Week of 11/18

Kinderkonzert
On Monday morning, we rode a bus to the high school to see a Portland Symphony Orchestra Kinderkonzert. Students enjoyed a percussion performance that highlighted the history of transportation. Three musicians played a variety of percussion instruments including bongos, xylophones, cymbals and Tom Tom drums. Students listened as the musicians played their instruments to sound like trains, airplanes and ships. It was a great experience!

Social Studies
We spent most of this week learning about the First Thanksgiving and sharing our own family traditions. Students thought about the ways in which their celebrations were the same or different from the Pilgrims. Then, they wrote about their own family traditions on Thanksgiving stationery.

Math
We spent lots of time decomposing numbers and practicing the commutative property of addition. Students solved various story problems such as I have 8 pieces of fruit. Some are apples, some are bananas. How many of each could I have? Using cubes, equations, and pictures, students were challenged to find all of the possible combinations. We paid special attention to our "turn around" facts, too. Students understand that numbers can be added in any order and the total will remain the same.
We also played a new game called Dot Addition. In this game, partners took turns making a number using dot cards. Then, they would write an equation to match the cards they used.

Upcoming Dates

• There is an early release on Tuesday, November 26th. Students will be dismissed at 12:35pm.
• There is no school from Wednesday, November 27th-Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving break.
• There is an early release on Wednesday, December 4th. Students will be dismissed at 12:35pm.

Thank you!

Mrs. Bradstreet

Week of 11/12

Chewonki
First grade enjoyed a special science presentation called "Fur, Feathers and Feet." Miss Colleen from Chewonki visited us on Tuesday and taught us all about two major groups of animals - fish and mammals. Ask your child to tell you what they learned about each group! She also brought in an actual owl and groundhog so we could see their features in real life!

Math
Our focus was composing numbers using different combinations. In activities such as Seven Peas & Carrots, Counters in a Cup, and How Many Am I Hiding? students practiced composing target numbers such as 7, 8 and 10 using different combinations. For example, students were able to make 7 using the combinations 1+6, 6+1, 2+5, 5+2, etc. They also realized an important concept - numbers can be added in any order! This is called the commutative property of addition and is an important learning target in first grade.

Social Studies
Students listened to a couple of nonfiction stories about Pilgrim children to learn about their clothing, food, chores and games. Then, students compared themselves to Pilgrim children. They wrote two ways in which they were similar to Pilgrim children and two ways in which they were different.

Upcoming Dates

• K-3 students will see a Kinderkonzert at the high school on Monday, November 18th. We will board the bus right at 9:10 so please make sure your child is on time and ready to go!
• There is an early release on Tuesday, November 26th. Students will be dismissed at 12:35pm.
• There is no school from Wednesday, November 27th-Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving break.

Thank you,
Mrs. Bradstreet

Week of 11/4

Social Studies
We began our first social studies unit of the year this week. Students will learn about the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims and Wampanoags. They will learn to compare and contrast the beliefs and customs of these different groups of people. They will also learn how to use and create maps as a visual representation of a place. Students spent time comparing and contrasting themselves with another classmate to begin to think about similarities and differences. They also spent time drawing maps of the classroom and a favorite room in their house. We talked about creating the map with a "bird's eye view."

Math
Unit 3 started this week! Children will get lots of practice fine-tuning their addition and subtraction strategies such as counting on and counting back. We revisited familiar games including Roll and Record and Five in a Row which have both addition and subtraction versions. We also spent time working on our place value understanding by building teen numbers with ten frames. Students understand that a ten number is composed of ten and "some more."

Upcoming Dates

• There is no school on Monday, November 11th for Veterans Day.
• Chewonki visits first grade on Tuesday with a "Fur, Feathers & Feet" science presentation.
• K-3 students will see a Kinderkonzert at the high school on Monday, November 18th.
• There is an early release on Tuesday, November 26th. Students will be dismissed at 12:35pm.
• There is no school from Wednesday, November 27th-Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving break.

Thank you,
Mrs. Bradstreet

Week of 10/28

Reading
We reviewed our short and long vowel sounds and learned more about why vowels are such an important group of letters. Students learned that vowels make two (or more) sounds, can be found in every word in our language and are "open mouth" sounds. We learned a vowel song to the tune of BINGO. Ask your child to sing the song to you.

Writing
After reading Chinatown by William Low, we brainstormed a class list of places that were special to our families. Children took turns sharing their ideas and giving reasons why their places were so important. Authors engaged in sustained writing time in which they were able to write multiple sentences about their places.  These stories will be shared with you during conferences.

Math
We wrapped up Unit 2 on two-dimensional shapes this week. Students spent time sorting sets of shapes based on attributes such as number of sides or vertices (corners). We then spent the remaining few days working in fun math centers. Students used geometry apps on the iPads, created a scarecrow glyph and used toothpicks and play doh to make shapes. We will begin Unit 3 on Monday, which is all about addition and subtraction. You'll get the family letter in red totes next week.


Upcoming Dates

• There is no school on Monday, November 11th for Veteran's Day.
• There is an early release on Tuesday, November 26th. Students will be dismissed at 12:35pm.
• There is no school from Wednesday, November 27th-Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving break.
• Parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled! You received a green confirmation notice in red totes this week. I'll send home another reminder note the week of your child's conference.

Thank you,

Mrs. Bradstreet