Dear Parents,
Below is the learning plan for the week of March 30
th
.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do feel free to reach out to me anytime via email. Here is the information for the PTC sign up to schedule a phone conference or a check-in call – both are welcomed, especially if we have not had a phone conference yet.
At your call time, please call my home number - (212) 505-8199.
There will be an envelope for each child in the bin by the Grade One/Two building for each of you to pick up anytime on Monday. If you need to come on a different day, that is fine.
Please ONLY come to pick up the envelope. No one is allowed to spend time in the play yards or anywhere else on the campus at this time.
Thank you so much for all the work you have been sharing with me. It is so wonderful to have a picture of what each child is doing. So far, from what I’ve seen, you are going a great job with your children’s schoolwork! If you haven’t sent photos yet, please do email them to me, or share an album via iPhoto.
If finding a good rhythm is proving to be a challenge, here is what the rhythm of your morning could look like, beginning around 8.15 a.m....
- Morning verse in English, then alternating each day in Spanish or German
- Songs and flute playing
- Tongue-twisters and verses
- Math game/activity
- Main lesson bookwork
- Story (on Monday and Thursday from the audio below – feel free to tell stories from your own bookshelves on other days. Let me know if you would like me to send some PDFs of other story suggestions)
An hour and a half to two hours total “school” time is plenty for grade one children. Outdoor play, handwork, baking, and crafts are all good things for children to do. If you would like more suggestions for other activities, let me know.
Integrative Movement
Ms. Greenberg has given some suggestions for movements that she has been doing throughout the school year with the class. These activities can be done with the children anytime during their school work time, if they are wiggly or distracted, these exercises will give them an opportunity to move their bodies and then return to the task at hand with more focus.
A printed copy of these activities will be included in the physical package. Feel free to contact Ms. Greenberg with any questions.
Jump Rope
Each child made and brought home their own jump rope made in our farming class over the winter. This is a great activity for counting, for bringing coordination into the feet, and for stimulating mental growth and relaxation. The rhythms in the rhymes will be helpful for children to master the “double jump”. A selection of jump rope rhymes will be included in the printed package for you to say, with your child, while they are jumping. They will pick up these verses quickly and easily, and enjoy them a lot!
Audio Links
The following are links to audio that you will need for this week.
Please allow your children to listen to audio files through a speaker, not with headphones.
Flute Practice
Song
Tongue Twisters
Stories
Verses, Songs, Tongue-Twisters, and Flutes
Links to these are above, and written versions will be included in the printed package. Continue to include practice of these daily, if your child is enjoying it.
Sheet music for the songs will be included in the printed package – but please note that the printed music is for parents who can read music themselves and can sing the songs to their children instead of using the audio.
If you don’t read music, but would prefer not to use the audio for your child, you could listen and learn from the audio yourself, then teach it to your child. If you are not comfortable doing that, don’t worry! The audio can be used in whatever way works best for you and your child.
Stories
There are two stories for this week. Please listen to The Great Pause on Monday, then on Tuesday recall the story with your child. Give help where needed, by asking about feelings rather than facts, e.g. “How did the youngest kid feel when it saw it’s mother again?” or “How did the wolf feel with all those stones in his tummy?”
On Wednesday have the child do a free drawing from the story, in their YELLOW MAIN LESSON BOOK and help your child come up with a sentence that describes their picture. Write the sentence for them, in UPPER CASE letters. Help them figure out how many pathways they would need in their book for the sentence. Create the pathways, seeing how that is done from other lesson books, with the mama bear side of a blue block crayon.
On Thursday, listen to The Making of the Fairy Tree, for their enjoyment.
Main Lesson bookwork:
The following pages can be put into the GREEN MAIN LESSON BOOK. Encourage your child to take their time, and think carefully about the spacing for these two spreads. If they make a mistake and want to redo it, that is completely fine – they should turn to the next blank spread and begin again.
- Odd Numbers double page spread (on the blank spread after the last work done)
- Larry Long Legs (on the next blank double page spread)
BOOKWORK GUIDANCE:
All drawings use BLOCK CRAYONS ONLY
- Papa bear side for large shaded areas
- Mama bear side for most everything else
- Baby bear side for details
All writing use STICK CRAYONS
- Check your child’s grip – every time they pick up the crayon to write
- BEAK CLOSED? FEATHERS TUCKED?
- If not, put crayon down, wriggle fingers, pick up crayon
- Always go “from the stars to the stones”
- Always write in upper case, filling the whole height of the pathway
Make sure not to rush, do your best careful work.
Math Skills Practice:
Continue with the math activities from last week, making use of the gems and Tic Tac Count cards that will be in the physical package.
Language Skills Practice:
Continue with Letter Getter lists, and with the Letter Sack Swap Shop with the letter tiles for short o - / ŏ / and short u - / ŭ / (tiles for ŏ and ŭ will be in the physical package).
Form Drawing:
There will be five more form drawings included in the printed package, one for each day.
- Study the form before you try it
- Match the direction of the lines in each drawing
- Practice each form as much as you like
Nature and Family Time:
Continue to facilitate your child spending time in nature, quietly by themselves, followed by a free painting inspired by their experience. Three more sheets of painting paper will be included in the physical package.
Foreign Languages:
Dear First Grade Families,
For the week of March 30th, First Graders can recite the morning verse in German and Spanish again, as they did last week. For parent use, printouts of the text will be included in the physical package.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Wishing you all the best,
Frau Pilgrim and Señora Concha
Thank you all for your continued support, and for all the great efforts you are each making to take on this huge task of helping your children continue their learning and practice. I hold each of you and your children in my thoughts each day.
Warmly, and with deep gratitude,
Ms. Loshak
