1. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 4/22 Earth Day We have many fun activities planned this week in celebration of Earth Day. 4/28 Spring Pictures Say cheese! 4/29 Field trip to St. Mary’s to watch A Monster Ate My Homework. 5/2 April Reading Log Folders are due 5/4 Adventure Aquarium Field Trip. In order to attend this field trip in any way, you must have your clearances on file with the office. Please contact the office if you have any questions. 5/5 Ascension Thursday – No School 5/8 Mother’s Day Always make sure to check our school website for additional news and upcoming events. First Grade News April 18 th -22 nd 2016 I hope that everyone is enjoying this beautiful weekend. Hopefully, spring is now here to stay. Attached are a few important notes along with this week’s curriculum outline and spelling and sight words. Please read through the attached slides. As always, reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. Take care and have a wonderful week! Best, Bethany Frost Please return your permission forms for our two upcoming field trips as soon as possible. Thank you! We are looking forward to a fun-filled spring! We have many hands on activities planned. Friendly Reminders Math Project: Creating a Clock Clocks are due on Monday. Please continue to practice telling time and counting mixed coins. First Grade is Out of This World! Science Project: All About the Moon Moon facts are also due on Monday. I was so impressed with everyone’s interest and questions during our discussions about the moon this week in class. I hope you had fun learning more about outer space.

2. This Week’s Curriculum Notes Math – Chapter Eight, Time and Money. This week, we will complete Chapter Eight. We will continue to tell and write time to the hour and half hour. We will review elapsed time, order of events, ordinal numbers and how to read a calendar. Please practice these skills at home. Also, continue to practice counting mixed coins. When time allows, review addition and subtraction math facts. Replay some of the math games that have been sent home. Create double addition fact flash cards. Mastering these facts are important. We’re having a ball learning! Beach balls are an excellent way to get outside and make learning fun. Purchase a beach ball and write math facts or sight words on each stripe. Go outside and toss the ball to one another, reading the facts/words your hands land on. Reading – This week, we will read, Peter’s Chair. Genre: Realistic Fiction. Comprehension Strategy: Story Structure. Comprehension Skill: Character, Setting and Plot. Phonics & Spelling – This week, we will focus on compound words and vowels ew, ue, and ui. Please continue to reread the Decodable Readers and poems that are attached to this month’s reading log folder to build fluency. Grammar & Writing – All about adjectives! Students will identify adjectives within a sentence. We will also practice incorporating rich adjectives into our journal writing. When reading with an adult this week, identify nouns, verbs and adjectives within a story. Religion – On Tuesday, we will have an assessment on Chapter Eleven. We will begin Chapter Twelve, The Church Serves. Social Studies and Science – We are going green! This week, we will discuss ways we can reduce, reuse, and recycle goods. We will also complete many activities to celebrate Earth Day. Discuss ways your family can go green. Spring into good study habits!

3. Spelling Words Test date: Friday, April 22 nd Compound Words backpack outside baseball herself flashlight bluebird lunchbox suitcase inside brainstorm High-Frequency Words: picture remember Challenge Words: Commonly misspelled words friend sister brother family Words to READ stood room thought picture remember

4. April 18 th 22 nd Sight Words Have your child read this week’s list of sight words to you frequently throughout the week. Review previous lists to monitor retention of these words. Thank you. driveway oatmeal beanstalk sunset rainbow daylight butterfly doghouse wristwatch snowman dragonfly pancake bedtime lighthouse Compound words hummingbird snowflake anytime grasshopper ballplayer evergreen sailboat anywhere popcorn birthday highway lunchbox brainstorm suitcase

5. Reading At Home Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) Finding time to read on a daily basis is important. Select a DEAR time that works for your family. When everyone is reading, it promotes a stronger interest and love for literature. Visit your local public library or bookstore to explore different authors and genres. Our first grade spring reading goal is 15 minutes of reading, at least 5 days per week. Break it down! Select one of the following to do each evening: 5 minutes – Rereading the weekly sight word list. Rereading the weekly decodable reader. Rereading the spring poem(s) attached to your reading folder. The above methods build fluency, expression, and overall reading confidence Select one of the following to do each evening: 10 minutes – Free choice reading. Select a book or chapter to read aloud to an adult. Read to yourself and then discuss what you read with an adult. Reminder… A list of comprehension questions are inside your child’s reading log folder. Reading Objective: To read aloud fluently with accuracy, rate, and expression.