CLASSROOM NEWS

1. First Grade CLASSROOM NEWS C. Penalber, A. Chaney, A. Williams, Vacant School Contact Info: (225) 222-3715 August 26th – 30th Let’s Get LITeracy!     What We’re Learning! English Language Arts: Reading and Writing: This week we will continue working with students to establish current reading levels. We are working this week to get our students used to reading for long periods of time. We know the more students read the better they become as readers. We will continue to push the 100 book challenge this week. The 100 Book Challenge is an independent reading program designed to maximize the effectiveness of our reading curriculum. Our goal at The Early Learning Center is to develop avid, lifelong readers, students whose proficiency in and love of reading enable them to flourish throughout their lives—in the classroom, on standardized tests, at the college of their choice, and in a life-enriching career—allowing all aspects of their experience to be enhanced by the information and perspectives gained from reading. The 100 book challenge does this by dramatically increasing the amount of reading a student is expected to do. Eventually we will require a minimum of 30 minutes of independent reading a day in school. Our goal is to also get students reading 30 minutes at home as well. There are several critical ways you can support your child’s reading as a home coach. Help him establish habits and routines that ensure that reading occurs every night. Make sure that a regular time is reserved for reading, and that distractions such as TV and cell phones are turned off. Be sure to let your child write his/her book on the log sheet and you sign it each night. When the log sheet is full return it to school so we can document the number of steps your child has read. If you need another log sheet please let us know so we can send you another one. Remember that for each 15 minutes your child reads they will get 1 step. You can also talk to your child about their reading. It encourages their interest in their book and deepens their understanding of the information or story. Listen to your child read as often as possible. Compliment your child when he displays good reading habits such as noticing punctuation and reading in phrases, or going back to self-correct an error when a sentence doesn’t sound right or make sense. Praise your child for the amount of reading he is completing. With your work at home and our work at school we will build lifelong avid readers. Let’s continue to get LITeracy this year. We look forward to all we will accomplish at The Early Learning Center. Homework Below are homework assignments and/or skills to review at home with your child. Remember homework is due on Friday. Homework is not meant to overwhelm you or your child. Try not to do it all in one night. We can not stress enough about reading each night! Use the reading log to keep track of the number of steps your child earns. We will celebrate with those students that turn in a completed reading log. Use the 1G and 2G Power Word checklists we sent home last week. These words are critical for reading. As they learn each word check it off. They have to read these at flash speed. We are testing them on 10 each week. Use the different strategies on the guide to sight words to help you. Dictation Sentence: We want to have fun. Students must be able to write the dictation sentence correctly as it is read. We will look for handwriting, spacing, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. Spelling Words/Power Words: me, want, and, have, no, was, are, he, of, we Monday - Do Word Search sheet Tuesday - Do Missing Letters sheet Wednesday - Practice writing Dictation Sentence Thursday - Do a practice spelling test along with dictation sentence. Our Learning Reminders & Important Dates! August 30th – St. Helena Early Learning Center – Back to School PBIS Dance – Time TBA September 2nd – Labor Day – No School September – 4th – End of First Interim Period – (grade reports will follow) October 25th – Homecoming – No School

2. First Grade CLASSROOM NEWS Continued The Week of August 60th – 30th Homework     What We’re Learning! Math: This week we will begin Topic C: Addition Word Problems LESSONS 9-13 In Topic C, students develop a more robust understanding of addition word problems, moving beyond the Kindergarten problem types (K.OA.2) by reviewing put together with result unknown and add to with result unknown problems, and then moving to the more complex change unknown version of the earlier problem types. In Lesson 9, students solve both add to with result unknown and put together with result unknown problems with their classmates. The lesson begins with a cadre of students engaged in a dance party, and then a number of students join them—how fun! Students then record this action-based problem as an equation, and move on to the put together with result unknown problem type, where they are faced with a set of students whose characteristics invite decomposition, much like in Topic B. Students end with Debrief Questions in which they explore the connections between these two problem types, ultimately understanding that they used the operation of addition to solve both problem types. Lesson 10 has students using 5-group cards to solve put together with result unknown problems that are represented by stories stemming from pictures. The 5-group cards again make the expectation clear that students will be practicing counting on, but may use the strategy of counting all if necessary. Rekenrek bracelet with 5 white beads and 5 red beads. The introduction of the add to with change unknown problem type (1.OA.6) occurs in Lesson 11. This lesson allows students explorations with problems where the action, which represents the change, is unknown. For example, “Ben has 5 pencils. He got some more from his mother. Now, he has 9 pencils. How many pencils did Ben get from his mother?” Students physically add more to the starting quantity, counting on until they reach the total; for the first time in Mission 1, students simply must use the valuable strategy of counting on in order to determine the unknown part. Lesson 12 continues with solving add to with change unknown problems, as students use their 5-group cards to count on to find the unknown change in quantity. Throughout these two lessons, students explore the symbol for the unknown (1.OA.1) as both a question mark and an open box. The topic ends with students creating their own put together with result unknown, add to with result unknown, and add to with change unknown problems from equations, and then having their peers solve them through drawings and discussions. Social Studies: : Week 4: Good Citizens Students will understand some basic civic values (e.g., fair play, honesty, sportsmanship) and learn about some ways to handle things if they are bullied. We will have our test on Friday as usual. Students have been dong well on the tests. Science: Unit 1: Light and Sound - Shadows This week students will learn all about shadows. We will plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. Below are homework assignments and/or skills to review at home with your child. Homework is so important! Math: Complete the Mission 1 Lessons 9-13 Homework Sheets that are attached. Please do not do all of the homework sheets in one night. Students will be learning the skills that are associated with the homework sheets each day. For example, in class on Monday they will be taught the skills for lesson 9 Tuesday, they will be introduced to lesson 10. On Wednesday Lesson 11 and so on. Don’t forget to google lessons if you are unsure how to complete any of the homework.For example: First Grade Eureka Module 1 Topic B Lesson 9 YouTube. We also encourage students to access ZEARN at home. If you did not get your child’s login information please let their teacher know. They can access ZEARN on a phone, tablet or computer. Social Studies: Review the attached study guide for a test on Friday. Science: Complete shadows worksheets. Educational Websites www.funbrain.com www.starfall.com www.abcya.com www.pbs.org/parents www.factmonster.com www.lightupyourbrain.com www.pbskids.org/games/science/ www.zearn.org