October Curriculum
Language
This month we will be focusing on choosing "just right" books. Students should be reading books that are not too easy or too hard for them.
We have completed the PM Benchmark Reading Assessments with each student. These assessments not only focus simply on tracking students' ability to read words in a story, but also examine reading comprehension. Often students may be reading words correctly, but may have trouble understanding what they have read. To help your child with reading comprehension, read books at home and stop often to check for understanding by asking questions about the story, such as "Who are the main characters in the story?" ... "Where does the story take place?" ... "What is happening in the story?" ... "What do you think will happen next?" ... "Why do you think...?" This month we are also focusing on retelling stories. When retelling a familiar story, students should try to think of: Setting - the time/place Characters - the main people/animals who are in the story Problem - the struggle the character is having Events - what happens in the story (beginning, middle, end) Solution - how the problem was resolved Your child is encouraged to try reading some English books at home. Try http://starfall.com for some great activities for early readers. Every week our class does a shared reading of a new Poem of the Week. Each student has a poem book at school. If you would like to practise reading our Poem of the Week at home, you can find links on the Homework tab. We will continue with our Word Study homework each week. Keep up the great work! Social Studies
Unit 1: Relationships, Rules, and Responsibilities
We have been discussing school rules in order to establish classroom routines. This month at CIS, we are focusing on the Character Education trait of responsibility. Students are assigned classroom jobs on a rotational basis in order to develop students' sense of responsibility. We encourage you to talk to your child about rules and responsibilities at home. Please help your child to develop responsibilities at home - such as packing their own school bag, cleaning up their toys, etc. This month we are also talking about families. Students will have a chance to complete an "All About My Family" homework project. More information to come this month. The Arts
In art class, we will examine colours this month. Students will learn about the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue) and secondary colours (orange, green, and purple). We will learn how to make secondary colours by mixing primary colours.
In drama class, we will be focusing on feelings. Students will learn about different types of emotions, and how to show them using facial expressions and body language. Students will also learn how to be a good audience member by looking, listening, and showing respect to the performers. Mr. John is teaching our class music this year. Students have been enjoying learning new sounds and moving around to various types of music. |
Math
Unit 2: Exploring Numbers
Students will continue to examine number relationships and practise counting and skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s. We have also introduced the terms "more," "less," and "equal to" when counting and comparing groups of objects. You can help your child at home by practising to skip count, and count forwards to 100, and backwards from 20 by 1s. We will be sending home weekly Math Practice homework that your child can work on. In addition, you can check out the following websites to help your child with improving Number Sense: http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/skip-counting-games.html http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=75 http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-1 (Try activities A.3 to A.18) We have also been learning how to solve simple math word problems and show solutions using pictures, numbers, and words. Science
Unit 1: Understanding Life Systems
We are learning about the human body and the 5 senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch). Students will examine the needs and characteristics of living things. We have learned that all humans need air, water, food, rest, and exercise to keep their body healthy. Later this month we will be examining the physical characteristics and needs of plants. We will try to grow our own plants at school by providing all the things plants need to survive (air, water, light, soil, space). Health and Physical Education
We have been focusing on safety in the gym, and playing cooperative games. Please remember to bring reusable water bottles to gym class every Monday.
Swimming is an important part of the Physical Education program., and students will receive an individual mark on their report card for swimming. Please make sure your child is ready for swimming class every Wednesday. If your child is unable to go swimming, please provide a doctor's note. Ms. Heather is our swimming teacher this year. In health class, we are discussing healthy eating and learning about the 4 food groups: dairy, meat, grains, and vegetables/fruit. We have learned how to sort foods into the 4 food groups and will focus on how to build a balanced and healthy meal. Ms. Glicy, our school nurse, will be visiting our class in October to discuss topics such as healthy eating, and avoiding germs by washing hands, covering mouth when sneezing/coughing, etc. |