* 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...
Thursday, March 31- Spirit/Pizza/DOGS day
Thursday, March 31- Field Trip permission slip and payment due! Take care of both by clicking this link.
Saturday, April 2- Fortis NERF Tournament, 5:30-8:00pm
Tuesday, April 12- Austin Aquarium field trip (see below for information)
Dear Families,
Here we are, finishing the last week of March! The month of April has several special days, including our field trip and Easter, and then we will have our long-awaited Agora marketplace event at the end of the month. Trust me when I say these weeks will fly by! We still have important work to accomplish, so don't let the warmer weather and thoughts of summer entice you into the hare's mistake of stopping to rest too soon. Your labors are producing good fruit that will blossom in its time!
Bible:
In the next few weeks leading up to Easter, we will be doing Resurrection Eggs activities in class, and at home you'll be using the Kids of Integrity website for some interactive Easter activities. Use this link to reach the Kids of Integrity website. Click on Lessons, then Easter, and then on Download PDF to see the lessons for your home days.
Math:
It's time to teach time! In 1st grade, we will introduce the concept of 5 minute increments corresponding to the large numbers on an analog clock. However, the students are only expected to master telling time on the hour and half hour. Students should also gain understanding of how long minutes vs hours are by estimating how long it takes to complete a task.
Pleast note a typo in your HIG at the top of pg 66. It refers to tasks 2-3 in the TB on pg 70-71, but those are actually on TB pg 64-65.
Flashcard Games for math facts (or phonograms!)
Reading:
We continue with more silent letters this week, including "Silent L," which can be tricky, depending on your particular regional pronounciation. In words like calm and palm, you may use more of an /l/ than you do in words like talk and chalk, but rarely do people pronounce the full /l/ in these words. Let me know if you have any difficulty with this lesson!
Please complete Phonogram Assessment #5 on Wednesday with your student. You will notice I changed the format slightly. I'd like you to show your student the phonogram card and then mark a box for every sound they remember correctly for that phonogram. If they miss any sounds, specify in the "Incorrect" comment box which sounds they were. The score will be how many sounds the student got correct out of the 13 possible sounds for these phonograms. You may leave the assessment inside the page protector, as the students and I have a procedure for how we check them in class. The completed assessment is due Thursday, March 31.
Decodable words in "Good Friends" from the Early Reader's Bible (sight words in parenthesis): Good, the, king, saw, kill, he, that, (was), a, brave, boy, son, this, too, his, name, to, be, will, you, my, best, (friend), yes, I, (said), had, things, gave, bow, and, robe, show, am, thank
Decodable words in "A Wise King" from the Early Reader's Bible (sight words in parenthesis): A, wise, king, long, the, (said), (was), new, he, had, God, to, make, him, (one), day, (two), came, with, each, this, is, my, did, not, know, who, cut, in, some, (of), it, no, yes, then, knew, that, how, thank, you, for, me, do
Geography:
Southern Africa Map and Song will be due 4/14. Students should be able to point to each country as they sing/recite the names. This is the final remaining part of Africa that we have yet to memorize!
History:
This week we'll have the priviledge of hearing from a special guest about their travels and experiences in China! Here are some questions for discussion as you teach SotW Chapter 34: Why do you think Julius Caesar still wanted to sail across the Mediterranean Sea, even though he was warned about pirates? Predict what could have happened if the pirates never released Julius Caesar. What do you think Caesar meant when he said, "I would rather be the most important man here than second in command in Rome!"? Why was the Senate unhappy with Caesar? What choice would you make if you were Cincinnatus and the people wanted you to be king?
Journal sentence: Julius Caesar was popular with the Roman people, but was disliked by the Senate.
Reminder: This semester's at-home project will allow students to tap into their inner entrepreneur as they set up shop in a recreation of the central Greek gathering place and marketplace, the Agora. Students will create a product they wish to sell, a price point, and a sales pitch to entice their friends to visit their stall in the marketplace. Fortis students from other grades will be "window shopping" in our Agora before we buy and sell amongst our class (currency provided)! Project guidelines can also be found here. This project will be presented by the students on April 26th. They are encouraged to wear Greek attire/costume to school that day to lend authenticity to their project.
Science:
This week is Part 1 of our study of marine mammals, which will include seals, sea lions, walruses, sea otters, polar bears, and manatees. We will do the blubber protection activity on page 100 in class. It's a perfect hands-on way to appreciate God's special design for cold water mammals!
Field Trip to Austin Aquarium!
**Click here to register and pay for the field trip**
Details:
Tuesday, April 12th, 2021
Depart Fortis 9:55am
Return to Fortis between 12:30-1:00pm
Cost: $6.95 students, $8.95 parent chaperones (siblings age 3 or older attending with a parent chaperone, $8.95)
Payment and permission slip due by March 31st
I will need parents to help transport students, so if you are able to drive, please let me know!
Also, include your name as a parent chaperone and driver on the permission slip form.
We will bring sack lunches to eat at the picnic area inside the aquarium after our tour.
Memory Work:
Quarter 4 poem: Rock of Ages will be due 5/3. In addition to the title, I would like the students to recite, "Written in 1763 by Reverend Toplady" before they begin reciting the poem. Here is a link to the song that we practice in class. This artist does substitute "commands" for "demands" in the 2nd stanza, so I will accept either of those words as correct.
Books of the Old Testament: Psalms - Malachi due 4/28. When we finish this section, we'll have memorized the order of all the books in the entire Bible! Here is a link to the song we practice in class. As always, if you or your child are already familiar with a different song, I'll assess that no problem, as long as the books are said in order.
