First Grade News

Curriculum Highlights

September 23, 2013

Math time to the hour, explorations, money Science Unit Natural Cycles - Weather Short Vowel review, phonological matrices, affixes Writing Workshop Writing Cycle Plan, draft Reading Workshop decoding strategies and genre boxes

Reminders

October 24th & 25th - Parent/ teacher conferences - no classes for students.
Please keep these days free to meet with your childs teachers.

Friday 27th Sept No School

Word Study
Review short vowel sounds a e i o u a cat map e pen get i tin lid o got rod u cut fun
Whats the difference between a short and long vowel?

News From Ms. Tindalls Class

Application of concepts taught in class is a real test of how well your child is learning. If you are looking for extensions, the best activities involve your child in your real life daily activities. When you start thinking about it, the possibilities are endless. For example, ask your child if theyd like to go to the movies on the weekend. Together check the calendar to see which day you are free (math, planning). Get on the Internet to find the cinema page and read the reviews (tech, reading). Choose a movie based on the review and rating (critical thinking, comprehension). Choose the date. Find the show times. Figure out what time the movie will finish based on its length. Plan what time you will have to leave your house to arrive on time. Will you need to purchase tickets beforehand on-line or will you arrive early enough to buy them at the cinema? What is the cost for an adult/ child? How much money will you need to pay? With what notes can you make that amount or if you pay with a 50RM/100RM note how much change will you get? How much does popcorn and a drink cost? Parking? How much will the whole outing cost altogether? How many chores at home will I have to do to earn the price of my ticket? How long will the whole outing take? (math) What did you think of the movie afterward? Would you recommend it to others? Write your own review. Send an email to a friend or relative telling them about it. (critical thinking, writing) Imagine the possibilities of going to the supermarket, the park, the airport, preparing dinner, inviting a friend to play! In partnership, Ms. Tindall

Monday Reading; What strategies do you use when you come across a word you dont know? Math: Coins are great for addition practice in 10s, 5s and 1s. We are using coins a lot in this math unit. Use currencies that you have at home - no need to use USA vocabulary. Tuesday Reading: Retell the story what happened in the beginning, middle, end? Math: Go on a hunt for things around your house that tell the time. Make a tally chart as you hunt noting which time tellers are analogue (hands) and which ones are digital.

Wednesday Reading: How can looking at the pictures help you to decode words and to understand the story? (*** Parents! Dont be fooled by thinking this a beginner reader strategy! This is a vital part of activating background knowledge for all readers. A key strategy that strong adult readers do (even if subconsciously) is think about what they already know about a topic and start making connections and asking questions before they begin reading. Of course for early readers, looking at the pictures aids both with comprehension and also decoding.) Math: Look at an analogue clock. Talk about the different parts of a clock with an adult. Tell them all the things you notice. (Adults, allow children to explore and notice first, later you can ask more specific questions such as: What do the numbers represent? (the hour) What do the little marks between the numbers represent? (the minutes). Which hand points to the hour? Which hand indicates the minutes? How many minutes in an hour? How many hours are on the clock? ) Thursday Reading: Based on the title and book cover make a prediction about what the text will be about. What do you already know about this topic? Math: Practice counting by twos. Take something you have many of and count them by twos (EG, legos, blocks, coins, counters etc). Why would you count by twos? Friday Reading: How does looking at the cover of a book and thinking about what the book might be about help you get ready to read/ improve your comprehension/ help you figure out words? Poem collection: Recite and sing poems and songs from your poem collection to family members, friends and neighbours. Put your finger on each word as you read it. Return poem collection to school on Monday. Science: Look up the daily weather forecast for KL and/or another place youre interested in: www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0153