STEM Bin Update

THANK YOU to all of the families that donated materials for our STEM bins!  I am overwhelmed by your generosity!  Our STEM bins wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for your generous donations!  As I was assembling the bins over the weekend, I noticed there are a few more materials that I am in need of.  If you have any of these items around your house that you're willing to part with, we would love to add them to our STEM bins.

• Building Bricks

• Toothpicks
• Wooden Blocks

• Straws

March 26th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In reading many of us are working on noticing when we come to a word that we may be able to read, but don't know the meaning of.  In this case we use the context of the sentence, or the story to help us.  We also use the picture and the word to help us figure out what the word means.  As we read more and more challenging text, we are coming across these kinds of words, words that we can decode, but may have never heard before.  This is something you can watch for and work on when reading with your child at home.  

In writing we are finishing up our fairy tales and kind of having a "free choice" writing time on any type of writing we have learned about during writer's workshop.  The kids are very excited for this opportunity to go back and work on pieces we learned about earlier in the school year.

In math we will continue working on solving addition and subtraction story problems, especially for problems requiring us to solve for unknowns.  We will also begin working with money by reviewing the value of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.  We will continue participating in mathematical conversations discussing strategies for solving problems during our Daily Number Talks.  We will NOT have any math homework this week due to the short week.

This week we will be learning about our STEM bins and we will begin using them during our science and social studies time!  The kids are SO excited to begin using them!

Special Points of Interest

• No School March 29-April 8, school resumes April 9th - I hope you have a fun and safe spring break!
• Dining for Dollars at the Stilt House on April 10th!

Junior Achievement Teacher Needed

Our classroom is in need of a parent volunteer who would be willing to teach Junior Achievement.  The JA unit is Our Families and it would be taught in either April or May.  This unit is five consecutive days for about a half hour each day.  All of the materials will be given to you.  Please let me know if you are interested!  Thank you!

March 19th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,
In writing we will begin working on writing realistic fiction.  the students will learn how to write a beginning and develop characters in their story.  The students have loved writing fairy tales, so hopefully their love for writing continues with realistic fiction!  We will continue working on the concept of a sentence. We will learn that a sentence is a complete thought, begins with a capital letter, have spaces between each and end with a punctuation mark. We will also identify nouns and verbs within sentences.  Additionally, we will learn about antonyms and how they are the opposite of synonyms.  We are reading a new book during our read aloud time this week called Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo.  Make sure to ask your child to tell you more about the story!

In math we will continue working on solving for unknown addends in story problems, work with place value for numbers in the ones, tens and hundreds place.  We will also use place value to add and subtract using Base Ten block drawings, use place value to add and subtract using the number line, and solve base ten riddles.

We will continue our social studies unit on Our Country.  We will continue learning about some of the symbols.  We will also begin learning about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Special Points of Interest

• First grade musical is on March 22nd - If you have any questions about the musical, please contact Mrs. Plaster
• Spring break is March 29-April 8th!

Items Needed for STEM Bins

Materials Needed for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Bins

I am making STEM bins for students to create different structures/challenges. I listed some of the materials still needed to complete the bins. If you are able to donate a supply, I'd appreciate at it! The activities will be a lot of fun and a great enrichment activity to have in the classroom.

 Colored Craft Sticks


Clear Plastic Supply Box


Pipe Cleaners


 Playdough Mini Cans (3 oz. cans)



Velcro dots


Magnetic Blocks - Magformer Brand
https://www.target.com/p/magformers-14-piece-rainbow-set/-/A-15100982


Paper Towel Rolls and Toilet Paper Rolls


Mini Cups (Dixie bath cups or mini solo cups)


Any items that you are willing to donate to our classroom are greatly appreciated!  I am so excited to begin incorporating STEM activities into our days in first grade!  Thank you in advance for your generosity!

March 12th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week we will be reading a fun new book called Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, which I'm sure you will be hearing all about later this week!  We are learning about how important the illustrations in a book can be, and will focus on giving our readers detailed illustrations with our current writing projects.  

We will continue working on our fairy tales in writing and we will be working on word choice and showing (not telling) how characters in our stories are feeling.  We also finished our class fairy tale in community writing!  We are finishing up the illustrations during art center this week.  Make sure you ask your child all about it!

In math this week, work on adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers.  We will use multiple strategies including using the 100 chart, adding the tens and ones (34+26=30+20-1) using the number line.  We will also work on adding with three addends and solving story problems involving unknowns.  For example, "Leon has 7 stickers.  Spencer has some more.  Together they have 12 stickers.  How many stickers does Spencer have?"

We will continue working on our social studies unit Our Country this week.  The kids have been very interested in the geography of the United States and this week we will continue to focus on the geography as well as learn about some of the symbols that represent the USA.

Special Points of Interest

• Scholastic Book Orders are due this Friday, March 16th. Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub Class Activation Code: JBVLX
• First grade musical is on March 22nd - If you have any questions about the musical, please contact Mrs. Plaster
• Spring break is March 29-April 8th!

March 5th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,
It sure has been exciting to take the students to the IMC the last few weeks.  Many of our students are very excited about being able to check out books they can read on their own!  While it is fantastic to listen to your child read, please remember that reading to your child is still just as powerful, as the vocabulary they can't quite read in more difficult picture books is just what they need to help them grow as a reader.  

In writing, we continuing to work on fairy tales.  We are currently working on a class fairy tale in community writing, and the students are writing their own fairy tales during writer's workshop.  Last week we focused on mapping out our stories and writing a solid beginning to our stories.  This week the students will work on stretching out characters' actions, using more vivid verbs, telling what their characters said using speech bubbles or dialogue within their text and showing how their characters felt.

This week in math we will look for tens and ones patterns on the number grid, work on adding and subtracting tens, work with number grid puzzles.  We will also be adding a few new buddy games and by myself games to our math centers!

THANK YOU to the families that donated tissues to our classroom.  I really appreciate your generosity!

Special Points of Interest

• Scholastic Book Orders are due this Friday, March 16th. Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub Class Activation Code: JBVLX
• No school this Friday - teacher professional development
• Spring break is March 29 - April 8