September 16th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

During our literacy block we continue to learn new centers.  Our class has made this their time to shine!  They've been consistently focused, hard working and respectful of others during this time of our day.  It is so important that we carefully teach the routines and behaviors that are necessary during centers so that it is a successful time for students, allowing teachers to meet with small groups of students.  As we focus on doing our best work, using quiet voices, and taking care of materials, our students are becoming increasingly more responsible and independent.  Even in these few short weeks it has been exciting to see such growth!

We are also learning a lot in our shared reading and interactive or community writing time.  During this time, we focus on the process of reading and the process of writing, together in the whole group.  We have been noticing how sentences start with a capital letter and end with punctuation (periods, question marks and exclamation marks).  We have even discussed commas and quotation marks!  We will continue to review these concepts throughout the year.  This week we will also be examining the author's choice of words and how they make us feel because analyzing text should even happen in first grade!  

In math this week, we will...

• Work on subitizing (telling a number of objects in a set without having to count) using number racks.
• Solve story problems using number racks to find the unknown quantity in different positions in equations (2+4=___,  2+___=6  or ___+4=6).
• Count by 10s forward and backward within 100.
• Count by 5s and 1s when playing a game called, Which Coin Will Win, using nickels and pennies. 
• Practice writing numbers 3,4,5 and 6 using correct formation.
• Continue learning and practicing procedures for Math Work Places. 

This week we will continue working on our school and safety social studies unit.  We will be learning about the American Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance.  The students will also learn about maps through a wonderful interactive read aloud book called Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney.  After reading the book, the students will work in a group to create a map of our classroom.

Please remember to check your child's Seesaw account.  We have added our first few items and will be adding more throughout the week.

I sent home information about our Second Step unit. On one side of the sheet, there is a family activity to do with your child, if you choose. You do NOT need to return that sheet. It is for your information and to provide you with something to practice at home with your child.

Friendly Reminders

• September 17- MAP Reading
• September 18- Dining for Dollars- Hefner's
• September 19- MAP Math
• September 23- MAP Math
• September 24- Picture Day
• October 2- Walking School Bus
• October 4- No School- Professional Development