* 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
COMING SOON...
Thursday, March 28- Spirit/Pizza/DOGS Day (this will be the only Spirit Day in March due to Spring Break)
Friday, March 29- Good Friday; campus closed
Tuesday, April 2- campus closed
(Please notice that your holiday from school will fall on Tuesday, April 2nd. You will have home day assignments on Monday, April 1st since that is a regular home day for you. You may, of course, complete those assignments on a different day if you'd like to take advantage of a long weekend over Easter. Just make sure that everything is caught up by the time students are back at school again on Thursday, April 4th.)
Tuesday, April 16- Austin Aquarium field trip; details below
Dear Families,
Here we are, finishing the last week of March! The month of April has several special days, including our field trip and a Tuesday off for 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!
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 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 28.
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
Spelling:
For your reference when reviewing dictation, the sentences I will give in class for Step 21 / Lesson 26 will be:
I have a large garden.
Give him a big push on the swing.
Twelve cats slept on the porch.
Because of the way the Easter holidays fall, you'll be teaching Step 22 / Lesson 27 entirely at home, including all 6 dictation sentences. You have the freedom to complete the lesson components on the days I've assigned them, or pace them differently to suit your student's needs. I will assess Step 22 / Lesson 27 in class on Thursday, April 4.
Geography:
Southern Africa Map and Song will be due 4/11. 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 23rd. They are encouraged to wear Greek attire/costume to school that day to lend authenticity to their project.
Science:
This week we'll learn about those infamous, sharp-toothed villians... sharks! Are they really so ferocious, though? Despite their scary reputation, there is more to sharks than teeth and Jaws. We'll discuss shark body parts and their amazing senses and do an interesting demonstration to compare human and shark sense of smell. We'll also take a look at the great variety of shark species. Have you ever heard of a carpet shark?
Journal sentence: Sharks are a type of fish, but they can only swim forward.
Austin Aquarium Field Trip
Details:
Tuesday, April 16th, 2024
Depart Fortis 10:30am
Return to Fortis between 1:00- 1:30pm; students may be checked out early to go home after the trip
Cost: $9.95 students, $8.95 parent chaperones (siblings age 3 or older attending with a parent chaperone, $9.95)
Payment and permission slip due by April 9th
Click HERE to register and pay for the field trip.
I will need parents to help transport students, so if you are able to drive, please let me know!
Also, indicate that you can be a 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:
Books of the Old Testament: Psalms - Malachi due 4/25. 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.
Quarter 4 poem: Rock of Ages will be due 4/30. 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.
