Week 11!

Good Morning! I hope you are enjoying this long weekend!Last week was a great beginning to the second quarter! Thank you everyone for taking the time to meet with us to discuss your child's progress at conferences. It's going to be a great 2nd quarter :) 

This week in 1A:

Literature: We are beginning Frog and Toad Are Friends this week! We will begin reading from our book on Wednesday and will compare the characters of Frog and Toad.

Spalding: This week we have 20 words. Spelling Test on Friday!

Monday: No School!

Tuesday: nice, end, fall, went, back, away, paper, put, each, soon

Wednesday:  came, Sunday, show, Monday, moon, yet, find, give, new, letter

Phonograms: a, e, p, s, u, ch, ck, ee, er, ng

Writing: Our copy work and narration exercises come from Peter Rabbit.

Grammar: We will review verbs this week and practice sorting nouns and verbs.

Poem: “The Purple Cow” by Burgess – We will recite on Friday!

Idiom: “Practice makes perfect!”

Math:  In math this week we will begin working on adding numbers within 20. We will practice comparing greater and smaller numbers and putting them in order. At the end of the week we will take a chapter test before continuing on throughout the rest of the quarter in working through bigger numbers. 

History: This week we will review the knowledge we have learned about ancient Egypt and will take our ancient Egypt assessment on Friday.  A review guide will be sent home on Tuesday.

Science: We will continue to study the ocean this week. We will learn about the plants and animals that are found in different ocean zones, including some animals that live in very deep water. We will also learn about the plants and animals that live in coral reefs.

Sign Up For An Optional Specials Conference Here

Parents will meet with all K-1 Specials teachers in the Archway Art Room to discuss their child's progress over the course of the first quarter.

***Specials conferences are optional. We recommend scheduling a conference only if a parent has a particular question, concern or love for one of our Specials. Conferences will last 15 minutes. 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080c4ca8ac2ca6f49-k1specials

Last Week of September-How Time Flies!

We had another great week in 1A! Thank you for working with your child each night to ensure that their homework is completed successfully.  Next week will be a shorter week but we will still have plenty of opportunities to explore truth, beauty and goodness!

Announcements

No School- We will not have school this Friday, September 29^th due to teacher in-service.  Enjoy the long weekend! 

Love and Logic Seminar- Come on out on Wednesday, September 27^th from 6pm-8pm to learn more about our approach to behavior and gain some helpful strategies to use at home!

Thank you! - Thank you to all of the parents who have joined us as we started reading and math groups this month.  We are so thankful for your support!

Academics

Literature – This week we are continuing Owl at Home and working in our packets. We are also continuing reading groups! We will take turns reading aloud and sequencing stories in small groups. A huge thank you to those of you signed up to read with us! Homework is to continue reading every night from the leveled readers. Please bring your books back on Thursday this week since there is no school on Friday!

Poetry- We will have our poetry recitation of The Pasture by Robert Frost on Thursday.  

Spalding – In Spalding, we only have 20 words, as it is a short week. Our spelling test will be on Thursday.

Grammar: We will begin our study of verbs! We will be learning about action and linking verbs, with more of an emphasis on action verbs this week. Students will identify verbs in sentences and create sentences with verbs. 

Idiom – It at first you don’t succeed then try, try again.

Math- We will continue to explore subtraction as we use number bonds, ten frames, number lines and number stories. 

Science- We will discuss how to care for the habitats that we have learned about. We will also read a scientist biography about Rachel Carson and learn about how she helped to lessen habitat destruction.

History- We will review the knowledge about the ancient Mesopotamians and wrap up with a test on Wednesday.  A review sheet was sent home on Friday to help prepare.

Summer Tutoring

Week 38! The Last Week!

It's our last week of 1st grade and what a beautiful week it is going to be:

Here is what you can expect:

Math:

This week we will be wrapping up our unit on money, students will have a chance to purchase real items from a class store using real money (supplied by me). We will also use our time this week to complete our end of year cumulative tests. This will allow us to double check your student's progress and ensure that they end the year where they need be! 

Science:

This week we wrap up our Astronomy unit by making a solar system crayon resist picture. Students will review the sizes, features, and colors of the planets, then draw them.

Literature: In Literature, we will finish up My Father’s Dragon packets, take a short assessment, and create dragon puppets!

Spalding: This week we will not have a Spelling Test, but we will do individual OPRs (oral phonogram reviews) on Monday and Tuesday and take a graded WPR (written phonogram review) on Wednesday. We will also learn some special words picked by the class! 

 Idiom: We will review all idioms learned this year and finish up our Phrases and Sayings packet!

Poem: “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson – We will recite this week!

History: For our last week in History, we will discuss the importance of the White House and voting! We will conclude with our own voting activity upon reading “Duck for President” by Doreen Cronin.

Summer Academy

Join us for Summer Academy this June!  There are many opportunities for your scholars to create, discover, and discuss with friends at our outstanding camps!  Farm to Table (June 5-9) and Inventions and Discoveries (June 12-16) will be taught by Mrs. Smith. Create and color on an Art-venture (June 19-23) and join us for a tale as we read and make Heroes and Villains (June 26-29) with Mr. Naaktgeboren. We have several afternoon vendor and sports camps as well. Spots are filling up fast so register soon!

http://www.greatheartsamerica.org/summeracademy/

http://www.greatheartsamerica.org/summeracademy/arete

Week 37!

Good Afternoon!

Here is what you can expect for the week ahead:

Math:

This week we will continue to work on adding and subtracting two digit numbers. We will continue to practicing counting up and counting back as well as work on our place value skills. Lastly, we will learn a lot about money this week as we identify and learn how to use both coins and bills. 

Science:

In science, we will start to wrap up our Astronomy Unit this week. We will review the sun, moon, constellations, and planets, then take a quiz on Wednesday. Then we will learn about the work that astronauts are doing today and how they live in space.

Literature: This week, we will be finishing My Father’s Dragon! Students will discuss the virtue of courage, fill out a story map, and sequence events from the book.

Spalding: There are 29 words this week – Test on Friday!

Monday: dozen, there, their, they’re, tax, number, October, reason, fifth, baking, bake

Tuesday: bowl, cheap, cheerful, chicken, driving, drive, echoes, echo, fairy, knock

Wednesday: leather, linen, mixture, nation, pause, peace, permission, rough

Phonograms to practice: ch, ei, ie, n, ng, o, oe, k, si, x

Idiom: Hit the nail on the head

Poem: “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson – Recite next week!

History: In History, we will wrap up our Westward Expansion unit and test on Wednesday. We will talk about American symbols for our last few classes and do some fun crafts for each. This week we will learn about the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, and Bald Eagle.

Week 36!

Good Afternoon,

Here is a snapshot of what to expect this week:

Science:

We will continue to study the planets this week. We will learn about the three known planets that are furthest from the sun:  Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. We will study the rings of Saturn, the weather on Uranus, and the orbit of Neptune.

Literature: In Literature, we will be reading chapters 6-8, and Elmer will encounter a rhinoceros, lion, and gorilla! Students will do a freeze frame, identify key elements, and identify cause and effect throughout the story.

Spalding: 30 words this week - Test on Friday!

Monday: God, god, teacher, November, subject, April, history, study, himself, matter

Tuesday: use, thought, person, nor, or, January, mean, vote, court, copy

Wednesday: act, been, be, yesterday, among, question, quest, doctor, size, December

Phonograms to practice: c, d, g, h, or, ou, ough, qu, ti, u

Writing: This week’s copy work and narration exercises come from the poem “Rain” and the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Idiom: Hit the nail on the head

Poem: “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson

History: In History, we will be learning more about Lewis and Clark’s journey. Students will discuss the early days and the tasks that they were assigned, the importance of Sacagawea, and identify some important plants and animals that Lewis and Clark discovered. On Friday, they will fill out a review to go home and be studied. There will be a test the following Wednesday (May 17^th).

Math:

Math: This week we will spend some time reviewing our subtraction skills. We will be subtracting one digit numbers from two digit numbers as well as two digit numbers from each other. We will complete our subtraction problems using two different methods. First, we will use our counting back method and secondly, we will identify the tens and ones in each number and practice taking away ones and tens from each other (for example, in the problem "56-23" we will subtract 3 ones from 6 ones and 2 tens from 5 tens). 

Week 35!

As our last month of school begins, here is what you can look forward to this week:

Science:
This week we will continue to learn about planets in the Solar System. We will study Venus and learn about the ways that it is similar to Earth. We will study Mars and how it was shaped by volcanic eruptions. We will also learn about Jupiter, the largest planet which has more than 60 moons!

Math:

We will have lots of fun with 2 digit numbers this week as we practice using different strategies to add big numbers within 100. We will continue with our skip counting methods which will help help us add by counting on, we will compare numbers to find "greater" and "less than", and we will introduce our "vertical algorithm" which will allow us to add two numbers on top of each other to find a sum.

Literature: This week in My Father’s Dragon, students will use context clues from the book to define vocabulary words in chapter four. They will also be able to identify and describe how the five senses are present in chapter five, where Elmer meets some tigers.

Spalding: 29 words this week! Test on Friday!

Monday: pair, pear, pare, check, prove, heard, hear, inspect, itself, always

Tuesday: something, expect, need, thus, woman, women, young, fair, fare, dollar

Wednesday: evening, plan, broke, feel, sure, sugar, least, sorry, press

Phonograms to practice: ai, ar, ay, b, e, ea, ee, p, r, y

Writing: This week’s copy work and narration exercises come from The Wind and the Willows.

Idiom: Hit the nail on the head

Poem: “Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key – We will recite this week!

History: In History, we are beginning our last unit, Westward Expansion! This week students will learn about the importance of farming and how the land began to get too crowded during the 1770’s. They will learn about the Louisiana Purchase and be introduced to Lewis and Clark. There will be homework on Friday: Lewis and Clark collected all kinds of plants and rocks to take back home with them. Please bring something from your neighborhood to share with the class on Monday.

Week 34!

Good Evening!

A few announcements:

1. On the evening of May 5th, our first graders will have the opportunity to join the prep side in their annual Astronomy Night. The even will begin at 7:30. Students will be able to use telescopes out on the field, try on astronaut space suits, and participate in many engaging activities led by our prep students and teachers. This is an evening you wont want to miss! There is no fee, nor RSVP, just come as you are able.

2. Our spring concert is fast approaching and will take place on May 3rd! If you have any questions please contact Miss Weddle at jweddle@archwayarete.org, or see my blog post from last week for more information.

3. This Friday, 4/28, from 7:50-9:50 a.m., we will have our parent volunteer breakfast to show our appreciation for your service to our staff and students this school year. This event will be held in the archway MPR. We hope to see you there :)

and LAST

4. We will begin reading My Father's Dragon tomorrow in class. Please send in your child's copy asap.

Coming up this week:

Literature: This week we will begin our last Classics to Keep book, My Father’s Dragon! We will be introduced to Elmer Elevator and see him begin his journey to the island!

Spalding: There are 29 words this week, with our spelling test on Friday!
Monday: pie, pull, sew, sow, so, steam, thread, thunder, tried, try, vein (11 words)
Tuesday: except, aunt, ant, capture, else, bridge, offer, suffer, center, front
Wednesday: running, run, rule, carry, chain, death, learn, wonder (8 words)
Phonograms to practice: a, au, c, ie, u, s, t, th, v, w

Writing: This week’s excerpts come from the story Socks by Beverly Cleary.

Idiom: Land of Nod

Poem: “My Shadow” by Stevenson

History: In History, we will continue our study of the American Revolution and take a short quiz on Friday. Students will learn about the events at Lexington and Concord, discuss the importance of the Declaration of Independence, and compare the original American flag to the flag we have today.

Science: We will begin this week by looking at models of the movement of the moon around the Earth and the Earth around the sun. We will look closer at why we experience day and night, and how the Earth moves during a day and a year. We will also begin to learn more about the other planets, starting with Mercury.

 

Math:

This week we will practice ordering and comparing numbers within 100 by identifying the "ones" and "tens" within two digit numbers. We will also be "counting on" and "counting back" by "ones" and by "tens" in order to recognize when one number is "greater" or "smaller" than another. 

Week 33!

Good Afternoon!

I hope that you have all enjoyed this long weekend and that you are rested and ready for the rest of the quarter :)

Here is what you can expect for the days ahead:

Spalding: We have 20 words again this week due to the long weekend! Spelling Test on Friday!

Tuesday: color, contains, daily, day, eagle, fancy, fly, forest, freeze, gentle

Wednesday: grow, holes, hotel, iron, living, live, monkey, myself, noise, pencil

Phonograms to practice: ai, ay, ee, f, h, k, m, or, ow, v

 

Writing: This week’s copy work and passages come from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

 

Grammar:This week we will observe Francisco Goya's painting of Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga and identify the people, places, things, and ideas (nouns) that we see.

 

Idiom: Land of Nod

 

Poem: “Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key – We will recite on Friday!

Literature: This week we will explore the other side of the war, by listening to the book George the Drummer Boy. We will then compare it to Sam the Minuteman.

 

History: In History, we will be reviewing the thirteen colonies and learning about what led to the American Revolution. We will discuss the Boston Tea Party and the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

Science: This week we will continue to study the solar system. We will learn about stars and the constellations that we can see from Earth. We will also study the moon and learn about how to identify the different phases of the moon. Throughout the next month, students have the option of observing the moon and drawing it on the Moon Observation Calendar. They will have a chance to discuss and share their observations during the next four weeks.

 

Math:

This week in math we will be learning all about different strategies for how to count numbers within 100. We will start with skip counting by the number 10. We will do this by making and identifying equal groups of ten and then finding our remaining "ones" to create different two-digit numbers. 

Spring Concert

It is time for our Spring Concert! On May 3rd your students will be performing at Higley Center for the Performing Arts located at 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert, AZ 85257. The Kindergarten through 2nd grade concert will begin at 5:30pm with Kindergarten students arriving promptly at 4:45pm and 1^st and 2nd grade students arriving at 5:00pm. 

 

Attire for this concert will be as follows:

*Boys: Black pants, white dress shirt, black dress shoes and black socks. Hair should be combed neatly. Optional: solid dark colored neck-ties or vests.

*Girls: Black skirt, white top, black closed-toed dress shoes. Hair should be pulled away from the face with no distracting adornment. Please follow the Archway Arete dress code for guidelines on jewelry.

 

If you have any questions please contact Miss Weddle at jweddle@archwayarete.org

Week 32!

Good Morning!

Here is what you can look forward to this week:

Science:
This week we will begin to study the solar system. We will begin by making observations about what we can see in the sky during the day and at night. Then, we will study the star that is at the center of our solar system, the sun. Students will learn about the temperature and layers of the sun, and what it is made of. They will also learn more about why we rely on the sun for light, heat, and energy.

Literature: 

In Literature, we will finish reading Sam the Minuteman. We will sequence the story and identify events that really happened in history.

History: 

This week we will begin our study of the American Revolution. We will learn about the 13 colonies and their reaction to King George’s taxation.

Spalding: We have 20 words this week, with our Spelling Test on Thursday (no school Friday!)

Monday: who, died, die, changing, change, few, pleasant, please, picture, pitcher, pitch

Tuesday: money, ready, omit, anyway, eight, breakfast, chance, climb, coffee

Phonograms to practice: c, ch, ea, ei, eigh, ey, ie, g, p, t

Writing: Our copy work and narration exercises come from the stories "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table"

Idiom: Land of Nod

Poem: “Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key (memorization due April 21st)

Grammar:  This week we will observe the classical painting "The Gleaners" and identify the people, places, things, and ideas (nouns) that we see.

Math: This week we will continue to learn about time relative to the hour and half past the hour. We will also estimate the amount of time it takes to complete various activities and when we complete certain activities (dinner, brushing our teeth, driving to school) throughout the day.