Hello first grade families! Here is a look at our 14th week of school!

Language Arts: This week we will begin unit four in our Benchmark curriculum. In unit four we will be learning about the writers perspectives and point of view, often titled "Stories Have a Narrator". The unit builds on the concept of stories by introducing the idea of a narrator and exploring how different viewpoints can change a story. Key components include phonics, word analysis, high-frequency words, reading comprehension, and writing, with activities like a pen pal project to help students understand different perspectives.

We will be taking a reading comprehension assessment on Wedneday this week

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Writing: This week we will learn how to write paragraphs. We will begin writing narrative paragraphs.

Spelling: This week we will be working on th, sh and ng sounds. This week spelling words are; fish, wish, dish, then, this, that, king, wings, moth, could. Spelling test will be on Wednesday this week. 

Functional Phonics: Functional phonics is a systematic approach to teaching reading that focuses on the relationship between letters and sounds to build decoding and spelling skills. It involves explicit instruction, where children are taught the correlations between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in a logical, sequential order, starting with simple concepts and moving to more complex ones. Parents can support functional phonics by encouraging phonemic awareness (hearing individual sounds in words), practicing letter-sound correspondence, blending sounds to read words, and making reading a fun, daily activities. Students will have a functional phonics homework activity nightly.

Math: This week we will begin unit Four in our Everyday math curriculum. Unit 4 for first-grade Everyday Math focuses on measurement, data, and addition skills. Students learn to measure with nonstandard units, compare lengths, and create and interpret bar graphs. The unit also covers addition strategies like using doubles facts, pairs that make 10, and adding three numbers. Additionally, it includes using a number grid to find 10 more or 10 less than a given number.

We will have Math homework nightly.

Nightly student homework:

· spelling words

· math/functional phonics activity worksheet

· practice sight words

· read for twenty minutes

· Weekly Packet

Up Coming Events:

· Dec. 18th Winter Parade

· Dec. 19th Pajama Day-Free Dress Day

· Dec.22nd-Jan. 2nd Winter Break-No School

Reminders:

· Send weather appropriate clothing with your child daily, we will go outside for recess daily.

· Please make sure you are checking your child’s red take home folder nightly. Please take out student work nightly and remember to help your student complete and return their math homework daily. Students should bring their homework folder to school daily.

The partnership in your child’s education is very valuable please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time!

Laura Fowell

First Grade Teacher

Contact info:

[email protected] 

763-777-8942 ext:8811

Hello first grade families! Here is a look at our 9th week of school!

Language Arts: This week we will begin unit three in our Benchmark curriculum. Unit Three is about being a good community member. We will review punctuation, capital letters, and writing complete sentences.

This week spelling will be working on ‘R’ blends. This week’s spelling words are; trip, trap, brag, drop, frog, grass, prod, drag, tree, &, truck. Spelling test will be given on Friday.

Functional Phonics: This week we will continue a new curriculum called Functional Phonics. Functional phonics is a systematic approach to teaching reading that focuses on the relationship between letters and sounds to build decoding and spelling skills. It involves explicit instruction, where children are taught the correlations between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in a logical, sequential order, starting with simple concepts and moving to more complex ones. Parents can support functional phonics by encouraging phonemic awareness (hearing individual sounds in words), practicing letter-sound correspondence, blending sounds to read words, and making reading a fun, daily activities. Students will have a functional phonics homework activity nightly.

Math: This week we will begin unit three in our Everyday math curriculum. 1st Grade Everyday Math Unit 3, titled "Number Stories," focuses on solving word problems and includes concepts like using parts and total diagrams, counting on a number line, and working with unknowns. Key topics also involve number grid patterns, using frames and arrows diagrams, and skip counting with 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. We will have Math homework nightly.

Social Studies: This week we will begin a social studies lesson on voting and elections. We will vote for a class president and learn the election process.

Nightly student homework:

· spelling words

· math activity sheet

. weekly homework packet

· practice sight words

· read for twenty minutes

· functional phonics activity

Upcoming Events:

· October 27-30, - Book Fair

· October 28, - Bingo for Books (fun afterschool family activity!)

· October 29-30th – Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30

Reminders:

· Sign up for conferences ASAP, if you have not yet done so!  Conference link!

· Send in cash or add money to their book account for book fair, if you would like your student to purchase books from the book fair.

· Send weather appropriate clothing with your child daily, we will go outside for recess daily.

· Please make sure you are checking your child’s red take home folder nightly. Please take out student work nightly and remember to help your student complete and return their math homework daily. Students should bring their homework folder to school daily.

The partnership in your child’s education is very valuable please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time!

Hello first grade families!

Here is a look at our 8th week of school!

Language Arts: This week we will work on characters, settings and the main idea of the stories we read. We will complete unit two in our Benchmark curriculum.

This week spelling will be working on ‘L’ blends. This week’s spelling words are; clock, what, when, where, flat, glad, plan, class, black, &, slip. Spelling test will be given on Friday.

Math: This week we will complete unit two in our Everyday Math curriculum. Unit two focuses on counting and number models, reviewing skills like counting on, making pairs to 10, using ten-frames, and basic addition and subtraction within 20. It also includes topics such as writing numbers, tally marks, and telling time by the hour. The curriculum builds a conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction while reinforcing number patterns and place value.

Social Studies: This week we will continue a unit on how cultures change over time. We will learn how human culture changes in the past, present and future.

Science: We will review life cycles. We will continue working on the life cycle of a pumpkin. We will observe our apple seeds that we are germinating.

Nightly student homework:

Weekly packet, spelling words, math activity sheet/phonic practice, practice sight words, and reading for twenty minutes each night.

Upcoming Events:

· October 22, 2025 Unity Day

· October 27-30, - Book Fair

· October 28, - Bingo for Books

· October 29-30th – Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30

Reminders:

· Sign up for conferences ASAP!

· Send weather appropriate clothing with your child daily, we will go outside for recess daily.

· Please make sure your child is reading and working on sight words every night.

· Please communicate with the front office about any end of the day transportation changes by 2:00 o’clock PM.

· Please make sure you are checking your child’s red take home folder nightly. Please take out student work nightly and remember to help your student complete and return their math and phonics homework daily. Students should bring their homework folder to school daily.

The partnership in your child’s education is very valuable please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time!

Hello first grade families!

Here is a look at our 6th week of school!

Language Arts: This week we will continue unit two in our Benchmark curriculum. Unit two focuses on characters and story elements. We will be working on short “U” words. We will work on writing complete sentences, using all punctuations and when to capitalize. We will be describing the characters and the settings in the stories we read. We will take a reading comprehension assessment on Thursday.

This week spelling words are; run, must, stuck, tug, mud, huff, duck, plus, yum & shut. Spelling test will be on Friday. Please practice these spelling words with your child nightly.

Math: This week we begin unit two in our Everyday Math curriculum. Unit two focuses on counting and number models, reviewing skills like counting on, making pairs to 10, using ten-frames, and basic addition and subtraction within 20. It also includes topics such as writing numbers, tally marks, and potentially telling time by the hour. The curriculum builds a conceptual understanding of addition and subtraction while reinforcing number patterns and place value.

Social Studies: This week we will continue a unit on how cultures change over time.

Nightly student homework:

spelling words, math review worksheet, Weekly packet sheet, practice sight words, and reading for twenty minutes each night.

Upcoming Events:

· October 7, 2025 Grandparents Breakfast

· October 16th and 17th MEA Break-No school for students

· October 22, 2025 Unity Day

· October 27-30, 2025 Book Fair

· October 28, 2025 Bingo for Books

Reminders:

· Send a healthy snack with your student daily.

· Make sure your child has shoes for fitness. We go to fitness on Monday’s and Tuesday’s.

· Send weather appropriate clothing with your child daily, we will go outside for recess daily.

· Please make sure your child is reading and working on sight words every night.

· Please communicate with the front office about any end of the day transportation changes by 2:00 o’clock PM.

· Please make sure you are checking your child’s red take home folder nightly. Please take out student work nightly and remember to help your student complete and return their math homework daily. Students should bring their homework folder to school daily!

The partnership in your child’s education is very valuable please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time!

Hello first grade families!

Here is a look at our 5th week of school!

Language Arts: This week we will begin unit two in our Benchmark curriculum. Unit two focuses on characters and story elements. We will be working on short “E” words. We will work on writing complete sentences, using all punctuations and when to capitalize. We will be describing the characters and the settings in the stories we read. We will take a reading comprehension assessment on Thursday.

This week spelling words are; leg, fed, neck, mess, sell, pet, bet, look, are, & you. Spelling test will be on Friday. Please practice these spelling words with your child nightly.

Math: This week we finish unit one in our Everyday Math curriculum, "Unit 1” focuses on foundational concepts for first grade, including place value (especially tens and ones), number sense, and the development of addition and subtraction strategies within 20. We will take the unit one assessment this week.

Social Studies: This week we will begin a unit on how cultures change over time.

Nightly student homework:

spelling words, math worksheet, Weekly homework packet, practice sight words, and reading for twenty minutes each night.

Upcoming Events:

· Grandparents Breakfast on Tuesday, October 7th! The deadline for families to submit RSVP forms is Friday, September 30th

· October 1, 2025 Picture Day

· October 7, 2025 Grandparents Breakfast

· October 16th and 17th MEA Break-No school for students

· October 22, 2025 Unity Day

· October 27-30, 2025 Book Fair

· October 28, 2025 Bingo for Books

Reminders:

· Send a healthy snack with your student daily.

· Make sure your child has shoes for fitness. We go to fitness on Monday’s and Tuesday’s.

· Send weather appropriate clothing with your child daily as we go outside for recess daily.

· Please make sure your child is reading and working on sight words every night.

· Please communicate with the front office about any end of the day transportation changes by 2:00 o’clock PM.

· Please make sure you are checking your child’s red take home folder nightly. Students should bring their homework folder to school daily.

The partnership in your child’s education is very valuable please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time!

Laura Fowell

Contact info: [email protected] 

763-777-8942 ext:8810

Room 230

First grade teacher

Hello first grade families!

Here Is a look at our 2nd week of school!

We had such an amazing week getting to know each other last week. I am so excited for this school year!

Language Arts: This week we will be learning about life cycles and how living things grow and change. We will be working on short “A” words. We will work on writing complete sentences and capitalization. We will be describing the characters in the stories we read.

This week spelling words are; and, add, ask, bat, apple, has, pack, sat, dad, & mad. Spelling test will be on Friday. Please practice these spelling words with your child nightly.

Math: This week we will be doing our beginning of the year Fastbridge assessments.

Social Studies: This week we will be working on citizenship. We will learn about being good citizens in our school and our communities. We will plan goals and our hopes and dreams for the school year and the future.

Nightly student homework:

spelling words, math activity worksheets, practice sight words, and reading for twenty minutes each night.  On Monday I will send home the spelling words and weekly homework packet.  Please return completed math homework daily and the weekly packet on Friday.

Reminders:

· Send a healthy snack with your student daily.

· Make sure your child has shoes for fitness. We go to fitness on Monday’s and Tuesday’s.

· Send weather appropriate clothing with your child daily, we will go outside for recess daily.

· Please make sure your child is reading and working on homework every night.

· Please communicate with the front office about any end of the day transportation changes by 2:00 o’clock PM.

The partnership in your child’s education is very valuable!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time!