First Grade April 2018 News RELIGION We will learn about serving others, making choices, showing sorrow, and Jesus the Savior. READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We will continue reading from the fifth book of our reading series. It is very important that your child learns to read the high frequency words each week and apply the new phonics skill learned. We are working on:
Phonics – r-controlled vowels (ar, or, ore, er, ir, ur), phonograms –ar, -ore
Vocabulary – prefix re- and using a dictionary entry
Comprehension Skills – identifying story structure (setting, character, and events) and drawing conclusions
Comprehension Strategies – analyzing and evaluating text, visualization
Writing – writing to express – sentences with dialogue and verbs
We will be working on:
Phonics – vowel digraphs oo, ou, ew, ue, u, u_e, vowel combinations ou, ow, oi, oy, au, aw, syllable pattern CVC, base words and –ed. –ing, long e patterns y, ie
Vocabulary – family classification/ categorization, multiple-meaning words, synonyms and the thesaurus, idioms
Comprehension Skills - cause and effect, sequence of events, understanding characters, comparing and contrasting
Comprehension Strategies – monitoring and clarifying, asking questions when reading, and summarizing
Writing – writing to express – summary and writing to respond - opinion
MATH Skills to be covered this month include:
Place value situations
Finding patterns & relationships
Comparisons & data
SOCIAL STUDIES We will continue our fourth unit, Everything Changes – exploration, settlement and technology. SCIENCE We will continue our Liquids and Solids unit. HAPPY APRIL BIRTHDAY TO: Henry Jadin, Clara Jungmann, & Roman DeLong THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess. -replacing school supplies like pencils, crayons, or markers if needed. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.
First Grade March 2018 News RELIGION Lent will be an important topic of discussion as we prepare for Easter. READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We will start reading the fifth book of our reading series. It is very important that your child learns to read the high frequency words each week and apply the new phonics skill learned. Keep reading at home and filling out Reading Records! We are working on:
Phonics – long o (CV, CVCe), long u (CVCe), long e (CVCe, ee, ea), final sounds: ng, nk, phonograms: –ean, -ink, ay, -ain, -ow, -oat, vowels: ai, ay, oa, ow, contractions: ‘ll, ‘d, ‘ve, ‘re
Vocabulary – suffixes –y and –ful, classification of transportation words, multiple-meaning words, synonyms
Comprehension Skills – main idea and details, compare and contrast, author’s purpose, drawing conclusions
Comprehension Strategies – asking questions and visualizing about what you are reading, summarizing, and finding ways to figure out what doesn’t make sense
Writing – write to narrate using sentences, writing a friendly letter, writing a personal narrative
We will be working on:
Phonics – r-controlled vowels (ar, or, ore, er, ir, ur), phonograms –ar, -ore
Vocabulary – prefix re- and using a dictionary entry
Comprehension Skills – identifying story structure (setting, character, and events) and drawing conclusions
Comprehension Strategies – analyzing and evaluating text, visualization
Writing – writing to express – sentences with dialogue and verbs
MATH Skills to be covered this month include:
place value concepts & money
tens & teens
tens & teens
place value to 100
addition strategies
understanding money
counting collections of objects by tens
SOCIAL STUDIES We will begin a unit titled Everything Changes. The focus of our lessons will be: learning about the past, the First Americans, family life past and present, and going to school long ago. Conferences – We look forward to discussing your child’s progress at conferences on March 12. SPRING BREAK – We hope you enjoy your spring break March 26-April 2. See you back on April 3! Need something to do over break? Don’t forget to read every day and fill out the March Reading Record! Going shopping? Get new crayons and pencils if needed!
HAPPY MARCH BIRTHDAY TO: Charlie Gilbertson, Kurubel Bereket, Wyatt Anderson
THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess. -replacing school supplies like pencils, crayons, or markers if needed. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.
First Grade February 2018 News RELIGION Lent will be an important topic of discussion as we prepare for Easter. READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We have started reading from the fourth book of our reading series. It is very important that your child learns to read the high frequency words each week and apply the new phonics skill learned. Keep reading at home and filling out Reading Records! We are working on:
Phonics – digraphs sh, wh, ph, kn, wr, gn, mb, contractions ‘s and n’t, long a, long i, phonograms –ake, -ace,
-ine, -ite
Vocabulary – words ending with –ed, -ng, or –s, classification of number words, suffixes –er, -est
Comprehension Skills – cause and effect, drawing conclusions, comparing and contrasting
Comprehension Strategies – visualization of a story, inferring and predicting about story parts, monitoring and clarifying
Writing – writing to inform (main idea), writing a report
We will be working on:
Phonics –long o (CV, CVCe), long u (CVCe), long e (CVCe, ee, ea), final sounds: ng, nk, phonograms: –ean, -ink, ay, -ain, -ow, -oat, vowels: ai, ay, oa, ow, contractions: ‘ll, ‘d, ‘ve, ‘re
Vocabulary – suffixes –y and –ful, classification of transportation words, multiple-meaning words, synonyms
Comprehension Skills – main idea and details, compare and contrast, author’s purpose, drawing conclusions
Comprehension Strategies – asking questions and visualizing about what you are reading, summarizing, and finding ways to figure out what doesn’t make sense
Writing – write to narrate using sentences, writing a friendly letter, writing a personal narrative
MATH Skills to be covered this month include:
place value concepts and money
tens and teens
place value to 100
addition strategies
understanding money
counting collections of objects by tens
SOCIAL STUDIES We will talk about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as we celebrate President’s Day. We will continue our next unit, World of Work. We are learning about needs and wants, goods and services, buying, selling, trading, and jobs. We will begin our Junior Achievement program that goes along well with this social studies unit. Mrs. Brunner’s Junior Achievement Volunteer is Sandra Ondracek and Mrs. Lee’s Junior Achievement Volunteer is Denise Millis.
SCIENCE We will continue our Liquids and Solids unit.
Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service - We are celebrating Catholic Schools Week the first week in February. We look forward to the dress up days and Skateville, but the biggest reason to celebrate this week is our love of St. John’s! Thank you for making the choice for Catholic education! Mystery Readers: First grade Mystery Readers start in February. We can’t wait to guess who you are! February is I Love to Read Month – We have lots of fun activities planned this month to celebrate our love of reading! Watch for more information and activities to come. 100th Day of School Thursday, February 15th will be our 100th day of school. The first graders will celebrate being 100 days smarter with some special activities. Everyone will be making a 100Piece Creation! Please look for the 100th Day of School Homework Assignment in your child’s Take Home Folder. Valentine’s Day Our Valentine parties will take place on Tuesday, February 13. Each student should bring valentines – addressed and signed – to ALL classmates on or before Feb. 13. Class lists are attached. HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY TO: Jayden Pillar & Alec Millis. THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess. -replacing school supplies like pencils, crayons, or markers if needed. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.
First Grade January 2018 News RELIGION We will begin our chapter on Jesus Teaches Us To Pray. We will be also be learning about our Catholic Traditions, Catholic Life, and saying “Yes” to Jesus.
READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We continue to work on our third reading book. Make sure you are practicing the phonics skills and vocabulary words we have learned so far. Keep reading at home and filling out Reading Records! We are working on:
Phonics – reviewing short u, final clusters, -ump, the th digraph, base words and –s, -es, -ed, -ing
Vocabulary – synonyms, classification and categorization of color words
Comprehension Skills – story structure (setting, characters, and events) and author’s purpose
Comprehension Strategies – visualization of and analyzing/evaluating a story
Writing – writing to describe and writing to inform (using adverbs)
We will be working on:
Phonics – digraphs sh, wh, ph, kn, wr, gn, mb, contractions ‘s and n’t, long a, long i, phonograms –ake, -ace, -ine, -ite
Vocabulary – words ending with –ed, -ng, or –s, classification of number words, suffixes –er, -est
Comprehension Skills – cause and effect, drawing conclusions, comparing and contrasting
Comprehension Strategies – visualization of a story, inferring and predicting about story parts, monitoring and clarifying
Writing – writing to inform (main idea), writing a report
MATH We continue to work on:
Counting on with addition situations
Counting on with subtraction situations
Mixed story problems
Working with unknown partners
SOCIAL STUDIES We will begin our next unit, World of Work. We will learn about needs and wants, goods and services, buying, selling, trading, and jobs. We will start Junior Achievement lessons.
SCIENCE We will continue our unit on Solids and Liquids.
No School – No school on January 15 and 22. Catholic Schools Week – We hope you will join us in celebrating our Catholic education. It begins with our annual Showcase on January 28. More details to come. Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor clothes… warm jacket, hat, and mittens. Make sure all belongings are labeled with your child’s name. Appropriate clothing is required to go out for recess! HAPPY JANUARY BIRTHDAY TO: Robbie Childers, Caroline Schultz, Caleb Carstens, and William Natyshak. THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess. -replacing school supplies like pencils, crayons, or markers if needed. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.
First Grade December 2017 News RELIGION Our focus in December will be Advent and Christmas. We will be making Advent projects to use at home and will have a daily Advent prayer in the classroom. We will also attend weekly Advent services. READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We are working on:
Phonics – reviewing short I, o, and e; clusters with r, l, and s; phonograms ip, and ock,
Vocabulary – using a glossary, classifying and categorizing time words, antonyms
Comprehension Skills – giving details about a text, sequence of events, text and graphic features
Comprehension Strategies – inferring/predicting, analyzing texts, and questioning
Writing – writing to describe - poetry and a thank- you note
We will be working on:
Phonics – reviewing short u, final clusters, -ump, the th digraph, base words and –s, -es, -ed, -ing
Vocabulary – synonyms, classification and categorization of color words
Comprehension Skills – story structure (setting, characters, and events) and author’s purpose
Comprehension Strategies – visualization of and analyzing/evaluating a story
Writing – writing to describe and writing to inform (using adverbs)
MATH We will be introducing: Counting on with addition situations.
Counting on with subtraction situations.
Mixed story problems.
SOCIAL STUDIES We will continue our unit on Where We Live. We will learn about the earth, land, water, natural resources, weather and seasons, cities, towns, suburbs, and our country. SCIENCE We will continue our unit on Solids and Liquids.
First Grade Culver’s Night is Wednesday, December 6. Christmas Parties – First Grade will have their Christmas parties on Wednesday, December 20. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! No school Dec. 21- Jan. 1. See you back to school on Jan. 2! Great stocking stuffers- a container to hold crayons (frosting containers work great), crayons (24), markers, pencils, and erasers. Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor clothes… warm jacket, hat, and mittens. Make sure all belongings are labeled with your child’s name. Snow pants and boots are required when there is snow. HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY TO: Lucas Ansari, Fin Trovato, Sheryl Abukutsa, Caprice Giacomotti, and Patrick Zschokke. THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess. -replacing school supplies like pencils, crayons, or markers if needed. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.
First Grade November 2017 News RELIGION We will begin Unit 3 in our book, Jesus Christ. We will be learning about Jesus the healer, Jesus teaches love,and Jesus teaches us to pray. We will also give thanks to God for all of our blessings as we celebrate Thanksgiving. READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We are completing our first reading book and will start the second! Make sure you are practicing the phonics skills and vocabulary words we have learned so far at home. We are working on:
Phonics – reviewing short a, double final consonants and ck, phonogram -ack
Vocabulary – classifying and categorizing action words
Comprehension Skills – understanding characters
Comprehension Strategies – summarizing
Writing – writing to describe (adjectives)
We will be working on:
Phonics – reviewing short I, o, and e; clusters with r, l, and s; phonograms ip, and ock,
Vocabulary – using a glossary, classifying and categorizing time words, antonyms
Comprehension Skills – giving details about a text, sequence of events, text and graphic features
Comprehension Strategies – inferring/predicting, analyzing texts, and questioning
Writing – writing to describe - poetry and a thank- you note
MATH We will learn:
The strategy counting on
Writing a number sentence
Adding doubles
Using fact cards to practice facts
We will be introducing:
Counting on from the greater number
Mixed practice with equations
Problem solving
SOCIAL STUDIES We will start our unit on Where We Live. We will learn about the earth, land, water, natural resources, weather and seasons, cities, towns, suburbs, and our country. SCIENCE We will continue our unit on Solids and Liquids. No School – There is no school on November 6 due to teacher professional development. Conferences – We look forward to discussing your child’s progress at conferences on November 6 and 9. Happy Thanksgiving! No school on Wednesday November 22, Thursday November 23, and Friday November 24. We wish everyone a happy holiday! Please make sure your child has appropriate outdoor clothes… warm jacket, hat, and mittens, and snow pants and boots as necessary if it snows. Make sure all belongings are labeled with your child’s name. HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY TO: Sinnit Kifle THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess. -replacing school supplies like pencils, crayons, or markers if needed. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.
First Grade October 2017 News RELIGION We will begin our second unit, Revelation. We will learn about the Holy Trinity, the Holy Family, and about the Bible. Each Thursday at Mass the first graders are encouraged to participate as much as possible—making the Sign of the Cross, singing, responding, and receiving a blessing.
READING/LANGUAGE ARTS We are working on:
Phonics – words with short a, short i, and consonants n, d, p, f, b, g, r, h
Vocabulary – classification and categorization of words, context clues
Comprehension Skills – main idea, understanding characters-
Comprehension Strategies – summarizing, inferring and predicting
Writing – writing about us – labels and captions
We will be working on:
Phonics –words with short o, short e, short u, and consonants l,x,y,w,k,v,j,qu,z, double final consonants and -ck
Writing – writing about us – sentences, writing a class story, and using adjectives
Each week we send home a list of six words (vocabulary) that your child is expected to learn to read. Be sure to have your child practice the words and read them to you. We will also send home short stories for your child to practice reading at home. These stories can be recorded on the monthly Reading Record sheet after your child reads the story to you. A “Reading Record Form” for October is being sent home. Please read with your child every day. Consistency is so important in developing good reading skills. The Reading Record is part of your child’s reading effort grade!
MATH We will begin a new unit on addition, subtraction, and equations. Please look for the parent letter coming home at the beginning of each unit that explains the “Math Talk” and what we are learning.
SOCIAL STUDIES We will complete our People Everywhere unit. We are learning about our families, classrooms, and communities. We will begin our second unit, Where We Live. We will learn about our Earth, land and water, natural resources, weather and seasons, and our country.
SCIENCE We will begin our Solids and Liquids unit.
Tying Shoes – Practice tying shoes with your child if they do not yet know how. Thank you! Marathon – Our school Marathon is Friday, October 6th. Keep sending in your money! It will be a fun day of walking and service. Please read the school newsletter for more information. October Break- We will have school October 16-17, with no bus transportation. No school October 18-20.. Enjoy the break! Halloween Parties – Our Halloween parties will be on Tuesday, October 31. We do not wear costumes.
HAPPY SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY TO: Grace Singleton, Berlynn Ames, and Sophia Leet. HAPPY OCTOBER BIRTHDAY TO: Allie Fortier, Angelo Alejo, Ryan Kelly, Jada Watson, and Josie Miller. THANK YOU FOR… -remembering to send your child prepared for outdoor recess and making sure sweatshirts are labeled. -bringing any concerns to our attention. We want to work as a team with you toward the positive social and academic development of your child.