Starfish Gazette- May 13, 2013

Hi Starfish Families,

I hope all the Starfish Moms had a wonderful Mother's Day!  The kids really enjoyed making their Maps of Their Moms last week.  I could really tell how much they love spending time with each of you!

A special thank you to all for making Teacher Appreciation day so special last week. The lunch was amazing and I appreciate all the wonderful cards and kind thoughts!



Here are some of the things we will learn about this week

• Plants and how they grow
• Homophones- words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings
• How to become the characters in the books that we read. We have been learning how to become actors and actresses within our books.  We have been talking about how to change our voices, shoulders, facial expressions, and hands to act out how the character is feeling

**FYI- Your child might be bringing home a book this week that they have already read at home.  We are looking at books this week for a different purpose to become the characters through our voices and movements. 

• Learning how scientists write down their experiments so they can grow their thinking
• We are using the number graph to help us with addition and subtraction
• Learn how to paint using a variety of mediums to add texture:  Examples: painting with pine needles, tooth brushes, forks, salt, etc to add dimension to our painting
• Learning about plant parts and their purpose
• Learning how to edit "clean up" a piece of writing.  We are working to publish one informational book.

If you are interested in helping to publish (typing) the starfish informational books, please let me know. I would send home a few books to type with an easy format. Thank you!


Some activities we will do this week:

• We will predict what will happen if we put white carnations food coloring 
• write about our science experiments
• Create plant diagrams using the textured colored paper and labeling the plant parts
• Play I have Who Has Place Value
• We will watch Magic School Bus: Gets Planted.  This movie will teach the child how plants eat and make their own food!
• Learn about plants using the smart board
• Play baseball during P.E.
• Revise and edit informational books to prepare for sharing at Grandparents Lunch.
• Work in partnerships to learn from each other about becoming actors while we read
• Continue practicing our math facts

Homework Update:

This is the last official week of homework! Woo-hoo! We will continue to pack a R.A.H each night until middle of June.  We are working to Master a collection of 35 words to prepare the starfish for 2nd Grade.  If your child has not mastered these words, I will be sending these words home  next week to practice for the remaining weeks of school!

Upcoming Events:

 

May 15 Early Release

June 3 Grandparents Lunch

June 11 First Grade Mall

June 18 New Castle Commons Field trip

 

Field Trip on Tuesday, June 18^th (Rain Date June 19^th) to GreatIsland Common in Newcastle. This is the ultimate field trip to share with your child, and I encourage at least one parent for each childto come along for a fun-filled day at the shore. I would greatly appreciate having the extra hands and eyes to ensure our safety at the water’s edge!

 

 

Starfish Wish List:

 

We seem to be running out of a few items that we use everyday. We would greatly appreciate your donation.

 

-Clorox Wipes

 

-Plastic Spoons

 

-Yogurt Containers: If your family eats yogurt at home, we are looking for empty yogurt containers for our classroom.  We use the yogurt cups for art projects.

 

 

Have a wonderful week!

 

Megan Rochford