First

Grade News
December 14, 2015

Curriculum Highlights
Writing Word Choice, choosing specific words to
paint a picture in the readers mind
Reading Thinking about authors strategies
Field to Table What impact does the processing,
transportation and distribution of various foods have on the environment?
Reminders
Friday December 18, 8:30 9:15am Work Share. Come see what weve
been learning in class.
Friday, December 18 Report cards made available electronically
News From Ms. Tindalls Class
Your child has come so far this year. Please keep up daily learning activities with
your child at home so that all of that effort by you, your child and myself does
not go to waste. Theres a saying about young childrens brains being like Jello
the new concepts they are learning are not quite set yet so if you take them out of
the refrigerator for too long that new learning will melt/be lost. Use the vacation
to involve your child in solving real life problems such as: How much will it cost
the family to go to the movies? At what time does the movie start? How many
people will be joining us for the New Year celebration? How can we record what
each person would like to eat at the party? How can we divide this pizza so that
everyone has an equal share? What Traits has this author used to make her/his
writing worth reading? Write postcards to family and friends. Can you plan a
locally sourced meal that has minimum impact on the environment? How do
people change their behaviour expectations in various holiday locations? (beach,
airplane, cinema, concert , church, party) How does the weather today compare
to the forecast? Whats the difference between the inside and outside
temperature? How much of the sky is covered with cloud? (0, , , , 1 whole?)
Where did this food come from? How does it rate in terms of: impact on the
environment (pollution/ packaging), durability/shelf life, convenience, taste,
nutrition? What are local foods in the places you vacation in?
In partnership, Ms. Tindall

Monday
Reading: Retell the beginning, middle and end of the book in your own words.
Word Study: Find patterns in the words in the books you are reading. EG <see> and <sea> both sound the same
but have a different meaning. All of these questions words start with <wh> who, when, where, why. Chalk, cheese
and children all begin with <ch>. I think <ch> says /ch/.
Social Studies: Talk with an adult about the pros and cons of fresh vs processed foods.
Math: Choose a unit of measurement (eg cubes, cards, - must all be the same size). Estimate how many it will
take to cover the surface of a book. Cover it. How does your estimate compare with your measurement?
Tuesday
Reading: What personal connections can you make to the book you read?
Word Study: Same as Monday.
Math: Go on a label hunt. Find the weight of various packaged goods. What unit is the weight recorded in?
How can knowing the weight of one object help you estimate the weight of another?
Wednesday
Reading: What words in this book help you to clearly visualize what the author wants you to see?
Word Study: Same as Monday.
Math: Large number counting - Choose a container of things with a large number of items (eg tub of pasta,
container of cubes etc). Estimate how many items are in the container. Make a plan of how you can accurately
count all of the items without losing count. (Hint: you might choose to group them in a certain way, record
numbers as you go etc.) *** Parents please adjust the activity for your childs readiness. Some children might
work with numbers less than 100, some more than 100.
Thursday
Reading: What strategies are you using when you come across a word you dont know? What other strategies
could you try out?
Word Study: Same as Monday.
Education plan: Make a plan with your parents of how you will keep learning over the holidays. You might include
how many minutes youll read for each day, how many stories or what type of writing you might work on, when
youll practice your spelling words, how you can use math in everyday situations. Remember to practice telling
time, counting money, exchanging coins and giving change over the holidays. Post your plan somewhere visible
and check in every few days to see how youre going. At the end of the holidays write a reflection on how the
plan went. Think about what worked well, what you would change next time and any interesting or unexpected
items.
Vacation Math: Create a story problem everyday and solve it. Try to use real life situations such as, How many
cars will we need to get the whole family to grandmas house? Will there be any spare seats?
How long will the car trip take? If we need to be there by 5pm, what time will we need to leave home?
Museum entry costs 18RM for adults and 9RM for children. How much will it cost the whole family to visit the
museum?

My Holiday Learning Plan

What, when, where and how will I keep my learning up
over the vacation?
My Plan
Word Study

Math

Reading

Writing

Other

Mid Way Check How am I going? Do I need to adjust my

plan? Is it working?

End of Holiday Reflection How did I go? What worked

well? What should I change for next time? What surprised
or interested me?