1st Grade - Upchurch's Updates

Dear Parents,

     You are invited to Friends and Family Day coming up on February 15th.  First graders will be singing at lunch time in the cafeteria.  Information about specific times and ordering a meal for yourself will be coming home this week.

     This week and next week students will be learning about our next historical figure - Teddy Roosevelt.  Students learned about oceans and continents last week.

       This week in math students will practice  addition and subtraction facts to 18.  Then they will begin learning about fractions.  We will begin with equal parts of a whole,(Wed.) then halves (Thurs.)  and fourths (Friday).  It will carry over into next week and include fractions of a group.

     This week in writing students will begin working on an informational book.  Last week your child's rough draft of their "How To" book came home with them.  Their final draft is hanging in the hall.

     Thank you Mrs. Grindstaff, Mrs. Shillinglaw and Mrs. Baker for your help in our classroom.

Dear Parents,

     Last week your child began practicing addition to 18, tomorrow they will add three numbers up to 18.  Then Wed. they will use a chart with information to use solving word problems including adding 3 numbers.  Thursday there will be a test over additon to 18.  Friday, we will begin with subtraction from numbers 18 or less.  We will continue with the subtraction chapter into next week.

    Students also began learning about Harriett Tubman, we will continue learning about her contributions to the U.S. and character traits.  We will have our test on Thursday over H. Tubman. 

     This nine weeks in writing students will be working on informational writing.  Last week   students wrote about their  winter break.  This week  they will begin to learn how to make an informational book.  Students need to continue to work on staying on topic, including details, correct use of capitals and ending punctuation.  They will also be working on their closing sentence.

     Thank you, Mrs. Grindstaff and Mrs. Shillinglaw for your help in our classroom last week.

Dear Parents,

     This week we will finish our our assessments for this nine weeks.  We will have the assessment for Landforms on Tuesday. 

     Monday and Tuesday we will finish our math assessments.  This includes timed addition and subtraction tests (to and from 12) for fluency.  They will have a test over solving word problems, and counting coins and making trades with bills to $20. (We practiced this last week and will review before the test).  I will send home the bag of coins that you sent in for your child to practice with, this week.  We will be using the money again during the third nine weeks when the standard requires them to count coins to a dollar.  We will also review graphing and have a test over graphing on Tuesday.

     We will also finish with our individual reading assessments.

If you have not sent in your child's wrapped puzzle for the gift exchange please do so by Tuesday.  The puzzle exchange will be during our Holiday party.  The puzzle should cost no more than $3.00 and be 100 pieces or less.

Thank you Mrs. Shillinglaw and Mrs. Grindstaff for your help in our classroom.  Thank you Mrs. Holden for organizing our Holiday Party.

Dear Parents,

     This week students will have many assessments.  We will have a Language Arts Check Point test on Wednesday, a Math Checkpoint Test on Thursday and our Math Benchmark test on Friday.  The first two tests mentioned are county wide assessments and the one on Friday is our grade level test that covers all standards taught in the second nine weeks. 

     Students began learning about Magnets last week in Science, we will finish that up Monday and Tuesday and have an assessment on Magnets.  Then they will learn about Landforms and we probably won't get finished with that until next Monday the 19th and test on it Tuesday.

     We will also be reviewing all the steps they've used in their writing and have a writing assessement on Wednesday.

     In Math, Monday and Tuesday students will be counting coins to 50 cents.  They will also have that for homework practice on paper.  They have been practicing counting coins in class on the Promethean board.  They will also trade combinations of bills to $20.00.  They have been practicing this most of the year with their 'Scholar Dollars' when they shop in the Treasure Box.  They will test on those two concepts Wed. or Thur. depending on time with the other tests.  We will also review and test on graphing this week.  The most difficult part of graphing for them is answering questions and making comparisons with their graphs. (i.e. how many more or fewer of one thing or another, how many chose 2 or 3 particular items and how many items are graphed.)

     We will be working on reading assessments during their Literacy Center time this week.

As you can see we have a very full week ahead and still a few assessments left for the week of the 19th.  Students will NOT have homework the week of the 19th.

THANK YOU, Mrs. Shillinglaw and Mrs. Grindstaff for your help in our classroom.

Dear Parents -

     Tomorrow morning your children will be able to visit "Santa's Workshop".  Then on Tuesday morning any students that bring money in the envelope provided will have time to shop for whichever family member(s) that you have given them money and permission to spend.

This week in Math, students will be learning about solid and plane shapes.  We also review previously taught concepts.  This nine weeks we have also practiced position words - above, below, to the left of, to the right of, next to, in front of, behind, near and far.  We will test on position words and solid and plane shapes on Friday.

In writing, students are continuing to work on their personal narrative.  They are working on a clear beginning, middle and end, correct use of punctuation and a closing sentence. 

In Social Studies, we  will be finishing our study of Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea.  We will have a test over what they've learned.  Then our class will learn about magnets.

Thank you Mrs. Shillinglaw, Mrs. Grindstaff and Mrs. Holden for your help in our classroom this week.

Dear Parents -

     I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday week.  We will get back to work for the next few weeks and WOW - half of the school year will be completed.

     This week in writing your child will be working a  personal narrative.  They will need to work on correct use of capitals and punctuation.  They will work on beginning, middle and developing an ending.

     In Math, your child will continue with patterns on a hundred chart and skip counting this week.  Then next week they will begin to learn about 3-dimensional shapes and plane shapes.

     In Social Studies, students will begin learning about Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea.

Thank you parents for all you do to help with our class.

 

Dear Parents,

     This week on Thursday, we will have our 'Cultural Feast' @ 10:00 in our classroom.  Tomorrow, your child will bring home a survey for you to help them fill out.  It can be brought back either Tuesday or Wednesday.  It has a few questions about family traditions and where your family originated.  Students can share the completed questionaire on Thursday and we will place sticky notes on the country of origin for each student's family.

     This week in Math, students will continue looking at patterns and relationships on a hundred chart.  We will do rounding to the nearest 10, counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's and looking at patterns on a hundred chart.  We are continuing practice and representation of place value, 10's and 1's in numbers to 99.

     In writing, your child has completed their 'pattern book' and I will send them home probably on Tuesday.  They have also written a description of a scarecrow that they colored and cut out.  Some have written about things they are thankful for also.

     In Social Studies, they are continuing to learn about the contributions and character traits of Thomas Jefferson.

Keep on reading and recording books on the sheet in your child's homework folder.  They receive a sticker on a chart in the classroom for every 10 books read.  The goal for books to be read this nine weeks is 30 books.  These can be any books, from home or the Media Center or a public library.  Then when they reach the goal they receive a star with their name on it, placed on the first grade wall poster,  and a bookbag tag at the end of the nine weeks.

Thank you Mr. Grindstaff and Mrs. Baker for your help in our classroom this week.    

Dear Parents,

     Today I sent home an information sheet about our upcoming "Cultural Feast"(on yellow paper). Please read, fill out and return by Wednesday of next week.  Then,  I will look at all items that are listed on everyone's paper and send a sheet back by next Friday that will tell you which item is most needed.

     Next Tuesday is a Teacher Staff Development day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS.  

MONDAY IS OUR IN-HOUSE FIELD TRIP "SOUNDS LIKE FUN" WITH HIGH-TOUCH, HIGH-TECH.  Every first grade class has an assigned time.  Our time is first thing in the morning.  We will also have our test over what they have been learning about Sound on Monday.

     In Math your child will be learning more about comparing numbers using greater than and less than.  They will also be  learning about number order on a number line, one more, one less and ten more, ten less using a hundred chart.

     In Writing your child has been working on a 'Pattern Book' this week and some have completed them.  Others will finish  them on Monday and they will share them with the class on Wednesday, then bring them home to share with you.

     In Social Studies your child will begin to learn about Thomas Jefferson next week.

NEXT FRIDAY THE 11th IS THE LAST DAY TO BRING IN AN ORDER FROM SQUARE 1.   This information was sent home with your child yesterday.  It is a fundraiser for ART.

Friday evening the 11th is also our FALL FESTIVAL at Still.

 

Dear Parents,

     Today I sent an e-mail about an optional Science project for next week.  Students will begin learning about 'Sound' next week and can create their own 'musical instrument'.  I will send the paper home Monday.  Your child will write about and draw a picture of their 'musical instrument ' creation.  We didn't have the test on Nutrition this week, so we will review what was taught and assess on Tuesday.

   Next week in Math students will be working on place value with numbers to 100 and looking for number patterns in a hundred chart.  They will compare numbers using 'greater than' and 'less than'.

   In our Words Their Way sorts, students will be working with words that have the four diagraphs, 'sh, ch, th, or wh', next week.  The spelling sorts will have words that have the diagraph at the beginning or end of the word.  This past week we sent home a different 'spelling practice' sheet.  It has the words at the top and ways to practice them underneath.  We will check those for your signature and check off the ways your child practiced their words.  We will check those on Friday mornings and give 'scholar dollars'.  Your child will need to bring any practice sheets on Friday morning, stapled to the sheet with their spelling words on them.  

   This coming week students will begin writing a 'pattern book'.  We have looked at how some books have a repeated pattern in them and your child will write their own.  The process takes a couple of week, during our writing time.

     Thank you parents, for coming to conference this past week. 

    Thank you Mrs. Grindstaff for your help in our classroom this week.

Dear Parents,

     This past week your child has been learning about Nutrition.   Students will continue learning what kinds of foods provide various nutrients.  

     This past week students began addition with sums to 12.  This coming week students will be working with related facts- addition and subtraction with sums to 12 and subtracting from 12. 

     This past week we began looking at patterns in books.  This coming week students will decide on a pattern for their own pattern book and will begin to write their book.

     This nine weeks students will continue with their reading logs, the goal for this nine weeks is 30 books.  Simply keep recording them in your child's red 'homework' folder.

     THE 24thTHROUGH THE 28th is CONFERENCE WEEK.  STUDENTS ARE DISMISSED 2 HOURS EARLY.  ASP CAN BE UTILIZED IF YOU HAVE REGISTERED AND PRE-PAID FOR IT.

     The Book Fair will be open in the afternoons for parents to visit and purchase books if you would like to do so, before or after your conference.

     Today, our room mom, Mrs. Holden and Mrs. Grindstaff worked with students on a fall craft activity that they brought home.  They also decorated a pumpkin for a contest in our Media Center.  Thank you Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Shillinglaw for your help also in our classroom this week.

     If you would like to donate to our class 'Treasure Box', we would certainly appreciate your contributions.  If you need to clean out around your house and we can help by accepting unwanted small toys.

     We look forward to seeing you all at conferences .

Dear Parents,

  Last week your child worked hard and completed the COGAT testing.   This coming week we will be completing many assessments for the end of this first nine weeks.

Monday, your child will bring home a conference schedule form.   Please fill out the bottom section and return as soon as you can.

We will finish learning about weather and have a test on it Wed. or Thurs.  We will have a writing assessment this week and many concepts  in Math that have been taught will be tested also.   We will assess students reading level.

Thank you Mrs. Shillinglaw and Mrs. Baker for your help in our class this week.