Dear Parents,
Reminders:
As the weather gets cooler, please remember to send your child with suitable clothing for being outside, such as extra layers, mittens, and a hat.
In grade one, we have been busy building routines to foster strong foundations for literacy and math. Read below to see what we’ve been working on and how you can support your child’s learning.
Mathematics
We have been working hard on counting forward and backward. Through songs, problem-solving situation, and games we have been learning about counting by 1’s and the patterns of skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s.
The following is a summary of the key ideas your child has been learning in math. You can use this summary to support your child and there are some simple suggested activities.
Counting by 1s
When reciting a number sequence — such as counting by 1s from 1 to 10 — students are not counting objects. Instead, they are simply saying the words in the number sequence. Learning the number sequence is a crucial step in learning to count.
Many students in Grade 1 can count by 1s as high as 10, 20, or higher.
The intention, over the course of the full year — not right away, is to build students’ capacity to count to 100.
The recognition of patterns can help students learn their counting words. The numbers from 1 to 12 are simply unique words students must learn. The teen numbers, however, follow a pattern. If students can recognize that pattern, it will help them recall the number words.
The “10 words” (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100) are also simply words that students must learn. All the numbers in between, however, follow a pattern up to 99.
Having a 100-chart around for students to notice can help them become familiar with the numbers to 100.
Counting by 2s
Again, when counting by 2s, students are not counting objects but simply saying the words for 2, 4, 6, and so on, up to 20 at this level.
Noticing patterns will help students count by 2s. Between one 10 word and the next, they need to say a number ending in 2, 4, 6, or 8.
Exploring the first two rows of a 100-chart will help students recognize the pattern.
Counting by 5s
Again, when counting by 5s, students are not counting objects but simply saying the words for 5, 10, 15, 20, and so on, up to 100.
Students may notice a pattern: we say 5 or a number ending in 5 and then the next 10 word over and over.
After students are comfortable counting to 20 by 5s, they will soon be able to extend their counting to 30, 40, and beyond by following the pattern.
Exploring a 100-chart will help students recognize the pattern.
Counting by 10s
To learn the words for counting by 10s to 50, students will have to learn the words to use: ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty. Afterwards, a pattern emerges: 60, 70, 80, and 90 contain the words six, seven, eight, and nine, respectively.
When learning to count by 10s to 100, students may recognize that each 10 word matches a number from 1 to 10. There are further patterns beyond 100, but Grade 1 students are not expected to count beyond 100.
Helping Your Child
There are many opportunities in casual situations where you can encourage your child to count forward and extend the count, just by asking “Can you go higher?”
For example, you could count together as you stand in line at the grocery store or as you travel on a bus.
When your child begins to count higher, be aware that it’s often difficult for children to cross over to the next group of 10, for example, going from 19 to 20. This is more difficult than, for example, going from 13 to 14. Be attentive to what your child can handle and when he or she is ready to take this step.
To help your child count by 2s, talk about how we skip numbers and say only every other number.
To help your child count by 5s, talk about how we skip numbers and say only the numbers that end in 5, as well as 15 and all the 10 words.
To help your child count by 10s, talk about how we skip numbers and say only 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and so on. Explain that all these numbers are 10 apart when you count by 1s. Explore a 100-chart with your child to help him or her see that the numbers are 10 apart.
Using the 100-Chart
The 100-chart is a counting tool found in many Grade 1 classrooms. It shows the numbers from 1 to 100 in sequence in rows of 10. You can make and use a 100-chart to help your child explore the patterns of numbers between 1 and 100.
In Grade 1, students are expected to count back by 1s from 20.
Usually, they find it easier to learn counting backwards in this sequence:
Helping Your Child
Help your child understand that to count backwards by 1s, we say the numbers in reverse order. You might want to brainstorm with your child times that counting backwards is helpful, such as a countdown before a race.
One way to engage your child is to have your child count backwards with you as a kitchen timer counts down. (Note: It must be a timer with seconds, not just minutes.) Your child can feel a sense of accomplishment when he or she can reach 1 just before the buzzer goes off.
We rarely need to count backwards in real life — we can almost always count forward instead. Counting backwards, however, can help prepare students for subtraction.
Literacy
Home Literacy Decodables
Your child will have chosen a small decodeable to bring home and share with you. This decodable will focus on sounds that we are learning and practicing during our structured letter and sound lessons. Please take time to read this book along with your child. Your child may exchange their book Mondays and Wednesdays in addition to our regular library book on Wednesdays.
Structured Letter and Sound Lessons
During our structured literacy lessons we focus on explicit instruction of letter sounds, blending and segmenting, accuracy and automaticity of letter sounds, decoding words, reading and spelling irregular words, as well as reading and spelling connected text. We have been focusing on the sounds, a, m, s, t, p, while blending sounds to make sort consonant vowel consonant words. The following is an example of practice you can do at home with your child orally or in writing.
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