Week of March 18th

What We’re Learning This Week:

Reading:  We will be reading “Henry and Mudge and Mrs. Hopper’s House”.  Students will be working on asking and answering questions about key details in a story. We will also work on comparing and contrasting character’s experiences by comparing Henry and Mudge.  As always, we’ll be reading poetry weekly for fluency and expression practice.

Writing:  The first graders will be starting their new writing unit for fourth quarter, realistic fiction.  We will introduce this unit by discussing story elements in realistic fiction.  The students will listen to mentor texts, and they will begin planning their first realistic fiction story.  Each story will include a character, place (setting), and plot (trouble) that their character gets into. By the end of this unit the children will be expected to write a story that has two or more events, with details, transition words, and a wrap-up sentence. We will also be continuing to work on capitalization, end marks and writing detailed sentences through mini-lessons.  During this unit, each child will write a made up story with characters doing realistic things and revisit his or her writing to self-assess and revise.

Word Study/Spelling: 

Fry Words: than, first, water, been, called

Feature/Pattern of the week: short vowels: e, i, o, u

Ex: shed, chip, flop, shut

Phonics: -ly and –ful endings (ex: slowly, thankful)

Grammar:  Review frequently occurring conjunctions (and, but, so, or, because)

Math: Our math lessons each day will include computational fluency, fact fluency, and core math instruction focused on the first grade common core math standards. Computational fluency will help the students to use the most effective and efficient strategies.  Fact Fluency is working with both addition and subtraction facts within 10.  Our end-of-the-year goal is to have students complete 15 addition facts in one minute and 15 subtraction facts in one minute. Our core lessons will include hands-on math activities and games that support the common core.  This week we will focus on finding 10 more and 10 less without having to count.  We will also review when two number sentences are equal or not equal. 

4th grading period Science and Social Studies:
Science: Plants
Social Studies:  Historical Thinking and Heritage

Extras:

·    The children have been participating in book talks- they are encouraged to sign up to share and talk about a book that they have read.  It is great to see the kids excited about wanting to read the different books.

·    Week of March 18^th : Conferences – I sent home conference slips.  If I checked that a conference is not needed, and you would still like a conference, please let me know.  I am happy to meet or talk any time.

·    March 22nd- report cards come home

·    March 25^th- April 1^st : Spring break