Miss England's First Grade Class

What We Worked On This Week:

Donations needed for our room: We are still in need of the following supplies. I would be grateful for any donations that you are able to make.

~gumdrops

~paper plates

~Styrofoam bowls

~colored glitter

This week we began our unit on shapes. We reviewed what a plane shape was (circle, triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, and hexagon) and talked about how many sides and corners these shapes have. Students “built” these shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks and they used pattern blocks to create their own shape picture. We also learned what a 3 dimensional shape was (cube, cone, cylinder, rectangular prism, and sphere). Students will begin rotating through geometry centers next week.   

Language Arts: EQ: How do I use what I know to understand how stories work?

This week’s story focused on using pictures to predict story words and how to use clues to figure out new words and concepts. Students often encounter new words as they read. By using the words they know and other clues, they can figure out these words connect with what they are reading. We also reviewed the digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh) and the blends (cl, pl, fl, and bl). Next week we will learn about compound words and how to use a dictionary to look up words.

Writing- EQ: How can we add details to our personal narrative?

This week in writing we continued to learn about personal narratives. We learned that adding details, like describing words and phrases, make our writing more interesting. Students also wrote a turkey story as if they were the turkey that might be eaten for Thanksgiving Dinner. They used great “hooks” to get the readers attention!

Friday, November 13^th- Turkey project due

Specials Schedule: Nov.9-13

M- Music

T- PE

W-Art

Th-PE

F-Technology

Donations needed for our room: We have several activities coming up that will require some extra supplies. I would be grateful for any donations that you are able to make.

~gumdrops

~tooth picks

~mini marshmallows

~paper plates

~Styrofoam bowls

~colored glitter

Math: EQ- How can a number line help me add and subtract numbers? What do the words skip counting mean? This week we worked on counting forward and backwards on a number line. Students learned that this strategy will help them when they are adding and subtracting numbers. We also practiced skip counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. Some students are still struggling with counting by 2’s. We will continue to practice during our calendar time. Please reinforce this concept with your child at home as well.  Next week we will begin our geometry unit.

Language Arts: EQ: How can making connections help me become a better reader?

This week in language arts we learned that “good readers” make connections to what they are reading.

We learned that as you make connections during your reading, STOP and THINK about how they help you deepen your understanding of the text.

T-T (text to text) How does the text remind you of another text?

T-S (text to self) How does the text remind you of your life?

T-W(text to world) How does the text remind you of the

world?

We also talked about blends and digraphs. Students went on a digraph hunt. They looked for words around the room and in their book boxes that began with or ended with sh,th,wh,ch. We made a tree map of blends ((bl,pl,cl,sl) and talked about how they help us when we are sounding out are words.

Writing- EQ: What is a personal narrative?

This week in writing students began to learn that a personal narrative is a story about their own lives. They learned that the words I, me, my, and mine are words that are used in a personal narrative. Students brainstormed possible topics to write about and they learned how to narrow their topic down to write about one event. Next week, students will begin to write a narrative on their chosen topic.

Social Studies- EQ: How has Benjamin Franklin contributed to our world today?

We continued to learn about Benjamin Franklin this week. We talked about Franklin’s character traits, his famous quotes, and how his inventions are used in our lives today. On Monday, we will have a first grade museum tour of their projects as an ending to our unit on Benjamin Franklin. Students will get to see how other first grade students celebrate the life of Benjamin Franklin.

Science: EQ: How are magnets important in our daily life?

Next week we will begin our unit on magnets.

Important Dates/Reminders:

Tuesday, November 3^rd- No School

Wednesday, November 4^th- Domino’s Night

Thursday, November 5^th- PTA Meeting and 5^th grade performance

Specials Schedule: Nov.2-6

M- Art

T- No School

W-PE

Th-Technology

F-PE