Goshen Elementary School
We have had a great start to First Grade! Our
First Graders certainly are #1! We have been
working very hard in our classrooms. We are
halfway through the first quarter, and we have
learned a lot. We continue to implement our MCPS
Curriculum
2.0.
Feel
free
to
visit
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/
if you
would like to learn more about our new curriculum.
There is a section of answers to frequently asked
questions for parents, as well as a video of a model
lesson.
In Book Club, our first graders
have been learning to read and
comprehend different kinds of nonfiction texts. We retell important facts from
these texts and ask questions about key details in
the books. We have also been examining the text
features in non-fiction texts. Text features
include boldface print, photographs, diagrams,
indexes, table of contents, charts, graphs, labels,
glossaries, and chapter titles.
Have your children point out text features in
books and magazines they read. Ask them to
explain how that text feature helps the reader.
Point out text features in newspapers, magazines,
and books you read as well. We are also reading
fictional stories and exploring sensory details. Ask
your children to describe various objects at home
using all five of their senses.
October, 2014
In Writer’s Workshop, our students
will be writing informative pieces.
Students will name a topic, provide
facts about the topic, and provide a
closing sentence. We will distinguish
between facts and opinions. We will
also continue to work on starting sentences with
capital letters and ending with the proper
punctuation. Students are learning about American
leaders and writing about the contributions of these
leaders. Students will also write to inform about a
variety of animals after analyzing text features and
information gained from these features in their
leveled books.
In Math, our children have been
working on place value by identifying
and modeling tens and ones in numbers. We have also
extended the place value concepts by identifying
hundreds as well. Students have been identifying
one more, one less, ten more, and ten less than
numbers on the 120 chart.
We are now starting to learn basic addition and
subtraction facts and strategies. We will soon be
solving word problems using these addition and
subtraction strategies. Quiz your children on basic
facts while waiting in lines or in the car. Give simple
word problems using real life examples. (For example…
If Mom has 3 crackers, and you have 4 crackers, how
many crackers do we have in all?) Finally, we will move
on to graphing by creating and analyzing bar graphs
and pictographs. We will continue to use flexible
grouping for math small group instruction based on our
students’ needs and data.
In Science, we are continuing to work on our
unit on living things. We are learning about plants,
animals, and their five basic survival needs. We are
planning on observing ladybugs (as soon as they are
delivered). We will be learning all about these
insects and making observations as they grow and
change.
We are also very excited to
observe plants and animals on our
upcoming field trip to Gaver’s
Tree Farm on Wednesday, October
29th. (Look for more information to come
very soon!)
Finally, toward the end of the month, we will
learn about how humans can live a healthy lifestyle,
including diet and exercise. We will be studying
the food pyramid, sorting foods into the five food
groups, and discussing how to create balanced
meals. At home, have your children help plan
balanced dinners with food items from all five food
groups!
October 1
PTA Meeting @ 7:00 in the media center
October 4
PTA Family Movie Night @ 7:00 on the playground
October 11
October 13
Open House 9:30-11:00 and/or 1:30-3:00 in our rooms
October 16
Individual Pictures
October 17
MTSA Conference for Teachers-No School for Students
October 20
Fall Festival Week (more to follow)
Reading Night (6-8:00)
October 24
First Grade Fall Festival Parties 1-2:00 pm
*** October 29***
FIELD TRIP TO GAVERS’ TREE FARM @ 9:30
October 31
Report Card Preparation - No School for Students
Looking ahead…
In Social Studies, we will continue to study
rights, rules, and responsibilities. Please continue
to reinforce school rules at home with your
children. Praise them for acts that show taking
responsibility. We will also continue to learn social
skills in school, especially focusing on our listening
and attention skills.
November 4
Election Day- No School
November 10 and 11
Early Release Day @ 1:00 for Parent Conferences
We are studying various leaders (both past
and present) and their contributions at home, at
school, and in the U.S.A. Government, including
President Obama, George Washington, Abraham
Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr. We also will be
learning about U.S. symbols and their significance
to our country.
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ART: In October, First graders will learn how
illustrators can communicate ideas while
reading some of Eric Carle’s favorite books.
Next, we will make a collage of an animal
after decorating our own paper like Eric
Carle does for his books!
 Keep reading
your guided books every night,
and practice any word cards that you have.
Regular practice is essential for our growing
reading skills in first grade!
 Please send in the party permission slip and $5
at your earliest convenience, if you have not
already done so.
 Remember
to send the white Goshen Grizzly
folders back and forth every day.
MUSIC: First Grade:
We will continue to sing songs that contain musical
cues. Students will work on identifying repeated and
contrasting sections in a piece of music. We will
begin to work on melodic contour and imitating tonal
patterns on instruments.
PE: In Physical Education, grade 1 students will focus
on executing loco-motor movements such as the hop,
jump, gallop, slide, and skip. Additionally, they will
focus on different aspects of spatial awareness
including self-space, general space, levels, and
directions.
 Please label
all lunchboxes and jackets with
your child’s name in permanent marker. If you
do not have a permanent marker, please ask us,
and we will happily label for you.
 Conferences will be held on November 10th and
11th. We will soon send home reminders of
conference times. Please contact your child’s
teacher if you still to choose a conference time.
 Please look for the field trip slip for Gaver’s
Tree Farm and return at your earliest
convenience. Let us know if you need assistance
with this.
MEDIA:
Students will continue to refine their roles and
responsibilities as effective users of their library media
center. Students develop and apply criteria for
locating and selecting fiction and nonfiction texts by
analyzing their attributes. Students identify how
nonfiction books are shelved in the library media
center and use this information to select books on a
topic. Using a variety of texts on the same topic(an
animal), students analyze the difference between facts
and imaginary ideas. Support is given to students as
they begin their inquiry research project on animals.
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Math Web Sites
Here are a few websites to
explore at home that relate
to our current math units.
www.learningbox.com/base10/baset
en.html
This web site is a fun way to explore
place value and the hundreds, tens,
and ones blocks at home!
http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNum
bers/sharkNumbers_v5.html
This is another fun place value game
with sharks and dolphins.
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/additi
on_regular.php
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/subtr
action_regular.php
Here are addition and subtraction
flashcards.
Fabiola Aguirre-LacayoOctober 2
Eduardo Romero –
October 3
Emily Mira Mazariego October 9
Giavanni Falero –
October 10
Samantha Mae Arias –
October 10
Joshua Jett –
October 22
Anny Fajardo –
October 23
Michael Saunders –
October 23
Kimberly Saravia –
October 26
Cali Nolasco –
October 29
http://mathfactcafe.com/
Print your own basic fact
worksheets.
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