Week of Feb. 23

From the classroom:

Literacy: Letter teams (digraphs) this week included th/sh/ch. Letter sounds associated with each letter team and locating these teams in UFLI decodable reading passages used in class throughout the week were a focus of direct instruction. This week's UFLI passages are provided below should you wish to print and practice reading/illustrating them at home with your child. 




Grade 1 High-Frequency Words (Sight Words / “Heart Words”)
The following list includes the high-frequency words we have been/will be practicing regularly in class as part of our daily direct phonics instruction. Although not all words have been introduced yet, they will all be taught and practiced in class by the end of May. *Please refer to the accompanying classroom photo for the words students were introduced to from this list prior to this past wek. Students learn these words through many classroom activities (reading, writing, games, shared texts, word work, and daily routines).

If your child enjoys practicing words at home, you are welcome to use this list for optional practice at your convenience over the remaining months of the school year. The goal is for students to recognize these words quickly when reading and to spell them accurately in their writing over time. Home practice is never required, but a few minutes a couple of times per week can be helpful. This week in class, students worked on Column A of this list while engaging in daily dictation/spelling/reading activities containing these targeted words. 



Math-Students continued building their number sense through a variety of hands-on activities and purposeful practice. We worked on solving word problems by carefully listening for important information, identifying what the question was asking, and choosing a strategy to help us find the answer. Students practiced adding three numbers together (three addends) and using manipulatives to model their thinking. We also strengthened foundational skills by spelling and writing number words to ten, and we practiced counting on a number line from different starting points as we counted forward to 100, building confidence and flexibility with numbers.

Social Studies - Star Stories 🌟We connected our learning in a special way through bears and the night sky. We listened to the star story The Never-Ending Bear Hunt, which teaches how Indigenous peoples observed the night sky and shared stories to explain what they saw—how the bear and the hunters became stars in the sky—and we learned that the constellation Ursa Major is often called the Great Bear. After the story, students completed a writing activity about the Great Bear constellation. We made connections to our own bear learning by thinking about the grizzlies on Grouse Mountain and our class adopted bear Awa, noticing how bears are important both in real life and in stories. We were especially honoured to welcome Tsuut’ina Elder Hal Eagletail, who shared meaningful stories and songs about the land where we live and learn.

Science - Grade 1 scientists explored space by learning about Earth and Mars through stories, videos, and rich space vocabulary. Students were especially interested in what it might be like to travel to Mars, and we used this curiosity to connect our learning to science by comparing environments and thinking about the needs of living things. Together we discussed what people would need to survive on Mars (such as air to breathe, water, food, warmth, and shelter/space suits) and why Earth is a place where living things can thrive. Students then completed a writing/drawing activity imagining a trip to Mars.

School/Classroom Information and Important Dates

100s Day & Leprechaun Traps! 🍀✨

We will be celebrating 100s Day on the morning of March 12th! Students are encouraged to bring a small collection of 100 items (for example: buttons, paper clips, beads, pasta, etc.). Please make sure the collection can fit inside one Ziploc bag and is clearly labelled with your child’s name.

Later that same day, starting the afternoon of March 12th, we will begin building leprechaun traps in class. Students will need to bring materials for trap-building, including a small cardboard box. Other helpful items include paper towel or toilet paper rolls, scrap cardboard, craft sticks, string, recycled containers, and any fun decorative supplies you have at home. Thank you for helping us make these activities creative and exciting!

March 16-20                             Book Fair (More Information to come)

March 17                                  Wear Green for St. Patrick's Day

March 18                                  Fun Lunch - Subway

March 19 & 20                          Parent/Teacher Conferences

March 20                                  Parent/Teacher Conferences - NO SCHOOL

March 23-27                            Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

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