Mrs. Nathan's 1st Grade Class

Week of February 25th

THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY TREATS! I had a great day!

Language Arts: this week we will read Frog and Toad Together; the genre is animal fantasy. We will be focusing on the author's purpose: why did the author write the piece? Was it to entertain, persuade, or inform /teach? The spelling patterns this week are endings -ed, -ing and doubling the final consonant as well as r-controlled -ar.

Math: we will continue working on doubles this week and making 10.

Social Studies: we will wrap up our study on Presidents Lincoln and Washington

PYP: we started a new planner last week entitled How the World Works. The central idea is science helps us understand changes in our world. The lines of inquiry are: properties of solids, liquids, and gases; changes in the states of matter; causes and effects of changes in matter.

The kids really enjoyed going to watch the Trail Riders! Enjoy the photos:
As a break from "grades" we made decorated western 'hats' before heading off to see the Trail Riders.

Waiting for the Trail Riders!

Language Arts: this week we will read Life in the Forest. The genre is expository text and we will be working on authors' purpose. The spelling pattern this week is long u spelled u_e, long e spelled e_e, and inflected ending -ed as in jumped, wanted, and poured.

Math: we will finish comparing numbers and begin working on $money$. We have been working on Calendar Math since December and the kids have gotten so creative in the different ways they show the number of the day (date).

Science: the kids had a great time recording the temperature last week. We have one more day to record. We used WeatherBug as our source but when one of the kids asked how we knew that temperature reading was correct, it prompted our on observation: we hung thermometers on a tree by the First Grade wing. It was a great way to evaluate the accuracy of WeatherBug and also to hypothesize why they might be different.

PYP: we will continue working on How We Organize Ourselves.

The central idea is Interactions throughout communities reflect the cultures of the world. The lines of inquiry are: similar and different needs and wants around the world; roles and responsibilities of a community's members; resources of different cultures.

Miscellaneous:
1. Bash Basket donations can be dropped off in the classroom, the deadline was extended through Jan. 25th
2. I will be at a PYP planning meeting, on campus, the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 23rd.
3. Early Dismissal (12:30) is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30th.

Week of January 14th

Report cards were sent home on Friday. Please sign and return. I will send you a copy home once I receive the signed one.

Language Arts: this week we will read The Big Circle, the genre is fiction. We will be working on story sequencing. The spelling pattern this week is long o spelled o_e, and contractions.

Math: we will continue comparing and ordering numbers and also using the hundred chart

Science: we will working on seasons and weather

PYP: we will begin working on a new planner this week: How We Organize Ourselves. The central idea is Interactions throughout communities reflect the cultures of the world. The lines of inquiry are: similar and different needs and wants around the world; roles and responsibilities of a community's members; resources of different cultures.

Miscellaneous:
1. I wanted to let you all know that Mohammad has returned to his country, he was here for only a short while; we also got a new student, her name is Jood, please welcome her when you get a chance.
2. I will be conducting the TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory) with each student over the next two weeks.

Happy New Year!!!!

Wow! I can't believe two entire weeks went by soooo fast!

Language Arts: this week we will focus on special titles like Officer, President, and Mayor. We will read Who Works Here? The genre is Expository Text which tells about real people and events. The spelling pattern this week is long i spelled i_e, and consonant digraphs ch and tch.

Math: we will work on more and less than a number and also comparing and ordering numbers.

LDC: we will have a one week rotation

PYP: we will be wrapping up our planner this week. I am looking forward to seeing the school maps created by the kids, they are due on Friday, January 11th.

Miscellaneous:
a. Reports cards go home on Friday
b. I am sad to inform you that Ethan's last day at Twain was Dec. 21st. He will now attend the same school as his sister. I am very happy for the family but know that we will miss him! They have promised to visit :)

Week of Dec. 17th

This is a follow-up to my email regarding this week.

As you already know, there is no homework this week, yeah! We will be reviewing some things, introducing a few new activities, and working away on our planner. This morning we worked on an activity and as we worked on it, the kids came up with things to add to it. Gotta love that they take the ownership!!!

Tomorrow is Pajama Day. If your child is not comfortable wearing PJs all day please send a change of clothes. We talked about it this afternoon :)

We do have several extra activities planned this week but we are really trying to keep learning all the way through Friday. I can't believe the semester is over already, it has flown by!

Thank you for all the snacks for Field Day, we enjoyed some in between events and the rest during lunch in our classroom. Enjoy some pictures.

On our way to the Parade of Classes, our banner turned out AWESOME!!!

The Twins Race was hilarious! Pammy and Fahad

Charleston and Reese

Isabel and Leo

The Hula Hoop Race is harder than it looks! Samantha and Cindy

Jackson and Charlie

Alex and Ethan

The Frog Race was also a lot of work, they had to touch the ground with their hands at every jump!

We wrapped up our day with an Art a la Carte lesson by Mr. Friesen

Student-led Conferences on Wednesday, December 5th from 3:00-4:30, in 30 minute blocks

If you are unable to come on Wednesday please let me know and we can arrange an alternate day/time. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with your child! The children lead the conference and share goals and work from our completed planners.

Language Arts: this week we will focus on common nouns (teacher, park, ball, snake). We will read A Big Fish for Max. The genre is Animal Fantasy. The spelling pattern this week is digraphs sh/th and the vowel sound in ball.

Math: we will work on numbers from 11-20 and the hundred chart.

Science: magnetism, soil, and rocks will be our focus over the next weeks.

LDC: we will have a one week rotation this time around

Getting started on the class creation for the Bash!

Practicing math facts with dominoes (part/part/whole)

Planner title: Where We Are in Time and Place

The central idea of our current planner is that a universal pictorial language connects people around the world. The lines of inquiry are: 1) communicating with symbols, pictures, and gestures; 2) geography and place; and 3) symbols and patterns and problem solving in math.

The children created the US flag, a national symbol, and wrote about what each part of the flag represents.

Our 'new' student :) Ainsley, Jackson's little sister

We went on a 'Signs Hunt' around the school

Some signs were not inside so we went on a 'mini-field trip'

Art a la Carte: Mr. and Mrs. Loffredo led this month's lesson!

Week of November 12th

Field Trip: Tuesday, November 13th. Please make sure that your child has turned in the permission slip, there are still several children that have not returned it. Your child should bring a sack lunch, no lunch kits; everything must be disposable. Also, have your child wear his/her Nathan's Nighthawks t-shirts, it makes is easy to spot a child in our class :) Thank you to all the parents that are joining us!

Early Dismissal (12:30) on Wednesday, November 14th.

High Frequency Word Evaluation: I will finish assessing the kids this week, additional assessments will take place in the spring if necessary.

Language Arts: this week we will focus on interrogative sentences, or asking sentences (questions). We will read Get the Egg! The genre is Realistic Fiction. The spelling pattern this week is short e and initial consonant blends such as bl, st, sm.

Math: we will work on patterns this week.

Science: we continue working on energy: light and sound.

Planner: we will wrap up our current planner this week with a visit to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts!

Week of Nov. 5th

Ten-frames practice on the Smartboard

How we express ourselves through art: creating texture

Creating patterns

Week of October 22th

Please remember that there will be a Spelling test each Friday, along with the weekly language arts assessment.

Early Dismissal (12:30) on Wednesday, October 24th. Parent Conference invitations were sent home last week. If you did not receive one and want to schedule a time please email me.

Language Arts: this week we continue focusing on the subject of a sentence and reading Pig in a Wig! The genre is Animal Fantasy.

Science: I had gotten my weeks mixed up :( We will work on the light, heat, and sound energy this week.

Social Studies: we continue working on historical figures

Planner: we continue learning about the different ways people express themselves through art. This past week we looked at a piece of art and noted all the different things we saw and wrote down questions that we have about the piece. This is the first step in the Independent Investigation Method (IIM), determining a topic. This first time, we will be investigating and researching as a group, to learn about the process.

Mrs. Bradford came in and lead an Art a la Carte lesson on Friday. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it! The lesson was on Henri Matisse, creating art with cut paper.

Their work is posted ourside our room, what a gallery!

Thanks for all the work at Spooky Spaghetti! Our booth was very popular, and I know that it was very hard work so please thank all the volunteers!!!

Both my daughters enjoyed getting their nails done. Below, Jackie is attentively watching as Mrs. Friesen begins working on hers.

Week of October 15th

Please note that the homework looks a little different this week. A spelling list is included in the packet and there will be a Spelling test on Friday, along with the weekly language arts assessment.

Language Arts: this week we continue focusing on detailed sentences and reading Sam, Come Back! The genre is Realistic Fiction which is a made-up story that could happen in real life. We will discuss Character and Setting.

We had several special activities this week that set us back:
Social Studies: we continue working on historical figures

Planner: we began our second planner entitled How We Express Ourselves: the central idea is that through art, people express ideas, thoughts and feelings. It is an inquiry into different art forms and styles, materials used over the world to create art, and personal reactions about art.