Monthly Archives: March 2020

Optional Schedule

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Dear Parents,

The last few weeks I’ve been just going with the flow at home and trying to get a handle on parent communication, online work, staff meetings, etc. I have realized I miss the structure of a regular schedule– that helps things feel normal, predictable and secure. I should have known better, because the same is true for kids at school, routines are First Grade 101! It is important to have a balance of work, play, exercise and quiet time throughout the day. So here I am sharing an optional daily schedule to help your day run smoothly. Feel free to use this, modify it or completely ignore it!

This Week’s Assignments 3/30

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Assignment Updates:

Spelling:

This week we have a new spelling pattern, the consonant digraph WH. Digraph is the word we use to describe two letters that represent only one sound. Other examples of digraphs are th, ch, and ph.

Spelling words: when, wheel, what, which, where, white, while, whale, wheat, once

Rule: WH is used to represent the unvoiced /w/ sound. (That means you don’t vibrate your vocal chords when making the sound. Put your hand on your throat and feel the difference when you say was compared to what.)

Notes: This could be a challenging week! Check out the notes below to help your child with any specific spellings that might be tricky. It is ok to reduce your list to the first five words.

  • wheel contains the double e which represents the long e sound.
  • what can be tricky to remember because the letter a represents the /u/ sound like in up. (We call that a lazy vowel or the schwa sound.)
  • white, while, and whale all have the magic e at the end which makes the vowel in the middle make the long sound.
  • where looks like it has a magic e but the “e-r-e” is a tricky spelling for ai-r. I like to remember it by thinking about the meaning of the word- where has the word here in it. Where? Here.
  • wheat has the vowel digraph ea, which can spell the long e, short e, or long a sound. In this word, it spells the long e sound like in eat. We eat wheat. Compare this to how the long e sound is spelled in wheel.
  • once is our super tricky sight word. The o does double duty representing two sound /w/ like win and /u/ like up. The c in this word comes before an e so it is pronounced /s/ like in circle or center. The e is silent.

Math:

Please do lessons 11-15 on Zearn.org this week. If your child finishes, please have them work on IXL math instead of moving on.

Writing:

One informational writing piece. See the description in This Week’s Assignments.

Reading:

Read and take at least 10 book quizzes on Raz Kids this week.

As a reminder, you can find descriptions of each of this weeks assignments under the Assignments tab in the menu.

It’s Spirit Week!

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It’s Spirit Week!

Let’s celebrate spirit week! If you would like to participate, check the schedule below and email one photo of yourself that matches the day’s theme. I’ll post everyone’s photos on the blog!

  • Monday: Pajama Party Day! Show us your favorite pajamas!
  • Tuesday: Hobby Day! Try a new hobby, experiment or craft and share a picture.
  • Wednesday: Game Day! Take a picture of yourself playing a game or sport.
  • Thursday: Reading Day! Take a photo of yourself reading at home.
  • Friday: Family Day! Share a picture of you and your family hanging out.
  • Ms. Roe and her assistant on Pajama Day
  • Kamal
  • Sami and his assistant
  • Sami on Pajama Day
  • Ibrahim on PJ Day
  • Ms. Roe celebrating Hobby Day
  • Hussein
  • on
  • Hobby Day
  • Ibrahim on Hobby Day
  • Ibrahim on Game Day
  • Ibrahim
  • Sami on Game Day

Whole Class Video Call

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Hi everyone!

I hope you are all staying safe and having fun at home. I’ve been hanging out with my pets, but I miss you all so much! So let’s meet up for a video call 3/27 at 2 pm! I can answer any questions you might have, we can talk about what we’ve been up to at home, and you can meet my pets!

Parents, here’s how it works:

  • Click the link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/551840562
  • Depending on the device you may need to download zoom (I did).
  • Create an account for free or use gmail to login.
  • Click “join with computer audio”
  • Click “start video” on the video icon on the bottom of the window

The link should take you directly to the meeting but our Meeting ID is 551-840-562 in case you need it. You can try it out today and let me know if you have any issues! Zoom has been working better for me (with large groups) than Google Hangouts or FaceTime. I can’t wait to see you all!

Scholastic Learn at Home

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Scholastic Learn at Home

Scholastic is offering some really great Learn at Home options on their site. Check it out!

Click the image to check it out!

Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin!

-The Editors of Scholastic Classroom Magazines.