Ninety-Ninth day of School

There is math homework tonight (comparing numbers).

Today we used the "human microphone" and judged with criteria (critical thinking skill) an oral reporting (assessed skill) (CCCS SL.1.4) of what we learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In our belongings you should find:

• Notes about Dr. Martin Luther King's "March"
• Scholastic News Article about the "March"
• A World Map with notes to study for a map test

Also, some students began editing their procedural writing for spelling and punctuation.

Ninety-Seventh Day of School

This week we have been comparing and contrasting cultures and customs from all over the world. We examined the reason for several U.S. holidays and began exploring in depth the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We will soon be bringing home our world map to study for our next Social Science test.

Also this week we have been learning to revise and add hints and tips to our procedural writing pieces.

For discussion:

• What is segregation?
• What is integration?
• How are schools around the world similar? How are they different?

You should find a Parent Conference Notification in your child's backpack along with a schedule for next week's dismissal times.

Reminder: Shoes worn to school should be of a type which allows for securing with a lace or strap. Boots or other foot wear without a securing feature are insufficient for 1st grade daily physical activities (P.E.) and safety. Thank you for your cooperation.

Unit 3 Week 5 Preview

This final week of the Having Fun Unit we compare children in different parts of the world to ourselves. We analyze text structure for our comprehension strategy and compare and contrast for the comprehension skill. Our oral vocabulary words are culture, custom, language, similar, skill. Our sight words are any, boy, by, does, friend, girl, water. We will also focus (review) triple consonant blend spelling patterns (scrap, splat, stretch).

In Science over the next few weeks we will observe and conduct experiments on air and water. We will observe how the affect and interact with each other.

In Social Studies we expand our map making skills beyond our classrooms walls and to outside neighborhoods.

We will have our test in Math on decomposing numbers with tens.

In writing we will learn how to include "tips" and "hints" in our procedural writing. And soon we will add our introduction and closing statement.

Optional Home Project

For social studies we have been working on neighborhood maps. At this point in the year it is suggested that parents direct students to a mapping program (Google Maps) on the Internet and locate their home's satellite photograph. Magnify the view to 100ft/inch. Size to show their block and a portion of surrounding blocks. Have your child make a simple map (a sample is available in the classroom) with legend (key) under your direction but in their hand. On your child's map, buildings could be shown as simple rectangles. Print a view of the satellite picture (preferably w/o address and real estate information, which can be blackened out if necessary) and attach to the hand-drawn map and send with your child to class.

Article

This article may be of interest to parents of young children.

Unsatisfactory Notices

You may find a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance with your child today. Please sign and remove bottom portion of the notice and return with your child to verify receipt. It is not necessary to discuss the contents of the notice with your child. I am available for after school conferences any day except Tuesdays after school.

Official parent conferences will be scheduled very soon.

Topic 7 Math Quiz

Four students scored perfectly on the Topic 7 quiz, while 19 students passed with a score of 9 or better.

Eighty-Ninth Day of School

This week we combined our knowledge of 2 elements of visual art: line and color.

We were exposed to and analysed procedural writing in immersion lessons. Next week we will begin our own procedural pieces.

Our high frequency words were first, next, then, last, finally.

We learned the 4 basic elements of weather (tested): heat, air, water, and land (geography).

Expository Writing Unit

Our new writing unit will focus on the skill of informative/explanatory writing (CCSS W.1.2). We will focus on two types/purposes of informative writing.

The first purpose will be to explain "how to" to do something. For this part of the unit, it would be beneficial for your child to brainstorm with an adult a list of things they are good at and can confidently explain in about three steps. "How to" writing will begin with an introductory sentence (e.g. Baking cookies is not only easy, it's fun!). The introductory sentence will be followed by sentences beginning with "time order words" (e.g. first, next, last, finally, etc.). Each step of the instructions will be accompanied by a simple plan/illustration/diagram of that particular step. Illustrations will be clarified by the use of writing features such as captions and labels. The "time order" sentences will be followed by a sentence of closure (e.g. Soon you will smell the delicious aroma of homemade cookies).

The second purpose of informative writing will be to "tell all about" a particular topic. For this part of the unit, it would be beneficial for your child to brainstorm with an adult a list of things they are interested in or know a good deal about. This type of writing will begin with a general statement (introduction) about the topic (e.g. Elephants are interesting animals). Subsequent sentences will support the general statement made about the topic. Subsequent information should be presented in an organized fashion or by subtopics. In this way, the informational writing could be indexed with a table of contents or an outline:

Asian Elephants (Title)

• Introduction
• Subtopic: Physical description
• Detail: size
• Detail: weight
• Detail: lifespan
• Subtopic: Habitat and diet
• Subtopic: Behavior
• Conclusion

Subtopics will be presented with a plan/diagram/illustration to clarify each main idea (or if necessary, a detail).