* 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, 2/22- Teacher training- No School
Thursday, 2/24- Spirit/DOGS/Pizza day!
March 14-18- Spring Break
Dearest Parents,
Can you believe we have just three weeks of school until Spring Break?! The time has FLOWN by this semester. With that, the end of the year is already in sight. I need to inform you now that I don't think I can bear to let any of my students leave me and go on to second grade! I'm working on it...
Love, Mrs. Kuhn
Math:
This has been a tricky unit, but we've been working hard! This is one of the most challenging concepts in 1st grade math, so we will keep reviewing in class and I will ask you to do the same at home, even as we move on to other units.
This has been a tricky unit, but we've been working hard! This is one of the most challenging concepts in 1st grade math, so we will keep reviewing in class and I will ask you to do the same at home, even as we move on to other units.
Subtraction reinforcement games:
Build a Number, then Subtract: Use two sets of number cards with numbers 0-9 (UNO cards, playing cards with face cards removed, etc). From the first set, use only numbers 1, 2, and 3. Keeping the sets separated into two piles, turn all cards face down. Draw one card from the 1,2,3 pile- this is the tens number in a 2-digit number. Draw one card from the 0-9 pile- this is the ones number in a 2-digit number. Write down the 2-digit number. (Ex: 2 is turned over from the 1,2,3 pile and 9 is turned over from the 0-9 pile; the 2-digit number is 29). Turn over one more card from the 0-9 pile. Have your student subtract the number they turned over from the number they wrote down.
0 or Bust: Use a 10-sided die or 4 sets of number cards with numbers 0-9. Players start with 40 points. Roll the die or draw a card and subtract that number from the start number. That difference is the new start number. Continue until one person hits 0 exactly. If a player's roll doesn't hit 0 exactly, they "go bust" and their turn is over.
Our next unit is multiplication- so fun! At this level, we will be introducing it as repeated addition. Please note, as it says in the HIG: "Students should use mental math to do the repeated addition, not simply count on." We want them to be able to manipulate the numbers easily in their heads so that for 4+4+4+4 they are thinking "I know 4+4 is 8, adding another 4 gets me to 12, and the last 4 brings me to 16," or "I see there are two 4+4's. I know 4+4 is 8, so two 4+4's is the same as 8+8, and 8+8 is 16." This way of thinking about math, rather than simply counting, is so powerful! It opens up many opportunities for higher math functioning when children can manipulate numbers with ease, freeing up brain power for more complex computations.
Keep practicing math facts...yes, still! Again, less effort required in the recall of facts means more "brain power" available to use the facts in more complex calculations.
Flashcard Games for math facts (or phonograms!)
Reading:
Remember when teaching a new sight word, before showing your student the word, say it to them and ask them to think about and write down what sounds they would use to spell the word. For "build," they will likely spell b-i-l-d. Then discuss which parts of the word are regular (b, l, d) and identify the part that is irregular (the /ĭ/ sound is spelled with UI; this is a rule breaker because UI makes the /oo/ sound). Direct your student to underline, highlight, or use a different color to replace the i they originally wrote with ui, and remind them that this is the part of the word they will need to memorize.
We have concluded "The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk," so our new read aloud will be "Usborne Greek Myths for Young Children." I have spoken to the students on many prior occasions about the differences between the Greek gods and goddesses and the one true God, and I will continue to make that very clear. At the same time, these myths are pervasive in much of the art and literature that your child will encounter as they advance in their classical education career, so it is worthwhile for them to go through a basic introduction at this level. Feel free to use your discretion and to add additional background info on Greek myths from your own personal resources as you see fit.
Decodable words in "God's Good Rules" (sight words in parenthesis): God's, good, (what), is, it, some, (said), the, a, big, they, but, (was), with, them, had, lead, take, them, to, this, place, told, go, up, on, he, (would), say, gave, tell, my, do, not, make, think, name, bad, way, rest, day, love, and, kill, wife, steal, lie, want, (have)
Decodable words in "A Calf of Gold" (sight words in parenthesis): A, (of), gold, will, you, do, (what), God, yes, (said), the, we, went, he, to, (was), long, time, come, back, some, must, (have), help, us, so, the, made, from, this, they, it, be, now, but, not, (one), day, came, did, like, please, came, (would), then, bad, died, sad, who, no
Spelling:
Keep up the great work on spelling lessons! As usual, once your child seems to be understanding the concept, challenge them with the "More Words" section to make sure they can apply their knowledge to words beyond the spelling list.
Geography:
Equatorial Africa map and song due 3/3; Students should be able to point to each country as they sing/recite the names.
History:
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. Project guidelines can be found here. This project will be presented by the students on April 26th.
SotW Ch. 28 Discussion questions: How were the Roman roads different from most roads in the ancient world? Compare how ancient Romans took a bath with how you take a bath. Why do you think the Romans liked to watch men fighting? What is your opinon about a gladiator fight? Can you think of a different game that people today enjoy watching?
Journal sentence: Ancient Romans built durable roads, many of which are still standing today.
Here is an idea for making an edible Roman road, if you're feeling adventurous!
Science:
The second half of Marine Invertebrates will be covered this week in lesson 7: mollusks at home and crustaceans at school. Again, complete only the mollusk section of the booklet at home, and send the booklet to school on Wednesday so we can finish with crustaceans.
Memory Work:
This quarter's poem is due this Thursday, 2/24. Each child will present "A Child's Prayer" in front of the class. Let your child practice in front of an audience of stuffed animals to boost their confidence!
The books of the Old Testament (Genesis-Job) as well as the Equatorial Africa map will be due next week.
