Grade 1 News

Our mission is to make a difference in the lives of children. 
We will build student confidence and provide them with the tools to meet their individual potential.  We will use best practices to facilitate the learning process and create a safe environment where students feel valued, are free to take risks, and share control.

Hello again families!  We can’t believe the third marking period has begun!  Our school year is more than half over and we are amazed with the progress we have seen in every student.  Our days have been busy and packed with learning.  We thank you for your continued help and support with our first grade program.
Please read on to find out what’s in store for the third marking period.

Ready to Read!

In reading, we will continue to work on reading comprehension strategies and skills.  We will be revisiting some previously taught strategies and exploring them in greater detail. 
Here is a list of what we will focus on this marking period.

*Ask meaningful questions before, during, and after reading to help clarify and understand the text.  We will answer those questions using support from the text, our schema (our prior knowledge), and inferring.
*Make predictions about fiction (what will happen) and nonfiction (what you will learn).  Support predictions using schema and clues from the text.
*Summarize text by using our own words to tell the important parts of the beginning, middle, and end.
*List story elements:  setting, characters, problem, and solution.
*Identify text features in fiction and nonfiction and tell why these are important and how they help us as readers.  Some of these include title, bold print, capital letters, illustrations, captions, chapter titles, table of contents, and glossary.
*Compare and contrast text features in fiction and nonfiction.
*Read nonfiction text and identify main idea and supporting details.
*Determine importance in nonfiction text and locate important information

Word Study

*word endings s, es, ing, and the three sounds of ed (/t/, /d/, /ed/)
*r-controlled vowels:  er (her), ar (far), ar (vary), or (for), ir (sir), ur (fur),
*dipthongs:  oi (oil), oy (boy), ou (out), ow (cow)
*vowel sounds of y:  short i (gym), long i (my), long e (funny)
*broad o sound:  o (long), al (also), aw (saw), au (auto)
*double o sound:  oo (soon), oo (good), u (truth), u (put)
*long vowel sounds and their various spellings
*Identify the two words that make up contractions.
*Identify and correctly use compound words (doghouse).
*Read high-frequency words fluently.
*Determine word meanings using context clues.
*Discuss words and their meanings as they are encountered in text

Wonderful Writing!

Our writing skills continue to improve.  We will be refining previously taught skills and work on the following this marking period.

*Proofread and edit work for mistakes in capitalization, punctuation,
complete sentences, and effective details. 
*Spell word wall words correctly using classroom resources, such as first grade individual word books and the word wall.
*Apply sounds learned to words not found in classroom resources.
*Use a beginning hook, such as an exclamation or question.
*Use an appropriate ending, such as telling how you feel about the topic.
*Use specificity when writing, such as “Cheerios” instead of “cereal.”
*Write a caption to match a picture.
*Make a comparison, such as big, bigger, and biggest.
*Use rhyming words in writing.
*Replace “and then” with transition words, such as later, next, after that, suddenly, soon, and on Sunday.

Spectacular Science

We will be finishing our Solids and Liquids Unit early in the marking period.  Later in the marking period, we will begin a new unit called, Pebbles, Sand, and Silt.

Solids and Liquids
*Identify the three states of matter.
*Observe solids and liquids and identify their properties.
*Recognize the similarities and differences between solids and liquids.
*Sort solids and liquids according to their properties.
*Mix solids and liquids and record the results.
*Describe observations orally and in writing.

Pebbles, Sand, and Silt
*Observe, describe, and sort earth materials based on properties.
*Separate earth materials by size.
*Observe the similarities and differences in a river rock mixture: silt, sand,
gravel, and small and large pebbles.
*Explain places where earth materials are found and ways that they are used.
*Compare the components of different soils.
*Organize and communicate observations through drawing and writing.
*Acquire and use vocabulary associated with earth materials.

Studies in Social Studies

*Compare and use maps and globes.
*Identify and label the seven continents and four oceans.
*Identify and use map features:  legend, symbols, and compass rose.
*Identify and describe natural landforms (mountains, hills, deserts, valleys, plains, oceans, rivers, creeks, streams, lakes, ponds).
*Identify and describe physical features of a place (climate, vegetation, animal life, and physical features).
*Describe how and why people protect and adapt to changes in the environment

Marvelous Math

We will continue to work on problem solving strategies.  From now until the end of the school year, we will practice mastering addition facts to 10 and subtraction facts from 10.  Timed fact tests will be given throughout both marking periods.  The following concepts will also be introduced and reinforced.

*Create and compare data on picture graphs and make comparison statements. 
How many more _________ are there than ___________?
How many fewer _________ are there than ___________?
*Gather and record data and construct a graph showing the results.
*Convert graphs to simple tables.
*Solve story problems with comparisons.
*Measure to the nearest inch.
*Identify rotations of 2-D shapes (turns, flips, slides).
*Explore congruent and symmetrical 2-D shapes.
*Count and identify the number of sides and corners (vertices) of
2-D and 3-D shapes.
*Sort and classify solid shapes.
*Relate quarters and time to fractions (one half ½ and one fourth ¼).
*Interpret and compare data in a circle graph.
*Tell time to the half-hour.
*Solve story problems involving time and days of the week.
*Draw coins to represent a given amount and convert coins to cents/cents to coins.
*Explore and solve 2-digit addition equations.
*Make change from a dollar.

Primary Talent Development  (PTD)
This is an early learning program for grades pre-kindergarten to grade two.  This program allows all students to gain access to higher level learning through creative thinking and learning.
We will work in a module called “Bubbleology” in between the two science units.

Health
We will continue to focus on showing good character and making good choices.  We will discuss and identify ways to take care of our teeth and make healthy choices.  We will also discuss poison control and identify healthy and unhealthy substances.

The first grade team is looking forward to a productive and successful third marking period!

Mrs. Petinga, Miss Murphy, Mrs. Stine, Mrs. Klusak,
Mrs. Malesh, Mrs. Miller, and Mrs. Kennard