Dear Parents/Guardians,

As a part of the curriculum for first grade, your child will be learning fundamental science core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts that will enhance their understanding of the natural and designed worlds. We hope you will support their curiosity about the world around them at home.

In the first unit, your child will learn about astronomy: the Sun, Moon, and stars. The students will be making observations and predicting the movement and patterns of the Sun, Moon, and stars. The students will be engaged in multiple experiments during this unit, and some of these will continue over the course of the school year. You can help and reinforce this learning at home by asking questions, making predictions and observations about the Sun, Moon, and stars. Taking a walk during the daylight hours and again in the evening or when the Sun is setting would be a perfect way to observe the changes and differences in light, shadows, and even what is observable at that time of day or night (the stars).

Developmentally, a first-grade student is still a "concrete" learner. To support this, your child will be working with and designing many hands-on materials/experiments, recording these findings, and experiencing many authentic learning opportunities. A first-grade student is also becoming more abstract in their learning too. He or she will be making predictions, discussing and elaborating on their experiments and exploring the "why" of each lesson. These science lessons are active and engaging. Your student will become a first-grade astronomer, and you will be amazed at all their learning! Thank you for being a partner in your child’s education.

Sincerely,

The first grade teachers