Attached to this newsletter are two book order forms for the month of October.  One of the order forms is dedicated to books about the power of community and classroom caring. Scholastic Books Clubs has pledged to donate a minimum of $100,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fun.  Please return orders along with your check (no cash please) by Friday, Oct. 21. 

Language/Science

Developing comprehension skills is an ongoing task in first grade.  Before we share a story I ask the students to think about what they know. For example today we read the story Log Hotel. A 100 year old tree is blown down by the wind.  Eventually the bugs and snails move in and make it their home.  Mushrooms and ferns grow around the tree.  A snake moves in for the winter.  Finally, the worms feed on the remains of the tree and it decays back into the earth.  I asked the students if they had ever explored a fallen log in the woods before.  All the students were able to respond with a personal exploration story.  We then retold the story in our own words and pictures. 

We have been exploring and creating patterns using a variety of colored patterns and geometric shapes.  Relating patterns in art relates to the understanding that there are patterns in numbers.  We have also been identifying odd and even numbers, and counting with nickels and pennies. 

http://www.onekama.k12.mi.us/e2006/g1e