First Grade Newsletter November 9 th -13 th 2015 Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Frost MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Nov Book Fair Family Night- 11/11 from 6pm-8pm Family Day – 11/15 from 10am-1pm Nov. 11 th – Veterans Day Please say a special prayer for all who have served and are currently serving our country. Nov. 20 th Picture Day School uniform must be worn. Dec. 1 st – November Reading Logs are due. Remember, our goal is 175 minutes of reading! You can do it! Please check our school website for additional news and events. Daily Fluency Practice Rereading poems and short stories helps to build fluency, expression, and confidence. Echo or choral read poems together to model expression and fluency. Don’t forget to practice the Dolch sight words on a regular basis. Five minutes of daily sight word practice can make a big difference! Also, please have your child practice reading the weekly words that are attached to our spelling list. These words are in conjunction with our weekly phonics/spelling skills. Reading these words will help your child to apply our phonics skills. Falling For Addition Please continue to practice the math flash cards that your child made in class. Thank you! Thank You We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to family members who have or are currently serving our great nation. Thank you for your bravery and sacrifice. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Happy Veterans Day! We are so thankful for your support and dedication towards your child’s education. Please keep up the wonderful work at home. Thank you! into a good book!

Curriculum Notes Math: Students will continue to explore the concept of subtraction. We will practice a variety of strategies to solve subtraction problems. Words to know: minus – the word/symbol that means to subtract. difference – the number that remains after a quantity has been subtracted; the outcome of a subtraction sentence. Subtraction Strategies: Remember…don’t drop your pencil! Continue to reinforce the dot math strategy with your child. 1. Count down. Use dots to count down if the part you are subtracting is less than 6. Example: Count Down 2. Count up. If the part you are subtracting is close to the whole, then, count up to find the difference. Make dots on the side of the problem to track the difference. Example: Count Up Reading & Spelling: Focus: Digraphs sh and th This week, we will begin our second reading unit. Our focus this week is on digraphs sh and th. Our whole group story this week is, A Fish for Max. Comprehension Skill: Main Idea. An additional copy of this week’s spelling and reading words are attached. Grammar and Writing: We will continue to focus on sentences. We will discuss types of sentences, the parts of a sentence, word order, and correct punctuation. Our handwriting books have arrived! We will begin to review the correct formation of each letter of the alphabet. Continue to reinforce correct letter formation at home. Religion: We will complete Chapter Four, Jesus Works Among the People. We will discuss the following: How John the Baptist helped people get ready for Jesus. How Jesus shared God’s love with everyone. How Jesus teaches that God watches over us and cares for us. How Jesus helped all those in need. This chapter is a great time to discuss, as a family, how you can help others and give thanks for your many blessings. Social Studies: We will continue to learn more about and discuss the importance of Veterans Day. Science: We will begin a study of hibernation. We will explore which animals hibernate and why they do so. Each Friday afternoon, our Star Student will share an exciting science experiment with us. Whole – part = part 10 – 3 = 7 (9,8,7) (8,9,10)

Spelling Words Digraphs sh and th Please practice spelling these words each evening. High-Frequency Words: * Challenge Words: shiprush fishshell thenshop shuttrash withthin want good shade shine broth flash Please review the additional sight words on the reverse side. Words to Read want good catch no put

Sight Word Practice the that then these thin think third than south moth cloth bath teeth tooth sloth broth mouth north shack shade she shell shine share ship shop shut blush cash flash dash crush dish fish smash push trash