B.F. Gibbs Elementary School

195 Sutton Place

New Milford, NJ 07646

201-261-0939 x5000

First Grade

 Mrs. Bazaz, Miss Cheval, Miss Farricker, Mrs. Labrosse

Welcome May!  Can you believe that we have less than 2 months of first grade left?Although we have learned so much already, there is still plenty more to learn!  The finish-line is in sight, but we still need to work hard to get there!

We are officially on Unit 6 of our Treasures reading series, the last unit!  The students have been exposed to many different types of literature, including realistic fiction, fantasy, mystery, and non-fiction.  It is important that students are familiar with a wide variety of text and that they understand that reading is for many purposes.  As you know, the students have been working to build reading fluency since way back in September.  Their efforts have certainly paid off, since many of the students are now able to pick up a book and read it independently!  These last two months we will focus on reading comprehension skills, such as making predictions, drawing conclusions, comparing/contrasting, etc.  It is important that students know not only how and where to find this information, but that they are able to organize the information, which is why we use a lot of graphic organizers.  The comprehension questions that go with the weekly reading selection also help to build both comprehension and writing skills.  When you read at home with your child, stop every few pages and ask your child a question about what they’ve just read.    

Although we have covered all short and long vowels, consonant blends (fl, cr, st), and digraphs (ch, sh, th), we continue to review and reinforce these sounds through our daily lessons and work.  The students were recently introduced to r-controlled vowels, such as the sounds in farm and germ.  In May, they will also be introduced to “ou” as in count, “oo” as in took, and “oo” as in pool.  It’s amazing how many different sounds there are!  The students sometimes express confusion over when to use which sound, especially when the letters are the same like they are in took and pool.  The more the students practice these words and see these words, the easier it will become to determine which sound is being used.  While reading, the teachers always encourage the students to sound out the word both ways and see which way makes sense.  Now that we are fluent readers, the children should also be able to use context clues to figure out unfamiliar words. 

In Everyday Math, we are finishing up Unit 8.  The students explored symmetry, three-dimensional shapes, place value (hundreds, tens, ones), and fractions and equal shares.  Students were also introduced to using one dollar bills.  At this time, students should be able to determine how many quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies are equal to one dollar.  We also worked on making change.  The best way to explain this was to pretend we were buying a small toy at a store and did not have exact change.  This would be a super (and simple!) way to practice counting coins and making change with your child at home!  Take a few small objects (pencils, small toys, etc.), give each one a price, and have your child “buy” the items.  You can alternate the roles of the customer and the clerk.  The students had a blast doing this in class and didn’t even realize they were learning something!

Parents, please continue to reinforce skills taught during the school day at home.  This includes reviewing the contents of the reading folder, reviewing current word work words as well as old ones, telling time, and practicing with money.  Hopefully, students are reading additional materials at home and are taking some extra time to refine their writing skills (by now, they should be using proper capitalization and punctuation without reminders).  We really appreciate all the time and effort you put into working with your child at home.  Your additional support makes a huge difference!