Holiday Greetings Parents!
We have been busy in Grade 1 preparing for the holidays with presentations and activities about Hanukkah and Christmas. The children experienced Hanukkah traditions with The Smith Family and Judy Peiken. They also honed their fine motor skills with the creation of their gingerbread houses with The McCoy Family. In Calendar each day we have been tracking the days until break and Christmas. Students are now able to independently identify the complete dates for "yesterday, today, and tomorrow." They are excited to switch the calendar sentence frames to 2015.
In Math we have moved into our second math workbook and have started comparing numbers using the "key words": less than, fewer than, and more than. We are learning the operations that accompany these key words and that less than and fewer than are linked to subtraction, while "more than" and "altogether" indicate addition. Students are now practicing creating number bonds and math sentences for their subtraction stories thus requiring them to rethink the pictures according to what is being asked in the question.
In Writing students are adding to their showcase and portfolio work with "explorations in editing" and "considering the reader". We continue to work on alphabetical order and phonetic awareness in their word formation. Yesterday we extended our writing requirement to one full page plus two lines. Their writing stamina is growing rapidly and we are excited to see the growth that traditionally occurs in January. Please have children jot down a sentence or two each day in their "holiday journal." This will prevent any slides from occurring over the long break.
In Reading students are making progress in their fluency, articulation, and comprehension. Thank you for helping them complete their nightly reading on a regular basis. This practice is invaluable to their achieving an independent reading level that matches their developmental readiness. We are currently conducting word studies in syllabication and chunking in order to help us break apart and better understand the more difficult words coming our way at this stage of Grade 1.
In Science we are studying mass, length, geometric shapes, and four-way patterning. The terms "heavier than", "lighter than", and "as heavy as" are being used to compare weight. "Longer than", "shorter than", and "as as long as" are being used to compare length. Throughout the holiday have children identify patterns and shapes around them. When children use their own voices to speak what they see and think will allow them to commit it to memory effectively.
In Social Sciences we are working on ways to self-regulate and check in with themselves so they can track how they are feeling physically and emotionally. Students are being challenged with the task of figuring out what the difference is between responding and reacting. In this time of heightened excitement and changes in routine, diet, and sleep patterns it is helpful for the students to have tools for self-regulation. In class we talk about being self-regulated and other-regulated. When we are self-regulated we get to drive our own car with our own keys.
Enjoy your holidays and keep up the reading, writing, and math.
Cheers,
Grade 1 Team
We have been busy in Grade 1 preparing for the holidays with presentations and activities about Hanukkah and Christmas. The children experienced Hanukkah traditions with The Smith Family and Judy Peiken. They also honed their fine motor skills with the creation of their gingerbread houses with The McCoy Family. In Calendar each day we have been tracking the days until break and Christmas. Students are now able to independently identify the complete dates for "yesterday, today, and tomorrow." They are excited to switch the calendar sentence frames to 2015.
In Math we have moved into our second math workbook and have started comparing numbers using the "key words": less than, fewer than, and more than. We are learning the operations that accompany these key words and that less than and fewer than are linked to subtraction, while "more than" and "altogether" indicate addition. Students are now practicing creating number bonds and math sentences for their subtraction stories thus requiring them to rethink the pictures according to what is being asked in the question.
In Writing students are adding to their showcase and portfolio work with "explorations in editing" and "considering the reader". We continue to work on alphabetical order and phonetic awareness in their word formation. Yesterday we extended our writing requirement to one full page plus two lines. Their writing stamina is growing rapidly and we are excited to see the growth that traditionally occurs in January. Please have children jot down a sentence or two each day in their "holiday journal." This will prevent any slides from occurring over the long break.
In Reading students are making progress in their fluency, articulation, and comprehension. Thank you for helping them complete their nightly reading on a regular basis. This practice is invaluable to their achieving an independent reading level that matches their developmental readiness. We are currently conducting word studies in syllabication and chunking in order to help us break apart and better understand the more difficult words coming our way at this stage of Grade 1.
In Science we are studying mass, length, geometric shapes, and four-way patterning. The terms "heavier than", "lighter than", and "as heavy as" are being used to compare weight. "Longer than", "shorter than", and "as as long as" are being used to compare length. Throughout the holiday have children identify patterns and shapes around them. When children use their own voices to speak what they see and think will allow them to commit it to memory effectively.
In Social Sciences we are working on ways to self-regulate and check in with themselves so they can track how they are feeling physically and emotionally. Students are being challenged with the task of figuring out what the difference is between responding and reacting. In this time of heightened excitement and changes in routine, diet, and sleep patterns it is helpful for the students to have tools for self-regulation. In class we talk about being self-regulated and other-regulated. When we are self-regulated we get to drive our own car with our own keys.
Enjoy your holidays and keep up the reading, writing, and math.
Cheers,
Grade 1 Team