Weekly Update, September 24 - 28

Hello Awesome First Graders and Amazing First Grade Families!

Zoo Trip
Our zoo field trip is on Thursday! Please have your child wear his/her green “Johnston’s Busy Bees” shirt. Please send in a completely disposable, labeled lunch and drink with your child.

What a fun day we had learning about zebras and getting ready for our zoo field trip! The children were so focused during our science guided reading and they can't wait until Thursday’s field trip! It is so great to see all of their excitement! Today we reviewed the word unique and why zebras are unique. Kids – be sure to tell you parents why zebras are special! Tomorrow we will learn about lions. We will learn the word “distinguishing” and we will learn how to distinguish between male and female lions. On Wednesday we will learn about polar bears and we will learn about the arctic climate. On Friday, we will learn about monkeys and we will learn the characteristics of spectacled langurs, snub nose monkeys and owl monkeys. Each day the children will write three facts about the animal and then draw a picture. On Friday, the kids will put all their animal pages together to make a book! It’s going to be a wild week!

In writing we are working on non-fiction writing by writing animal facts. We will also get practice at the end of the week writing thank you letters.

In reading we are working on non-fiction reading with our animal study. We will focus on strategies for reading more difficult text.

The kids loved centers today! The centers for the week include:
1. Listening - The children listen to "Going to the Zoo." They have a monkey match to complete and then they write their favorite part of the story.
2. Science - The children learn about the names of different animals by completing an animal word search. After the word search, they write about their favorite animal in their science journal.
3. Writing - The children write about their favorite zoo animal. They are using lots of great detail to describe why it is the favorite.
4. Math - The children are preparing for our upcoming assessments by completing addition practice. They are also working on number formation. The children also worked in pairs with flash cards to practice addition. They really enjoyed this!
5. Reading - The children self selected from a variety of animal/zoo books and they read in the Bee Quiet Corner.

There are no new spelling words this week or next week. The children will complete a variety of spelling assessments for the report card.

In math we are continuing our work with counting on to efficiently solve addition problems. The children will also continue work with math windows; this week they will create their own. The children are completing a variety of math assessments for the report card.

Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston