Reading Buddies...

Each month we get together with our reading buddies from Mrs. Birrer's (A Day) and Mrs. Wright's (B Day) first grade classrooms.  This month we read a fantastic book "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything."  We identified the characters and setting.  Then the children wrote about their favorite part and what they thought the Little Old Lady would see out her window.

 

Learning in 116...

This coming week we will be doing a lot of learning. In reading street we will continue our study on how animals and plants are unique. We will be working on the sound of Ss. Currently the children have learned the sounds m, t, a, and now s. In addition to know the sounds in isolation, we have been working on putting these sounds together to make words. Children should be able to blend (saying the sounds to form the word) and read the following words: mat, tam, sat, and sam. When practicing blending with your child, have your child say the sounds slowly without stopping (mmmmmmaaaaaaat). Furthermore, children should also be able to read the sight words: I, am, have, little, to, a, the, is. In addition, please continue to practice letter identification with your child. Many children are doing extremely well with this skill and some need to continue to practice. I will be sending home your child's October alphabet assessment next week!


In math, we will be finishing Chapter 3 (reading, counting, and writing numbers to 9).  The children will take their Chapter 3 test on Wednesday or Thursday.  The skills your child will be tested over are on the math homework.  In regards to math homework, your child should turn it in on Monday or Tuesday.  We have noticed children who do their homework are doing better on the math tests.  We will begin Chapter 4 the following week.  We will be working on counting and comparing numbers up to 10.

Thank you for all of your support!  The children are doing an awesome job!

Book Fair...

We will be going to the book fair on Wednesday and Thursday! If you have any questions please let me know. We have books from many price ranges.  Children should be bringing home flyers this week regarding the book fair and also books which will be available!

Classroom Thinking...

This week we have been working with numbers up to 9. In addition, we have been working with ways to count a set. Here are two students explaining their thinking with how they counted a set.

This Week...

This week we will be working on the letter sound /a/ as in apple, ant, and ax. The children will begin to develop the understanding of decoding simple words, such as, tam, mat, and am. As you are at home working you can show your child these letters and have them begin saying the sounds. You can place the letters m, a, and t on a card and mix them up and have your child say the appropriate sound. This is the beginning skill to decoding words. In addition, please continue to work on letter identification with your child.  I am in the process of assessing the children.  You may have noticed on Wednesday or Thursday your child has been bringing home a book with letters, sounds, and a story. This is what we use in our reading groups during the week. Your child should be able to show you how he or she can read the letters, sounds, words, and sentences. You can have your child be the teacher and teach you how we complete the booklet in the classroom. This is a great way for your child to take ownership and show you what they are learning.

In math, we are continuing to work with numbers up to 9.  This past week your child did bring home Chapter 3 homework and their Chapter 2 test.  Please review both of these with your child.  The homework is due back either October 29 or October 30.  Children should be able to read and write the numbers to 9.  In addition, children should be able to compare the numbers (greater, more, fewer, less).  One great game to play with your child is using a deck of cards or a set of number cards written on an index card.  Here are two children playing the game:


 I hope you have a great week!

This Week in Kindergarten...

This week we will continue to work on letter identification and letter sounds. We will work on the letter Tt and the sound /t/. When working with your child be cautious not to add an /u/ sound at the end. For example, the beginning sound of top would be /t/ not /tuh/. This is important when children learn to blend words together. We will also be continuing to work on our sight words of a and to. We will also be working on the sight word of the. This particular word seems to confuse some of the children. One thing you can do at home is play memory with the sight words by writing the words on index cards and have your child try to match them. In addition, when they find the match they would need to say the word. One of the most valuable things you can be doing with your child right now is simply reading to them. I would recommend taking your child to the library and having them choose some books and throughout the day or evening sit down and read with them. This promotes vocabulary development, fluent reading, comprehension, and word identification.


Almost all the children can write their name with a capital letter and lowercase letters; therefore, we are ready to move forward with writing words and sentences. This will take place whole group and during our small group time.  All the children have writing journals, which we write in and we have been concentrating on drawing a picture to tell the story.  The past few weeks the children have been coming up with their own topic to write about.  Since we are ending Unit 1 in reading street we thought we would have the children answer the big question from the unit "How do we live, work, and play together?"  In addition, the children will write about their favorite book from Unit 1.

In math, we will begin Chapter 3.  First, thank you for completing your homework packets.  We are having a high rate of return, which is fantastic!  This week you will receive Chapter 3's homework, which is due October 29 or 30.  We will be working on the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9.  One of the big components of this chapter is not only being able to count these numbers, but realize 7 is 5 and 2 more, 8 is 5 and 3 more, and 9 is 5 and 4 more.  We will be posting more information regarding Chapter 3 in the next few days...be on the look out!

Have a great week!

Picture Day...

It will be picture day on Wednesday, October 17, for children in the "A" Class.  The children in the "B" Class had their pictures taken this past Tuesday.  Your child should have brought home a flyer regarding picture ordering last week.  We will be taking pictures immediately in the morning.  Please make sure your child is at school on time for their photo!

This Week in 116...

This week we will be learning two new sight words: a, to. This brings the total of sight words to 6 (am, I, the, little, a, to). The children are expected to be able to read the sight words in less than 3 seconds. The children practice this daily during our reading group rotations; however, practice at home is necessary too. In addition, we have completed all the letters of the alphabet. Children are expected to be able to identify all the letters. This week we will begin learning the sounds of the letters. We will focus on the letter Mm. We will concentrate on the sound and the writing of Mm. We will also begin to blend words (this is when children see the letter and start saying the sound). I love this part of kindergarten because the children are able to begin reading words. I am sure you will be amazed in the next couple weeks what your child can do in reading.

In math, we will be finishing up Chapter 2. We have worked hard on comparing numbers 0 to 5. The children have learned the vocabulary words greater (more) and fewer (less) to help be able to compare a set. We will take our chapter test on Wednesday and Thursday. In addition, Chapter 2 homework is to be turned in on Wednesday or Thursday.  I am sure the children will do great!  We have also been working hard on counting.  The children are expected to be able to count to 100 at the end of kindergarten.  At the conclusion of 1st quarter children should be able to count to 25 to be considered "making progress."

We will also be sending home progress reports with your child this week.  The report will let you know the letters your child knows and do not know.  It will also let you know how high your child can count.  We will also be letting you know any other important information necessary for your child's success.

I hope you have a great week!

Number Writing...

Here is a great video to help your child practice writing their numerals at home!  Children are to be able to write numbers 0-20 by the end of kindergarten; however, to be considered considered making progress they are to be able to write to 10 by the end of 1st quarter (November 2nd).

Mixed-Up Sentence...

One great way to practice sight words and reading is to have a mixed up sentence.  In reading groups we have been reading various stories with our sight words and practicing identifying the words in the sentence.  Today, we took one of those sentences and cut-it apart.  The children then had to mix it up and put the sentence back together (like a puzzle).  We then made a few other sentences with the words.  Since most stories are predictable, real reading has to occur because the children have to be able to read each word.  The children have to read the word to put it in the right place.  Here is a video from today of a child working on a mixed-up sentence!