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Mrs. Foley-Diaz, Language Arts, 1st Grade

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Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (4/22 - 4/26)

Hi Families,
 
This week in literacy we will address:
 
Our Big Idea: What does it mean to be patriotic?
 
Reading: Our students are learning about primary and secondary sources.
  • This week’s reading selection: "Patriotism"
  • Summary: We can show respect for our country in many different ways.
  • Essential Question: How do you show your respect?
 
Vocabulary: The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • anthem (noun) a song that is important to a group of people
  • environment (noun) the community around you
  • exist (verb) to be real or present
  • honor (verb) to show respect to admired people/things that are loved
  • operates (verb) functions or behaves in a particular way
  • patriotism (noun) love that people feel for their country
  • represent (verb) to act or speak for something/someone
  • salute (verb) a sign of respect by moving your right hand to your forehead at an angle
Phonics: During phonics we will continue to focus on segmenting sounds and recognizing the individual parts of words. This week we will learn the prefixs of un- and dis-. We will focus on these sounds with words such as:
  • undo
  • disorder
  • dislike
  • unhappy
  • uncap
  • displace
  • unkind
  • unclip
  • uncurling
  • discolor
  • distrust
  • disconnect
 
Writing: Students are completing the final draft of their opinion piece of writing regarding whom they would like to invite to class.

Grammar:  Students will learn how to change verbs to the past tense. For most verbs, add -ed to the end of the verb (jump→jumped, race→raced).
 
We're off to another week of literacy fun. 

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (4/15 - 4/19)

Hi Families,
 
This week in literacy we will address:
 
Our Big Idea: Why do animal bodies have different features?
  • This week’s reading selection: "How Animals Move"
  • Summary: Animals move in many different ways, including swimming, walking sideways, jumping, running, flying, waddling, and slithering.
  • Essential Question: Which parts of your body help you move?
 
Vocabulary: The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • downy (adjective) soft
  • length (noun) the distance from the end of one thing to the other end
  • nectar (noun) a thick, sweet liquid
  • scales (noun) pieces of skin on the bodies of animals like fish or snakes
  • sleek (adjective) smooth and straight in shape
  • slither (verb) to move by sliding on the ground
  • propel (verb) to push
  • sprint (verb) to run very fast in a short distance
  • webbed (adjective) having pieces of skin that connect all of the toes on a foot
Phonics: During phonics we will continue to focus on segmenting sounds and recognizing the individual parts of words. This week we will learn sounds and spellings for /aw/ and /oi/. We will focus on these sounds with words such as:
  • caught
  • haughty
  • fought
  • taught
  • ought
  • brought
  • daughter
  • bought
  • distraught
  • naughty
  • sought
  • thoughtful
 
Word Work: Students will combine words to make contractions, such as I will, she will, he is, it is, they are.
 
Writing: Students will prewrite, draft, revise, edit, and publish their opinion piece of writing about whom they would like to invite to class.

Grammar: Our class will learn that we can put two words together to make one shorter word called a contraction (I am→I’m, we will→we’ll, you are→you’re).
 
We're off to our learning fun 
 
 

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (4/8 - 4/12)

Hi Families,
 
I hope everyone had a nice Spring Break adventure and rest. This week, we are planning to have fun with our sounds, reading, writing, as well as connecting our Literacy lessons to Science.
 
Big Idea: Why do animal bodies have different features?
  • This week’s reading selection: "Grow, Ladybug, Grow!"
  • Summary: The stages of the life cycle of a ladybug are egg, larva, pupa, adult.
  • Essential Question: What types of physical changes happen as babies grow into adults?
 
Vocabulary: The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • harvest (noun) the amount of food or product that a farmer brings in
  • larva (noun) a very young insect that looks like a worm
  • lays (verb) places someone or something gently on a surface
  • leap (verb) to jump
  • pale (adjective) light in color
  • pests (noun) animals or insects that can cause problems for people or their farms
  • pupa (noun) an insect that is in the stage of development between larva and adult
  • someday (adverb) a day in the future
Phonics: This week we will learn the sounds and spellings for the /ow/ and /aw/ sounds in words such as:
  • now
  • crown
  • trout
  • tower
  • loud
  • scout
  • flower
  • cloud
  • download
  • crowd
  • mouse
  • playground
 
Word Work: This week students will discuss synonyms and antonyms, such as big and happy.
 
Writing: Students will draft, revise, edit, and publish his or her opinion piece. In addition, they will begin the prewriting step of another opinion piece about whom they should invite to talk to their class. 

Grammar: Your child will learn that synonyms are words that have the same, or similar, meanings (small/little, alike/same), and antonyms are words that have opposite meanings (hot/cold, tall/short)
 
We are off to a week of literacy fun🙂

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (3/1/ - 3/22)

Hi Families,
 
I hope everyone had fun with our spring snowstorm. This week we will continue to read about the amazing facets of science, play with our phonics sounds, and write about our 
 
Big Idea: Why do animal bodies have different features?
  • This week’s reading selection: "Gecko Toes and Dragonfly Eyes"
  • Summary: Some animals can taste, touch, smell, see, and hear like we do.
  • Essential Question: How do animals taste, touch, smell, see, or hear?
 
Vocabulary: The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • beak (noun) the hard and pointed part that covers a bird’s mouth
  • believe (verb) to accept as true
  • energy (noun) something that has the ability to cause change or power
  • notes (noun) specific musical sounds
  • pecks (verb) strikes sharply
  • resting (verb) to stop moving and sit or lie on something
  • sensitive (adjective) easily affected by something going on around you
  • tie (verb) to make a knot in something so that it stays in place
Phonics: This week we will learn the /͝oo/ sound spelled:
  • oo
  • u
  • _ue
  •  _ew
  • u_e
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add these words to our checklist  
  • good
  • very
 
Writing: Students will revise, edit, and publish the opinion piece about their favorite book. 

Grammar: Students will learn about prepositions. Prepositions are words that tell where (above, below, beside) and when (after, before, during) for a noun or pronoun.
 
We are off to a week of literacy fun🙂
 

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (3/11 - 3/15)

Hi Families,
 
I hope everyone enjoyed our long weekend. As we only had three days to address our lessons last week, we will incorporate last week's work with our upcoming goals. Thankfully, our readings will continue to connect with our science lessons - the beauty of insects.
 
Big Idea: How do the parts of a plant help it grow?
  • This week’s reading selection: "Protective Plants"
  • Summary: Some parts of plants, such as roots, spines, thorns, thick stems, thin stems, trunks, and bark, help protect plants from dangers, such as bad weather and insects.
  • Essential Question: Why would plants need to protect themselves?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • defend (verb) to protect
  • digest (verb) to break down food so it can be used by the body
  • growth (noun) the process of developing or changing
  • harm (verb) to cause injury
  • important (adjective) having a lot of meaning, worth, or value
  • layers (noun) parts that lie over or under
  • respond (verb) to react to something that happened
  • spines (noun) the sharp points on an animal or a plant
  • system (noun) a group of related things that work together
Phonics:     This week we will learn the /͝/ sound spelled oo, u, and _ue.
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist -  blue.
 
Writing: Students will begin writing an opinion by writing a book report about our weekly reading. They will complete the prewriting and drafting steps of the writing process.  

Grammar: Your child will learn how to expand sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs.
 
Looks like we are ready for a fun week of sounds, words, reading and writing.

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (3/4 - 3/6)

Hi Families,
 
This week in literacy we will continue to connect with science, play with our spelling sounds, and finish our opinion pieces.  
 
Big Idea: How do the parts of a plant help it grow?
  • This week’s reading selection: "Fruits and Vegetables at Work"
  • Summary: We eat different parts of plants, including roots (carrots), bulbs (onions), stalks and stems (celery), leaves (lettuce), flowers (broccoli), seeds (beans), and fruit (apples).
  • Essential Question: Why do plants and trees grow vegetables and fruit? 
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • coating (noun) a thin layer or covering
  • contain (verb) to have something inside
  • edible (adjective) safe to eat
  • float (verb) to sit on top of a liquid
  • place (noun) in the same spot
  • purpose (noun) the reason why something is done
  • store (verb) to collect and save
  • structures (noun) things made from multiple parts, which have been put together
  • survive (verb) to continue to live
Phonics:     This week we will review a few of our spelling sounds in words such as:
  • lamb
  • limb
  • numb
  • comb
  • thumb
  • know
  • knob
  • knee
  • gnat
  • gnaw
  • plumber
  • knitting
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist -  Words to practice blending include:  away and their.
 
Writing: We will revise, edit, and publish our opinion pieces.  

Grammar: Students will learn that possessive pronouns take the place of possessive nouns and show ownership (my, mine, yours, her, hers, his, its).
 
We are off to another week of learning fun.
 

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (2/26 - 3/1)

Hi Families,
 
During Quarter 3 we have been able to connect our Literacy and Science lessons in many ways. This week we will continue to do so, and remind students how Literacy is a skill that we use throughout our everyday lives.
 
Big Idea: How do the parts of a plant help it grow?
  • This week’s reading selection: "Plant Life Cycles"
  • Summary: A plant’s life cycle begins when the seed sprouts. After it grows bigger, some plants make flowers. Eventually, the plant dies. Seeds that are spread create new plants that begin the life cycle again.
  • Essential Questions: How does a plant grow and change throughout its life? What are the details of this big idea?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • base (noun) the lowest part of something, which also provides support
  • bulb (noun) the underground, rounded part of a plant that grows into a new plant
  • carries (verb) moves something while holding and supporting it
  • decay (verb) to slowly break down
  • factories (noun) places where many products are made
  • life cycle (noun) the series of stages through which a living thing passes
  • nutrients (noun) substances that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow
  • reproduce (verb) to make babies, young animals, or new plants
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • /ō/ spelled oa_ and _ow (such as boat, and show)
  • /ū/ spelled _ew, and _ue (such as stew, and glue)
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist -  Words to practice blending include:  away and their.
 
Writing: This week we will reflect on our science lessons and write an opinion. We will prewrite and draft an opinion about our favorite animal and why. 

Grammar: Students will learn that pronouns take the place of nouns and help to make writing easier, more interesting, and less repetitive. Examples of pronouns include I, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, you, us, and them.
 
Looks like we will have a jam packed week of science and literacy fun.

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (2/20 - 2/23)

 

Hi Families,
 
This week, in collaboration with our field trip,  we will focus on our oral expression standard and note the variety of ways to witness literacy in our everyday lives. 
 
Big Idea: How are communities around the world similar or different?
  • This week’s reading selection: "Let’s Go to School!"
  • Summary: Children from Ghana, Finland, the Philippines, China, Argentina, and Afghanistan tell about their school days.
  • Essential Questions: What do children around the world do during and after school? What is similar? What is different?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • attend (verb) to regularly go to
  • attraction (noun) something interesting that people want to see
  • crops (noun) plants or food that is grown by farmers
  • herd (verb) to group and move animals together
  • nearly (adverb) not completely; almost
  • often (adverb) many times
  • uniform (noun) a type of clothing worn by everyone in a group
  • weave (verb) to make new materials by crossing threads over and under each other
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • : /ī/ spelled igh, _y, and _ie
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist -  Words to practice blending include:  came, don’t, right,
sleep.
 
Writing: This week we will write a summary of “A Trip to Peru.”

Grammar: Students will learn that adverbs tell more information about verbs by telling how (slowly, quietly), when (today, tomorrow), or where (here, outside).
 
We will have fun looking back at our adverbs (quickly, yesterday, and inside) during our week of oral expressions.

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (2/12 - 2/15)

Hi Families,
 
As we are entering Kindness Week, our Literacy readings were put in place to allow us to reflect on the differences and similarities we can find with those around us. We will discuss how kindness can be found in many ways. 
 
Big Idea: How are communities around the world similar or different? 
  • This week’s reading selection: "Hello, Japan!"
  • Summary: Bella and Nick have moved to Japan and they meet a boy and girl who help them see some of the similarities and differences between life in the United States and Japan
  • Essential Questions: How would your life be different if you moved to another country? How would it be the same?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • ceremony (noun) a formal event that often features special, traditional actions or things
  • dipped (verb) put something into liquid and pulled it out quickly
  • instrument (noun) an object used to make music
  • join (verb) to become a member of a group
  • memories (noun) things that are remembered from the past
  • originally (adverb) at or from the start or beginning
  • probably (adverb) very likely
  • recipe (noun) a list of ingredients and directions for cooking
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • /s/ spelled cy
  • /ā/ spelled ai_, _ay.
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist -  Words to practice blending include: could, day, way.
 
Writing: This week we will write a summary of our classroom reading, “Family Roots.” 

Grammar: Students will review declarative (telling), interrogative (asking), exclamatory (strong feeling), and imperative (command) sentences.
 
We are building more, and more Literacy skills!

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (2/5 - 2/9)

Hi Families,
 
This week in Literacy we will have fun building from sounds to create words, and playing with descriptive writing.
 
Big Idea: How are communities around the world similar or different? 
  • This week’s reading selection: "Be My Neighbor" 
  • Summary: Neighborhoods around the world share common features, but are different in many ways.
  • Essential Questions: How are neighborhoods around the world similar to and different from each other?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • climates (noun) the weather in areas
  • cooperation (noun) a situation in which people work together
  • counts (verb) to depend on
  • national (adjective) relating to a specific country or nation
  • population (noun) the number of people who live in one area
  • remote (adjective) far away
  • responsibilities (noun) tasks or actions that you are expected to do
  • transportation (noun) a way of traveling
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • /ē/ spelled _y, _ie_, and _ey
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist -  Words to practice blending include: happy, party, city, tiny, puppy, bunny, key, turkey, and hockey
 
Writing: Students will continue to work on their descriptive writing. We will have fun describing a person we know. 

Grammar: Students will review simple sentences and subject-verb agreement. Every sentence has two parts—a naming part and an action part, and the subject and verb must agree. (The puppy sleeps on the rug.)
 
We are off to a week of sound building fun!

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (1/29 - 2/2)

Hi Families,
 
This week in Literacy we will continue to work with our long vowel sounds, read about our community, as well as move away from our persuasive writing to our next challenge. Hopefully, you are hearing the persuasive reasons why we need to have cookies 🙂
 
Big Idea: What places make up a community? 
  • This week’s reading selection: "Inside the Fire Station" 
  • Summary: Fire stations are busy places. Firefighters prepare for a fire by cleaning the fire trucks and checking their equipment. Firefighters always have to be ready when the alarm sounds.
  • Essential Questions: What do Firefighters do at the fire station? Why do they do these jobs? Where is our local fire station?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • check (verb) to look at something carefully to make sure nothing is wrong 
  • enjoyed (verb) liked something and was happy
  • equipment (noun) supplies needed for a special purpose
  • fight (verb) to work hard to defeat something
  • local (adjective) located nearby
  • spread (verb) to open wide; to stretch out
  • station (noun) a certain type of building for public services
  • worry (verb) to think about problems or that something bad will happen
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • /ē/ spelled e. e_e, ee, and ea
Words to practice blending include: me, we, these, eve, zebra, secret, Pete, Steve, see, sweep, sleep, eat, leaf, tea
 
High-Frequency Words: This week we will add a few more words to our reading checklist - be, green, or, take, two.
 
Writing: Students will move from persuasive writing and begin to work on drafting and prewriting for descriptive writing. We will have fun describing a person we know. 

Grammar: Students will learn how to make nouns that end in 'y' plural (penny→pennies), and how to add commas to a list. (for example: Sam had a sandwich, french fries, and water for lunch.)
 
We are off to a week of Literacy investigation fun!

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (1/22 - 1/26)

Hi Families,
 
It looks like we are entering a warmer week and leaving those frigid Arctic wave temperatures behind. Understandably, as we are coming from an unexpectedly extra short week we need to take time and make sure we are fully grasping one unit before addressing the next. This week we will look into persuasion writing, and continue our long vowel sounds, as well as building from our sight words.
 
Big Idea: What places make up a community? 
  • This week’s reading selection: "Places in Our Community" 
  • Summary: In this story, maps of a community, state, country, and world are presented and described.
  • Essential Questions: What kinds of places can you find on a map? Our discussion will include thinking about some of the places in our community and where we like to visit. We will reflect on past Social Studies classes and talk about how to locate these places on a map. 
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • arrive (verb) to come to a place
  • borders (verb) to be next to
  • borrow (verb) to take something that belongs to someone else for a period of time
  • compass (noun) a device that shows direction
  • practice (verb) to do something over again and again to become better at it
  • sketched (verb) made a quick drawing that shows the important parts
  • symbols (noun) pictures or letters that are used to mean something else
  • visit (verb) to go and spend time with someone
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • ō/ spelled o and o_e
  • /ū/ spelled u and u_e
Words to practice blending include go, hole, robe, note, open, program, use, cub, unit, music, cute, human
 
High-Frequency Words: over, after, go, make, ride, them, walk, we, well, you.
 
Writing: Students will move to persuasive writing this week. We will work on the drafting and prewriting for a persuasive poster.

Grammar: This week we are taking advantage of the new year and focusing on the capitalization of the days of the week and months of the year as well as using commas in dates (Tuesday, January 16, 2024). Rather than using our date numbers (1/16/24), we will use the formal full-word dates on our work.
 
We are off to a warmer week of Literacy learning fun!

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (1/16 - 1/19)

Hi Families,
 
I hope everyone had a nice break and is ready to return to our Literacy fun. This week we will look into opinion writing, long vowel sounds, and building from our sight words.
 
Big Idea: What places make up a community? 
  • This week’s reading selection: "Places in Our Community" 
  • Summary: In this story, maps of a community, state, country, and world are presented and described.
  • Essential Questions: What kinds of places can you find on a map? Our discussion will include thinking about some of the places in our community and where we like to visit. We will reflect on past Social Studies classes and talk about how to locate these places on a map. 
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • arrive (verb) to come to a place
  • borders (verb) to be next to
  • borrow (verb) to take something that belongs to someone else for a period of time
  • compass (noun) a device that shows direction
  • practice (verb) to do something over again and again to become better at it
  • sketched (verb) made a quick drawing that shows the important parts
  • symbols (noun) pictures or letters that are used to mean something else
  • visit (verb) to go and spend time with someone
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
  • ō/ spelled o and o_e
  • /ū/ spelled u and u_e
Words to practice blending include go, hole, robe, note, open, program, use, cub, unit, music, cute, human
 
High-Frequency Words: over, after, go, make, ride, them, walk, we, well, you.
 
Writing: Students will move to persuasive writing this week. We will work on the drafting and prewriting for a persuasive poster.

Grammar: This week we are taking advantage of the new year and focusing on the capitalization of the days of the week and months of the year as well as using commas in dates (Tuesday, January 16, 2024). Rather than using our date numbers (1/16/24), we will use the formal full-word dates on our work.
 
We are off to a week of Literacy learning fun!

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (1/8 - 1/12)

Hi Families,
 
I hope everyone had a nice break and is ready to return to our Literacy fun. This week we will look into opinion writing, long vowel sounds, and building from our sight words.
 
Big Idea: What places make up a community? 

This week’s reading selection: "City Life and Town Life"

Summary: The characteristics of a large city (New York City) and a small town (Alden, New York) are compared and contrasted.

Essential Questions: How is living in a city different from living in a small town? How is it the same?
 
Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.
  • citizens (noun) people who live in a specific place and have rights in that area
  • common (adjective) something shared by multiple people or things
  • commute (verb) to travel to and from where you live and where you work
  • facilities (noun) buildings that are built for a specific purpose
  • fewer (adjective) a smaller number of
  • hectic (adjective) very busy; lots of activity
  • recreation (noun) activities that people enjoy
  • types (noun) particular groups or kinds
Phonics: Students will learn the following sounds and spellings:
/ī/ spelled i, i_e
/s/ spelled ce, ci_
/j/ spelled ge, gi_
Words to practice blending include find, mild, bike, five, ice, cent, circus, circle, page, large, margin, and ginger.
 
High-Frequency Words: after, go, make, ride, them, walk, we, well, you.
 
Writing: Students will complete each step of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and presenting) to write an opinion statement telling whether he or she would rather live in a tree house or on a houseboat.

Grammar: Your child will learn that the names of people and proper nouns need to be capitalized (Anna, Marcus, Central Park, Empire State Building).
 
We are off to a great week of Literacy fun!

Foley-Diaz Literacy Update (12/11 - 12/13)

Hi Families,
 
This week in Literacy we will continue to focus on the aspect of light and sound, and recognizing various was to use our literacy skills.
 
During class we will work with:
  • Big Idea: Our main focus from our readings will continue to answer the question: How do you experience light and sound?  
     
  • This week’s reading selection: “The Tale of Lightning and Thunder".  Twins Eliora and Samuel were afraid of storms until their parents told them funny stories. The stories made Eliora smile like a flash of lightning and Samuel laugh like a boom of thunder.
     
  • Essential Questions:  
    • How does this author use his imagination to describe lightning and thunder?
    • What sounds do you hear outside? 
    • What sounds do you hear inside?
  • Phonics: Your student will learn the following sounds and spellings: 
    • /y/ spelled y, /v/ spelled v, and 
    • /ā/ spelled a and a_e. 
    • Words to practice blending with your child include yes, yard, verb, seven, table, April, ate, and gave.
       
  • High-Frequency Words: were, yes
      
  • Writing: Your child will complete each step of the writing process as he or she writes instructions on how to play a game.
     
  • Grammar: Your child will learn what determiners are. Determiners tell more information about nouns. Articles, such as a, an, and the, are special kinds of determiners.

We have a fun week planned for literacy 🙂