* 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, April 12- Field trip to Austin Aquarium
Thursday, April 14- Spirit Day- Fortis t-shirts and jeans are allowed
Friday, April 15- Good Friday- No School
Tuesday, April 19- Teacher training- No School
Friday-Sunday, April 22-24- Fortis Family Spring Camping
Tuesday, April 26- Greek Agora Project due
Thursday, May 12- Last day of school
Dear Families,
I am so proud of how much your students have grown this year! Thank you so much for all of the work that you do at home.
Math:
We begin a new unit this week, Numbers to 100. This unit is an extension of similar concepts covered in Numbers to 40- which we have continued diligently working on!- so your child should make the connections fairly smoothly. If not, spend extra time solidifying their understanding. Give your child plenty of practice counting and making tens with manipulatives such as base ten blocks, mini erasers, straws, toothpicks, craft sticks, or cubes. Remember, students have a place-value chart and a 100-chart in their binders if you need them.
On a scheduling note, there will be a couple of full lessons assigned on Mondays in the upcoming weeks due to activities on Tuesdays. This will enable us to stay on track to finish Singapore 1B by the end of the year.
Flashcard Games for math facts (or phonograms!)
Reading:
It is still very important to practice phonograms daily. You can go through the deck quickly, flashcard style, or you can play games to make it more fun if you have the time. If you are really strapped for time and need your child to work independently, the app can be very handy! Have your child say the sound and then tap that phonogram to check themselves.
Decodable words in "A Beautiful House for God" from the Early Reader's Bible (sight words in parenthesis): A, house, for, God, (what), is, King, he (said), it, will, be, find, the, best, trees, must, (have), all, so, men, went, far, they, cut, big, stones, walls, some, with, gold, and, cloth, when, at, days, at, last, (was), done, come, see, told, came, (to), good, they, sang
Decodable words in "Birds with Food from a Man" from the Early Reader's Bible (sight words in parenthesis): with, food, a, man, had, (to), run, he, told, the, king, (what), God, (said), but, did, not, like, how, bad, (was), so, kill, you, must, hide, from, I, will, show, but, eat, no, food, at, gave, each, day, sent, now, had, good, him, thank, you, me
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:
Here are some questions for discussion as you teach SotW Chapter 35 (part 1): Why do you think Caesar told the Romans only about his victories and not his defeats? Is not sharing the whole truth the same as lying? Why does "Crossing the Rubicon" mean that you're about to do something you can't undo? Would you have crossed the Rubicon if you were Caesar? Journal sentence: When Caesar returned to Rome, he was too powerful to be arrested.
Reminder: The Agora Project due date is approaching! Project guidelines can 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:
In part 2 of our study on marine mammals, this week we'll look at whales. It is truly mind-boggling how a giant creature like a blue whale with a heart the size of a small vehicle can gracefully remain afloat in the sea. There is really only one explanation: "And God created whales and every living creature that moveth....and God saw that it was good." -Genesis 1:21
Field Trip to Austin Aquarium!
Details:
Tuesday, April 12th, 2021
Depart Fortis 9:55am
Return to Fortis between 12:30-1:00pm
Stay tuned for an email detailing the specifics of the day!
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.
