1st Grade

First Grade Newsletter 2025-2026

Reading Summary of Module 5 Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Over the course of Module 5 we will read texts that will help us answer the following Essential Question: Why do light and dark come and go? We will develop and work on the following reading skills and strategies: Text Features, Make Inferences, Story Structure, Make Connections, Ideas and Support, Topic and Central Idea, Make and Confirm Predictions, and Themes.

  

Home Connection: 

At home, please work with your child to read every night. Ask them questions about what they are reading in order to check for comprehension and help them sound out words that may be difficult for them. Additionally, encourage your child to read non fiction books so they can practice the same skills we do in school. Have them identify things that pop out to them like text features and pictures. Ask your child what the topic of their book is and have them explain what they are learning. 

 

Reading Summary of Module 5 Now You See It, Now You Don’t:  Over the course of Module 5 we will read texts that will help us answer the following Essential Question: Why do light and dark come and go? We will develop and work on the following reading skills and strategies: Text Features, Make Inferences, Story Structure, Make Connections, Ideas and Support, Topic and Central Idea, Make and Confirm Predictions, and Themes.

  

Home Connection: 

At home, please work with your child to read every night. Ask them questions about what they are reading in order to check for comprehension and help them sound out words that may be difficult for them. Additionally, encourage your child to read non fiction books so they can practice the same skills we do in school. Have them identify things that pop out to them like text features and pictures. Ask your child what the topic of thor book is and have them explain what they are learning. For this unit, ask your child to talk about something in nature that interests them.

 

Summary of Module 5- Narrative Writing  

Writing: Over the course of Module 5, we will read the folktale focal text, “Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky”, that will help us understand how things in nature came to be. We will learn what folktales are and how they teach us lessons. We will be drafting a narrative story about one thing in nature. We will work on developing our writing skills and strategies by using the elements of a narrative, linking words, author’s purpose, include descriptive details and practice revising and editing our work.

Math Curriculum: 

 

Module 3 

In this unit, students will build on what they have learned in Module 2. They will use place value to help them add and subtract within 100. Students will begin practicing adding and subtracting tens with cubes/base ten blocks to represent tens before learning how to draw quick tens. Students will also utilize the hundreds chart as a tool to demonstrate ten more or ten less; students will be able to visualize how numbers grow as they apply the “counting on” strategy to greater numbers. Students will compare two digit numbers based on the meanings of the tens and ones digits using greater than, less than, or equal to. In addition to the new strategies, the students will continue to solve problems in multiple ways to ensure that they understand the concept. They will use their strategy chart to help them label their work and take a step forward to explain how they came to their answer. 

 

Home Connection: As your child is working on math at home, please have your child try their best with the new strategy being taught. For example, if the lesson target is focusing on place value; direct your child to use the place value chart and any other hands-on tools that are given during this module. Our goal is for your child to be able to use multiple strategies to foster conceptual understanding. Also, guide your child to use the strategy chart that is presented in the math slideshow to help them label all of the strategies that they are using during the problem of the day. This way, your child will become more aware of the math vocabulary and be able to speak on how they solved the problem in various ways. In addition, encourage your child to explain their work to someone in the home. They can practice by saying “ The steps I took were___,” “My answer is____,” “ I know because ___.” 

Also, students can practice mastering their skills following their individualized Skill Plan on IXL.

Scientific Skills Developed:

In the "Light and Sound" unit for Grade 1, students will develop a variety of important scientific skills, including:

1. Observation: Students will observe how light and sound behave, noticing patterns like how light creates shadows and how sounds change based on different objects.
   
   
2. Prediction: They will predict outcomes, such as how different materials will affect light or sound, and test their ideas through hands-on experiments.
   
   
3. Exploration and Investigation: Through activities, students will explore how light travels, how sound is produced, and how both affect the environment around them.
   
   
4. Data Collection and Communication: Students will collect information from their experiments and share their findings, building skills in how to record and communicate scientific observations.
   
   
5. Problem-Solving: They will solve simple problems, like how to make a sound louder or how to block light, developing critical thinking skills.

Home Connection: 

Shadow Play: Use a flashlight at home to create shadows on the wall. Experiment with different objects to see how they change the size and shape of the shadow. Discuss how shadows are formed when light is blocked.

Sound Exploration: Listen for different sounds around the house, like the ticking of a clock, the ringing of a doorbell, or the sound of a spoon tapping on a bowl. Talk about what makes these sounds and how sound travels through the air.

Create a Sound Band: Use everyday objects (pots, pans, rubber bands, cups, etc.) to make different sounds. Explore how tapping, rubbing, or plucking the objects changes the

sound. Discuss how vibrations cause sound.

Light Walk: Take a walk outside at different times of day (morning, afternoon, evening) to notice how the sunlight changes. Talk about the importance of light for seeing and how the angle of the sun affects shadows.

Sound Scavenger Hunt: Go on a sound scavenger hunt in your neighborhood or home. Make a list of different sounds you hear, and talk about whether the sounds are loud or soft, high or low.

 

Vocabulary: 

• Light: The energy that helps us see things, like sunlight or a lamp.
  
  

• Sound: A noise we hear, made when things move or vibrate.
  
  

• Shadow: A dark shape made when something blocks light.
  
  

• Vibration: A quick movement back and forth that makes sound.
  
  

• Reflect: When light bounces off an object, like a mirror.
  
  
• Pitch: How high or low a sound is.

Social Studies 

"Communities and Citizenship"

In this unit, your child will explore the concept of community and learn about the roles and responsibilities of citizens. They will discover what makes a community, how communities work together, and why it's important to follow rules. Through engaging activities, your child will understand how individuals contribute to their community and how they can make positive choices. This unit will help foster a sense of belonging and responsibility while encouraging active participation in their own communities.

Key Concepts:

Community: A group of people who live or work together in a specific area and share common interests and goals.

Roles and Responsibilities: The different jobs or tasks people do in a community, and how they help make the community work well.

Rules and Laws: The guidelines that help keep people safe and ensure fairness in the community.

Citizenship: The rights and duties of being a member of a community, including following rules, helping others, and participating in activities.

Helping Others: How individuals can contribute to their community by being kind, helping neighbors, and working together.

Making Choices: Understanding how the choices we make can affect our community and how to make positive decisions.

 

Home Connection:

Community Walk: Take a walk around your neighborhood and talk about the different types of people who help make the community work, such as teachers, police officers, or grocery store workers. Discuss the roles they play.

Family Rules: Discuss the rules your family has at home, like cleaning up after yourself or sharing. Talk about why these rules are important for keeping the home happy and safe, just like rules in a community.

Help a Neighbor: Encourage your child to help a neighbor with something simple, like watering plants or picking up trash. Discuss how helping others is an important part of being a good citizen.

Create a Community: Have your child draw or create a small "community" with blocks or toys, and assign different roles (e.g., teacher, doctor, baker). Talk about how each person’s role helps the community function smoothly.

Positive Choices: Discuss how making good choices can help everyone in the community. Talk about examples of positive choices, like sharing or being kind to others.

 

 Vocabulary:

Community: A group of people who live or work together and share common interests.

Citizen: A person who belongs to a community and has rights and responsibilities.

Rules: Guidelines that help keep people safe and ensure fairness in a community.

Responsibility: A duty or task that a person is expected to do, like following rules or helping others.

Leader: A person who guides or helps others in a community by making decisions or giving advice.

Cooperate: To work together with others to achieve a common goal.

 

Music Curriculum: 

Students in first grade music are applying their knowledge of steady beat in various percussion instruments and movement activities. The students are learning to distinguish between different sections of recorded music. The students will be learning a song entitled “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” which discusses the contrast between light and dark. The students will be drawing connections to their HMH unit about Light and Dark.

 

Art 🎨

1st grade artists are working on creating a Winter Arctic Walrus using oil pastels. This project focuses on helping students explore texture, cool colors, blending and anatomical shapes. We are practicing fine motor skills, color theory, and science (Walruses use their blubber and tusks to survive the freezing Arctic temperatures). They are all coming out so unique, each with their own personalities and showcases the incredible growth and imagination of our little artists.

 

Parent & Student Voice

Class 101,102,103, & 104

Students shared their favorite parts about each of our Units.

Class 101