Week of February 17th-20th
Feb. 27th: Dress of Choice
March 10th and March 12th: Parent teacher conferences (sign up will go out soon)
March 13th-23rd: Spring Break
March 27th: Dress of choice
Knowledge/Skills (Reading and Writing): Skills Unit 5
In this unit students will be learning spelling alternatives that make up the advanced code. Up to this point, students have mostly been learning the basic code. That is, they have learned one way to write each of the sounds in English, with the exception of /zh/. Thus far, they have learned only a handful of spelling alternatives:
- the ‘k’ spelling for /k/ as in kite (an alternative for ‘c’ as in cat)
- the double-letter spellings for consonant sounds (‘ff’ as in stuff, ‘ll’ as in bell, ‘ss’ as in dress, ‘ck’ as in black, etc.)
- the ‘s’ spelling for /z/ as in is and dogs
- the ‘ed’ spelling as a past-tense marker for /d/ as in filled and for /t/ as in asked
There are many more spelling alternatives to learn. In this unit and the next, the focus is on spelling alternatives for consonant sounds. These are less numerous and also less frequently used than the spelling alternatives for vowel sounds, which will be addressed later in the CKLA™ sequence of instruction.
Here are the sounds and spellings that are either reviewed or introduced in this unit:
- /p/ spelled ‘p’ and ‘pp’ (review)
- /b/ spelled ‘b’ and ‘bb’ (review)
- /k/ spelled ‘c,’ ‘k,’ ‘cc,’ and ‘ck’ (review)
- /g/ spelled ‘g’ and ‘gg’ (review)
- /ch/ spelled ‘ch’ (review) and ‘tch’ (new)
- /j/ spelled ‘j’ (review), ‘g,’ and ‘ge’ (new)
- /t/ spelled ‘t,’ ‘tt,’ and ‘ed’ (review)
- /d/ spelled ‘d,’ ‘dd,’ and ‘ed’ (review)
- /f/ spelled ‘f’ and ‘ff’ (review)
- /v/ spelled ‘v’ (review) and ‘ve’ (new)
- /r/ spelled ‘r’ (review) and ‘wr’ (new)
- /l/ spelled ‘l’ and ‘ll’ (review)
The majority of the spellings covered in this unit are review items. For example, consonant sounds that can be written with single- or double-letter spellings are review. The hope is that this unit and the next one will give students a chance to ease into the world of spelling alternatives while they consolidate their knowledge of the basic code and have an opportunity to practice reading two-syllable words.
Spelling Words
1. chips 2. marsh
3. much 4. shine
5. catch 6.flash
7. fetch 8. how
This month, our class will be learning about Black History Month. Throughout our lessons, students will explore the achievements, contributions, and experiences of Black individuals who have shaped our country and world. We will discuss important historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman, as well as contemporary leaders, artists, scientists, and changemakers.
Our focus will be on themes of courage, perseverance, fairness, and respect. Lessons will be age-appropriate and designed to encourage thoughtful discussion, empathy, and critical thinking. Students will engage through read-alouds, class discussions, writing activities, and creative projects.
First Grade Daily Schedule
