Spelling Words: my, try, tried, ties, light, might, use, rule, hair, color
Challenge Words: July, spied, cries, lightning, twilight


Sight Words: climbed, thought, Earth, fooling, table

Reading: This week we are reading a story called, "Blast Off!"  Throughout the week we will be talking about the 8 planets and even making our very own solar system.  I can't wait!  Look for pictures later!

We are focusing on the long /i/ sound using -y and -igh.  

Math:  We will continue to practice identifying and counting coins up to $1.00.  This is a very difficult skill for First Graders. Please practice counting coins at home.

Remember that the school carnival is this Saturday from 11-3.  I hope everyone comes out to support Shirley Hills.  There will be an abundance of new games and fun for all!


Please remember to send in your Parents and Poetry Party RSVP.  I hope to see you all there on Monday, April 30th @ 2:45.

April 16 - 20

Spelling Words: use, cute, cube, tube, tune, rule, nice, large, hear, talk

Challenge Words: argument, confused, usually, unicorn, pollute

Sight Words: clear, color, good-bye, hair, kinds, only, toes

Reading: This week we will be reading a story called, "Amazing Animals." This story is a nonfiction story. It will be teaching us many new facts about a variety of different animals.

In media we are starting our very own nonfiction animal research. Ask your child about the animal he/she has been researching.

We are also learning all about verbs. Verbs are action words...

Such as: read, dream, play, catch, run, skate

A super fun way to practice verbs is by playing an exciting game of charades.

MATH: In math we are learning about money. The next two chapters focus on identifying pennies, nickels and dimes. We will be learning the value of pennies, nickels and dimes, counting groups of money to find a value and using different coin combinations to equal the same amount.

Parents and Poetry R.S.V.P -- Due April 28th. Please remember to send in your sheet. The kids are extremely excited to share their wonderful poems with you! They have worked very hard on them! I can promise that you will be VERY IMPRESSED! They are poets and didn't know it:)

This week we starting preparing for our Pioneer Park Field Trip in June. Below are pictures of items used long ago. Each group had to decide what they thought the item was and how it would have been used. Ask your child to help you identify the things from long ago. We had a blast!

April 9-13

Spelling Words: ice, nice, race, page, edge, large, home, those, love, hello

Challenge Words: garbage, necklace, dodgeball, didgeridoo, bridge

Sight Words: become, busy, eyes, high, listen, remembered, talk, visitor

We are working on consonants /s/c, /j/g, and -dge.

(s, -ss, ce, ci-, j, -ge, gi-, -dge)

We will continue to write and read poems for National Poetry Month.

Math:

We will continue to focus on fractions. We will be dividing into 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4. Ask students about the fraction pizzas they created. They are fabulous!

Happy April!

Spelling Words: home, hope, rope, rode, rose, those, like, nine, right, walk

Challenge Words: telephone, envelope, explode, moment, closed

Sight Words: brown, city, hello, loudly, love, pulled

Reading:

This week we will be focusing on the long /o/ sound. We recognize long /o/ as: oa, ow, 0_e, o.

We are also looking at -er and -est endings. For example; big, bigger and biggest.


Math: This week we are looking at patterns. We will be able to identify and describe a pattern. We are also learning about what a pattern unit is and how to make our very own patterns. Below is a great picture of a class quilt we made. Each quilt piece has a different pattern. We are very proud of how it looks.

National Poetry Month: April is National Poetry Month. Your child brought home a calendar to show when they are our guest poetry reader. Please help your child pick out a kid friendly poem. They should practice reading it prior to their assigned date. Quite often, the best poems for our guest readers are those with lots of rhymes and some funny humor. Have fun exploring poetry with your child.

Carnival Basket Donations Needed! Our classroom is doing a caffeine addiction carnival basket. Please consider donating something related to coffee or tea! These silent auction baskets are a great way to raise money for our school. Some ideas for our basket would include: coffee mugs, travel mugs, Caribou or Starbucks gift cards, coffee, tea, coffee grinder, etc... Be creative and thank you!

Reminder: No School Friday, April 6th.

March 26-30

Spelling Words: like, line, nine, mine, mile, while, take, came, gone, near
Challenge Words: polite, describe, appetite, porcupine, crocodile
Sight Words: walked, light, because, those, right

In reading this week we are working on the long /i/ sound.  Mostly, we will be looking at how the "magic e" makes the letter i say it's own name.  The kids are making Long i Kites in centers too.  Help your child recognize the "magic e" in words and remind them that it makes the vowel say it's own name.  
      ex: kite, bite, Mike, size, like, nine, slide...

 There is math homework on Tuesday.  Please complete and discuss with your child.  It is to be returned to school on Wednesday.  There will be a math test on Chapter 16, Wednesday.  

Thursday we will be starting to study patters. There are a few different patterns that your child will be able to recognize  and extend by the end of the week.
Some examples of patterns are:
      ABA
     ABC
     AABB

Reminder: There is no school on Friday, April 6th.  This is a teacher workshop day.

March 19, 2012

WELCOME BACK!

Spelling Words: came, game, gate, late, lake,  take, day, play, four, place

Challenge Words: whale, motivate, escape, hesitate, hibernate

Sight Words: around, found, gone, hears, might, near, open, tired

Math:  We are finishing up our unit on solid figures.  There will be homework on Monday night.  Please help your child complete the blue sheet and return it to school on Tuesday!

We will be having a math test on Tuesday.

In reading we are continuing to practice long /a/.  We will be reading a play titled, "Flake The Missing Hamster."  Each child will have a part to read throughout the week.  We will also be focused on the story elements of the play.  Please talk to your child about character, setting, problem, solution, beginning, middle and end.  There will be an assessment at the end of the week.

Math Fun!

In math this week we are focusing on shapes. Today, we had a little fun! In teams, we created wonderful designs from pattern blocks. We loved it! Check out our cool pics below. See if you know what they are...

We Had SNOW MUCH Fun! Check out the pics from our Read-A-Thon reward. We had a blast! Thank you for all of your support and donations. Shirley Hills raised over $13,000.00!

This week we are learning about solid figures or 3D shapes. Check out the link below to a wonderful and very addictive song. Warning... only listen to if you want a fun tune stuck in your head! The kids got a huge kick out of it and we listen/sing to it often!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9L9l86N-xM

Spring Break Homework:
I will be sending home some fun homework for the break. You child will have a READ-O and MATH-O bingo board in their homework folder. Please work with your child to complete the fun reading and math activities. Some are very difficult and will need much guidance. Please sign all boxes that you child completes. Try and get more than one bingo on each board.
Your child should return the signed bingo boards on Monday, March 19th. I will have special awards for participants.

Your child will also be bringing home their poem book. Please autograph the poems that your child reads alone or with help. We have added a few new ones and they promise to please! The poetry binders should be returned to school on Monday, March 19th.

Happy Reading! (and math)

March 5-9

Spelling Words: day, say, play, plain, rain, wait, feet, me, door, told

Challenge Words: rainbow, Wednesday, hairspray, holiday, hooray

Sight Words: cool, dry, four, holes, move, place, warm

CoNgRaTs! Our class was the First Grade Class that raised the most money for our Read-A-Thon! On Wednesday, we will be having our very own indoor snowball fight! Way to go!

Reading: We are working with the long /a/ sound this week. The different ways we see recognize long /a/ are: ai_, a_e, _ay

Spring Break is Monday, March 12th through Friday, March 16th. Have a safe and fun break! See you on Monday, March 19th.

Thank you so much for the wonderful conferences. I loved meeting with everyone to share and celebrate all the successes we are seeing! Log on to view your child's report card on Friday, March 9th. As always, please feel free to call or email me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Winter is still among us! Please remember to send your child to school with all the necessary winter gear. Each child should always have snow pants, boots, hat, mittens/gloves and a jacket. The weather can change on a dime and we always want to be prepared for outdoor recess and gym class. Thank you in advance for you support!

Monday, February 27th

Spelling Words: me, see, feet, seat, mean, team, slow, road, our, over
Challenge Words: easel, thirteen, creature, league, underneath

Sight Words: dear, sky, mother, hurry, told, door, should

*We will be taking our spelling test on Thursday, March 1st!

Reading: Long /e/ Sound

We are working on all the different ways that spell long /e/. The five ways we are working with are: ea, ee, e, _ie_, and _y

Math: Solid Figures

We are learning all about solid figures. We look at what capabilities each figure has and it's make-up. The solid figures we are working with are: cube, pyramid, rectangular prism, cone, cylinder and sphere.

There will be math homework on Wednesday night. Please help your child complete and return to school on Thursday!

Conferences are Tuesday 4-8, Thursday 4-8 and Friday 8-4. See you all there!

*There is no school on Friday, March 2nd!

Monday, February 13th

Spelling Words: low, slow, grow, road, soap, boat, little, handle, carry, would

Challenge Words: swallow, scarecrow, stagecoach, oatmeal, approach

Sight Words: our, pretty, surprise, over, three, mouse

Reminder: Please send your child's Valentine Box to school on or before Tuesday the 14th.

Reading: This week we are working on the long /o/ sound. We are learning all of the different ways that long /o/ can show up in words that we read and write. The four ways we recognize long /o/ are:

o _ e (o with a magic e) -- words like bone, nose, chose...

ow -- words like snow, shadow, know...

oa -- words like boat, goat, road...

o (standing alone) -- words like go, no, so...

Math: This week we are working on addition facts to 12. Please help your child memorize their facts up to 12. A great way to do this is by using simple flashcards.

Thursday is the 100th Day of School. Please remember to send your 100 items to add to our classroom snack.

We will also be testing fluency. Students will read three different passages to me. Each passage is one that they have never seen before. We call this a "cold read." I will stop each student after one minute. I tally their mistakes and figure out how many correct words per minute they are reading. Your child will have a grade on the report card reflecting their fluency. The fluency rates for first grade are:

February - Winter: May - Spring:

47+ Words = P 75+ Words = P

23 - 46 Words = D 53 - 74 Words = D

22 Words or Less = B 52 Words or Less = B

Please keep collecting pledges for our Read-A-Thon. The Read-A-Thon is on Feb. 24th and all pledges should be turned in by that day.

Spelling Words: hand, handle, wig, wiggle, single, little, turn, girl, by, room
Challenge Words: whistle, popsicle, bicycle, muscle, castle

Sight Words: buy, carry, money, other, paint, paper, would

READING:
In reading this week we will be focusing on the syllable -le. Words like little, simple, wiggle and pickle all end in /le/. Please practice this with your child throughout the week.
The story we are reading is called, "Can Elephants Paint?". It is a true story! Talk to you child about the details in this story and ask them if elephants can really paint! They will surprise you with what they have learned.

Field Trip --
On Thursday, February 9th, we will be going on a field trip. The first graders are going to Stages Theater in Hopkins. We will be watching Llama, Llama Red Pajama. I will be contacting parents that are needed for chaperoning. Due to limited number of tickets, I will only be able to have 4 parents join us. Thank you for understanding.

Valentine Boxes:
Please remember to make your child's valentine box at home. You can send it to school as soon as it is finished. They are fun to have on display in the classroom. The kids are really admiring the already finished boxes. They are delightful!

F.Y.I = The Imagination Fair is Thursday, February 9th. Please come up and tour the wonderfully creative displays of our very own Shirley Hill's Students! They prove to be fantastic! Touring is open from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Monday, January 30

Spelling Words: her, fur, turn, bird, girl, first, quit, when, name, work

Challenge Words: circus, surprise, squirrel, thirsty, disturb

Sight Words: always, by, Cow's, join, nice, please, room

We will be skating on Wednesday in gym. Please send a helmet with your child. If your child has skates, please send them as well.

Field Trip: On Thursday, Feb. 9th we will be going on a field trip. We will be attending Lama, Lama Red Pajama at Stages theater in Hopkins. The children will each lunch at school and then load buses immediately after. I have contacted the parents chosen for chaperoning. Please understand that due to limited tickets, we are only allowed to bring 4 parents. I only chosen parents that have not been on a field trip with us as of yet. Thank you for you understanding.

MATH:

In math we are working on skip counting. It is important for your child to be able to count by 2's, 5's and 10's. A great way to do this is to have them sort cereal pieces or coins in groups of 2's, 5's and 10's. Then have your child count them aloud! We will be using a 100's chart to help us see patterns when skip counting. This is a very helpful tool for the kids.

Spelling Words: quit, quiz, quick, whiz, which, when, arm, part, house, put
Challenge Words: quarterback, question, quotation, quiet, earthquake

Sight Words: about, books, family, name, people, read, work, writing

Math

Keep working on Greater Than and Less Than. In class we use an alligator to eat the larger number. Have them show you how we turn the symbols into an alligator!

"Alligator, Alligator, which one will you eat?

The biggest one, the greatest one, it will be so sweet!"

Reading: In reading this week, we are working on "qu" and "wh". Please help your child with these very difficult sounds.

Wednesday night is Culvers Night! Please help support Shirley Hills by having dinner out!

We will be skating on Wednesday, January 25th and Wednesday, February 1st. Please make sure you send warm clothes for your skaters!

Tuesday, January 17

Spelling Words: far, farm, arm, art, part, park, chin, such, fly, watch
Challenge Words: jaguar, pardon, garden, cartoon, guitar

Sight Words: again, feel, house, know, loud, Mrs., put, say

Reading

This week we are focusing on the "ar" sound. We like to say:

Bossy "R" Drives The CAR!

The "bossy r" takes over and you don't even hear the poor little "a"!

Comfy Clothes Day is Friday. Bring in a dollar and wear your pajamas all day long! All money earned goes directly to Camp Needlepoint! Help make a difference!

Math: There will be math homework tonight. Please help your child complete the blue sheet and return it to school on Wednesday. We will be testing chapter 10 math on Wednesday. Thank you!

Thursday, January 12th

Winter is really here. (well for this week:) Please make sure your child is coming to school with appropriate clothes for outside. Kids need to have have boots, snow pants, mittens, hats and anything else to keep them warm. It is no fun to be outside and be cold. Kids will not be allowed to stay in for lack of winter gear. If your child is missing something, please ask them to check lost and found. It is currently overflowing with warm winter items.

SKATING:
We will begin ice skating next week. Please send skates and helmets to school with your child. If your child does not have skates, there are plenty of pairs for borrowing. This is always a wonderful unit in gym. I look forward to joining the kids out on the ice a couple of times!


REMINDER:
There is no school on Monday, January 16th.

Time Tests:

Starting next week, we are going to be taking time tests in math. We will do these tests twice a week. Each student is starting on adding with the rule of zero. The time tests are 30 problems each and the students have 2 minutes to complete the test. When students achieve 28 or more correct, they will move to the next level. To help your child succeed with time tests, please practice math facts through 10. Flash cards are the best way to help your child know their facts quickly.

I will send home the tests, only when your child has achieved a score of 28 or more. When you see the test come home, you will know they are moving to the next level. The students will be completing alternating addition and subtraction tests. I am looking forward to watching my first graders confidence grow when it comes to knowing their math facts.

Supplies Needed:
Now that we are half way through the year, we are getting extremely low on our supplies. The children are having a hard time finding scissors, glue sticks, pencils, markers and crayons. If you would be willing to send in supplies for your child, it would be greatly appreciated!

How Does A Butterfly Grow?

This week we are reading a story that teaches us about a butterfly's life cycle. In class today, we made our own replica of the life cycle using noodles. Below are some examples from our class.


A butterfly starts as an egg. It then hatches into a little caterpillar. After some time, the caterpillar forms a chrysalis. From the chrysalis, a beautiful butterfly emerges. This is how a butterfly grows!

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Happy New Year!

Spelling Words: chip, chin, inch, such, catch, match, wish, shop, saw, were
Challenge Words: chance, ostrich, chipmunk, orchard, sketch

Sight Words: air, fly, friends, grew, need, play, rain, watch

In math we are starting place value. We are using rods and cubes to help us better understand what a ten is and what a one is. Below is the chart we have used to demonstrate place value. Have your child show you how to place a number in the chart.

__1__ten __2__ones = 12

Pastries With Parents: Thursday, January 12th @7:45 - 8:45a.m.

Reminder: NO SCHOOL - Monday, January 16th

Reading: This week we are working on the "ch" and "tch" sounds. It is often difficult for children to recognize the difference between these two.