Weekly News
12/8/25- 12/11/25
We had a very exciting short week this week! We played in the snow, had guest carolers, celebrated three birthdays, and had our two-hour delay day. We continued with our Simple Gifts choice time unit, making gifts for family and friends. Next week will be the last week of this unit. If you have time, please volunteer to help out: https://calendar.app.google/ta3epaTAdRhDqtJUA. If you want to start planning ahead for January, you can volunteer for that here. (Spoiler alert: we’ll be starting a science unit on weather and water!) Thank you!
In Literacy, first graders had their second spelling assessment on different sounds o can make in different teams. Our new spelling list went out for next week as well if you would like to practice at home. This week, we continued our practice with “oo” and learned the heart words could, should, and would. We also learned “ou” makes the first sound in “out” and the middle sound in “sound”. In Knowledge, we have been learning more about ancient Egypt - about their beliefs, the pyramids, the Sphinx, and some of the pharaohs.
Second graders wrapped up our Skills 2 before Thanksgiving break and started Skills 3 this week with a BANG! We started our spelling trees this week! We begin this unit with two trees, each representing the /ae/ and /a/ sounds. Each limb has word leaves that give examples of the different spellings of the /ae/ sound. The first tree we created is for the /ae/ sound. This tree’s limbs represent each spelling ( ‘a,’ ‘a_e,’ ‘ai,’ ‘ay,’ and one for spelling alternatives, also known as the ‘odd ducks.’ As we finish these trees, we will hang them over in our “Phonics Forest” area of our classroom for reference. We also began a new reader, “Kids Excel.” This reader is written as if it were magazine articles about a spelling bee. Ask your child to tell you about what they have learned thus far! In CKLA Knowledge we are finishing up our last lesson on Ancient China. We are currently reading about the Chinese New Year. The kids have been so interested to learn about this significant part of Chinese culture. Talk to students to find out when the Chinese actually celebrate their birthdays or the significance of the color red in their Celebration of Light.
In math, first graders have finished Module 2! We wrapped up the module by tying our work finding “how many more” with our previous work on graphs. In Module 3, we’ll be diving deeper into addition and subtraction and learning how to use the properties and relationships to add and subtract more efficiently. Topic A will focus on adding more than two numbers at once and how to use facts we know and other groupings to make it easier. For example, 3 + 6 + 7 = ?; I know 3 + 7 = 10 then I add 6 + 10 and I know the total is 16!
Second graders officially finished the lengthy first module and began Module 2. This Module is going to take us on a journey through learning addition and subtraction within 200. This week we entered into the first topic of simplifying strategies for addition. Some of those strategies include breaking each number apart by using benchmark numbers then adding like units such as tens and ones, and using compensation to add within 200 using number lines and by using the arrow way.
Quick reminder to our families about sending warm hats, coats, and/or gloves to school with your student. We go outside several times a day and it is starting to get very chilly, especially in the mornings!