* Note anything underlined in the table above or in the notes below is a clickable link for your convenience *
Key to Abbreviations:
GP- The Gospel Project- Home Edition
TB- Singapore Math Textbook
WB- Singapore Math Workbook
MM- Mental Math (see appendix in HIG)
CCC- Complete, check, correct
AAS- All About Spelling (click here to print any missing phonogram cards)
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 (click here to print OPG sight words)
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, August 30- Grammar Play Date @ 3pm
Thursday, September 1- Spirit Day & Pizza Day & DOGS Day- Students may wear Fortis spirit shirts with jeans or jean shorts. DOGS (Dads of Great Students) will hold a special Morning Assembly!
Tuesday, September 6- No School- Labor Day Holiday
Thursday, September 8- Picture Day
Hello Parents!
"A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother." -Prov. 10:1
We're making steady progress on filling up our Joy Jar! I can't wait to see what's going to happen when the jar is all the way full...
While most of our work is kindergarten review at this point, we are starting to get into more "meaty" topics. I pray you and your student are enjoying the process together! We have some fun and interactive lessons coming up this week that I'm excited to share with the children.
A Note on Absences:
We all know and expect that absences will occur at times. When your child has to stay home from school, you should consult the blog for the assignments that we will be covering in school that day and go ahead and do those at home with them. If your child misses on the day when I'm giving an assessment, I'll be in touch with you on instructions for that. Of course, if you or they are feeling too ill to accomplish the tasks for the day, you can work on them when you/they are feeling up to it.
Math:
Use any extra time this week to really work with the number bonds we've covered, especially parts of 10. Use a 10 frame and counters to help students see the relationships until they become automatic. Ask them real-world application questions throughout the day, such as: "You've got 4 stuffies on your bed; how many more to make 10?" Students will be utilizing this rapid recall in order to master quickly-approaching mental math strategies. Here is a fun video and song to practice "friends of 10." These number bond flash cards may also be helpful. The games on pg 23 of the Textbook are great to replay often if your child needs more concrete practice. Continue this type of practice as we move on through our math lessons. Students will need to build on this basic concept throughout the year.
Reading:
Sounds First: This week in Cut Off the Sound, instead of making the initial sound and then making the scissor motion to cut it off from the rest of the word, the students will actually delete the first sound in the word.
Remember, phonics understanding is important even for children who already read fluently! In most of the text they encounter now, the ideas are familiar to them. That won't always be the case, and they will need these tools to decode unfamiliar words in unfamiliar contexts.
Read Aloud:
It's important that the required reading is an enjoyable part of your student's homeschool day. You will mostly be reading "Little Bear" to your child, as there are many words the students have not yet been taught to decode. However, I encourage you to work as a team and ask your child to read words they can decode (for example: made, it, on, hat, pants, can, and, not, that) as well as sight words (the, I, a, of, have, give, to, two, too) while you read the remaining words. I know you will both love Little Bear!
Writing:
It's important that the required reading is an enjoyable part of your student's homeschool day. You will mostly be reading "Little Bear" to your child, as there are many words the students have not yet been taught to decode. However, I encourage you to work as a team and ask your child to read words they can decode (for example: made, it, on, hat, pants, can, and, not, that) as well as sight words (the, I, a, of, have, give, to, two, too) while you read the remaining words. I know you will both love Little Bear!
Writing:
At home, please help your child to make proper strokes (see handout in Language Arts tab of binder) and correct pencil grip (see below) into a habit. It's important to correct any poor habits before they become too ingrained. This will greatly improve efficiency in their writing, and writing will become more enjoyable instead of a daunting chore.
If your child is struggling with holding their pencil correctly or maintaining control of it, check out the tips at this link. I also have many fun fine motor activites to suggest to strengthen those handwriting muscles.
Grammar:
Grammar:
Who knew "people" nouns could be so fun?! The children were very creative in our game of charades! This week we will concentrate on the difference between common and proper nouns.
Spelling:
Any time the blog directs you to dictate words or sentences in the Spelling Journal, those are words or sentences the students should be writing without help or coaching. If there are mistakes, please don't erase, but instead have your student rewrite the word correctly underneath or in a different color after you have reinforced the concept. Please check dictation work done in class for accuracy as well.
Spelling:
Any time the blog directs you to dictate words or sentences in the Spelling Journal, those are words or sentences the students should be writing without help or coaching. If there are mistakes, please don't erase, but instead have your student rewrite the word correctly underneath or in a different color after you have reinforced the concept. Please check dictation work done in class for accuracy as well.
Geography:
Map & Song and Game to help learn Continents and Oceans (due 9/8)
Note about Science and History textbooks: I've listed page numbers for both the newer/revised and older versions of these textbooks, so be sure to look for the pages that pertain to your version.
Map & Song and Game to help learn Continents and Oceans (due 9/8)
Note about Science and History textbooks: I've listed page numbers for both the newer/revised and older versions of these textbooks, so be sure to look for the pages that pertain to your version.
History:
This week you'll read about mummies and embalming in ancient Egypt. Some of the descriptions are quite detailed; I know my squeamish 17-year-old would be uncomfortable hearing them! Feel free to use your discretion to edit as you deem appropriate.
Chapter 4 journal entry: Egyptians made mummies and pyramids.
Science:
Now that we have a good background knowledge of insects in general, we get to explore some specific ones in detail. On a personal note, growing up in the desert, I had always dreamed of seeing a real firefly. Not until we moved to Texas did that bucket-list item come true for me! It was truly magical. I'm excited to share about fireflies with the children, and to remind them that we, too, are beautiful lights for Christ in this world! I leave the mosquito and it's spiritual application to you, my dear co-teachers.
Journal sentence: Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water.
