First Grade News for Miss Thies's class
December 2007
Reader's Workshop
Reminders
Upcoming Events
Things to do at home
  • Reading with a storyteller's voice
  • Notice how voice changes with punctuation marks
  • Begin Retelling unit:
    • focus on setting and characters
    • tell details in sequence
  • Reread stories for fluency and sense
  • Check your child's folder every night for notes and homework.
  • Remember to read with your child each night and fill in the star paper!
  • Dress your child appropriately as the weather gets colder!
  • Label all of your child's clothing
  • Send in a healthy snack everyday!
  • Dec. 14th - Report cards distributed
  • Dec. 20th - Winter Party
  • Dec. 21st -1/2 day of school
  • Dec. 22nd-Jan.1st Winter Recess
  • count change (pennies, nickels, and dimes)
  • review time to the hour and half hour
  • brainstorm writing topics about your child's life
  • tell number stories
  • look for signs of Winter
  • Ask about your child's day
Phonics Fun
Math
Science and Social Studies
Writing
  • beginning, medial, and ending consonant sounds
  • syllables
  • double consonant endings in words : -all, --ill, -iss, -uzz, etc.
  • review short vowels
  • /l/, /e/, /z/, /y/, ea spelling for /e/, /w/ and wh for /hw/
  • practice word families for -ar, -ut, -ed, -ill, -all
  • counting change (pennies, nickels, and dimes)
  • even and odd numbers
  • Adding and subtracting on the number line
  • Telling time to the half hour and quarter hour
  • Frames and Arrows
  • Addition Facts
  • Using a Timeline
  • Number scrolls
  • Thermometer reading
  • Measurement - nonstandard (___'s foot, paper clips, digits, etc.) and standard units (in. and cm.)
  • spinning/rolling experiments
  • Share Lenape knowledge with 4th grade class
  • hibernation
  • bears
  • winter themes
  • gingerbread exchange (learn about regions in US through letter exchange)
  • Open Circle : how to handle double D "dangerous and destructive" and annoying behaviors
  • brainstorming for writing ideas
  • choosing a topic
  • writing using phonics cues
  • using full sentences
  • using proper punctuation
  • writing with expression
Special Books for this month:
Bears: Alaska's Three Bears
Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons
Wild Bears
Gingerbread Books:
Gingerbread Man
Gingerbread Boy
Gingerbread Baby
Holiday Books:
Chanukkah Guest
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
Light the Lights (a book about Christmas and Hanukkah)
Night Tree
Santa's Book of Names
Magic Dreidels

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