I hope you enjoyed the long weekend! That is always a special treat. The kids jumped right back in today like we had school yesterday. The routines are starting to stick and we are continuing to have success!
Last week was our first spelling and vocabulary assessments. I was very pleased. Some of you received a note that included the words your child missed on their spelling assessment from Friday. For those of you who did not, here is how it works. If your child misses a word or words on the spelling assessment, I will send home a sheet with those words on it. Your child is to study them over the weekend and will be given those words again on their pretest that Monday. If the child gets them correctly, they will not be added to the next week's spelling list. If the child is still having difficulty with a word or words it will be added to their list. I have already assessed the students on a number of high frequency words for not only recognition but for spelling as well. This is where I am getting the "words in blue" on their sheets. My goal and purpose for this is to tailor your child's list to words that they need practice on and that they will use frequently. Your child's blue words will not be the same as anothers and that is okay!! Remember to refer to the spelling letter I sent home about how to practice spelling words with your kids. Having your child copy the words a number of times is not the best practice. It does work for some, but there are so many other ways to practice. If you need more ideas, you know who to ask! (ME!!!) I will be adding an amazing website to the blog this week that has activities and ways to practice the spelling words. Check back this week for more about this site!!
Thank you for working on the sight words that I sent home on the colored rings. So far, almost every child knows all of the words. FANTASTIC!
The reading logs are coming in and just making my days! As your child completes their reading logs, they will turn them in to me and be given a new one. This is a practice that will continue for the rest of the year. Please continue to encourage your child to read 20 minutes a day. It is possible, they can do it here! If your child completes this, please make sure to sign the box on their homework page. I collect these sheets at the end of the week to track their reading. A great way to encourage your child is to make this reading time special. One way to do this is by taking a book out yourself and reading for 20 minutes. We are the perfect models. Kids love to know that you love to read and that it is just as important to you.
This week we are beginning our exploration of North America. This is the first continent that we will study. The past 2 weeks we have been talking about maps, globes and the cardinal directions. The kids even did some activities in the computer lab that supported these skills. In a few weeks they will be making their very own grid map and directions. Oh, the places we will go!
Last week in science we discussed probability. We had a lot of fun. The kids made predictions, performed the experiment, and recorded the data. They even created their own graph to match their data. They did such a great job that I had to hang them all over my cupboards! Can you tell how proud I am?? We will be starting a unit on Changes this week.
This week for our vocabulary words we created "actions" to help us remember the meanings of the words. After one day the kids already remember the words and the actions. Ask them tonight and see if they can teach you. This is a great activity that helps to reinforce the words and their meanings.
Math, math, math! Oh, how we love math! Last week we started math boxes, working in small groups, created and completed number grids, and learned a new game! This week we are learning about equivalent names for numbers, counting patterns, and relations (<,>,=). You will receive your first Home Link this week and they will continue to come home after starting Thursday. These Home Link will directly review and reinforce what we are learning in class. Remember, after the Home Links are returned, they are to be kept being the math tab in their binders until the unit is complete. These will serve as great resources throughout the unit. Don't forget to play the games that have already been sent home. They are great reinforcers.
As we continue to settle into the routines of Writer's Workshop, we are continuing to grow as writers. We will be finishing up our Launching Unit in the next week and starting Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing. I took one story from each student home this weekend to read. I love reading their stories. They are great writers and will continue to grow as the year progresses. You will be amazed at how much they will grow by the end of the year!
Thank you again for your support. I look forward to meeting with all of you at the end of the month on Conference Day. I will be setting up the Shutterfly picture account this week so look for the email! Have a wonderful night :).
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