Welcome to April!

Welcome to April! In Phonics, we are working on the letter y making the /e/ sound and the /i/ sound. We are also learning about how the spelling of words can change when we add the endings -es or -ies. In Writing, we are working on what it takes to make our work look really neat. We are also learning how to give constructive criticism so that we learn from each other! In Math, we are woking on measurement. We are learning how to measure in inches and centimeters. We will learn about weight in pounds and kilograms. We'll also learn about cups, pints, and quarts. In integrated Studies, we are in our Health unit. We are learning about body care. We'll learn about how sleep affects the body, how to prevent the spread of germs, the benefits of exercise, and how to clean our bodies and our teeth. The school nurse gave us a presentation on how to care for our teeth! Our next unit in Science will teach us about soil! What fun!

February

Welcome to February! In Phonics, we are working on long vowel sounds and spellings, like "ai" in "train", and "ee" in "jeep". In Writing, we are working on descriptive writing. We are focusing on how to describe people. We have learned how to describe people on the outside and on the inside! In Math, we are working on ordering numbers. We are also learning how to tell time to the hour and half hour. This can be tricky, so please practice this skill at home. Coming up in math, we will start learning how to count money. Practicing counting out coin combinations is vital, so this would also be a great skill to practice with your first grader. In Integrated Studies, we are learning about nutrition. We enjoyed a presentation by the University of Nebraska on nutrition and hand washing! What fun!

January

Welcome to 2009! We are happy to be back at school working hard. In Phonics, we are working on vowel consonant e words, like cake, to learn our long vowel sounds. In Writing we are working on descriptive writing. We are focusing on how to describe people. In Math, we are working on place value, and counting tens and ones. This can be hard for some students so please practice at home. Coming up in third quarter we will start learning how to tell time to the hour and half hour, and then how to count money. These important skills can be tricky, so practicing these at home will be vital. In Integrated Studies, we are in our social studies unit, exploring our community. We are learning about neighborhoods and jobs. We are having a blast!