We are as busy as ever in first grade! I can't believe we just celebrated our 100th day of school. All the students are growing and learning so much everyday! Here is a look at what is happening in February.
THIS MONTH
Reading/Language Arts-We will continue to focus on non-fiction text and the purpose of non-fiction. We have already discussed the different features of a non-fiction text. Ask your child if they can tell you what a glossary is! We will also focus on the comprehension skill questioning. We will talk about the importance of asking questions about the books we are reading before we read, while we read, and after we read. Asking questions helps us to engage and make sense of what we are reading. We will also work on identifying root words, prefixes, and suffixes, and learn how to use a dictionary. We will focus on using guide words to look up words and look at multiple meanings of words.
Phonics-We learned about the bossy r words the last few weeks and this will continue to be reinforced. Next, we will focus on vowel dipthongs oi, oy, au, aw, ou, and ow.
Writing-It has been a lot of fun teaching the students how to write non-fiction! They have all enjoyed non-fiction writing and we are continuing with All About Books. This week the students chose an animal that they would like to become an expert on. We have been researching this animal together using PebbleGo to find out interesting facts! Once our research is done, the class will be ready to write all about their animal. Our All About Books will include a table of contents, glossary, and an about the author page. We have had a lot of fun researching and learning about the animals in class!
Math-The students have done a great job learning to tell time to the hour and half hour using digital and analog clocks. We are continuing with time this week, and we are talking about elapsed time. Next week we will start a unit on fractions. First graders are expected to know 1/2 and 1/4. We will focus on equal parts and fractions of a set. We will also practice our math facts to 18.
Science- We will be learning about light and shadows. We will be discussing what light is and how shadows are made. Towards the end of the month we will start learning about plants. We will talk about the parts of a plant, the needs of a plant, and we will even get to plant our own!
Social Studies-The students have had so many great questions about Harriet Tubman, and I have really enjoyed the discussions we have had in class! We are going to make posters all about Harriet Tubman later this week. We have discussed the character words commitment, bravery, and perseverance when learning about Harriet Tubman. Next, we will study the life and contributions of Theodore Roosevelt.
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, February 14-Valentine's Day! A class list was sent home with your child last week. We will be decorating bags in class to collect our cards in. If your child would like to make valentines for the class, please be sure to make one for everybody!
Monday, February 20- Presidents' Day, No School!
A FEW REMINDERS
The PTA is promoting good eating habits and would like to encourage you to send in fresh fruit for your child's snack on Fridays. They have named it Fresh Fruit Friday!
Don't forget you can practice our math skills at home using IXL. The website is:
www.ixl.com/signin/mountainview
You can look for the February homework to come home with your child on Monday. Please have your child turn in their homework notebook for the month of January on Friday, February 3.
As always, thank you for being the incredible parents that you are! I really appreciate all your support!
Mrs. Sheffield
