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!