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

Weeks of Oct. 15 and Oct. 21

Skillin first graders enjoyed a fun-filled trip to Alewives Brook Farm last week! We could not have asked for better weather, either. Students enjoyed learning about many different vegetables and how to properly pick them. Students picked kale, beets, peppers, potatoes and carrots. At the end, we walked through the pumpkin patch to pick our very own pumpkins. Thank you so much to Caitlin Jordan for all of her efforts in planning this trip for us, as well as Jaedra Rideout and her Memorial Middle School students for creating personalized veggie buckets for all 66 first graders!

Math

We continued to work with two-dimensional shapes in our geometry unit. Students had lots of practice composing 2D shapes out of other 2D shapes. For example, they could come up with 5 or more ways to make a hexagon! We also began to look at the attributes of shapes. Students sorted a set of shapes based on certain attributes, such as the number of sides or whether it had curved or straight lines. They are beginning to understand that there are defining and non-defining attributes of shapes. For example, a triangle must have three sides and three vertices to be a triangle, but it can be any color, size or orientation.

Upcoming Date

• There is no school on Monday, November 11th for Veteran's Day
• K-3 students will go to the high school for a "Kinderkonzert" on Monday, November 18th. The bus will leave right at 9:15 so please make sure your child is on time and ready to go!
• Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 20th. Sign up forms were sent home in red totes. Please return your form as soon as possible. I will confirm your day and time next week.

Thank you,

Mrs. Bradstreet

Week of 10/7

Reading
We read two very similar stories this week - We're Going to Grandma's, Hurray! and Over the River and Through the Wood. Both of these are based on the same classic song. Students enjoyed listening to the stories and making text-to-text connections. We also enjoyed listening to the song that inspired both stories!

Writing
I read aloud a story titled When I Was Five by Arthur Howard. We used this story to think about things we enjoy doing with friends. We spent three days working on these stories, starting with brainstorming and followed by independent writing time. Students practiced adding more details to their illustrations and stories.

In handwriting, we reviewed the "magic c" letters - a, d, g, o. All of these letters begin with a "c" and then are turned into their own letter by following specific strokes. Students were careful to make their letters the proper sizes on the provided lines.

Math
We began a new math unit about geometry. In first grade, geometry focuses on two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. This unit focuses on two-dimensional shapes only, while unit 8 at the end of the year will focus on 3D shapes. Students first learned how to name and describe several 2D ("flat") shapes including squares, rectangles, circles and triangles. They used pattern blocks to fill in a variety of outlines. Students are learning that you can put 2D shapes together to make other 2D shapes. They also realized that there are many different ways to fill the same outline!

Guidance
Mrs. Holt visited us on Tuesday to teach another Second Step lesson. Students practiced identifying and describing emotions (such as curious and frustrated) by listening to different scenarios and observing photographs of students showing certain facial expressions and body language. They discussed strategies they could use if they were feeling one of these strong emotions.

Upcoming dates

• There is no school on Friday, October 11th or Monday, October 14th.
• Our first grade field trip to Alewives Brook Farm is on Tuesday, October 15th. Please check the weather forecast and help your child dress appropriately for a day at the farm. Layered clothing and boots or sneakers are a must!

Thank you,
Mrs. Bradstreet

Week of 9/30

Reading
We began first grade reading groups this week. Each first grader has been matched with a reading teacher and reading group of about 3-4 readers. Each day, students will receive guided reading instruction at their instructional reading levels. Groups will also get daily opportunities to engage in word work, guided writing and independent reading stations. All four classrooms focused on introducing routines and expectations this first week. Students had time to practice rotating through the different stations, cleaning up, using new materials and working independently. Ask your child to tell you about his or her reading teacher!

Writing
I read When I Grow Up  to the class and we brainstormed ideas of jobs we wanted to have when we were older. Students took one idea to write a story about. They practiced sounding out words slowly as they were writing. They were sure to draw a detailed picture to match their sentences.

Students worked on the letters Dd and Gg in their Handwriting Without Tears printing books. We reviewed the proper formation of each letter, then practiced writing them in isolation, in words, and in sentences.

Math
We wrapped up our first Investigations unit! Students used many different strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. Drawing pictures, counting forward or backward on a number line, and using fingers were all appropriate strategies. Students practiced showing their work and writing an equation to match each problem. On Monday, we will begin unit two, which focuses on geometry and understanding the attributes of two-dimensional shapes. Look for the family letter in red totes next week!

Upcoming Dates

• There is no school on Friday, October 11th or Monday, October 14th.
• All first graders will go on a field trip to Alewives Brook Farm on Tuesday, October 15th. A note was sent home in red totes this week!

Thank you,

Mrs. Bradstreet