Homework in first grade can be challenging for both children and parents. Please see the helpful hints below to help  make it an easy, fun experience for both you and your child.

You and your child can create a special “homework area” with special pencils they choose, erasers, and school supplies that are only used during homework time so that they look forward to using them. If your child helps create the space they will feel like they have ownership of the space.

Talk to your child and set up a time you both agree on to do homework.  Right after school, after an afternoon snack, or before dinner, whatever times your schedule allows, give your child a couple of choices and discuss with them the pros and cons of each choice.  If they feel like they have a choice they may be more willing to work at the agreed upon time. Allow them to choose what they would like to do first, next, and last.  

Set a timer and “chunk” the work with breaks.  For example, set the timer for 10 minutes, ask them to work the entire 10 minutes.  When the timer goes off set it again for 10 minutes for a break. During the break allow your child to play with the dog, help you with dinner, whatever they enjoy, when the timer goes off it’s time to get back to work.  Continue this cycle until the work is complete.  They may be more willing to work hard and try their best for you in small increments of time with a break to look forward to. 

Get up and get moving! Exercise spelling words and sight words, practice addition with jumping jacks.  Make sentences using sheets of construction paper, write a word on each sheet and then use the words you wrote to make the sentence across the floor, then walk the sentence, stepping on each word as you read it. After one sentence you can build 2 sentences and eventually you will be “walking” a story.     

Fine motor skills are important as well.  Make your spelling words with playdough,  use a dry erase marker to write your spelling words on legos, one letter per lego and “build the word,” write spelling words in the sand etc…

To review for science, social studies and health use my website, under the listening and learning tab,  to see what we are doing in class each day.  You will see the vocabulary words we discuss in class as well as some questions you can ask your child. Talk and review with your child each day so that when your child brings home the review sheet for the test it is not an overwhelming amount of  information to study at once.  Make a game with the vocabulary words and the questions.  Use the information to ask your child specific questions about their day.  If it part of your conversation each day they will not even realize they are “reviewing”.  

READ, READ,READ

Make reading fun and not a dreaded activity.  Allow your child to read books they can read fluently. Your child should only have difficulty reading  10% of the words in a book. After reading, check for comprehension.  Ask questions about the characters, plot of the story, main idea, problem and solution etc..

If your child does their homework at daycare in the afternoon, check their work and go over it with them after you pick them up.  

If you are excited and interested about what your child is learning your child will be too,  they will not even realize they are learning. Make it fun! We are a team, we can do this!   

Phonics Rules:

When there is one vowel in a word, followed by a consonant, the vowel is short. Examples:        

 mad            cut            tap 

When there are two vowels in a word, the first one says it’s long sound and the second one is silent. 

Examples:         made           cute          tape

team            rain          coat

Short vowel sounds:

a says /a/ as in apple

e says /e/ as in elephant

I says /i/ as in inch

o says /o/ as in octopus

u says /u/ as in umbrella

Practice these short blends:

La                                  ta                                    da                                ma                                     ra

Le             te                                    de                                me                                     re

Li                                   ti                                    di                                 mi                                      ri

Lo                                  to                                   do                                mo                                     ro

Lu                                  tu                                   du                                mu                                     ru

Long vowel sounds: 

a says /a/ as in acorn

e says /e/ as in equal

I says /i/ as in icicle

o says /o/ as in overalls

u says /u/ as in unicorn

Practice these short blends:

La                                  ta                                    da                                ma                                     ra

Le             te                                    de                                me                                     re

Li                                   ti                                    di                                 mi                                      ri

Lo                                  to                                   do                                mo                                     ro

Lu                                  tu                                   du                                mu                                     ru

K and C rule: 

K goes before i,y,e

C goes before the other 3 a,o,u or any consonant

Use ck for the /k/ sound after a short vowel

Examples:       duck                back              rock                  sick                deck

Consonant Digraphs: (with words to help remember the sounds):

Ch                 says /ch/ in cheese

Ng                 says /ng/ in ring

Ph                  says /ph/ in phone

Th                  says /th/ in feather (hard sound)

Th                  says /th/ in thimble (soft sound)

Sh                   says /sh/ in shark

Vowel Digraphs: 

Ai             rain    aim   (Use ai at the beginning and middle of the word. Use ay at the end of a word – day)

Au            faucet

Ea             leaf                       ea       thread                     ea            steak

Ei              receipt                  ei        veil

Ew            cashew 

Ey             key

Ie              pie                          ie    shield 

Oa             soap

Ghost Letter Digraphs:                                                  Final Stable Syllables:

Gn as in gnat                                                                      ble as in bubble

Kn as in knot dle as in candle

Wr as in wreath fle as in ruffle

Gle as in bugle

Ple as in staple

Tle as in bottle

Tion as in lotion

Trigraphs: 

Dge as in bridge

Igh as in light

Tch as in patch

Diphthongs:

Oi        oil     (Use oi at the beginning and middle of the word- oi in oil & io in soil)

Oy       toy    (Use oy at the end of a word)

Ow says /ow/ as in cow or /o/ as in snow 

Ou says /ou/ as in mouse

Ue says /ue/ as in glue

Combination Sounds:

Ar as in star           or as in horse

Er as in butter        qu as in quilt

Ir as in bird            wh as in whale

Ur as in turtle 

FIRST GRADE SUPPLY LIST FOR 2021-2022

https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CKFSequence_Rev.pdf

Fables and Stories

Mexico

Human Body

Different Lands/Similar Stories

Fairy Tales

Force and Motion

Matter

Geography

Early Word Civilizations 

Early American Civilizations 

 Astronomy 

 History of the Earth

Animals and Habitats/Plant Survival

Exploring Light and Sound

Early Explorers

A New Nation

Frontier Explorers

Mrs. Hawkins’ Class Schedule

8:00-8:05     Morning Meeting

8:05-9:35     Language Arts Block  

9:40-10:10    Interventions

10:10-11:00    Itinerant Classes

11:00-12:20   Math Block

12:30-1:00     Lunch

 1:10-1:40     Recess

1:40-2:20     Listening and Learning:  Science/S.S./Health