Gratitude
Every November Cooper School students and staff begin their discussion of Gratitude. This week, First Grade writers practiced identifying things in their lives that they are grateful for. After identifying things they are grateful for, they dug a little deeper to identify the reasons why they are grateful for these things. Writers at The Cooper School are working hard to express their gratitude for so many things through a beautiful school-wide writing project!

Story Elements

This week, First Grade readers launched a new unit that looks closely at story elements in fiction books, including character, setting and plot. Scholars spent time identifying who the main character is in the stories they have been reading. They know to ask themselves, “Who is this story mostly about?” when trying to identify the main character. First Grade readers also practiced identifying the setting in the fiction books they read by thinking, “Where and when does this story take place?” Readers learned to identify the problem in the story by asking themselves, “What is the challenge or conflict the character is facing?” These thinking jobs are great tools to help young readers as they learn to read fiction stories through the lens of story elements.

Pilgrim Discoveries

This week, First Graders took a look into the lives’ of brave pilgrims. They know that life was very different for these people who came to America a long, long time ago. Students spent time discovering reasons why the pilgrims came to America, where they came from, how they got here and what their long journey may have been like. First Graders learned about the native Wampanoag people that lived in America at that time. First Grade scholars looked closely at the daily life of a pilgrim as compared to the daily life of the Wampanoag.

Important Dates

• Monday, November 20^th Harvest Feast, Half Day, 11:30 Dismissal
• November 21^st-24^th Thanksgiving Break, No School
• Thursday, November 30^th Tree Decorating at Marion Square @ 3:15
• Friday, December 8^th Holiday Concert at Circular Congregational Church @ 1:30