Week 14

Here are some highlights...

 We have started our 12 Days of Kindness, which coincides with the 12 days before winter break. We will be adding to our song each day (to the tune of the 12 days of Christmas) and practicing both the song and acts of kindness. We are up to our 3rd day of kindness! Here they are so you can practice at home:

A great big smile to everyone
2 helping hands
3 friendly greetings

 Science is off to a great start! We have started our Rocks, Pebbles, Sand and Silt Unit, and the Room 112 geologists got their official rock journals. They explored and sorted different  rocks, and we will continue exploring rocks and learning how they are formed. The first grade geologists ROCK -- pun intended :)

 We are continuing to build the relationship between addition and subtraction with extra fact family practice. You can practice at home by rolling 2 dice, adding them together and making a number bond. From the number bond, have your first grader write the 4 number sentences that they can build with the number family.

 Image result for number bond and fact family example

 We ended the week with an art project to get ready for our Cozy Cocoa Reading Party on December 19th. The first graders wrote their own "How-To Make Hot Cocoa and they first graders designed their very own oil pastel cocoa mugs! They look amazing and will be up on the bulletin board just in time for them to drink their own real cocoa!

Here is a fun activity to practice spelling at home!

Materials: 
  • Paper and pencil
  • Crayons or markers
  • Index cards with spelling words written individually on them
1. Make a “Secret Code.” Ask your child to write down the entire alphabet, leaving space  between and underneath each letter.  Tell them that they are going to create  a code that will enable the two of you to communicate secretly. Once they've written the entire alphabet, it's time to assign each letter a number. Underneath the A, ask your child to write the number 1.  The number 2 goes under the B, and so on. When the code is completed, the letter Z should have the number 26  underneath it. 
2. For each word, ask your child to write the letter underneath the number on the index card and then move on to the next number.  Continue until the whole word has been changed into letters.  For example, if the word is "stand", the index card would look like this:     
19   20   1   14   4      
S     T     A    N   D
Continue with the next spelling word. Once your child has deciphered all their words, and practiced spelling them, give your child a new spy challenge! Ask them to use the code to write a sentence for you and see if you can decode it.  For example, if they wrote:
9       12-15-22-5         25-15-21       13-15-13 it becomes, "I love you, Mom!" Keep the code handy so that you can write each other secret messages in the future, whenever the mood strikes. And don't be surprised if this becomes a favorite way to practice spelling!

 Reminders:
Saturday, December 7: PTA Winter Bazaar, 10:00am-4:00pm
December 10: PTA Meeting, 8:00am

Some photos from the week...





















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