Math: Homelinks are coming home daily to review the concpets we are learning in class. The only time you will not see a homelink is when we have a math test that day in class We have our first math test this Friday, September 24th going over writing the numbers 1-6, writing tally marks to desrcibe a number and continuing a counting pattern. We have been playing lots of partner and group games during class to learn these concepts. Ask your child to teach you how to play "Monster Squeeze" or "Top-It"! Please be sure to help your child remember to turn in their homework every day as they will earn a point on Powerschool for each turned in homelink.
Science: We have started our Weather Watchers unit that will take us through January. We have been observing the weather using four of our five senses. We've already had the opportunity to do our rain lesson and used a rain guage to measure the amount of rainfall on our first rain during school. Please talk with your child daily about the weather to help them continue to be great weather watchers:)
Social Studies: We have been learning how to get along with others during our first social studies unit. Ask your child to sing the "Getting Along With Others" song we have been practicing in class. We get along with others by talking, listening, sharing and taking turns!
Handwriting: Just a reminder that we are using the HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS handwriting program. To get a better idea of what the children are learning you can go to their website... http://www.hwtears.com/. I will also be sending home a "cheat sheet" for you so you know the language we use here at school to write letters. The children should be writing their letters between the two bottom lines on their paper. We will be practicing at school not just writing the letters using the lines during handwriting time, but all of the time.
Spelling: Soon I will begin sending home individualized spelling words for each child in the class. At this time I will not be testing children on the same words as some children are more confident with spelling than others. I will send home your child's list each Monday along with ideas to help with spelling practice. The words I choose will come from your child's writing so they are words tailored to them and words that are important to them as individuals. Your child will have five words to practice. We are practicing here at school, but please practice at home also. I will post a list of spelling practice ideas here on the blog. The children have a blast and really learn their words! On Friday, I will ask the children to write down their words. If they have been practicing...they should be able to write each word on the line. If they are struggling to remember though, I will surely help them!
Reading: I will begin testing the children next week to find out where everyone is with reading. After that I will group the children according to reading level and meet with each group for 15 minutes each day. The children will have reading homework each night. Your child will bring home a reading bag with the book they are to read at home. Please be sure the read the book with your child and initial his or her chart to show that he/she read to you. Most of the time your child will have already read the book in class. Sometimes we will not have time to read the book before sending it home. Please be sure to read the books each night! The reading should take no more than 10 minutes. If it is taking too long or the child is struggling, please stop and send me a letter. I don't want homework time to be a terrible time, I want it to be a time where your child shows you what he or she has learned that day! Reading groups will begin next Monday!
Writing: During writing time each day I will meet with a group of children to work on certain writing skills. I will periodically send home a paper telling you what we are working on. The children are really working hard during writing time. They are working on starting with a capital, ending with a period, leaving spaces between the words and utilizing both capital and lowercase letters.
Oral Language: Each week the children will be participating in many different oral language activities. Together we will learn about the "Monster of the Week" on Monday. On Tuesday, the children will guess what is in the Mystery Bag. This bag may be sent home with a child, so if it is just put an small item into the bag and send it back to school. The item will be sent home that day! On Wednesday, the children will work together in small groups on listening skills. These groups are called Buzz Groups. On Thursday, the children will ask yes or no questions and a child will try to guess the picture on their HEADBAND without looking! On Friday, the children will work on Listening skills by participating in a listening activity. This sill be sent home each Friday!
The Daily Five: We have been working very hard on the Daily Five the first two weeks of school. The children have learned how to independent read and buddy read. We will begin learning how to listen to reading, work on writing and word works. We will do the daily five every day in school to help increase reading comprehension and fluency among the students. The students will have the opportunity to complete each part of the daily five every day while I will be pulling out reading groups to individualize reading instruction.
Text Talk: I have started a reading program that works on comprehension and vocabulary building. Each week, I read a story to the class, stopping after each page and checking comprehension to teach the students how to "think" when they read. I will then teach them 6 BIG WORDS that showed up in the story and the students try to use them in their reading, writing and speaking:) Please be sure to ask your child about their new vocabulary words at home
That's it for now...but I will keep you posted on new curriculum updates we are working on in class:) As always, thanks for sharing your child with me this school year. We are off to a great start!!
