February Newsletter Mrs. Carruthers
February News Room 10 Mrs. Carruthers’Class We have made a great start to the new year. When I step back and look at the students after the winter break , it seems that many have made significant gains in maturity and academic progress as we approach the halfway mark of Grade 1. January was another productive month. In Literacy, we spent some time setting goals for the new year and practiced writing our resolutions in a pre-paragraph style (since sentences were focused around a main idea) with a party-hat-face created in Art. Also, in Literacy we have been able to put our Drama skills into action as we enjoyed listening to folktales from various past cultures and roleplaying as we practiced the art of retelling stories.. In Math, we have begun daily number talks and the students are excited about our new set of rekenreks (similar to something you may remember as an ‘abacus’). We are also sharpening our use of strategies for addition and subtraction. In Social Studies we are finished with our Time Line booklets and look forward to a new study of the local community. In Science the students enjoyed designing their structures (using recyclables) and sharing these with the class. Thank you for your support with donating materials from home.
Mind Up Throughout the year our class is taking part in lessons that help learn more about the brain. We learn about and practice strategies designed to focus attention and develop a positive mind-set. Learn more about this program at https://mindup.org/.
February News continued Room 10 Literacy Homework and Home Reading The students seem to enjoy the change in their weekly Literacy homework assignments. These assignments are a great way to take part in nightly home reading and work on various literacy skills. Thank you, for helping your child remember to bring these assignments back on the designated day. Having your child read the provided book 2-3 times throughout the week is recommended. In my experience, the gains in academic growth are significant when home support is ongoing. Please speak with me if you have any concerns about the assignments are, in any way. Your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. Sharing Calendar A February calendar is included with this newsletter. Besides assisting your child preplan what they will orally share on his/her designated day, you may also want to raise an awareness of weather reports and the expected high temperature of the day. They may check on an Ipad as well.
Extra Change of Clothes Please check with your child if he/she has an extra change of clothes in his/ her backpack (or locker). In the event of any type of accident, it is less disruptive to learning if phone calls and uncomfortable waiting is prevented.
February News continued Learning Topics This Month Literacy:
- Reading: continue with Fiction retelling of stories (Focus on Beginning, Middle and Ending and the components of each part) -Writing: Start a strong beginning to a story (character and setting) -Continue to learn about and apply punctuation as we write
Math:
- continue daily Number Talks - problem solving—addition and subtraction -Geometry: 2 Dimensional shapes
Science:
Inquiry - Based: formulating and investigating questions of interest around the topics below
Energy in our Lives: inquiry into the types of energy we may observe in our environments Social Studies:: Introduction to the Local Community -What is a community? See-Saw
-Continue to gain independence with capturing learning using technology available and the See Saw app (especially when the task is not a paper and pencil task.
This newsletter and all previous newsletters are posted at.. https://jcarruthers.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
Mind Up Throughout the year our class is taking part in lessons that help learn more about the brain. We learn about and practice strategies designed to focus attention and develop a positive mind-set. Learn more about this program at https://mindup.org/.
February News continued Room 10 Literacy Homework and Home Reading The students seem to enjoy the change in their weekly Literacy homework assignments. These assignments are a great way to take part in nightly home reading and work on various literacy skills. Thank you, for helping your child remember to bring these assignments back on the designated day. Having your child read the provided book 2-3 times throughout the week is recommended. In my experience, the gains in academic growth are significant when home support is ongoing. Please speak with me if you have any concerns about the assignments are, in any way. Your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. Sharing Calendar A February calendar is included with this newsletter. Besides assisting your child preplan what they will orally share on his/her designated day, you may also want to raise an awareness of weather reports and the expected high temperature of the day. They may check on an Ipad as well.
Extra Change of Clothes Please check with your child if he/she has an extra change of clothes in his/ her backpack (or locker). In the event of any type of accident, it is less disruptive to learning if phone calls and uncomfortable waiting is prevented.
February News continued Learning Topics This Month Literacy:
- Reading: continue with Fiction retelling of stories (Focus on Beginning, Middle and Ending and the components of each part) -Writing: Start a strong beginning to a story (character and setting) -Continue to learn about and apply punctuation as we write
Math:
- continue daily Number Talks - problem solving—addition and subtraction -Geometry: 2 Dimensional shapes
Science:
Inquiry - Based: formulating and investigating questions of interest around the topics below
Energy in our Lives: inquiry into the types of energy we may observe in our environments Social Studies:: Introduction to the Local Community -What is a community? See-Saw
-Continue to gain independence with capturing learning using technology available and the See Saw app (especially when the task is not a paper and pencil task.
This newsletter and all previous newsletters are posted at.. https://jcarruthers.commons.hwdsb.on.ca/
