March 2025
Reminders & Important Dates
- March 6, 2025: Half day, Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences
- March 31, 2025: Eid-al-Fitr, schools are closed
Literacy
This month we will continue Module 6: Home of the Free and the Brave. The essential question will be, “What makes the USA special?” The genre focuses will be poetry, song, and biographies. We will work on making connections, rhythm, and rhyme, as well as author’s purpose and craft. In print concepts we will work on concepts of words and sentences. To support this at home, please continue to read with your child every day. Also, take a trip to the local library to explore some of this month’s genres.
In Writing, we will be focusing on writing “How-to’s” and informational writing. We will analyze how-to texts and examine sequence of steps. We will also continue to utilize the writing process, as well as continue to make sure we write strong beginnings with important details and word choice. In grammar, we will work on pronouns he, she, they, them, and theirs. You can support this at home by choosing a variety of literacy journal topics for March on the choice board. That would include how-to writing pieces. Allow your child to practice what they are learning in school with your guidance. Also, encourage them to sound out words on their own. This is what they do in class. The more they practice the easier it will become.
Phonics
This month in phonics we will continue with Unit 3 in Fundations. Students are continuing to build phonemic awareness, blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds. We are also continuing to practice tapping out and blending C-V-C
words. We are getting stronger in our vowel power, distinguishing between short and long vowel sounds. Finally, this is the month where we will begin learning our “Trick Words”, also known to many as sight words. It is very important at this point that you are practicing with your child at home and reviewing with them letter sounds, tapping out and blending words. We will begin Unit 4 by the end of the month. Please be sure to visit your child’s Google Classroom to see the materials in the Fundations section. We post materials there for each unit that can support you and your child.
Math
In Math this month we will continue and finish Unit 5: Composing and Decomposing Numbers to 10. In this unit, students explore different ways to compose and decompose numbers within 10 and to represent the compositions and decompositions. We will also begin Unit 6: Numbers 0-20. In this unit, students count and represent collections of objects and images within 20. They apply previously developed counting concepts, such as one-to-one correspondence, keeping track of what has been counted, and conservation of numbers, to larger numbers. Previously, students counted, composed, and decomposed numbers up to 10. They used counters, connecting cubes, 5-frames, 10-frames, drawings, their fingers, and other tools. They also wrote expressions to record compositions and decompositions. Please continue to practice with your child at home and utilize the materials on the Google Classroom.
Social Studies
In Social Studies this month we will continue with Unit 3: Geography, People, and the Environment. We will focus on communities, neighborhoods, maps, and transportation. We will also learn about the 5 boroughs of NYC and what makes each one special. This month we will also celebrate “Civics for All Week”. The DOE defines Civics Week as “a time for schools across the city to celebrate youth voice, civic empowerment, and the importance of registering to vote. Civics Week includes efforts to get every young person to understand that their voice matters and that they can create change as active participants of their community.”
Science
This month in science, we continue our Pushes and Pulls unit. Students will take a deep dive into what “motion” is and conduct many experiments through play to see how ramps affect motion, as well as friction. You can support this by allowing your child to explore at home with different things that move. Let them create ramps with cardboard and blocks. They can also go on a “pushes and pulls” hunt to see what things you push and what things you push.