January 2015
Dear Families,
We have had a busy start to the New Year in our work. The class is currently listening to and writing responses to traditional fairy tales. The students are learning to write narratives and responses by using sequential words -first, next, then and finally. We are also adding a beginning and a closing to the writing. In the writing, students are adding adjectives to make the stories more interesting. We call them “sparkle” words. We have also done some opinion writing about the characters in fairy tales. Our writing focus will switch shortly to informative writing. Students will then learn about animal characteristics and write a report on a specific animal.
Our winter science kit arrived and we have been learning about seeds and new plants. I hope you have been getting reports of how quickly we have noticed changes in the brassica seeds we planted recently. They are a fast growing plant which allows the students to see the complete life cycle in just a few weeks. Some of us saw sprouts in our cups within 2 days of planting! The brassica plants now have flowers and are ready for us to help with the pollinating. We also made “eggheads” using rye and alfalfa seeds last week. (Be sure to ask your child what the eggheads are and what their purpose is for our plant unit.) We are watching for continued signs of growth on them. Another seed we planted has to do with our fairy tale unit. We planted bean seeds (just like Jack) and are waiting to see if the plant grows to reach the castles we made. Along with planting seeds, we also plant other parts such as potato stems, carrot roots and onion bulbs to see if a new plant will grow.
At this time, in math, we are working on comparing numbers to 100 and finding what number is 10 more/less than another number. We are also using a hundred chart and manipulative to add/subtract 2-digit and 1-digit numbers. Students should continue to practice addition and subtraction facts to 18 now at home. Our math unit in February will switch to attributes of shapes and an introduction to fractions. We will continue to review numbers. As a way of integrating science into math, we have been measuring our brassica stems each week. It didn’t take long for some of the stems to reach 6 inches in height! Next month the students will compare themselves to tall and short penguins.
I have recently updated the class website with information and new websites to try at home. You can go to the Hope Valley School webpage to access it. If you have any questions, you can email me.
Sincerely,
Polly Lilly
p.s. The snowmen from our home project are starting to show up in class. They look wonderful! First grade will fill the display cases near the library with the snowmen in February. Be sure to stop by and see them once you have heard the display is complete.
