Social Studies

Since the start of the year we have been focusing on the topic of communities in social studies.  Our 1st graders learned about families, rules, citizenship, and community helpers.  Our children wrote about what they want to be when they grow up, and their projects are displayed in the hallway for you to see during conferences.  

Two weeks ago we had the privilege of meeting and learning about some of our very own Quakertown community helpers.  The Quakertown firefighters came to QE to discuss fire safety.  







  

After Halloween we will conclude our unit on communities by discussing the three different types of communities: urban, rural, and suburban.  Then we will begin our first science unit of the year, weather!  

Math Homework Helpers

Our first module of math this year is entitled: Sums and Differences to 10.  We have been working on combinations to 10 since the beginning of the year.  For instance, the combinations of 8 are 0+8, 1+7, 2+6, 3+5, and 4+4.  Our 1st graders have been playing a variety of games and completing number bond dashes to be able to recall these facts quickly and easily.  Look for an upcoming blog post on games you can play at home to help your child with their fact fluency!









Your child is coming home this evening with a large white packet of homework helpers.  This packet should be left at home and can be used to assist you with the vocabulary and set up of your child's homework.  There is one homework helper sheet for each Eureka homework sent home.  You can find the corresponding homework helper by looking in the top right hand corner of your child's homework for the lesson number.  See below - 





If you have any questions regarding the math homework or need any assistance deciphering any of the new language or formats used within our new Eureka math program please feel free to contact me!

Phonics and Reading

Our first graders are off and running!  

Sight Words/Word Wall Words:

To begin the year we reviewed K sight words, and now we are into our second week of 1st grade sight words.  Sight words (or word wall words) are words that we want our children to know automatically since their irregular spelling patterns make it difficult to "stretch/sound out" i.e. the, have, are, etc.  These are also words that will appear most often in our texts so the more practice the better!  You can find the weekly sight words listed on the cover page of the homework packet each week as well as on the final page of word cards.  Please work with your child on reading these words and keep all the word cards in a safe place at home to consistently review throughout the year.  You can have your child make a second set of the words on index cards and play the traditional memory/concentration game!

Phonics and Spelling:

Throughout the next few weeks we will be focusing our phonics and spelling on short vowels.  Last week we were introduced to Scaredy Cat A for short vowel A, and this week we met Icky I for short vowel I.  All of our spelling words follow the pattern for the week.  You can ask your child about these characters and what they say and practice reading and writing short vowel words with A and I.  Next week we'll be introduced to our next phonics friend to go along with short vowel O.  

 

Reading Strategies:

When our first graders get stuck on a word while reading we encourage them to utilize a reading strategy.  Students have been introduced to three reading strategies so far this year.  In your child's Reading Folder you see a bookmark that depicts the reading strategies.  When reading with your child at night please encourage them to use these strategies to solve unknown words.  The following strategies have been introduced:

If you haven't already done so please enter your email in the box to the right of this webpage to receive an email each time there is a new blog post.  I will begin to update this site with ways you can help your first grader at home as well as important events and dates.

Welcome!

Welcome New 1st Grade Families!

It was wonderful meeting many new families at our Ice Cream Social last week.  This blog will be utilized throughout the year for communication and keeping families aware of what is happening within the classroom.  By submitting your email in the box on the right hand side of this page you will receive an email notification each time there is a new post.  I'm looking forward to a great 2016-2017 school year!

A few reminders for the first week of school - 

Snack: We have a snack break around 11:00 each morning.  Please send your child with a small snack each day whether they are packing or buying lunch.  


Lunch: You may access the QE lunch menu here.  If your child will be buying lunch from the cafeteria you may pay online using a debit/credit card or sending in cash/check.  

1. Use this link to pay online.

2. If you prefer to send your child with money please send cash/check in a sealed envelope with your child's first and last name and student ID number.  

Please help your child familiarize themselves with their student ID number which will be used to access their account for lunch.  We will practice walking through the lunch line and typing in account numbers on the first day of school.  I also have a card made for each child with their student ID number on it that they may use until it is memorized. 


Specials: We end each day with specials from 3:00-3:45.  We rotate through specials on a 6-day cycle.  Each month I will place a calendar that depicts what special we have each day in your child's Take-Home Folder.  For your reference, below is our special schedule for the first week:

• Monday - Gym
• Tuesday - Art
• Wednesday - Spanish
• Thursday - Computers
• Friday - Music

Dismissal:  Dismissal is at 3:50.  Students will be exiting through the playground door.

I'm looking forward to meeting my new first grade friends bright and early tomorrow morning!  If you have any questions at all please feel free to email me.  You can reach me at kriley@qcsd.org.

SLIME

To conclude our science investigation on solids and liquids we made SLIME!  We combined a bottle of glue with water and mixed borax with water until it dissolved.  Then we slowly combined the two mixtures until our slime began to form.  We got a bit messy, but had a ton of fun in the process!

Up next, we switch our attention back to social studies to take an in-depth look at using and creating maps.  

P.S. Keeping your child's slime in a ziploc bag or other airtight container in the refrigerator will give it its best chance at survival!

100th Day Costume Ideas

Need some inspiration for the 100th Day on Wednesday?  

Girls: glasses, canes, pearls, skirts, dresses, heels, wigs or gray hairspray
Boys: glasses, canes, suits, suspenders, wigs or gray hairspray

Here's a quick glimpse into our 100th Day last year for some additional costume ideas!

We can't wait to see those 100-year old 1st graders on Wednesday!

Reading with a Twist

Yesterday we combated another dreary day with a 1st grade favorite - Rainy Day Reading.  We turned off all the lights and used the dark skies to our advantage to read A Cupcake Party with flashlights.  Let's just say our kiddos were THRILLED and are now looking forward to more rainy days.  

Then, in the afternoon we had some high school friends from the Key Club come visit and read us holiday stories.  It was a great way to kick off the holiday season by listening to some winter favorites while enjoying candy canes.  

Two reminders for the coming week:

1.  Holiday book orders are due tomorrow (Friday). 

2.  Little Shoppers Shop is Wednesday.  If you would like your child to purchase any gifts please send in the list of people he or she should buy for and $1 for each item.