The Latest News from 1C- October

Hello 1C Families! We sure have been busy in our class. In the past few weeks we've earned our second class reward! Three extra punches on our weekly punch cards. When we complete our punch cards we all get to earn a prize.

We had a wonderful time on our field trip to Honey Pot Hill. Thank you to all of the parents who offered to volunteer. I assure you that there were be lot of opportunities for helping out in school this year.

Many thanks to our class homeroom parents: Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Byron, and Mrs. Sangappa. These ladies will be contacting you regarding special activities, volunteer opportunities, and class projects. They will also be coordinating Guest Readers to come into our classroom. The schedule will be sent out in the next week or so. The first special event is our annual Pumpkin Day, 10/28. On this day we will have fun using pumpkins for math and science activities. Parent volunteers and pumpkin donations will be needed. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

Please note that information about our first grade All Saints' Day project was sent home today. Please be sure that your child has their completed assignment on the due date, 10/27 . The children will also need to have a picture of their saint printed from the Internet. We will be using the information and picture for a special project in class.

Thanks to the families who recently donated items from our class wish list. We are in need of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, packages of mini Play Do, and cotton swabs. If you wish to send something in feel free!

Curriculum News:
In SUPERKIDS we are presently working on unit 3. In units 3 and 4 we will be working on the following concepts: sequence words, rhyming words, categorizing words, sequencing events, recognizing plots, problems/ solutions, finding patterns in text, and distinguishing between fantasy and reality in stoires. We will be working with the sounds of /ng/ and /le/ as well as /er/, the three different sounds of -ed /ehd/, /t/, and /d/. Memory words in the units are: do, have, show, how, me, a, look, your, the, was, are, and for.

In reading groups we are reading in small groups. We have been learning and identifying parts of speech, reading with expression, and reviewing our current SUPERKIDS program skills. We also have been enjoying centers that incorporate ordering words in sentences, rhymes, and lots of other skills. We also have been learning new poems, chants, and songs.

Our whole class has also been loving a new book series about Pete the Cat! We have written our class about Pete the Cat and love the catchy rhythms of the words. Click the links below to experience Pete at home.


Pete the Cat I Love My White Shows

http://harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/petethecat/audio/pete-the-cat.mp3


Pete the Cat Rocking In My School Shoes
http://harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/petethecat/audio/Pete-the-Cat-Rocking-in-My-School-Shoes.mp3



In Math we are working on the following skills:reviewing forming numbers correctly, ordinal position, shapes/sides/angles, story problems with addition and subtraction concepts. We will also be starting fact assessment, beginning with the "doubles" coming soon. We will also be using a balance scale, pattern blocks, and measuring length and width with standard and non standard units.

In Science we have completed our first unit about Life Stages of People. In our latest unit we will be Botanists. We will be learning all about plants, shrubs, and trees. We will be learning about identifying and classifying leaves and needles, deciduous and evergreens, as well as life stages of plants, trees, and shrubs. We will be observing seeds in conifers as well as learning to count the rings of a tree trunk to determine the age of trees.

In Social Studies we have spent time learning all about Christopher Columbus' life and travels. We are wrapping up our study about basic needs. We will now be heading into our map skills work. We will be learning all about types of maps, parts of maps, and different views such as an aerial view and map view.

In Religion we are presently working on Chapter 4 in our book. The chapter theme is "We Give Praise to God". We will be talking about giving praise to others, prayers of praise that celebrate God's goodness, and saying and singing songs of praise. We will also discuss ways that Catholics praise God at Mass.