1. First Grade Newsletter October 5 th – 9 th 2014 Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Frost MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Oct. 9 th Field trip permission forms are due. Oct. 16 th Glass jars are due Oct. 27 th Field trip to Cherry Crest Farm Oct. 29 th Leaf collection projects are due. Oct. 30 th Book It reading logs are due. Friendly Reminders We are very busy in 1 st grade! Please make sure your child is getting an ample amount of sleep. A nutritious breakfast and healthy snacks fuel the body for learning! Please remember that all snacks must be peanut free. If you have not already done so, please label your child’s belongings such as: their lunch tote, water bottle, jacket, sweatshirt, etc. Thank you! Art Project We have a special art project planned to celebrate Halloween. For this project, each student will need to bring in a glass jar (spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise). Please clean it thoroughly and remove the label. Write your child’s name on the bottom of the jar. Jars are due on Friday, Oct. 16 th. Thank you! We are looking forward to a fun-filled fall! We ♥ Math Please let us know if you have any questions pertaining to the touch/dot addition math strategy. Please review the attached math vocabulary and recommended counting patterns to practice with your child this week. Thank you! Please see the reverse side for important academic information. Into good study habits! October is national fire prevention month. Please check your smoke detectors and have a family meeting to discuss and practice your emergency exit process. Students did a great job during our fire drill last week. On Tuesday, we will have a visit from the Phoenixville Fire Department. Happy Birthday to: Chase Ritchie We hope you have a great day!

2. Curriculum Notes Math: Our focus this week will continue to be on addition. We will continue to practice the dot/touch math strategy. We will also review counting patterns. Please practice the attached counting patterns. Also, continue to review number identification in digit and word form. Thank you! Reading: Our word focus will be on short o. We will read our third whole group story: The Big Blue Ox. Our spelling words will be generated from our weekly story. Our spelling test will be on Friday. The below spelling words were sent home on Friday. Practice the lists of short i sight words that are attached to this week’s newsletter. It is important to practice them daily. When time allows, go back and review previous week’s sight words to ensure mastery. We will also focus on fall poems and stories to improve reading fluency. Grammar and Writing: We will continue to focus on sentences. We will discuss types of sentences, the parts of a sentence, word order, and correct punctuation. We highly encourage you to have your child practice writing complete sentences at home. Keeping a journal at home or writing a letter to a friend or family member are great ways to make writing fun while also practicing handwriting! Religion: We will continue with Chapter Two, We Believe in the Blessed Trinity. In this chapter, we will learn that God sent Jesus, his own Son, to us. Social Studies and Science: All About Fall!!! As a whole class, we will continue to learn about apples and pumpkins. Don’t forget…Leaf Collection Projects are due on Oct. 29th. Please let us know if you have any questions with this project. We hope your family has a great time collecting leaves while on your fall nature walk. Hopefully, the weather will be more cooperative next weekend. Short o spelling words mom ox hot lock hop mop pot got pop rock High-Frequency Words: help use Challenge Words: clock frog stop job

3. Math Vocabulary Addition Common language: Addend + Addend = Sum This is a descriptive math sentence that illustrates the concept of addition. Addend – a number to be added. Sum – the answer in addition. Plus (+) – the word (and symbol) that means to add. Altogether – in all Part + Part = Whole This is also a descriptive math sentence that summarizes the concept of addition. Counting Patterns Practice Please practice the following counting patterns with your child on a daily basis. Try reviewing them each day in the car on your way to/from school or enrichment activities. Thank you! 1.Counting by 5s to at least 50 2.Counting by 10s to 100 3.Counting backwards from at least 20 Always make your b e d! If your child is commonly reversing their b’s and d’s, try having them write the word bed on the top of their paper to serve as a visual reminder. See Reverse

4. Family Game Ideas! 1. Fast Facts with Dominoes – Turn a set of dominoes face down and take turns selecting a domino. Whoever says the sum first, wins the domino. Whoever has the most dominos at the end of the game, wins! 2. Roll it, Say it and Score a Point – Roll two dice and add them together. The first person to say the sum aloud scores a point. The first person to score ten points wins! 3. Fast Facts with Cards – Use a set of playing cards, remove all face cards, and split the deck in half. Each player gets half of the deck. At the same time, each player will flip over a card to reveal the number. Whoever says the sum of the two cards first, wins the cards. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the game, wins! 4. Beach Ball Fun! – Write addition facts on a beach ball, pass the ball and answer the addition fact your right hand lands on. This game could also be a great way to practice sight words! 5. Word Sort – Cut out the attached sight words and mix them up. Then, sort them into the correct word family. Glue them onto index cards for continued review or store them in an envelope.

5. ____op flop hop shop mop cop chop top stop ____ock dock lock rock flock knock block clock sock ___ ot dot got hot lot not tot plot knot pot

6. ___ox box fox lox ox ____og bog dog fog frog clog smog hog jog ____ob cob job knob sob rob glob slob mob More -op drop crop plop prop

7. Fall Science Project 2015 Fall is a wonderful time of year to get outside and explore nature, which makes it a perfect time to assign your very first science project! Put your thinking caps on and tie up your exploring shoes! 1. Take a nature walk with an adult. Walk slowly to make careful observations of what you hear, see, and smell. 2. While on your walk, collect three to five leaves. Try to find leaves that are from different trees or that are different colors. 3. Press your leaves. Place them between two books for a few days so they will dry flat. Then, attach them to paper. Optional Challenge: With the help of an adult, research what types of leaves you collected. Label each leaf in your collection. Projects are due on or before: Thursday, October 29 th 4. Complete the attached five senses poem page. 5. Design a cover for your fall science project. Your cover should include your name and a title. Happy Fall!