at: Where do animals live together? Our guided reading books are all about Meerkats. We will continue our learning about this interesting little animal during the week as we work on a Research Project. The spelling this week will be tricky word endings: lend, send, fast, past, sink, wink - - of, who **Due to Friday’s Teacher Workshop our weekly spelling test will be on Thursday. During the course of the week our reading will expose us to three more sight words: eat, under, no. We will also learn about possessive nouns. With our math we will focus on length as a measurable attribute and then compare the lengths of various objects. Last Wednesday we did a problem solving using the book Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. This book was perfect for a STEM activity. Turkey was in trouble...big trouble! The task: using pattern blocks and working with a teammate could they successfully build a structure that Turkey could hide in from Farmer Jake? The structure had to be solid enough to not fall down (a connection to last week’s Wonder stories about buildings) and Turkey could not be seen at all. Check out the pictures below from this fun activity. Did you hear about our school-wide Pep Rally? If you are interested in seeing a quick video from our Pep Rally, please email me and I will send you the link. This is being done for privacy reasons. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mrs. Buckley and I asked your children what they were thankful for. Peter: everything Phoebe: Mom, Dad, and George Coraline: the best school Bentley: friends, family, my teachers Walter: my house Zeke: food Mallory: my sister Elizabeth: Mom, Dad, my pets Matthew: my teachers Ben: my family Payton: food Rory: my friends Keiran: my dogs Alyssa: the world Brayden: my teachers Silas: my brother Darren: my teachers Derek: my house Connor: the world Mrs. Buckley and I are thankful for your children! STEM Activity:
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We had so much fun last Friday when we investigated how pushes can change the speed and direction of falling objects. Using the activity “Boulder Bounce” your children had to design a solution that would protect Tiny Town from a bouncing-ball “boulder”. A huge thank you to Mrs. Cornwall for all of her help with our investigation. Check out the pictures below!
We will be learning about the first Thanksgiving - comparing and contrasting with our present day celebration. Be on the lookout for your child’s Thanksgiving flipbook – they will have lots to share with you. Some of last week’s wet weather reminded us about the importance to packing an extra set of clothes for your child in their backpack. It’s time to replace the extra “summer” clothing with “winter” clothing. Also, please pack extra socks! Although boots get left at the classroom door somehow the wet snow still appears on our classroom floor and we have puddles which seem to find all stocking feet. Has your child learned how to tie their shoes? Beginning in January it is expected that your child is able to tie their own shoes, independently. We have been working hard at following routines and maintaining expected behaviors throughout the day. We are working hard at earning our “dobs” by showing kindness and expected “Bobcat” behavior. A conversation with your child on how they are doing would be greatly appreciated. Mrs. Buckley and I send warm wishes to wish you and your loved ones for a very Happy Thanksgiving. May this day be a beautiful reminder of the wonderful friendships and love which continue to brighten and enrich our lives. Our Wonders program will focus on our Essential Question: What buildings do you know? What are they made of? We will be talking and reading about buildings and what they are made of. So, of course, the three little pigs is a perfect story for us to dive into. There are so many wonderful variations of this tale, we will read two that your children have probably not read yet - - The Pigs, the Wolf, and the Mud by Ellen Tarlow and The Three Dassies by Jan Brett.
Our phonics focus is short vowel Uu. The spelling words for the week are: run, fun, nut, cut, bug, rug. Our sight words are: could, one...with exposure to: live, then, three. I will be sending home a list of the Sight Words that your child will be responsible for in Trimester 1. Your child will be assessed on these words within the next couple of weeks. Please help them to practice these words. Our Wonders program will expose us to singular and plural nouns as well as contractions. The cold weather is upon us. Cynthia Rylant’s beautiful book, In November, will help to guide us to write our own stories about the approaching winter. We will be finishing these stories up before our Thanksgiving break. This week in Science we will make a connection to our Wonders program as we investigate: How can we protect a mountain town from falling rocks. Happy Veterans Day. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all the brave men and women who have chosen the path of service in our armed forces. Last Friday we talked a lot about Veterans Day. Is anyone is your family a veteran? Talk with your child about this special person – we’d love to have them share this information with us.
Mrs. Buckley and I were so proud of your children at our Open House and performance last Thursday night. They learned and performed Hawaiian songs, drumming, and dancing (even with many daily changes to our dance routine). This week with our Wonders program we will be reading and talking about jobs with our Essential Question of: What jobs need to be done in our community? The short vowel “Ee” will be our phonics focus. Our spelling words are: leg, beg, men, hen, head, bread Our sight words are: there, again - - with exposure to: help, new, use. Your children are learning how to use different resources to help them to add and subtract as well as identify numbers up to 120. Rekenreks continue to be a favorite! We have been working hard on number operations and algebraic thinking. By the end of First Grade, your child will need to be proficient with:
There are no new spelling words this week due to our Artist-in-Residence program and assessments (Wonders program and Writing). As I told your children last week...if they missed a spelling word last week this is their chance to practice it again to get it right. The goal with our spelling words is to know them not just for the Friday test but consistently every time they see or write the word. Be sure to look at Friday’s test to see which (if any) words your child needs to focus on.
We will begin our Artist-in-Residence program Monday morning. We have been spending the last several weeks learning about Hawaii. It is impressive how much they have learned already. Now comes the time to work with our artists on drumming, singing, and dancing the “Hawaiian way”. Be sure to check the yellow sheet that went home last week for additional information on Thursday’s events. Here is a quick recap:
A sign-up sheet for Fall Conferences will be out during Open House. I will also have a sign-up sheet for volunteers. |
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