There's lots going on right now in area 24, so I have lots to share!
I will begin with Social Studies because there is a take-home assignment that I'd like you to know about. This week, we will be having a conversation about special moments in our lives. I will be giving each child a template where they can draw and write about 3 important moments in their own life. I expect they will need your help thinking of the best 3, so I'm going to send the template home. I hope it's fun to reminisce with your child and talk about the major events that have happened. Your child can draw a picture representing each moment, and when back at school, I will help them sound it out in French and write a sentence for each picture.
Some good examples of events would be:
- I said my first word. (J'ai dit mon premier mot.)
- I learned to walk. (J'ai appris à marcher.)
- We moved to a new house. (On a déménagé.)
- I got a baby sister/brother. (J'ai eu une petite soeur / un petit frère.)
- I started school. (J'ai commencé l'école.)
- I won a big hockey game. (J'ai gagné un grand match (tournoi) de hockey.)
- I went to Paris in the summer. (Je suis allé(e) à Paris durant l'été.)
At the same time, we are moving on to Science and our unit on Structures. We began today, and I am impressed with some of the ideas already expressed. We started talking about what a structure is, what materials can be used to build different structures and that structures can be natural or made by humans. Then we did a little experiment with a lego structure (a bird) and talked about balancing weight on a structure and how we can add to or alter the structure to make it more stable. Ask your child to draw you a little picture of what our bird looked like at the beginning, and explain what we did to it to help make her hold more erasers, and keep her from tipping over. Your child may even be able to re-create this experiment at home using lego.
In class we have been working hard to name and colour lots of shapes so that each child will eventually have their own memory matching game to bring home. As you play it, be sure to have your child name the shape on the card they turn over. It's great practise, and it's fun. Look for this game in an envelope later this week or next week! It's for you to keep!
In language, we have now found tons of examples of the "ou" sound. We've been referring to this one for a while, but never officially studied it. In contrast to the tight "u" sound (as in tu or sur), the "ou" sound is rounder, like the English "ooo". Check out the picture below and look for additional words in your borrow-a-book books!
Our new words of the week (sent home Monday) are:
mon, papa, chien, tous, ils, ont
Also in language, we are being introduced to procedural writing (how-to texts). Obviously, in grade 1 we are doing a very simple version of this, but as with all things, this will form a foundation for future grades when students will be writing more complex versions of the same type of text. For instance, often in older grades, students are asked to write out a recipe, or instructions for a game. This year, we have already co-written instructions for how to get ready for recess in the winter, and how to make a snowman. So far, we know that this type of text has a title, a series of steps, and probably a concluding sentence. Students are now going to write their own instructions for how to eat a gingerbread man! They have already begun thinking about the order in which they eat their cookie, some starting with the icing, some the feet, others the head! I'd love to decorate gingerbread men with the class when we complete this writing project. If you're interested in helping on that day, please let me know!
In art we are in the middle of a pastel project that focuses on creating shadows by layering gray and write over a coloured picture (ours are hearts for Valentine's day). I'm also excited to share that next week we will begin working with our artist-in-the-school, Donnely Smallwood who is well-known at Dewson and does amazing work with students and teachers. We will have a half-day workshop every week for 6 weeks. This will replace our regular Mlle Mitchell-led art periods for the duration.
Don't forget, this month's Scholastic orders are due Thursday.
Talk to you soon,
Tamara