I am looking forward to working with you throughout the
year to provide your child with a positive, fun-filled first
grade experience. I will certainly encourage and motivate
your child to believe he/she can do it, work to help him/her
achieve new skills, and ultimately, succeed in first grade!
During the month of November we will continue to work
on short vowel sounds in spelling. Remember that our weekly
tests are cumulative so the previous lists of words in the blue
spelling notebook need to be practiced too. It is also very
important that the students continue to practice the reading
vocabulary flash cards and robust vocabulary words sent
home weekly. Learning to read takes a lot of practice and
reinforcement. Practicing the black reading notebook is
essential to your child's success in first grade. Remember
to participate in Mrs. Pressey's reading project - "Fall Into
Books!" Every time your child reads twenty books they can
receive a prize. New reading logs are sent home whenever
a completed log is sent to school. So read, read, read!
The students will also begin writing nonfiction stories
using the Four Square Writing Method. The students will
learn to begin a story with a main idea. Then include
supporting details which relate to the main idea. Finally,
end their story with a conclusion.
In November we will learn ways to subtract numbers to 8.
I will be sending home subtraction flash cards throughout the
month so that these basic facts can be learned. Please cut
out the flash cards and write the answers on the back of each
one. Practice a little at a time until they are all learned...
it is very important. (It would be great if you make your own
flash cards on index cards. That's what I did for my own
children when they were in first grade and it really made a
difference.) Please save the math flash cards and keep them
in a safe place. You can separate them into two piles -
the facts that have been memorized and the facts that still
need to be practiced. It is very important to keep practicing
the addition sums to 12 too! The addition facts are easily
forgotten when they are not reinforced.
In social studies we will complete our Thanksgiving and
"Where We Live" units. In science we will begin our unit on
the different states of matter.
Thank you very much for your support and cooperation.
Together we can help your child succeed this school year!
