Welcome Back!
I hope you all had a safe and happy break, and to those who celebrate, Happy Easter! I had a relaxing break at home- I’m continuing to spend a lot of quality time with my pets and get some spring cleaning and organizing done. My family usually gets together for Easter, but this year we opted for phone calls instead.
The First Grade Team also spent some time reviewing the parent surveys and found that most parents are happy with the amount and difficulty of the work assigned so far. We do have a few updates to our writing and science assignments which are explained a bit below.
As always our first concern is for the safety and well-being of you and your family. If your child falls behind on work, has difficulty with any of the tasks, or if your family is dealing with other issues that are interfering with schoolwork, please let me know. I will support you any way I can.
Writing Update
Based on parent responses to the survey, we have decided to shift our writing assignments to a more focused theme.
For the next two weeks students will be asked to read a short article and write about what they have learned, or what they think is most important from the text. The articles we have pulled will also connect with our science lessons as we begin learning about the structure and function of animal bodies.
Student writing should be at least three sentences long with a goal of five sentences, and it should focus on the information in the article of the day. But, they can add additional information from other articles as they develop more background knowledge and deepen their understanding of the topics.
Science Update
In order to make sure students have the opportunity to learn all of the first grade content, I will be posting around three Mystery Science lessons per week and include all the links for the week on the homework page. These lessons include a short video and an online book or activity.
The activities are not required, but they are fun! We don’t want you running to the store to buy things for the science lessons, so I will provide a list of substitutes for the materials you could use, if you choose to do the activities.
Reading Update
We will continue to use Raz Kids as our assigned reading. Students who are reading at levels A-J will continue to read and complete at least 2 quizzes per day. Students reading at levels K-Z will only be required to complete one quiz per day.
Every child should be reading at least 40 minutes per day to keep their reading skills strong for next year– August is a long time from now! At school we typically spend 90 minutes every day on reading instruction. Because of the hard work we have put in all year, most kids are already reading at a second grade level and just need to maintain their skills. If your child needs additional support with reading to prepare for second grade, I will be reaching out soon via email to set up an individualized plan.
Math Update
We will continue to use Zearn as our math curriculum. We are done reviewing, so your child will begin to work on new material they have not studied before. It may be more challenging for your child, please let me know if you have any issues.
I will be checking the lessons to ensure that there are at least 4 lessons assigned per week. I will also add links to the homework that would have been assigned if we were in school. If your child has their math homework book at home, they can complete the work in their book. The homework is not required, but is encouraged.
How much time should your child be spending on math? I recommend completing one lesson on Zearn and then setting a timer for 10-15 minutes of work on homework. You know your child, do only as much as you think they will benefit from and let me know if you have any trouble.
Class Meetings
Many parents have shown interest in video meetings or recorded lessons for students. At this time, I will first be making a schedule with students who need personalized reading plans. After I have worked out that schedule – probably later this week or the beginning of next week I will reach out to the rest of the class to schedule a weekly check-in.
Thank you so much for your personal messages and everything you are doing to support your child’s learning. This is a big challenge for everyone! Please continue to let me know if you have any issues or questions. I am here to help!
