Week 32

Here’s what our first graders are learning this week: April 18-22

Interactive Read Aloud:  This week we will be reading books about springtime and reviewing first grade comprehension skills. We will read Little Robin Redbreast, City Green, Planting a Garden, and Flower Garden.  Review topics include character feelings, character change, character traits, and character motivation. 

Phonics:  -oa and –ow words

We are in our end of the year unit on learning to spell high frequency words, long vowel team or r-controlled words, and “fun” words from the lists you made at home. Each Friday your child will have a spelling test of 6 words they have been practicing all week through various activities.  This week, we will focus on
 -oa and -ow words.

Writing:   This month, we are going to be doing some “animal research” and writing “All About” books to share what we have learned.  Each student will have his/her own unique animal to research, and we will be learning the mechanics of writing non-fiction based on gathered information rather than personal experience.  At the end of this unit, we will be making a class PowerPoint presentation to share some fun facts about our amazing animals!

Math:  We are learning about fractions this week. Our focus is on equal parts of a whole and learning how to write them as a numerator and denominator. Students will also learn to identify and name halves, thirds, and fourths. 

IXL: If you would like to use IXL at home, we recommend these sections for practice this week:

·           Fractions (Section J)

·           Money (Section O)

·           Review of Addition and Subtraction (Sections B-F)

Core Knowledge:   This week, we continue our newest unit in Core Knowledge history: A New Nation.  We are learning about the original 13 colonies and the events leading up to the American Revolution.  Topics include the Boston Tea Party, the "Shot Heard Around the World," Paul Revere, Betsy Ross and the first American flag, the Declaration of Independence, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and American symbols.  

Core Virtue: April’s Core Virtue is Forgiveness – letting go and moving on once someone has apologized for something they did wrong. 

End of the Year Trips:
May 6th    MN  Zoo
June 2nd   Chutes and Ladders