STAR STUDENT: PRESTON VASSAR

Congratulations to our newest Star Student, Preston Vassar! Preston is always showing his creativity and enthusiasm towards learning. Preston is a great example to others when he shows respect to his friends and teachers. Great job, Preston! We look forward to celebrating you this week!

Busy Week Ahead! Sept. 30-Oct. 4

Hello Firsties and Families!

    I hope everyone has had a relaxing and enjoyable weekend! This is my absolute FAVORITE time of the year. The leaves are changing color and our class family has had enough time to adjust to the classroom routines and understand their unique and important role in the classroom. "Team Peake" is ready to look back on the past nine weeks and reflect on what went well, as well as, create new goals for the next grading quarter.

   The month of October is full of exciting events that will surely be memorable for the children! Please ensure that you are checking your child's Wednesday Folder for communication as well as their Red Folder for any additional information. Please also make sure that you are always checking this blog as it is the BEST way to fully understand what your child is experiencing in the classroom and how you can help them from home or at school.

Here's what your child will be focusing on in the classroom next week:

Reading:

Summarizing and retelling the key details in a text.

Spelling: 

Introduce the /sh/ consonant digraph. Review all short vowels. (a,e,i,o,u)

Example of words that could possibly be on the test: shut, shop, bush, mesh

Red Words: his, they, be

Grammar:

Identifying plural nouns in a sentence. Using plural nouns properly in sentences. 

Writing:

Responding to Lois Ehlhert's children's book "Leaf Man" by creating our own Leaf Men and writing about their travels.

Science/Social Studies

Completing final touches of Non-Fiction Book and Comparing and Contrasting the different types of deserts across the world.

Math:

Identifying different types of patterns involving numbers, colors, shapes, etc. 

Important Announcements and Reminders:

• Monday, Sept. 30 from 12:45-1:15 in the Media Center- Our class will be purchasing books from the Book Fair. You are welcome to join your child at the book fair or send money in an enclosed envelope for your child to purchase books.
• Wednesday, Oct. 2nd is WALK TO SCHOOL DAY! 
• Thursday, Oct. 3rd Will be a 1/2 day training for the 1st grade team in the Everyday Mathematics Curriculum. We will be training from 11:30-3:00, therefore, our classes will each have a Kindergarten paraprofessional caring for our students. If your child's transportation changes that day, please send a note with your child that morning. I will not be available that afternoon.
• Friday, Oct. 4th- Please remember this is the due date for your child to bring in his or her Landforms' project. Your child will be asked to present their research to the class so please rehearse and practice before Friday! I can't wait to see all of their hard work! 
• Please be on the lookout for a SignUp Genius invitation to Parent Teacher Conferences. They will be taking place starting Oct. 7th through Oct. 25th. These conferences will be a focus on what's going well in the classroom as well as setting individual goals for your child. 
•  On Oct. 22nd our class will be joining Mrs. O'Meara's class at Boneheads for a Spirit Night. A portion of the money that is spent at Boneheads will go to Sarah Smith. Please join us at 5:30 to celebrate our great school and spend some quality time together outside of the classroom. 
• Grandparents and Special Friends day will take place on October 25th this year! Please mark your calendars. Invitations will come home in your child's Yellow Wednesday Folder.

Thanks for all your support at home! 

Gratefully, 

    Jean Peake 

    

Greetings Firsties and Families!

What an adventurous week we have had in First Grade! We began our week by diving into the deep blue sea and exploring the unique animals, plants and other organisms that live in the ocean.  On Wednesday we had a real live scientist come to our classroom and perform experiments relating to sound. The students learned a great deal from our on campus field trip with High Touch High Tech and enjoyed the engaging, hands on activities with Mr. C.

     We ended our week by celebrating the Spanish speaking countries that are represented by our students and teachers. The Tahino Music group came to share their music with us and we had a great time dancing and making beautiful music as a school.

    For Fun Friday, we pretended to travel to the sandy shores of Hawaii! We had a luau where students learned a hula dance entitled “Pearly Shells”!

   Next week we will begin our first Junior Great Books story, “The Black Hen’s Egg.” Your child will be bringing his or her JGB book home each night. There will be additional homework that is related to the Junior Great Books’ Story. The letter will go home in your child’s Red Folder along with their book on Monday. I hope you enjoy Junior Great Books and the many benefits it will have for your child’s comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Here’s what to look forward to in the curriculum for next week:

Reading: 

Interpreting, analyzing and discussing the text, The Black Hen’s Egg. Summarizing and retelling the events throughout all texts.

Spelling: 

consonants- c, d, g, m, l, h, t, j, k, p, ch, b, r, f, n, s

Vowels: review- short a (apple), o (octopus), i (igloo), u (umbrella)

Focus- short e (ex: leg, peg, pen, set)

Red Words: 1.) are 2.) as 3.) on

Grammar:

Identifying plural nouns.

Social Studies/Science: 

Locating identifying the characteristics of the deserts in the U.S. Researching favorite desert animals.

Writing: 

Research an animal from one of the landforms or wetlands we have studied. Creating a Non-Fiction book and writing an “About the Author” page.

Math:

Solving number stories involving addition and subtraction. Identifying the value of a penny and exchanging for a nickel.

Important Announcements and Reminders

·      Please remember to send in a set of headphones for your child to use with the computers enclosed in a labeled Ziploc bag.

·      Please also be reminded that when you send lunch money in with your child, it must be in an envelope with your child’s name written legibly (first and last), my name, and the amount enclosed.

·      CONGRATULATIONS to our new Star Student, Michelle Garcia! Michelle is very enthusiastic about first grade and shows compassion to her friends each day. Great job, Michelle! We are proud of you.

Thank you for your continued support at home!

Sincerely,

    Mrs. Peake 

Our First At Home Project!

Here is the a copy of the project letter that went home in your child's Wednesday Folder on September 18th. The rubric is not included in this copy, however, I hope this proves to be helpful as you guide your child in their research. I have many wonderful websites that are child friendly in the "Links" tab of the blog that you may want to encourage your child to use.

First Grade Landforms Project

Due October 4, 2013

Upon completion of our Georgia unit, we began learning about the landforms of the United States. As we complete this study over the next few weeks we will have “traveled” to the mountains, wetlands, and deserts. We are discussing the environments and the various animal life of each region.

During the next two weeks, your child needs to research one animal from any of these areas in the USA. Please follow these guidelines when helping your child create their project. This will count as a project grade for both social studies and science.

• Your animal must live in the USA
• You must write at least five facts about your animal in complete sentences including:

1. Description of your animal
2. What your animal eats
3. What animals (if any) prey on your animal
4. Where your animal lives
5. Any other interesting FACTS

** The students must do their own writing. Please help them find facts and put them in their own words.***

• Make a creative display showing the animal in its habitat. Some suggestions are: poster, diorama, book, collage, painting, etc.

Some examples of animals we have discussed are: mountain lion, bear, moose, eagle, fox, wolf, snake, frog, blue heron, crayfish, duck, salmon, beaver, otter, alligator, scorpion, tarantula, roadrunner, Gila monster, coyote, whale, dolphin, octopus, and shark.

We want you to be involved in this project but please let your child complete the majority of the work. Allow your child’s creativity to show and complete a project that is a true representation of a first grader’s capabilities. Use the attached grading rubric to guide your child. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing their hard work turned in on October 4.

Sept. 16-20

Dear Firsties and Families,
    Can you believe we are nearing the end of September? Your child has been working diligently as we continue to think deeply and critically in the classroom. I hope you have enjoyed hearing about the many things we have discovered together through our study of biomes. The children have absolutely loved researching about the unique animals that live in our world. We will continue to "travel"under the   sea and to the Deserts in the U.S. There will be some VERY unique animals with interesting adaptations in those habitats. My goal is to ignite the existing passion that your child is already exhibiting towards learning about animals so that they will learn to LOVE research!

     Your child will complete their first Math Assessment this week as we conclude our study of Interpreting and Collecting Data. We will begin looking at analog and digital clocks to tell time. I have noticed that many children already wear watches and are responsible for telling time. This is great! Time is such a relatable and important math concept.

        Here is what else to look forward to in the curriculum

Reading: Identifying the sequence of events and main idea of a story.

Grammar: Identifying the noun in a sentence.

Phonics: Consonant blend-/ch/ ex: (champ, cheer)

Consonants: b, j, n

Vowel: Short /u/- (pup, mud, but)

Writing: Writing a "How To" informational piece.

Social Studies/Science: Locating the main oceans in the world and studying living organisms that live in oceans.

Math:  Telling time to the hour and half hour using an analog and digital clock.

Important Reminders and Announcements:

• Our class will be conducting engaging Science experiments with a team of scientists on Wednesday this week from 10:00-11:30 for our first On Campus Field Trip.

• The Tahino Musical Group will be performing at the Primary Campus Friday morning to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month! Your child may wear traditional Hispanic clothing.

• Fall Book Fair: Our class is scheduled to preview books at the Book Fair Monday, Sept. 26th. They will have the opportunity to purchase books the Friday of that week on Sept. 30th from 12:45-1:15. You may join your child on our Purchase Day if you would like to do so. 

THANK YOU & CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you to our Small Group leaders and Mystery Readers' for serving and enriching our classroom last week! I look forward to working with next groups' volunteers as well. 

Congratulations to our new Star Student, Ridley Newton!! Ridley has done a fantastic job exhibiting curiosity and enthusiasm towards learning inside and even outside of the classroom! Her love for learning has been contagious from day one. Way to go, Ridley!

Sept. 9-13

Dear Parents,
        I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! We have certainly been busy learning in first grade! Last week we learned all about how to classify animals into their particular group (mammals, reptiles, and birds). This week we added one more group: Amphibians! We have been studying the fascinating and adaptable amphibians that live in the Wetlands. The children have begun their first mini research project in the classroom, where they are researching a wetland animal on their own. It has been so exciting to watch them question and discover new facts about the animal of their choice. We even had our very own frog pet in the classroom for the day today! Thank you Ridley for sharing your enthusiasm for the animal you chose to study. We decided as a class that it was best to release our little amphibian friend back into it's natural habitat so that it could survive on it's own. We chose a nice damp area beside the classroom with a plethora of insects for Mr. Frog to snack on...
     We also launched our first rotations of Small Groups this week! Thank you to our amazing volunteers. The children LOVED having you in the classroom today. It is such a treat to them!

Here's what we are learning this week:

Reading: Analyzing the setting and characters of a story. Thinking deeply about how the setting and characters affect one another and the tone of a story.

Phonics: Consonants: c, g, p, h, m, l, d, t, b, j, k

Vowel: short i ( ex: tip)

Red Words: that, in, of, a

Grammar: Using question marks and exclamation marks appropriately. Deciding which sentences need these punctuation marks.

Writing:  Researching and developing important facts related to an animal that lives in a freshwater habitat. Creating a "Who Am I?" project where students have to figure out which animal is being described.

Math: Finding the missing addend in mathematical equations. For example 4+?=8, the answer is four. 

Social Studies: Comparing and Contrasting Landforms and Wetlands. Labeling the Wetlands in the United States and studying why these ecosystems are important to us and animals.

Great questions to ask your child this week:

How do landforms and wetlands function as a community?

How are landforms alike and different from one another?

How are landforms and wetlands changing?

How does the setting in a story help us to understand what we are reading?

Why should we analyze the characters in a story?

Explain how you found the missing number in this addition equation...(not a question, but allows them to think through their knowledge)

When should we use an exclamation or question mark?

Important Reminders and Announcements:

• Please remember to sign up for Small Groups on the Shutterfly website! We have 2 open slots for next week. 

• Please continue to make sure your child arrives to school no later than 7:50 each day. It makes a tremendous difference to the flow of their day when they can get settled before the bell rings. Thank you for your help!

• If your child has an extra pair of headphones that they could use at school for our school computers and IPADS, please send those to school in an enclosed, labelled ZIPLOC bag. We will be using these quite a bit in many different subject areas. If you are willing to purchase a pair for your child, it will certainly be worth their while. Once we figure out how many we need donated, I will add this item to our class "Wish List". We plan to use these for digital storytelling, listening centers, etc. It is my goal to have a pair for each child (21) so that they can all have access to the many wonderful technologies provided for us at Sarah Smith. They may not be shared due to health risks.

• CONGRATULATIONS AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our new Star Student, Kiya Burke! Kiya has exhibited a great deal of curiosity and creativity in the classroom thus far and we are thankful that she is a part of our classroom community! She is also having a birthday Sept. 11th. What a great week for Kiya!

  

Star Student!

Congratulations to our STAR STUDENT this week, Kate Barton! She has shown a commitment to her school work and a compassion towards others. We look forward to learning about what makes Kate so special this week. Keep up the great work, Kate!