Week 19

Here are some highlights from the week...

The first grade readers have been working hard on their non-fiction reading strategies. They have been practicing:

• Taking a sneak peek
• Stopping and studying each page
• Guessing what might come next
• Chatting about a page

We also spent time discussing the difference between fiction and non-fiction retell. Here is the model that we are using to support our non-fiction comprehension. I encourage you to use this at home when reading nonfiction with your first grader! You can also ask your reader to share what they have learned from their books in class. This is a great way to help students lock information in their brain and become super smart about nonfiction topics :)

In math this week we have been  extending students’ kindergarten experiences with direct length comparison to indirect comparison. The length of one object is used to compare the lengths of two other objects.  Longer than and shorter than are taken to a new level of precision by introducing the idea of a length unit.  Students have been exploring the usefulness of measuring with similar units. 

Our study of sedimentary rocks ontinued this week with a Mystery Science called, “Why is there sand at the beach?” We learned how rivers can be powerful enough to carry rocks and slam them into each other, breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces along the way.

Here’s something you can do to encourage your child’s curiosity: If you ever visit an ocean beach, look for a nearby river that empties into the sea. This is likely the source of the sand. Pick up some of the sand and look at it up close. Can you see the tiny rocks? What color are they? Ask your child to imagine and describe what color the rocks were before they got worn down to being so tiny. 

We ended the week with a fascinating presentation on Lunar New Year. A HUGE thank you to Rebecca (Emi's mom) for putting it all together and teaching us about this incredible cultural event. The first graders will be coming home with bags of special new year treats. 

With Quarter 2 coming to an end, this is a perfect time to set goals for the rest of the school year, here's a way to do it at home!

Learning How to Set Goals Setting and achieving goals is sometimes challenging, but it can be made easier with this activity. In order to learn how to set goals, your child will create a goal board and practice setting one goal for an assignment or task and the steps they will need to achieve it. This social emotional learning activity will introduce young children to goal-setting, selfmanagement, mindfulness, and other important life skills. 
What You Need:  Poster or large whiteboard, Sticky notes, Crayons or markers 
What You Do: 1. Ask your child, "What is one thing you accomplished today?" (i.e., building a tower, riding a bike, drawing something really cool) 2. Explain to your child that whether they really thought about it or not, they set a goal for accomplishing this task today. Then, they achieved their goal. 3. Ask, "How does it feel to complete a goal?" 4. Tell them that sometimes it can be helpful to break our goal into smaller goals. Having a visual to check can be helpful, as well. 5. Together, create your own goal charts for the next week. Start off by modeling how to make the goal chart, and choose some goals you have for the next week. Then, work with your child as they create their own goal chart for the week. Spend some time finding the right goals to set, and make sure your child is generating their own goals. 7. Decide how you will plan to check in on your goals and support each other. 8. Find a prominent place in the home to keep your charts.

Reminders:
January 27: Teacher Planning Day, NO School for Students
January 28: 1 st Dance Open Class Soulas: 9:45am
January 29: Afterschool Band, Strings, Choir Concert, 6:30pm 
January 31: Young Audience Assembly 1:00pm in the Gym

Here are some photos from the week...