• Dear First Grade Families,

    There are a number of ELA activities to complete this week. There is a decodable book to read 1 Mon-Thurs, & a phonics sheet to complete 1 per day. The other activities can be determined by your schedule. Please complete all activities by the following Monday.

    These are the things we will be learning this week. Click on Focus Wall to see a summary.

    Every week we learn new words. This week's words are buy, city, family, myself, party, please, school, seven. Practice reading these words daily. You can make flashcards with them to practice reading them too!

    This week I will give you 4 books to practice reading at home. Read 1 book per day, Monday - Thursday.

    VERY IMPORTANT: After you get to the website, you have to click on "Contents". Then you will see a list of all of the books to read.

    • Monday - Down on the Farm
    • Tuesday - Scout and Count
    • Wednesday - Dawn's Voice
    • Thursday - Shawn's Toys

    To read your story, click on Decodable Reader 

    This week I have one phonics/skills activity per day for you to complete. There are 5 total. Follow the directions on the pages. To work on the activities, click on Phonics/Skills Work.

    Every week we listen to a story. This week's genre is Realistic Fiction. This means the story tells made-up stories about people and events that could happen in real life. As you are listening/reading the story, think about what else the characters could actually do in real life. 

    Our focus of this story is to understand the characters better. When you are done reading the story, tell an adult the answers to the following questions.

     

    Who are the characters of the story? 

    How do you know which boy is Luis? 

    What happens after Luis meets Matoko?

    The boys help carry in the groceries. What does this text evidence (text evidence means to use evidence from the story to support your answer) tell you about them?

    Has it been a long or short time since Matoko left Japan? How do you know?

    What's the main reason the author wrote this story? (Answer: to tell a story about making a new neighbor feel welcome)

     

    To listen to the story, click on this week's title below.

    VERY IMPORTANT: After you get to the website, click on "Contents." Then "Unit 5" will appear. Click on "Unit 5." Lesson 25 will pop up. Click on "Lesson 25." You will see the 3rd choice, "The New Friend." Click on "The New Friend." Your child will recognize the pages. He/she can listen & turn the pages of the story.

    The New Friend

    This week we have an informational text. It is called Symbols of our Country. It is going to give TRUE facts about different symbols that represent the U.S.A. What is even better is that you have seen almost every symbol already this year in our classroom!

    Notice in this informational text, there will be headings. The headings are titles to different parts of the section. They will tell what the section will be about.

    VERY IMPORTANT: After you get to the website, click on "Contents." Then "Unit 5" will appear. Click on "Unit 5." Lesson 25 will pop up. Click on "Lesson 25." The 6th choice you see is "Symbols of our Country" Your child will recognize the pages. He/she can listen & turn the pages of the story.

    Symbols of our Country

    Did you notice the same buildings that I showed you of my trip to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial?

    Did you see how tall the statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting is with the children standing in front of it?

    Did you see Mount Rushmore and the Presidents that we saw were carved in the rock?

    Do you remember which Presidents they are? Answer: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln.

    Challenge Question: Do you remember where the name "teddy bear" came from? Answer: Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt

       Writing

    We will continue with Narrative Writing. One day this week, write a story about a day that you played with a friend. Remember to include the following: A beginning, 4 or more transition words, details, and an ending. This can be written on paper. You can take a picture of it and email it to me, or drop it off in the bin at a school with your name, my name on it and "Cataract".

     

    Here are some examples of a beginning to use for your sentence: (Choose 1)

    One day, Yesterday, Last week, Last night, Yesterday afternoon, Last month

     

    Here are some examples of transition words to use for your sentence: (Choose at least 4)

    First, Next, Then, After, Later, Finally (or) Lastly

     

    Now add extra information after your transition sentences so that you are adding "details" to your story. For example; Next we rode our bikes. 3 examples of a Detail: My friend fell off his bike but was ok. (Or) We rode down the sidewalk to the end of the block. (Or) My bike is purple and my friend's bike is black.

     

    Here are some examples of endings to use for your sentence: (Choose 1)

    Would you like to...? When was the last time you...? I can't wait to do it again! I had a great time! I look forward to...

     

    You can draw a picture to go along with your story too, if you would like. I look forward to reading your stories!