Science: 

We are taking a brief pause from our work on Passion Projects this Monday to learn about the Solar Eclipse. The best time for viewing the eclipse is about 12:30, and that happens to be during our Science/Social Studies block. Students will read about solar eclipses, then watch a video about them, and finally, we will go outside to view the eclipse. To ensure the safety of our students, Westgate will be providing eclipse glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard for every student.

Colorado will not be in the area to witness the totality of the eclipse; we will only see approximately 65% coverage. Therefore, it is important that the students wear their protective glasses at all times. Rest assured that the safety of our students is our top priority, and our staff is committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. 

Before the eclipse viewing, we encourage you to review the following eclipse viewing safety with your student. Our teachers and staff will also be going over essential safety tips with the students to ensure they understand.

Safety reminders for viewing a solar eclipse:

• Wear certified eclipse glasses at all times while observing the eclipse, even during partial phases.

• DO NOT remove or peek over the edges of the protective glasses while viewing the eclipse.

Passion Project Update:  

Before Spring Break, the students should have finished finding facts about 3 possible topics and then chosen their topic. After students have chosen their topic, then they will write 3 essential questions about their topic.  

For example, if the topic is penguins, the 3 essential questions might be:  

1. What is the penguins’ habitat?  

1. What do penguins eat?  

1. How do penguins survive in the cold? 

This week, students will learn how to take notes as they read, without plagiarizing. Students will learn to jot down a word or phrase on a sticky note as they are reading. When they have a variety of notes about their topic, they will close the book and write what they learned.  

Snack: 1st and 2nd grade have our first snack time during literacy. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and snacks. Healthy snacks are always the best choice. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last). We are currently out of emergency snacks. Please consider donating some snacks to our class.  

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Before Spring Break we finished up our unit on homophones and learned to read and spell words with the long vowel pattern –ai (for example: wait, tail, rain, paid, etc.). 

This week, students will learn to read and spell words with the long vowel pattern –ay (for example, tray play, day, etc.). We will also learn the second sound of y, which is that “y says the long i sound at the end of one-syllable words” (for example, my, by, sky, try, fly, etc.). 

Reading  

Before the break, we continued reading the selection, “Flower Power.” We worked on using context clues to help us understand the meaning of unknown words. Context clues are words that surround the unknown word and can help us understand its meaning. Students also learned about cause and effect and nonfiction text features (caption, diagrams, headings, etc.).  

This week, we will continue our study of nonfiction text features. Understanding how to use text features will help your child as they read texts about their Passion Project topic.  

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 10-15 minutes of reading a day has been proven to make a big difference in your child's reading development.

Writing 

Before Spring Break, some students continued writing their rough draft, and some students began writing their final draft of the how-to piece. Students can continue to work on their how-to pieces during the writing center during the Literacy Center time. 

This week, students will focus on research and note-taking to prepare to write their informational paragraphs for their passion project. 

Grammar  

Before Spring break, students learned about capitalization of Days, Months, Holidays, Cities, States, and Geographic names.  

This week, students will learn about prepositions and prepositional phrases. A preposition is a word that tells you where or when something is in relation to something else. For example, before, after, under, and toward are all common examples of prepositions that you might see in your students’ writing. 

Snack: 1st and 2nd grade have our first snack time during literacy. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and snacks. Healthy snacks are always the best choice. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last). Our class is currently out of emergency snacks. If you can donate snacks for students who do not bring one, please let me know.

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Last week, students learned about homophones. Homophones are sets of words that sound the same but are often spelled differently. For example: no/know, eight/ate, night/knight, right/write, etc. 

This week, students will learn to read and spell words with the long vowel pattern –ai (for example: wait, tail, rain, paid, etc.), and –ay (for example, tray play, day, etc.) 

Reading

Last week, we began reading the selection, “Flower Power.”  

Summary: From seed to blossom to seed again, a flower grows and makes new flowers. In addition to adding beauty to the world, flowers provide oxygen and food that people and animals need.  

Essential Questions: How do flowering plants use light and water? How are seeds spread? 

Last week, we used the strategies of clarifying and visualizing while we read the selection for the first time. Clarifying is when the student recognizes when a word or idea does not make sense, and then uses strategies to understand it. For example, students might try to reread the selection, use their decoding (sounding out) skills, ask questions, and read on. Visualizing is when the student creates a mental image in their head based on literal ideas or scenes described by the author.  

This week’s reading selection is still, “Flower Power.” This week, we are working on using context clues to help us understand the meaning of unknown words. Context clues are words that surround the unknown word and can help us understand its meaning. Later in the week, we will be discussing cause and effect, as well as nonfiction text features (caption, diagrams, headings, etc.). 

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 

Writing 

 Last week, students continued using their plan to write the rough draft of the procedural (how-to) writing piece.  

This week, students will be writing their final draft of the how-to piece. Next week, students will be focusing on research and drafting of informational paragraphs for passion projects. 

Grammar  

This week, students will learn about the capitalization of Days, Months, Holidays, Cities, States, and Geographic names. We will review the concept of Proper Nouns to help us identify words that need words that need a capital letter. 

Snack: 1st and 2nd grade have our first snack time during literacy. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and snacks. Healthy snacks are always the best choice. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last). 

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Last week, students focused on reading and spelling words that follow the –ear pattern. For example: earn, pearl, earth, search, etc. 

This week, students will learn about –or pattern (for example: for, corn, short, fork, etc). After –or, we will learn less common /or/ patterns, including –ore (for example more, chore, store, wore, etc.). Our syllabication lesson will focus on R-Controlled Syllables. 

Reading  

Last week, we read the story, "Cinderlad.” In this twist on the classic tale “Cinderella,” a young knight triumphs over his older brothers by scaling a glass mountain to win the princess’s hand in marriage. Before we read the story, we applied the strategy of predicting. We combined what we know about traditional Cinderella tales, and combined it with the title and Illustrations in the text to make predictions. Then as we read, we confirmed or changed our predictions. Next, we looked at some challenging words in the selection and applied the strategy of using context clues to help us figure out the meanings. Finally, on Friday, we sequenced events in the story to help us retell.  

This week, we will end our study of “Cinderlad” by reading the story one last time and discussing the characters in the story. We will begin our next set of stories, “Cinderella Tales.” Different versions of the Cinderella story are told throughout the world. In the American and French versions, Cinderella wears glass slippers; in the Chinese version she wears golden slippers; and in the Zimbabwean version, she wears no slippers but is rewarded for her bravery and kindness. Discuss with your child why Cinderella stories are popular and have been retold for centuries. 

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 

Writing 

Last week, your child should have finished writing the final draft of their friendly letters. Students did a great job of thinking of someone they would like to correspond with and crafting a letter that includes heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. 

This week, we will begin a short unit on procedural (how-to) writing. First, students will brainstorm topics that they are experts with, and then they will select a topic and craft a plan.  

Grammar  

Last week, your child learned about contractions. A contraction is a shortened form of two words, in which an apostrophe takes the place of some letters. Examples include can’t, we’ve, and I’ll. We will continue to practice forming contractions during our Literacy Centers this week. Ask your child to name several contractions, and then identify the two words that form each contraction.  

This week, we will learn about the capitalization of Days, Months, Holidays, Cities, States, and Geographic names. We will review the concept of Proper Nouns to help us identify words that need words that need a capital letter. 

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Last week, students focused on reading and spelling words that follow the –ar pattern. For example: jar, car, start, bark, march, harsh, etc. 

This week, students will learn about –er pattern (for example: her, term, after, faster, river) and that it is the first choice for spelling. After –er, we will learn less common /er/ patterns, including –ir (for example bird, first, shirt, girl, etc.) and – ur (for example: burn, curl, fur, etc). Our syllabication lesson will focus on R-Controlled Syllables.

Reading  

Last week, we finished up our study of two versions of the folktale, “Stone Soup,” called, “The Stranger and the Soup.” In this story, a mysterious stranger appears in a village that is suffering from a food shortage due to drought. Although he is not welcomed at first, the stranger has a secret ingredient (a stone) to help the hungry villagers survive a harsh winter. We also started on the study of a version of the folktale, “1001 Arabian Nights: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.” In this story, Heartbroken King Shahryar has resolved to marry a different woman each day, and then banish her from the kingdom forever. The clever Scheherazade manages to escape this fate by telling the king an intriguing tale about a boy named Aladdin and a genie who grants wishes. Discuss with your child what things he or she would wish for if any wish could be granted. 

This week, we will continue our study of Aladdin, and will learn about inferring as we read. When readers make inferences, they use the information provided in the text along with their own knowledge to understand details the author does not include in the story. Readers make inferences about characters and events to gain a deeper understanding of the text. 

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 

Writing 

We are currently in the middle of our unit on writing Friendly/Personal letters. Last week, your child learned about proper use of capitalization and commas when writing greetings, closings, and dates in letters. Your child also planned and began writing a personal letter to a friend or relative.  

This week, students will either finish drafting their letter, or will begin proofreading, editing, and writing a final draft of the letter.  Ask your child to identify some closings that are appropriate for a personal letter to a friend
or relative. Ask him or her to practice writing a closing with correct capitalization and a comma.

Grammar  

Last week, your child learned about subject/ verb agreement. If the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb must also be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. 

This week, your child will learn about contractions. A contraction is a shortened form of two words, in which an apostrophe takes the place of some letters. Examples include can’t, we’ve, and I’ll. Ask your child to name several contractions, and then identify the two words that form each contraction. 

Snack: 1st and 2nd grade have our first snack time during literacy.  Healthy snacks are always the best choice. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last). 

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Before Winter Break, students learned about the –all pattern, and that it is short (one-syllable). 

This week, students will learn about the multisyllabic pattern, “Reptile” words. These are words with a CVC (consonant/vowel/consonant) syllable, followed by a magic e syllable. For example, “reptile,” “bedtime,” and “cupcake.” Students will also review the –all pattern. If possible, I hope to begin learning about words that contain -oi, such as boil, noise, and point. 

Reading 

We will continue rotating through our Literacy Centers during our reading time. This week, I will be introducing Epic Reading and I will be testing individual students on Dibels 8 benchmark testing. 

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 

Writing 

Before Winter Break, students chose which opinion paragraph they would like to take through the rest of the writing process. If you joined us for parent-teacher conferences, you had a chance to read your child’s work.  

This week, students will continue editing it and correcting errors in their opinion paragraphs. Our goal is to have the paragraphs typed by the end of the week. 

Literacy:  

Snack: 1st and 2nd grade have our first snack time during literacy. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and snacks. Healthy snacks are always the best choice. Please do not send cookies or candy for your child to eat during the morning snack time. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last). 

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Last week students learned that the letter S makes the Z sound when it is in between 2 vowels, like in rose, or wise. 

This week, we will be learning about the –all pattern, and that it is short (one-syllable). After Winter break, students will learn about long vowel patterns and diphthongs (oi/oy, ow/ou, au/aw, etc.). 

Reading 

We have continued rotating through our Literacy Centers during our reading time. Students have been practicing heart words during the Word Work Center. During small groups, students are focusing on targeted phonic skills and reading comprehension.  

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 

Writing 

Last week, most students finished their second opinion paragraph. Their paragraph-writing skills are really coming along! 

This coming week, we will work on choosing which paragraph we would like to publish, and then begin editing it and correcting errors. Our goal is to be ready to type the paragraph after winter break. 

Snack: 1st and 2nd grade have our first snack time during literacy. Please make sure your child knows which food is for their lunch meal and for snacks. Healthy snacks are always the best choice. Emergency snacks are provided to students who do not bring a snack from home (while supplies last). 

Donation Request: Our emergency snacks are running low. Please consider sending in healthy, individually wrapped items for students to eat that do not have a snack. Thank you! 

Foundational Skills (Phonics, Decoding, and Spelling) 

Last week we wrapped up our unit on magic –e. We will take a spelling test on this concept at the beginning of this week. We will continue to practice reading and spelling magic -e words throughout the school year. At the end of last week, we started learning that the letter S makes the Z sound when it is in between 2 vowels, like in rose, or wise. 

This week, we will be learning about the magic –e syllable and combining it with closed syllables in words like reptile, dislike or inside. 

Reading 

We have continued rotating through our Literacy Centers during our reading time. Students have been practicing reading nonsense words in the word work center. During small groups, students are focusing on targeted phonic skills and reading comprehension.  

Please continue to read to your child each night and have them read to you! It is all beneficial. 

Writing 

Last week, students began a new opinion paragraph. We started at the beginning of the writing process with planning on Monday. We also wrote our topic sentences on Monday. On Tuesday – Thursday, we worked on writing our 3 reasons for our opinions as our supporting details. In addition, students ensured that each sentence began with a transition word (First, next, last, etc.). On Friday we focused on conclusion sentences. About half the class finished their paragraphs and turned them in. The rest of the class will hopefully finish by Tuesday.  

This coming week, we will work on choosing which paragraph we would like to publish, and then begin editing it and correcting errors. Our goal is to have a typed paragraph by the end of the week next week. 

Donation request:  

I am trying to put together a hands-on timeline of the telephone. I have a rotary phone from the 1950’s, a corded push-button phone from the 1980’s, and the school’s classroom phone.  

• I am looking for a donation of a “Fisher-Price Toddler Pull Toy Chatter Telephone with Rotary Dial and Wheels” that students can use to see how the rotary mechanism works. My antique rotary phone is currently broken, and I can’t allow students to touch it.  
• I would also like to have a cordless phone that was popular in the 1990’s.  
• Lastly, I would love to have an old Nokia or early cell phone. 

If you have one of these phones and are looking to part with them, our class would love to give them a new home!