Pumpkin Fun...

What Are We Doing?

In the classroom we will be working on the letter Pp.  This letter has a short quick sound and says /p/.  When you practice this sound try not to let your child say /puh/ (this would mean your child is producing two sounds rather than one).  This is important when children try to blend words together.  We will also be working on new sight words or popcorn words (like, we, my).  Please continue to practice all the letter sounds we have learned.  You can write the letters on a card and have your child say the sounds.  In addition, you can place three letters out with a vowel in the middle and have your child begin to blend the word.  These words can be real or make believe.  It is okay for your child to read a make believe word because the purpose is to practice blending.

In math, we are beginning Chapter 4.  The children will begin to learn about the number 10.  The children will also need to compare numbers (greater than, less than, more, fewer).  We will also explore ways to make 10.  This entails children to understand 6 and 4 make 10, 3 and 7 make 10, etc.  This is the first stages of understanding addition.  We will be using pumpkins to help us with this skill!  We will also be counting pumpkin seeds.  We will also be working on counting to 50.  All children are expected to count to 50 by the conclusion of 2nd quarter and by the end of the year to 100.  Our goal is to have all children counting to 100 as quickly as possible.

Observation Fun...

This week we have been reading "Nature Spy" and we decided to "spy" on various nature items.  We learned about the word observation and how we can use magnifying glasses to help us take a closer look!  It was a lot of fun...

 

 

 

 

What Are We Learning...

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 and sound assessment this 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.  We are also learning math games.  We have learned "Number Top-It," "Cover All," and "Number Memory."  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!

Computer Fun...

This week we learned how to work the computers in the classroom!  The children LOVED learning on the computer.  We worked on letters, sounds, and blending.

Blending...

Here is a child working on our Reading Street blending pages...

What's Going On...

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 and you will receive an updated copy of your child's letter and sound knowledge.

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.  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).  We will also be learning some new math games on Wednesday and Friday!  I will be posting an update on the games we learned at the end of the week!

Here are a few pictures of some of our learning this past week...

I hope you have a great week!

This Week in 116...

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.  In addition to their journals, the children have been "Writing to Sources."  This is a writing piece your child completes about the weekly story.  The children learn how to be a reporter and look for the details in the story to help write their piece (I know I say "write," but that includes drawing), 

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!  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.  I will also be sending out Chapter 3 homework towards the end of the week.

Have a great week!