Newsletter February 2 2018

Mrs. Adler’s and Ms.
Zimmermann’s First Grade
Weekly Review
February 2, 2018
Past Week’s Review

WELCOME TO THE FIRST GRADE!
We enjoyed celebrating Tu B’Shevat in school. It is the birthday of the trees. We also
appreciated learning more about trees from the presentation given by an educator of the Nature
Discovery Center. Then, the students did a hands-on project planting plants followed by a
discussion of how important it is that we take care of nature.
In Language Arts, during Reader’s Workshop, we learned that readers use words they know,
to solve words they don’t know. Readers can also try sounding out words as well as trying to use as
many ways as possible to figure out new words. In phonics, we did a two-way sort on words
containing the long ‘a’ sound such as ‘acorn’ and short ‘a’ sound such as ‘apple’. During Writer’s
Workshop, we continued our unit on persuasive writing. Persuasive writing is a form of writing in
which the writer uses words to convince the reader that the writer's opinion is correct in regards to
an issue. This helps the children with their critical writing and thinking skills. This week, partners
worked together to give writing checkups using rubrics.
In Spelling, we had our spelling test on words with the patterns sc, sn, and sw. The
students were challenged by our two bonus words: entomology and continents. The three sight
words this week included: girl, very and have. Please make sure that you are continuing to review
these words with your children.
In Math, we are working on adding or subtracting a 1-digit number from a 2-digit number
within numbers to 40! We can do this in different ways, by counting on, counting back, subtracting
ones or tens, or adding ones or tens. We are also working on model drawing word problems and
taking math sprints to practice our math facts! The goal is to build accuracy and to see how many
problems one can complete in a minute. At home, please continue to practice addition and
subtraction MATH FACTS with your child every night! Flash cards are a great way to reinforce the
skill!
In Social Studies, we continued our unit on maps and globes. We learned about our
continent and the three large countries that are part of North America. Our ‘Weekly Reader’ was
called “Wheelchair Racer”. We read about a boy named Gabriel who trains for a wheelchair race.
He prepares by doing some warm up exercises. He wears safety gear and has coaches that guide
him. He has a speedometer to show him how fast he is going. Our ‘Studies Weekly’ was called
“Let’s Review”. We reviewed customs and traditions, different types of landforms and how
technology has evolved over time. We also learned about Groundhog Day and made predictions if
the groundhog would or wouldn’t see its shadow.
In Science, we began our insect unit! The students learned that entomology is the study of
insects and that an entomologist is a scientist who focuses his/her study on insects. We then began
our research into insects by learning that all insects have six legs, some can fly, most lay eggs, and
that there are three body parts, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The students are
recording what they learn in their insect journals.
In Science Lab, we continued learning about air! We have now learned what air can do and
how air interacts with parachutes. Last week, we learned about drag, or air resistance, and how a
parachute works. The students were given paper cups, napkins, a coffee filter, string, and tape to
create a parachute that would slow down the cup. They were great engineers and had fun testing
their parachutes. This week, we wrote in our science journals about how a parachute works. Then
we did an experiment to show how water can be used to show that air takes up space. We filled a
bucket of water and placed a paper towel at the bottom of a cup. We placed the cup upside down
in the water. We made predictions about what we think might happen to the paper towel. We
learned that an empty cup is truly not empty, it is filled with air. The air was trapped in the cup
when it entered the water. When we slightly tilted the cup, it let some air bubbles out, which then
let some water in the cup.
In Music, we completed written performance evaluations of our performance from last

week. An evaluation is a very important part of any performance. During class this week, we
discussed many elements of plays, productions, and music programs. Students were given the
chance to discuss ideas in a group and provide private written feedback after viewing segments
from our play, “We Come From Everywhere!” We can’t wait for our next K-5th performance at our
Spring Showcase on April 27 at 2:30pm! This year’s theme is On Broadway! Keep up with the Music
Room on our website: www.BYDSMusic.weebly.com
Last but not least, if there is one thing we can suggest or encourage for you to be doing at
home is to read with your child every night. It is important that you let your child read to you so
he/she can practice reading aloud. This is a wonderful bonding time for you and your child. Please
make sure that you are also recording in the daily reading log what your child is reading at home
and returning the reading logs to school on Monday’s. Please make sure that your child is reading
for at least 15 minutes every day.
Important Dates Ask Your Child

 Thursday, March 1st – Purim Dress Up  What is entomology?
Day
 Tuesday, March 6th - 1st grade Chagigat  What are the 3 main body parts of an
Siddur celebration insect?
 Wednesday, March 7th – Group Picture  Which continent is the United States in?
Day (Individual picture make up day)
 Did the groundhog see his shadow?
Important Info
 Please remember to send snacks with your child every day! They get very hungry and a mid-
morning, as well as mid-afternoon, snack helps out! These should be healthy snacks that
can be eaten in a 5-minute time frame!
 Every Monday is Spirit Dress Day! Students may come dressed in a spirit dress shirt and
jeans! If there is no school on a Monday, Tuesday becomes Spirit Dress Day.
We love school!

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Newsletter February 2 2018

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Mrs. Adler’s and Ms.

Zimmermann’s First Grade

Past Week’s Review

In Music, we completed written performance evaluations of our performance from last

Important Dates Ask Your Child

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