C144 Classroom News!
Please help your child complete his/her homework each night. There will be a math homelink and spelling homework every night. Both are due the following day. Our spelling homework has changed a bit from the past (and the handout at Open House). Please refer to your child's spelling notebook for the directions. The Unit letter with the weekly words is posted on my homepage as a link titled "spelling". There are 3 trick words each week to study as well as the phonics rule to be practiced.
Math: We have finished our first 7 units of Everyday Math. In Unit 8, we will focus on We will continue practicing concepts such as adding and subtracting using a number line or number grid and "What's My Rule", and reviewing the money concepts studied in previous units. We will also be learning about the dollar, making change, place value to the hundreds column, and beginning to explore the concept of fractions.
Reading/Writing: Each morning we begin our day with our morning meeting. At morning meeting, we sing our calendar songs (seasons, months, days), recite our phonics sounds, do the class calendar, and read our poetry packet. Each month there is a new poetry packet. The November packet has been sent home.
We are working on retelling stories during our literacy time. When reading with your child, periodically stop and ask questions about the characters, the setting,as well as what happened in the beginning, the middle, the end.
We are also beginning to work on our Poetry Journals. We will be reading a poem each week and discussing what it means, as well as finding any rhyming words or repeating patterns. This is a separate activity from our monthly poetry packets.
When you are visiting the school and admiring your child's writing displayed in the hall, please remember, we are just now learning how to spell words. You may see a lot of words spelled phonetically, but inaccurately, on work that comes home or is on display in the school. This is part of the writing process and we celebrate when a child has all or most of the sounds in a word represented, even if it is spelled incorrectly. As the year progresses, you will see more and more words spelled correctly.
In phonics, we are now reviewing all fo the spelling patterns that we have studied up to this point, while also learning about the concept of a closed syllable. Please see the homework letter in your child's folder, as well as the spelling words link on my homepage for a list of words to practice.
Science: We will be studying Earth Science this month. Your child will be learning about "Land, Water, and Air", focusing on what makes up Earth, what rocks and soil are, what changes land, how living things use natural resources, how to reduce, reuse, and recylcle.
Our weekly schedule is as follows: (as of 4/2/12)
Monday: Music
Tuesday: Technology W.E.B. CART!!!!
Wednesday: Art
Thursday: Music
Friday: Gym (sneakers required), W.E.B. CART!!!!, Library (beginning 9/30)
Some Reminders:
Please remember, that reading should be completed daily (incl. weekends). It is very important for children to read every day to practice the skills that they are being taught. Just as an athlete must practice to become better at his/her sport, readers must practice to become better readers.
There are some suggestions listed below on ways you can help your child at home with reading and mathematics.
W.E.B. Cart
Your child has information in the baggie with his/her new book. Please read this book a few times each night and return to school each day IN THE BAG with your child's name on it. Books will be swapped out on Tuesdays and Fridays. These books are at your child's independent reading level so please help to ensure that your child is able to read the book as he/she would talk. These books must be returned before a new book may be taken home. We have also started our weekly trips to the library. Many thanks to the wonderful volunteers who have allowed us the opportunity to use our library. The difference between the WEB books and the library books is that the WEB books are meant for your child to read independently, needing little support from you. The library books however, are meant to be used
as a shared reading experience where your child is exposed to beautiful literature that may be inaccessible due to their current reading abilities, as well as hearing what a good reader sounds like when you read to your child. Library books must be returned each Friday before your child can check a new book out of the library.
How to Help at Home!
With Math:
There are several activities that can be done at home to help children practice the concepts that we learn in school. Counting and skip counting are skills that we have been working on and are very important. Skip counting is a skill that helps prepare us to count coins. As you know, we have already begun counting pennies and nickels. Students shoudl be practicing skip counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's, along with counting by 1's. Using coins is a great way to make this skill appear more practical to the student. I also suggest practicing the days of the week, months of the year, and the four seasons. We work on these calendar skills daily. Ask your child to sing you our four seasons song, it may sound familiar to you.
Also, practicing math facts to help students master the facts is very important. Flash cards of the basic math facts will be a nice tool to use for practice. The facts to practice are those with sums up to and including 10, doubles, and any number +1 or +0.
With Reading:
When reading with your child, ask him/her if he/she can remember what was read. Ask them to tell it back to you and help them to retell the story in proper sequence (beginning, middle, end) with as many details as they can remember. We have been learning in class that good readers can read the words on the page, and remember what was read well enough to tell someone else about the book.
Make flash cards of all of our spelling words to date (listed on homework page) and have child read them for you. Students should know these words automatically and use them correctly in their writing.
Children can also practice their printing at home. When practicing this printing, children should be focusing on proper letter size (uppercase/lowercase), as well as proper formation. Any letter or number reversals should be practiced.
In addition to nightly homework, first graders should be reading everyday, including the weekends. This reading should be a combination of child reading to parent, parent reading to child, and child and parent taking turns reading. It is just as important for children to hear what good reading sounds like as it is for them to practice their own reading.
Some parents have already generously sent in some classroom supplies and I would like to thank you. We are always looking for tissues, handsoap, paper towels, and baby wipes to help keep our classroom a healthy learning environment.
Helpful Hints to Make Practicing Your Spelling Words Fun!!!
These hints are a great way to include sensory activities into your nightly spelling word practice. They can also be used to practice letter and number formation.
1. Write your spelling words in the sand (sugar or salt on a cookie sheet works great!)
2. Write your spelling words in hair gel inside a seald zip lock bag.
3. Use playdoh or clay to make your spelling words.
4. Write your spelling words with sidewalk chalk on your driveway or the sidewalk.
5. Play memory with your spelling words written on index cards.
6. Write your words in glue and or puffy paint and trace over them with your fingers once they dry,
7. Use magnet letters to make your words.
8. Use raw pasta to make your words.
9. Use yarn, pipe cleaners or string to write your words.
10. Sing your words to the tune of your favorite song or nursery rhyme.
11. Yell out the word then stomp out each letter and say the word again.
12. Write your words in shaving cream! (This can get messy but they love it!)
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