What we have been learning

Reader's Workshop

In Reader’s Workshop this week we wrapped up our unit on Animals Surviving and Thriving!
All unit long, we've been thinking about how people and animals are interconnected. We've been reading and learning about how we can play a role in animals' survival and how we can take care of the different habitats around the world. 

This week we read two main texts; How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, and Mathew and Tilly
In our reading response journals, we focused on using text evidence to show our reasoning. Some students chose to use phrases like "I know because...", "The pictures show..." or "The author said..." to help them get started. 

Next week, we will begin our unit on Resources in Our Communities. We will use the text Mirror to begin our work around why markets are important to people around the world and comparing markets in different places.

Word Study

In Word Study, we have been working on reading and writing words from short /u/ word families (-ug and -ut).  This coming week we will work with reading and writing words with the glued sounds -ung and -unk.

Next Week's Weekly Words:

• goods: things people buy or own
• service: job someone does which helps others
• shop: to visit stores to look over and buy goods
• consumer: someone who buys and uses products and services
• producer: someone who makes goods or provides a service
• buy: to get a good or a service in exchange for money

Writer's Workshop

In Writer’s workshop we have just about finished our non-fiction texts about animals. Please come and celebrate the writing we have done this winter at our publishing party on:

Thursday, February 13th, 2020

8:45-9:45 am

Families should enter and sign in at the lower school main entrance. The 1,000 Cups Coffee Shop operated by Curley middle school students will be selling coffee and baked goods beginning at 8:30. 

Next week, we will begin our Poetry Unit! We will be using The Best Part of Me and other poems and poetry books as mentor texts before students begin writing their own "I am" poems to kick off our unit.

Math

In math, students have been working on combinations of ten. We are practicing and developing accurate number sense by playing games involving one known and one unknown number to quickly find the combination that makes ten.

Studios

 In art studio, we have been making reusable bags out of recycled T-shirts!

Join Us: First Grade Publishing Party!

Please come and celebrate the writing we have done this winter in our nonfiction writing unit! 

Thursday, February 13th, 2020
8:45-9:45 am 

Families should enter and sign in at the lower school main entrance. 

The 1,000 Cups Coffee Shop operated by Curley middle school students will be selling coffee and baked goods beginning at 8:30.

Fiesta de Publicación de Primer Grado 

Ven y celebra la escritura que los estudiantes han hecho en nuestra unidad de escritura de no ficción! 

Jueves 13 de febrero de 2020
8: 45 - 9: 45 am 

Favor de ingresar y registrarse en la entrada de la escuela inferior. La cafetería de 1,000 tazas operada por estudiantes de la Curley venderá café y productos horneados a partir de las 8:30.

What we have been learning

Reader's Workshop

In Reader’s Workshop this week we continued reading and learning about how humans can play a role in animals' survival. We've been specifically thinking about our Weekly Question: "How do people impact animals’ survival? and the how animals, including humans, are connected to each other and to their environments.

This week we read two main texts; National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles, and Me... Jane.
We focused on using key details from the text (illustrations, words, and text features) to describe turtle hatching. We also thought about how an author might choose to present information in a non-fiction text. This coming week, we will use the text Daniel Finds A Poem to continue our work around understandings how animals, including humans, are connected to each other and to their environments.

Word Study

In Word Study, we have been working on reading and writing words from short /o/ word families (-ot and -op).  This coming week we will work with reading and writing words with the glued sounds -ong, -onk and -ock.

Last Week's Weekly Words:

• impact: to have an effect on someone or something
• environment: surroundings, or natural world
• responsibility: something someone is counted on to do
• endangered: at risk of becoming extinct
• wildlife: plants and animals that live without humans, in the wild
• rescue: to save from a dangerous situation

Next Week's Weekly Words:

• interconnected: having the parts linked to each other
• basic need: something that plants and animals need to survive, such as air, water, food, space, light, and shelter
• map: a flat or two-dimensional representation of a place
• urban: having to do with a city
• location: the place where something is found
• travel: to move from one place to another

Writer's Workshop

In Writer’s workshop we are finishing our non-fiction texts about animals in advance of our Publishing Party coming up on February 13th from 8:45 to 9:45.

While reading non-fiction books about sea turtles, we have talked about how author's use text features to present information in a clear and interesting way. These test features can include headings, captions, labels, diagrams, bold words, a glossary and even"interesting facts!" As we near completion of our all-about books, the authors in first-grade have had to make these same choices about how they can best present their research and information to our audience to keep them satisfied while keeping our books fun and interesting!

Math

In math, students have been working on measuring and comparing. They are practicing and developing accurate techniques for measuring the length of an object. We will also begin to work on solving problems on comparing lengths of fish and determining which fish are "keepers" and which are too short. In addition, this week we have started to work with fractions. Students are beginning to understand one half as a number that describes the quantity of one part when a whole is divided into two equal parts. 

Studios

 In art studio, we have been making ocean scenes with tissue paper collages.

Students continue to building animal habitats with Legos, Kapla Blocks, and Beautiful Stuff! In our drama, writing and drawing studios students have been encouraged to demonstrate how all animals - including humans - are interconnected on our planet.