* Note- anything underlined in the table above or highlighted below is a link *
Key to Abbreviations:
GP- The Gospel Project- Home Edition
HIG- Singapore Math Home Instructor's Guide
TB- Singapore Math Textbook
WB- Singapore Math Workbook
MM- Mental Math (see appendix in HIG)
CCC- Complete, check, correct
AAS- All About Spelling
FLL- First Language Lessons
SF- Sounds First Phonemic Awareness Program (click here and scroll down to Grade 1)
OPG- The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading
SotW- Story of the World
G&B/A- The Good and The Beautiful, Arthropods
G&B/MB- The Good and The Beautiful, Marine Biology
COMING SOON...
Tuesday, September 7- No School- Labor Day holiday
Thursday, September 9- Spirit Day- Fortis spirit wear is allowed
Tuesday, September 14- Co-teacher Training, 2-3pm (optional)
Tuesday, September 21- Picture Day
Thursday, September 23- Falcon Moms Meetup, 9-10am @ Texas Taco Kitchen
Saturday, September 25- Fortis Lap-A-Thon, 9:30-11:30am
**Hello Parents!**
It is no exaggeration when I say that I am blown away by your children! They are kind, considerate, respectful, artistic, clever, creative, funny, and intelligent! They are a reflection of the loving care and time you pour into them as parents. It is truly a joy for me to work with them and learn about them during our time together at school. I pray they are feeling both challenged and encouraged by the work they are doing in 1st grade.
With lots of Love,
Mrs. Kuhn
Mrs. Kuhn
Math:
We've been discussing some of the ways math reflects God, its creator: It is always orderly, true & consistent. There is always one correct answer as Jesus is always the one correct answer. It never changes, and we can rely on it just as we rely on God who never changes.
We've been discussing some of the ways math reflects God, its creator: It is always orderly, true & consistent. There is always one correct answer as Jesus is always the one correct answer. It never changes, and we can rely on it just as we rely on God who never changes.
When students complete their first math Review in class this week, I will be making a copy of their test to bring home with me for grading and they will bring their ungraded test home in their folder. The following day, you will look over their test to find any errors, then reteach/review those concepts as part of your home day math assignment. I will grade my copy of their tests and enter their grades in Alma.
We'll continue Mental Math with MM 2 and MM 3 this week. The strategy we're using for MM2 is "start with the larger number and count up." It's important that your child can verbalize and use that language to describe how they're getting the answer. Many of them initially will say, "I just know!" but we want to train them in the habit of thinking a little more deeply and being able to explain what they're doing. This first strategy is simple, but it's a good opportunity to teach your child that there IS a strategy and that they can explain it in words. Keep encouraging your child to use that language when describing their strategy. Students may need a reminder to "lock in" the larger number and then count up from there.
A new unit begins this week- subtraction. We'll start by telling subtraction stories to understand what it means to "take away" a part of the whole or "take apart" the whole and find what is left. It's important to gain this understanding first rather than going straight to memorizing facts. Take time to read through HIG pg 34 before you start subtraction on Friday.
Reading:
I've heard from the children that they are loving the Little Bear book! We had a creative discussion about the students' own ideas for keeping Little Bear warm in the snow. Keep reading and re-reading the Little Bear story each week, as this will help with reading fluency. Some words your child should be able to decode in "Little Bear Goes to the Moon": and, fat, cub, with, no, wings, if, jump, up, will, fast, with, big, plop, but, just, me, in, be, back, lunch, spot, things, shut, top, hill, he, then, sat, well, like, this, that, go, yes, am, same, thing, can, his, it. Have your child decode these words when you come to them in the book! If they get stuck, remind them not to guess, but to sound out each phonogram in the word. If they don't remember one, go ahead and tell them the sound. Key Card 5 will be helpful in decoding open syllable words like be, he, go, and no.
A new unit begins this week- subtraction. We'll start by telling subtraction stories to understand what it means to "take away" a part of the whole or "take apart" the whole and find what is left. It's important to gain this understanding first rather than going straight to memorizing facts. Take time to read through HIG pg 34 before you start subtraction on Friday.
I've heard from the children that they are loving the Little Bear book! We had a creative discussion about the students' own ideas for keeping Little Bear warm in the snow. Keep reading and re-reading the Little Bear story each week, as this will help with reading fluency. Some words your child should be able to decode in "Little Bear Goes to the Moon": and, fat, cub, with, no, wings, if, jump, up, will, fast, with, big, plop, but, just, me, in, be, back, lunch, spot, things, shut, top, hill, he, then, sat, well, like, this, that, go, yes, am, same, thing, can, his, it. Have your child decode these words when you come to them in the book! If they get stuck, remind them not to guess, but to sound out each phonogram in the word. If they don't remember one, go ahead and tell them the sound. Key Card 5 will be helpful in decoding open syllable words like be, he, go, and no.
Week 5 and Monday of Week 6 are our last days of kindergarten review, so if there are any lessons your child has not mastered, take the time to practice those. It will be expected that they can decode and blend those letters without hesitation as we go forward!
Writing:
One-on-one individualized instruction is one of the many beautiful aspects of the homeschooling portion of our model. Don't neglect this when it comes to something as foundational as handwriting. Bad habits now will affect your child in the future. Again, here is the link for individualized practice sheets to help break those bad habits one mile at a time.
Spelling:
We are moving into Step 2 on Friday! Be sure to review phonograms and key cards before starting the new lesson. These are cumulative, so keep reviewing past ones even as we add new ones. You will be adding EE and WH tiles to your magnet boards for this lesson.
Spelling:
We are moving into Step 2 on Friday! Be sure to review phonograms and key cards before starting the new lesson. These are cumulative, so keep reviewing past ones even as we add new ones. You will be adding EE and WH tiles to your magnet boards for this lesson.
On Friday, practice the words from pg 22 on the magnet board first. If your student is having trouble hearing the blends have them segment the words as shown on pg 23. Then have your child write the 10 words in their journal under the heading "Step 2 words" (you can write the heading for them, or they can write it neatly and accurately). On Monday, you will dictate the first 3 sentences on pg 24 in their journal under the heading "Step 2 sentences." In class next Tuesday we will add sentences 4-6 to their journals, and finally on Thursday of next week we will have our first spelling test!
History:
This week you will read Chapter 7 and consider the laws in the Code of Hammurabi. The following Tuesday in class we'll have a discussion about Hammurabi's religious practices and contrast those with God's instructions to His people.
History:
This week you will read Chapter 7 and consider the laws in the Code of Hammurabi. The following Tuesday in class we'll have a discussion about Hammurabi's religious practices and contrast those with God's instructions to His people.
Science:
This week we'll take a pause from our textbook for some optional creative projects. In class, we will debate whether it would be better to be stranded on a desert island with silkworms or firefiles.
Geography:
Map & Song and Game to help learn all the continents and oceans- due this week on Thursday, 9/9.
On Thursday we will begin Northern Central Africa and Northern Africa maps. Both of these will be due 10/14.
