GR1N2

Miss Laidlaw Room 4

APRIL
APRIL 2014

Ours to Discover
Appreciations
Thank you to Andrew and Miss Ogilvie who have finished their placements this month and helped us a lot! Thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Holmes from Ottawa for donating more books for our students to bring home and call their own! Thank you to Mr. OGrady for giving us a bird nest he found in his yard. Thank you to Mr. Blackburn for thinking of us and suggesting great books for us to read.

Science
Beginning on Earth Day, we have been looking at ways humans impact and use the environment. We have borrowed many books from the Kingston Frontenac Public Library and the Queens Teacher Resource Centre to support our learning. Grade 1s will be assessed on energy in our lives. The units big ideas are: Everything happens as the result of some form of energy. The Sun is the principal form of energy for the Earth. Humans need to be responsible for the way in which we use energy. Grade 2s will be assessed on air and water in the environment. The units big ideas are: Air and water are a major part of the environment. Living things need air and water to survive. Changes to air and water affect living things and the environment. Our actions affect the quality of air and water and its ability to sustain life.

Mathematics
We are beginning our Measurement unit, in which we will learn about: Capacity and Mass (non-standard) Time (1/2 hour-Gr. 1, 1/4 hour-Gr. 2) Area (non-standard) Begin to use rulers (cm, m)

Words Their Way

In mid-April, we completed another Words Their Way assessment to see how much weve grown since January. All students showed an improvement! Most students need some review on short vowel sounds and already have a good grasp on the blends (ST, GR, BL, etc.) and digraphs (WH, TH, SH, CH, PH). Look for these when youre reading and writing with your child! According to WTW, your childs next phonics step is: beginning and ending consonants 3-letter short vowel words (CVC words) digraphs and blends long vowel patterns

Great Websites We Use

kidblog.org - Were learning Internet etiquette and responsibility while learning to type and write! gonoodle.com - Were loving this great (and free) Daily Physical Activity website! uniteforliteracy.com - This is a great Listen to Reading resource. It has a variety of fiction and non-fiction books that are perfect for beginning readers.

GR1N2
Miss Laidlaw Room 4

APRIL
APRIL 2014

Ours to Discover
Physical Education
We have completed our soccer unit. Students learned how to: pass to a partner dribble and trap headers throw-in knee pop (juggle a soccer ball) one-time kick into a net goalie scoop play an indoor soccer game

Gould Lake Field Trip

Our field trip to Gould Lake is on Thursday, May 22. Permission forms will be sent home soon.

Weekly Words
The red (Dolch Pre-Primer) and orange (Dolch Primer) groups have completed the majority of their Word Work lists. Some students have mastered their respective sight word groups and are ready to move up a level. New groups and word lists will be sent out in May.

Social Studies - Communities

We have been learning about Ghana. We have learned the rock-passing game and song called Obwisana and read a non-fiction text called The Day of a Young Girl in Ghana. Students completed a Venn Diagram comparing their lives to Terimbas life. In our study of our local community, students inquired who was the boss of the city. We decided to tweet Mayor Mark Gerretsen, who (when asked) invited us to call his office and arrange a visit! We completed reading the first book in the Flat Stanley mini-novel series. We received letters and Flat Stanleys from friends in Wainfleet, Ontario and wrote and mailed letters in return. It was a great, meaningful learning experience for both classrooms.

Sincerely,

Miss Laidlaw
http://misslaidlaw.weebly.com Twitter: @Grade1_2Knights