Sunday, March 26, 2017

Week 30!

Good Afternoon!

It was such a fun first week back from break! We are excited to see what this new quarter will bring.

Please send in Sam the Minuteman with your scholar as soon as possible, we will begin reading it on April 3rd!

Here's what's coming up this week:

Spalding: We have 29 new words this week, with our test on Friday.
Monday: goes, does, Tuesday, hold, drill, army, pretty, stole, income, bought
Tuesday: paid, laid, said, enter, railroad, unable, ticket, account, driven, real
Wednesday: recover, mountain, speak, past, might, contract, deal,
almost, all
Phonograms to study: a, ai, ay, c, ck, o, ou, ough, r, t
 
Writing: Our narration and copy work exercises this week are Jataka Tales, stories from India.
 
Grammar: In Grammar, we will be distinguishing between singular and plural nouns and common and proper nouns. We will also review other parts of speech as we practice classifying sentences.
 
Poem: “Rope Rhyme” by Eloise Greenfield – Please be prepared to recite on Friday!
 
Idiom: A.M. and P.M.

Math:
This week we will begin working with the concept of division and we will learn how we can divide different items among equal groups. We will also begin learning about fractions by folding and cutting papers into halves and fourths and sharing items so that they are put into two and four equal groups.

Literature: This week we will be reading stories from A.A. Milne’s collection, The House at Pooh Corner. Students will explore and describe the characters of Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eyore, Kanga, and Roo. They will enjoy a couple of Winnie the Pooh stories and discuss how to best resolve conflict between friends.

History: We have a very full week of History and are going to be learning all about early exploration. We will learn about two famous conquistadors, Cortez and Pizarro, and the advantages that the Spanish had over the Aztecs and Incas. We will also learn about England’s exploration of North America and how they came across Roanoke. Some important people we will discuss are Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth, and John White.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Reading Groups & Math Centers

Good Morning! 

Welcome back! We are so excited to spend this last quarter together as we continue to learn and have fun. 

Here are the links to sign up for both math centers and reading groups.



We can't stress enough what an important and fun opportunity these groups are to be a part of our class community and to help our students have individualized support. Math Centers give the class a chance to explore our math topics in a new way. Reading groups allow us to work closely with each student by listening to them read and ensuring that we are giving them each the best chance to grow their reading skills.

Please let us know if you have any questions and if we can do anything to help you and your scholar throughout this quarter.

Thank you!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Week 29!

Welcome Back!

I hope that everyone had a nice and relaxing break! I'm very excited to spend this last quarter learning and having fun!

Here is what we can expect:

Math:
This week we will complete many different activities and games in order to review all that we have learned throughout the first grade. This will include: addition, subtraction, place value, graphing, 2D and 3D shapes, measurement, comparing numbers, and creating equal groups. 

Science: 
This week we will continue to study rocks and minerals. Students will learn about common minerals and their uses. They will also learn how to identify minerals by their properties. At the end of the week, we will review by making a book about the layers of the Earth, volcanoes, geysers, rocks, and minerals.

 

Literature: This week we will be reading some Pinocchio stories! Students will retell these stories through dramatic interpretations, illustrations, and puppets. They will also discuss role models in their lives and how that person helps them to make honest and responsible choices.
Spalding: This week we will review and go back to the basics. We will practice our handwriting and make sure that our letters are being formed properly. We will also practice our phonograms and review some commonly missed words.
 
Writing: Our copy work and narration exercises come from the story “All-of-a-Kind Family”.
 
Grammar: In Grammar, this week, we will be reviewing all of our parts of speech with some fun Columbus activities!
 
Idiom: AM and PM
 
Poem: Rope Rhyme by Eloise Greenfield (We will recite this next week!)

History: This week we will begin our unit on Early Exploration! We will be learning about Christopher Columbus and why he wanted to explore the New World. Students will be able to identify his journey on a map and sequence the events leading up to his voyage.
 

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Fine Arts and French night

Bonjour Archway Families!
Mark your calendars for this year's Fine Arts and French Night:  Friday, April 7th from 5:30 to 8:00.  You will have the opportunity to view your child's artwork, participate in an art workshop, and enjoy a video of French songs and poems, as well as a live presentation by the French Club.  Look for the flyer coming soon which outlines the schedule for the evening.  NOTE: there will be TWO sessions, divided by last name.  Please arrive only during your session to ensure sufficient parking.  
Hope to see you there!  À bientôt!


Please see this flyer for more information 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSuyHM9YtLNS3E5NlFvYWRKaVU/view


Have a happy spring break! 

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Week 28!

Good Afternoon!

Time sure does fly! I can't believe we are almost to spring break.
Here is what you can expect this week:

History: Students will learn about the Machu Picchu this week and take a virtual tour of where the Incas lived. They will then create their own “City in the Clouds”! We will also review key details for the Maya, Aztec, and Inca and take a short assessment on Thursday.
 
Science: This week we will continue our Earth Science unit by studying rocks. Students will learn about the characteristics of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. They will record observations about rocks and classify them. They will also create models of each type.

Math: This week we will continue to explore multiplication by creating equal groups with different items and solving various multiplication problems as well as repeated addition problems.
 
Literature: This week we will conclude our Anansi stories with a final one: Anansi Goes Fishing. We will discuss traits that make up a good leader and how Anansi could show citizenship. We will also read The Princess and the Pea and The Piped Piper of Hamelin and do some sequencing activities with these stories.
 
Spalding: 30 words this week - Test on Friday!
Monday: feather, fence, funny, going, honey, letters, orange, pocket, shoes, shoe
Tuesday: stairs, stream, talks, tiny, words, trust, extra, dress, beside, teach
Wednesday: happen, begun, collect, file, provide, sight, stood, fixed, fix, born
Phonograms to practice: ai, ch, ck, ea, ed, ey, i, igh, wor, y           
 
Writing: We have copy work and narration exercises from Little House on the Prairie this week!
 
Grammar: This week we will learn and practice some new capitalization and punctuation rules, in addition to our normal classifying work.
 
Idiom: A.M. and P.M.
 
Poem: None this week!