Week 26 - February 25 - March 1

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our weekly news. Last week we had an exciting time celebrating! It was such an exciting week! First grade enjoyed sharing their learning with KG students and our CAC community has enjoyed reading our review writing. The students also had the opportunity to share what they had been doing in music.

The students were also very enthusiastic and excited about the Lego creativity celebration. Look at some of their creations below.

 

 

Reading to KG

Telling KG how we are the boss of our reading.

Music Informance

From the Curriculum Corner

Readers Workshop

Dramatizing Characters

Essential Questions:

- How do you bring characters to life?
- What is the role of the director?

This week we begin our new unit, Dramatizing Characters. Students will be learning that knowing characters with greater intimacy will help bring characters and stories to life through drama and storytelling. This week students will be learning how to step into a character's shoes, thinking about the characters feelings. We will also be working in our partnerships with twin books to discuss important parts and do some deep thinking as you act out these parts.

Writers Workshop

From Scenes to Series: Writing Fiction

Essential Question:

- How can I use what I have learnt from other authors to help me?
- When I want to tell my story to other people, what steps can I take to revise my first draft to make it better?

This week we begin our new unit, From Scenes to Series. Students will be making reading-writing connections, studying mentor authors whose work they admire, and trying out craft moves to lift the level of their own work. Writers will strive to write stronger and longer books and partnerships will work together to ask critical question and encourage each other to elaborate during the exciting parts of the story.

This week students will become serious fiction writers and do some serious pretending. Writers will imagine pretend characters and make up adventures. Students will develop a "can do" attitude, taking charge of their writing and giving themselves reminders.
Writers will learn about how to write exciting endings for their character's adventures as this keeps their readers satisfied and happy. Students will continue to use all they know about spelling and punctuation to make their writing easy to read.

HELP NEEDED

If you are a family that eats cereal for breakfast, please save the boxes. We are needing cereal boxes for our writing unit. Please start saving them now and send them to school when it is convenient for you.

Math

Essential Question:

- What are efficient ways to count?
- How does counting by tens and ones help you count larger numbers?
- What is place value?
- How does a digit's position affect it's place value?
- How can numbers be expressed and compared?
- In what way can numbers be composed and decomposed?

This week our first grade mathematicians will begin learning a new tool called tape diagrams. Students will use tape diagrams to represent problems pictorially. Through out this week students will continue developing their skills of adding single-digit numbers to double-digit numbers.
Students will recognize and make use of part-whole relationships within tape diagrams when solving a variety of problems.

Parent Tips Topic E

Social Studies

Essential Question: 

-How do families grow and change over time?

In Social Studies, first graders will be coming to the end of our family units. Last week we enjoyed learning about games children played long ago and making comparisons to today. This week we will reflect on our learning about how families have changed over time.

Leap Frog

Doing tricks with a hoop

Marbles

Knuckle Bones

CIRCLE SOLUTIONS:

1C This week 1C will be discussing conflict. People see things differently and want different things. We will discuss how to manage conflict and strategies to use when involved in a disagreement.

1M  This week we will work on building resilience. How does it feel to be successful, and how to react to feelings of fear, frustration and/or anxiety that challenging tasks can bring.

1S  This week we will contine focusing on cooperation and fairness, students will learn about what 'ingredients' we need in 1S to make our classroom a place that is fair and enables all students to work with each other in a supportive and cooperative way. Students will have fun identifying situations that are 'fair' or 'unfair' and then in small groups create their own recipe for a fair and cooperative classroom.

Interesting Reading

We have noticed some of our first grade students aren't always honest in their responses. It is common for children from a young age to experiment with the truth. "Teaching children about the importance of honesty early and teaching them how to resolve situations so they don't need to rely on will ensure they will be honest -- most of the time," says Victoria Talwar, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at McGill University in Montreal. 

Below is an interesting article with practical advice on how to help our children to be honest.

Age by age guide to being honest

After School Activities

There are no after school activities this week. Sign up for session 3 begins on March 4

Going home arrangements

A reminder that if your child's going home arrangements change please do not rely on emailing the classroom teacher to send a message to your child. Teachers are teaching and cannot always check emails. Please always send an email to the ES office as well.

Important Dates to Remember:

A Friendly reminder that ASA session 2 is over, so students should be going home at their regular time 3:05 starting this Sunday, February 25th.

March 4 - 10: ASA session 3 sign up
March 7: Early release day (Students dismissed at 11:30)
March 8: CAC holiday
March 14: Parent / Teacher conferences (No school for students)
March 18: ASA session 3 begins


If you have any other questions or concerns about this week, please don't hesitate to contact your classroom teacher.

Your Partners in Learning,

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)
Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)

Week 25 February 18 - 22

Thank you so much for reading our weekly news. Last week we enjoyed our field trip to the Maadi Monastery. Thank you to all the chaperones and to the Egypt Culture team for making this possible for our students. First Grade also visited the middle school and enjoyed some drama performances from the middle school students.

As we look ahead we have an exciting week of celebrations. We will be finishing reading and writing units and celebrating our success as readers and writers. We also have an exciting opportunity at the Lego creativity celebration on Thursday.

Lighting candles

1S in the church

1M in the church

Three domes

1M

1C 

1C reflecting on our learning

From the Curriculum Corner

Readers Workshop

Essential Questions:

- What reading strategies can we use to make sure our reading looks right, sounds right and makes sense?
- What can readers do to make sure they understand what they have read?

Last week we focused on understanding our books. We do this by paying close attention to the action and the dialogue. This week, as we come to the end of our unit, Readers have big jobs to do we will investigate how we can make our reading sound great. We will also use our reading partners to help us make our reading sound smooth and fluent.
On Wednesday this week students will be sharing their learning journey with KG students. They will share how they have learnt to be the boss of their own reading and how to make their reading sound the best it can be.

Writers Workshop

Essential Question:

- How can I use writing to share my opinion?

This week our persuasive writers will be sharing their writing with the CAC community. After a week of making their writing the best it can be by editing, revising and publishing, each class will be making anthologies. On Thursday, February 22 there will be a display of first grade review writing in the ES library. Our writing will be on display for three days. Please stop by if you would like to find out:
Where are the best restaurants?
What are the best movies to watch?
What are some of the best places to visit?
And more.

Math

Essential Question:

- What are efficient ways to count?
- How does counting by tens and ones help you count larger numbers?
- What is place value?
- How does a digit's position affect it's place value?
- How can numbers be expressed and compared?
- In what way can numbers be composed and decomposed?

This week our first grade mathematicians will use their understanding of place value to add tens and ones to a two digit number. Students will use the counting on and making ten strategy when adding across a ten. Students will continue to practice their fluency through games and sprints and use their knowledge to solve real life word problems.

Parent Tips Topic D

 

 

Social Studies

Essential Question: 

-How do families grow and change over time?

In Social Studies this week first graders will continue to explore families from the past. They will be looking at differences and similarities in activities this week. Focussing on the games children played in the past compared to today.

                

CIRCLE SOLUTIONS:

1C  will continue to learn about emotional awareness during our circles. We will be discussing our feelings and how they change. We will learn what emotions are for and the ability to recognize and name our feelings.

1M We will continue our work on emotional awareness.  This week we will try to identify different feelings than last week, and we will identify the situations when we experience them. In our circles this month, we are also paying attention to other's feelings, especially when we cause them.

1S  This week we will be focusing on cooperation and fairness, students will learn about what 'ingredients' we need in 1S to make our classroom a place that is fair and enables all students to work with each other in a supportive and cooperative way. Students will have fun identifying situations that are 'fair' or 'unfair' and then in small groups create their own recipe for a fair and cooperative classroom.

Music

Students have prepared for their February Informances, which will take place in the Music Room, ES 18. Here is the schedule for this week; please note that it will begin 10 minutes earlier than previously stated:

Gr. 1M - Feb. 18 at 11:30 a.m.

Gr. 1C - Feb. 19 at 11:30 a.m.

Gr. 1S - Feb. 21 at 11:30 a.m.

Core Value

This month’s Core Value is Creativity.  The elementary school defines creativity as, “being inspired to imagine and explore”.  A lot of the time we think of creativity as relating to the  arts, however, creativity is more complex and fascinating.  In elementary, we will be spending the month exploring the idea of creativity with students.  You can help support our efforts at home by investigating the concept with your child.  

How do you define creativity?  Are there things that hinder creative thinking?

Here are some interesting ideas from parents.com

Ten secrets to raising creative kids

To celebrate our month of Creativity, students will enjoy showing their teachers and friends how they can be creative with Lego on Thursday, February 22.

Going home arrangements

A reminder that if your child's going home arrangements change please do not rely on emailing the classroom teacher to send a message to your child. Teachers are teaching and cannot always check emails. Please always send an email to the ES office as well.

Important Dates to Remember:

February 18th: 1M Music Informance 11:30 - 12:10 in the music room (Parents are invited)
February 19th: 1C Music Informance 11:30 - 12:10 in the music room (Parents are invited)
February 20th: 1M assembly (Parents are always encouraged to come)
February 21st: 1S Music Informance 11:30 - 12:10 in the music room (Parents are invited)
February 22nd: Lego Creativity Celebration for students
February 22nd: ASA session 2 ends
March 4 - 10: ASA session 3 sign up
March 7: Early release day
March 8: CAC holiday
March 18: ASA session 3 begins


If you have any other questions or concerns about this week, please don't hesitate to contact your classroom teacher.

Your Partners in Learning,

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)
Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)

Wk 24 Feb 11th - 15th

Thank you so much for reading our weekly news. It was a great week where we had the opportunity to see many families at our Math Night and  at the ES picnic. We know that it is hard sometimes to step away from work to attend all of these events, so we truly appreciate when you can make it and so does your child.
In CAC we are promoting Growth Mindset, and in first grade it looks like: students making mistakes and learning from them, students having productive struggle to develop perseverance and flexible thinking. Please support us at home with encouraging your child by praising the effort and the journey, more so than the result.

From the Curriculum Corner

Readers Workshop

Essential Questions:

- What reading strategies ca we use to make sure our reading looks right, sounds right and makes sense?
- What can readers do to make sure they understand what they have read?

Last week's work was focused on tools to figure out tricky words. This week our first grade readers will tie that work with making sure that they are not just reading, but understanding the words that they read. They will review and put in practice visualization to really get into their books, and make a movie in their minds of what's happening. Students will also be practicing a strategy that is often times missed because we are in such a hurry of finishing a book - stopping and rereading for many reasons: to find meaning, to make sure that it makes sense, to understand confusing parts, and/or to think what's next? to understand more.

Readers trying everything they know to figure out tricky words, and helping their partners

Writers Workshop

Essential Question:

- How can I use writing to share my opinion?

Our persuasive writers will be practicing everything they have learned so far about review writing such as: planning reviews using strategies from narrative and information writing, taking their audience into account when writing, and making comparisons in book reviews. Students will also learn how to write sneak peek summaries instead of spilling the beans, and we will practice using conjunctions.

Writers discussing their writing checklist with partners and planning

Writers working in teams to put together review anthologies

Math

Essential Question:

- What are efficient ways to count?
- How does counting by tens and ones help you count larger numbers?
- What is place value?
- How does a digit's position affect it's place value?
- How can numbers be expressed and compared?
- In what way can numbers be composed and decomposed?

This week our first grade mathematicians will use their understanding of place value to compare numbers, and add or subtract tens from a multiple of 10. They will be using all the strategies that they're learned so far such as: drawing quick tens and ones, using number bonds to mentally add or subtracting 10, and using arrow notation to as a strategy for solving problems or to express their understanding. Students will end up the week by practicing using counting on and the make ten strategy when adding across a ten.
About mid week, students will be taking the Mid-module assessment for this unit and teachers will be providing feedback on their strengths and things they need to work on. The purpose of this is that they reflect on their learning and set goals for themselves for the days and weeks ahead.

Parent Tips Topic C

Parent Tips Topic D

Having fun with Math while we learn hands on!

Social Studies

Essential Question: 

-How do families grow and change over time?

In Social Studies, first graders will be talking about schools and how they have changed and developed over time. Students will be prompted to notice differences, expressing wonders, asking and answering questions about schools from the past and present. We will also share personal experiences about schools that we have attended in other countries. For students, Social Studies is a time to think, wonder, notice, discuss and make connections, and it would be very valuable if you can share your experience for your child. If you do, make sure to have conversations with them about the differences and similarities that you find.

CIRCLE SOLUTIONS:

1C Over the next few weeks 1C will be looking at emotional awareness during our circles. We will be discussing our feelings and how they change. We will learn what emotions are for and the ability to recognize and name our feelings.

1M  To continue our work on emotional awareness, this week we will practice to identify feelings that are tied to situations, and how to express them.

1S  This week we will be focusing on belonging, students will learn about what character traits they can display in class and at home to help themselves, and others, belong in their group of friends or family.

How To Raise Happy Kids – 10 Steps Backed By Science

Article link: How to Raise Happy Kids

Important Dates to Remember:

February 13th: First Grade field trip
February 18th: 1M Music Informance 11:30 - 12:10 in the music room (Parents are invited)
February 19th: 1C Music Informance 11:30 - 12:10 in the music room (Parents are invited)
February 20th: 1M assembly
February 21st: 1S Music Informance 11:30 - 12:10 in the music room (Parents are invited)
February 22nd: Lego Celebration for students
February 22nd: ASA session 2 ends


If you have any other questions or concerns about this week, please don't hesitate to contact your classroom teacher.

Your Partners in Learning,

Taryn Carr (tcarr@cacegypt.org)
Gaby Morales (gmorales@cacegypt.org)

Charlie Saunders (csaunders@cacegypt.org)