Newsletter December 22 2017

Mrs. Adler’s and Ms.
Zimmermann’s First Grade
Weekly Review
December 22, 2017
Past Week’s Review

WELCOME TO THE FIRST GRADE!
Looking forward to a New Year in our new school back at BYDS!
In Language Arts, in Reader’s Workshop we continuid reading nonfiction books! Our

strategy this week was to review all the key concepts we learned in nonfiction texts. The children
have become quite proficient in noticing a table of contents, bold words, headings, captions,
glossary etc. In Writer’s Workshop, we continued persuasive writing. We focused on bolstering our
arguments, editing and publishing. We are trying to make our writing the best that it can possibly
be! This week in our phonics lesson, we learned about consonant clusters. A consonant cluster is
two or more consonants grouped together in a word. You can also hear each of the consonants
sounds in this cluster. For example, when you put ‘s’ and ‘t’ together you can hear both of their
sounds, like in the word stack. Last but not least, we took our ninth spelling test! We focused on
words with the patterns ‘th’ and ‘wh’. The two bonus words were: measurements and vacation.
The three sight words this week were: where, them and this. Please make sure that you are
continuing to review these words with your children.
In Math, the children completed their unit on shapes. We have learned to sort and classify
shapes by size, color and shape, combine different shapes, make patterns, as well as identify the
many attributes of different shapes. We have now begun a new unit on length! The students are
comparing lengths of two or more objects by direct comparison or counting units, or by using
indirect comparison. They can also arrange shapes by order of length. See the examples below:
Direct Comparison Indirect Comparison

Lastly, please continue to practice addition and subtraction MATH FACTS with your child
every night! Flash cards are a great way to reinforce the skill!
In Social Studies, in our Texas Studies Weekly, we read, “Fact or Fiction?” We discussed the
difference between what a fact is versus fiction. We know that a fact is something that is true and
fiction is something that has been made up. For example, the story of Martin Luther King Jr. is
factual while the story of Little Red Riding Hood is a made up story. We also continued our “Map
Skills for Today”! We identified the differences between near and far on a map and then used
those skills to navigate within the map. The students truly enjoy learning and applying their map
skills in class.
In Science, This week in science, we completed a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,

Art, and Math) challenge! The challenge was to work in a group to make a dreidel that spins, but
they can only use the materials provided. They were given one toothpick, one Styrofoam plate,
one piece of construction paper, pennies (for weight), scissors, and tape. They worked in groups to
plan out their creations and then worked together to execute their plans. It was fun to watch how
they solved problems and worked together, but they also had a lot of fun. On Wednesday, we used
the first part of the class to finish the dreidels and make sure they spin! When the time was up,
each group had a chance to share in front of the class how they built their dreidels, what was
difficult, and what worked. Then each group member got a chance to spin the dreidel in front of the
class and we timed them. Finally, we declared one group the winner of the challenge! We had a
lot of fun and it was a great way to end our semester! I hope everyone had a Happy Hanukkah! I
have enjoyed teaching science to your students this semester and look forward to another great
semester back at BYDS! Have a great Winter Break!
In Art, In art this week the first graders practiced their cutting skills as they created texture
monsters using the texture papers they had painted in their last art class. They had a lot of fun
and were very excited to show them off!
In Hebrew,
Last but not least, if there is one thing we can suggest or encourage for you to be
doing at home is to read with your child every night. It is a wonderful bonding time for you and
your child. Please make sure that you are also recording in the daily reading log what your child is
reading at home and returning the reading logs to school on Monday’s. Please make sure that
your child is reading for at least 15 minutes every day.
Important Dates Ask Your Child
 Tuesday, January 9th – first day of  What was President Lincoln’s

school at BYDS nickname?
 Wednesday, January 17th – Group  Why is Ellis Island important?

Pictures
 What is longer, a pencil or a ruler?
 True or False: Persuasive writing is the

same as writing an “Expert Book”.
Important Info
 Please remember to send snacks with your child every day! They get very hungry and a
mid-morning, as well as mid-afternoon, snack helps out! These should be healthy snacks
that can be eaten in a 5 minute time frame!
 Every Monday is Spirit Dress Day! Students may come dressed in a spirit dress shirt and
jeans! If there is no school on a Monday, Tuesday becomes Spirit Dress Day.
We love school!

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Newsletter December 22 2017

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Mrs. Adler’s and Ms.

Zimmermann’s First Grade

Past Week’s Review

In Language Arts, in Reader’s Workshop we continuid reading nonfiction books! Our

Direct Comparison Indirect Comparison

In Science, This week in science, we completed a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,

Important Dates Ask Your Child

 Tuesday, January 9th – first day of  What was President Lincoln’s

 Wednesday, January 17th – Group  Why is Ellis Island important?

 True or False: Persuasive writing is the

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