First Grade News
October 2015
Dear Parents,
This letter will consist of curriculum information, important dates and reminders, as well as special
notes of interest. We hope you will find this information worthwhile. Homework has begun. The first grade
team has determined that the most beneficial homework that your child can do each night is to READ! We
will provide a reading calendar for your child to complete each month. This is all that is required; however, if
you would like to do extra work with your child, we will also be sending home the sight words that we are
working on in class, a suggestion of activities to use with them, and a list of reading and math websites and
apps that your child can use. The children are starting to bring home books that they have read in their
guided reading groups. Please have your child read their book to you. They are very proud when they get to
bring them home to share! Please remember that they need to return their books the next day.
READING/LANGUAGE ARTS- We will continue to explore books that tell stories and books that give
information. As we are reading fiction books, our focus will be on asking and answering questions and
retelling a story relating to the key details. Students will also be expected to use strategies to determine
unknown words when reading. We will learn to identify text features and then use those text features to
locate important information when reading.
WRITING- We are finishing up our narratives and beginning to write informative pieces. First graders are
expected to name the topic, supply facts about the topic, participate in shared research and provide a sense
of closure. They will need to sort and distinguish important facts from unimportant facts. We also will be
working on opinion pieces. Our students are expected to introduce the topic they are writing about, state
an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion and provide some sense of closure. They may write how they
think or feel about something and then will need to support their opinions with facts and details. In all
writing pieces, the children will need to provide feedback to other students about their writing and use the
feedback provided by their peers and teachers to edit and improve their own pieces. They will also need to
use correct punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Word wall words need to be spelled correctly and
words that have not been taught should be spelled phonetically.
MATH- October will be an exciting month in math! Our first graders will practice their addition and
subtraction strategies such as counting on, counting back, (e.g., counting on 2 to add 2), putting together,
taking apart, adding to and taking from. They will apply these strategies to a variety of addition and
subtraction situations and determine whether or not they need to add or subtract when presented with a
word problem. Students will also continue to compare the value of two-digit numbers using the greater than
(>), less than (<) and equal to (=) symbols. We will begin our study of graphing by having students organize,
represent and interpret multiple categories of data. By looking at bar graphs, pictographs and charts, they
will be able to ask and answer questions about the data that is depicted and make comparisons about how
many more or how many less are in one category than another. We encourage you to work with your children
at home to strengthen their knowledge of these concepts.
SCIENCE- In our life science unit, students will be identifying the food groups and learning the importance
of physical activity and choosing the right foods for helping them grow and stay healthy. As we continue
learning about plants and animals, we will be looking at ways that animals depend on plants and other animals
to survive. The students will be able to describe a simple food chain and explain how humans and animals
satisfy their need for food. They will be using magnifying glasses to observe how all living things are made
of parts. Students will learn about and compare the ways different animals use their body parts to stay
safe. We will also be looking at how the basic needs for survival differ amongst living things.
SOCIAL STUDIES- In Social Studies, we will explore how political leaders help others and contribute to
America. We will discuss important past and present leaders and their many contributions. These leaders
include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama. We will also
identify holidays we celebrate to honor such leaders, as well as American symbols and traditions that
represent freedom and promote patriotism. Furthermore, we will identify memorials and monuments found in
the United States and examine their meanings. Listening to patriotic songs, studying the history of the
American flag and The Star Spangled Banner, and discussing the significance of The Pledge of Allegiance
will deepen your child’s understanding of what it means to be an American citizen.
REMINDERS
1. With the change to cooler fall weather, please help your children dress appropriately for outside play.
2. If your child is absent from school, please send a note giving the date(s) and reason for absence.
3. Anytime there is a change in how your child will be getting home, a note must be sent to the school
indicating the new arrangements. Please include a phone number where you can be reached if there is a
question.
4. Please check your child’s schedule to see what days he or she has P.E. and art, so he/she may dress
appropriately. Also, note when he/she goes to the library so books can be returned and new ones checked
out.
IMPORTANT DATES
October 2
Early Release Day
October 12
Parent Visitation Day
October 16
No School for Students
October 30
Fall Party-2:45-3:45
November 2
Professional Day- No School