* 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 14- Co-teacher Training, 2-3pm (optional)
Tuesday, September 21- Picture Day- Fortis uniform dress is required
Thursday, September 23- Falcon Moms Meetup, 9-10am @ Texas Taco Kitchen
Saturday, September 25- Fortis Lap-A-Thon, 9:30-11:30am
Tuesday, September 28- Grammar Play Date, 3-4pm
**Lovely, hard-working parents**
This week we're 1/3 of the way through this semester! As always, it's amazing how these weeks have flown by! All your hard work is evident in the progress I see in the classroom with growth spurts in reading, good habits taking root in handwriting, and friendships blossoming too.
With Love, Mrs. Kuhn
Math:
Part of our work this week will be to relate addition and subtraction equations, sometimes known as fact families. Using and exploring addition and subtraction within fact families should be a tool and a visual to help kids connect concrete ideas (for example, building it out with blocks) to visuals (such as fact family houses or number bonds) to abstract equations. Don’t worry so much about “mastering” fact families, but use them as a way to challenge the children to make connections.
Part of our work this week will be to relate addition and subtraction equations, sometimes known as fact families. Using and exploring addition and subtraction within fact families should be a tool and a visual to help kids connect concrete ideas (for example, building it out with blocks) to visuals (such as fact family houses or number bonds) to abstract equations. Don’t worry so much about “mastering” fact families, but use them as a way to challenge the children to make connections.
We will move rather quickly from "counting back to subtract" to introducing the next subtraction strategy next week. Make sure your child has a strong grasp on counting back to subtract during the course of these lessons.
Reading:
This week we get started on our first two vowel pairs (AI and AY) with OPG lessons 84 & 86 (lesson 85 will be assigned next week). The very general structure of our weeks will be that I will introduce a new vowel pair in class and then you will teach the corresponding OPG lesson the next day at home. This will allow us to spend roughly two days on each vowel pair before adding the next new one. I've also incorporated review lessons every few weeks, so be sure to take advantage of those to go back through lessons that your child could use more practice with.
When your child practices the AI and AY phonogram cards, do have them include everything on the back of the card except the sample words. For example, for AI, they should say, "/ā/ (making the sound), two-letter /ā/ (again, making the sound), that we may not use at the end of English words."
Remember (as if you had not noticed), OPG is not rich literature, so make a point to include several hours a week of reading aloud to your child from living books (living books make the subject “come alive.” They can be contrasted to dry writing, like what is found in most encyclopedias or textbooks, which basically lists informational facts in summary form). This is important for your child's brain development, reading and listening skills, vocabulary, and for pure enjoyment! Read, read, read!
When you read "Little Bear's Wish" with your child, encourage them to decode words that contain phonograms they know, such as: yes, not, no, wish, that, sit, on, and, we, go, then, the, way, back, with, had, big, red, fast, cake, me, say, like, well, can, just, thank, time, tell, me, did, in, on, fun, so, made, came, make, will, end. They can also read sight words: I, a, have, to, too.
Writing:
I hope you are noticing at home, as I am in class, that the students CAN produce beautiful handwriting! It is a matter of taking care to do it the right way and doing all things- even handwriting!- to the glory of God. Please watch them at home and encourage correct formation and placement of each letter. Again, here is a link if you'd like to provide extra practice: Custom handwriting practice sheets Grammar:
We're introducing place nouns this week, both common and proper.
Spelling:
Our Kindergarten review is complete, and we have our first test over Step 2 on Thursday, so study up! We'll now fall into the pattern of beginning the next "Step" on Fridays with review & new teaching, and we'll finish each "Step" on the following Thursday with a test in class. Don't forget to send Spelling Journals to school each day. The procedure for grading the spelling tests will be similar to how I graded the math tests. The students will do their spelling tests on a loose sheet of paper, and when we finish the test, I will make a copy of each student's test. I will send the original home for you to go over with them the following day, and I will take the copy home to grade. Generally the grades will be input into Alma the same night as the test was taken.
History:
For your study at home, read and discuss chapter 8 with your student. This is a time in history when many nations were following false gods, and unfortunately even God's chosen people, the Isrealites, eventually fell into those same practices. But God's rescue plan of sending His Son for the salvation of the world was already in process!
Questions to discuss: Contrast Hammurabi's method of ruling (ch. 7) vs that of Shamshi-Adad; Discuss with your child how Gilgamesh was seeking the "secret" of eternal life. How did he try to get eternal life? Gilgamesh is a pretend character. Do real people seek eternal life? What would you tell Gilgamesh- or a real person- about how to find eternal life?
Journal Sentence: Shamshi-Adad was a ruthless king of Assyria.
Science:
Bzzzz...it's all about bees in science! The importance of bees to our ecology and food supply can hardly be understated, and they are a great example of cooperation as they work together in their hives to get the job done. We'll explore pollination and why it is so important. God's intricately detailed design is on full display with these busy insects!
Journal sentence: Bees work together to help each other in the colony.
Geography:
Week 6 means it's time for a new map! For the next several weeks we'll be learning the countries of Northern Central Africa and Northern Africa. These will be due October 14th.
