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)