Dear Parents, March 28, 2011
Thank you to all the grandparents and special friends that were able to spend time with us on Friday. We hope you enjoyed your time and saw just how much fun we have every day!
Our reading strategy this week is “evaluating”. The comprehension skill that will help us evaluating is topic, main idea, details, and summarizing. After reading a selection, being able to identify the topic of the selection, the main ideas and the details will help us in evaluating whether we enjoyed the selection. Our phonics focus this week is the /ou/ sound spelled with ou as in round or ow as in owl. Our grammar focus this week is action words (verbs) in the present tense. Our spelling words this week, are from unit 25. These words review long vowels sounds with the CVCe pattern. The words are posted to spellingcity.com. Don’t forget to play the games and take practice tests!
Math finds us working on relating addition and subtraction (fact families) to 12. Please help your children recognize that if they know one fact – they know the others. They just have to switch the numbers around. Once they realize this, the math light goes on and it all becomes easier. We continue to practice our math facts in the lab and our weekly word problems.
In religion, we are celebrating how good it feels to forgive and be forgiven and have added an “I am sorry” prayer to our afternoon prayers. We continue our study of the Stations of the Cross and the children will receive a little wooden box to accompany our reading of the story, Benjamin’s Box. This is the story of Easter and the Passion of Our Lord as told through a little boy named Benjamin. Each day we will read a page and the children will find something in their box to help them understand the story. We should finish just in time for the Easter Triduum.
We will attend Stations of the Cross on Wednesday at 2:00 and our music class will be a visit from the Music Van. The children will be able to see and hear a variety of musical instruments. Don’t be surprised if they come home and ask to take some lessons!
Friday is Primary Centers and a noon dismissal day.
It is All About…Paris this week. Congratulations!
The speech contest is fast approaching! I would like you to be thinking of a 5 – 10 line poem that your child can memorize. First graders are allowed one small costume item or prop. Your child must state their name and grade, the title of the poem, and then recite the poem. Please turn in a copy of the selected poem for approval. We will have the classroom presentations the week of April 11th. This is a required assignment, however the choice can be made by your child to not go on to further competition.
Have a wonderful week. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know.
Mrs. Manning
