ELA
We will soon begin our unit on friendship! Over these next few weeks, we will spoken about how to be a good friend, as well as the qualities a good friend possesses. Some of the skills we have been practicing when reading are making predictions and connections, and asking questions/clarifying questions. Visualizing is also a skill we’ve been working on, as your children have enjoyed illustrating poems and stories we’ve read!
Sight words we should know now are the, and, go, had, has, have, he, a, I, and see. Don’t forget to save the pre-decodable books for practice!
We are nearing the end of our introduction of the letters of the alphabet. At home, practice segmenting words into sounds (ie. cat /c/ /a/ /t/), and writing those sounds down on paper will give your child an advantage at school!
Listening Center
We have been discussing text features. At this point, children should be able to identify a character, setting, event, and problem in a story they hear. In our independent listening centers, students are expected to listen to the story and then illustrate a given feature. This is an independent activity.
Handwriting Without Tears/Writing
We have begun using the HWT program for handwriting and formation. When helping your child to form letters and numbers, please refer to the formation guides that were sent in folders this past week.
We are especially focusing on name writing. Please encourage your child to begin their name with a capital letter and then use lowercase letters for the rest of their name. Proportional sizes are also a focus.
Our writing focus has been on drawing detailed illustrations, labeling them with sounds we know (mostly initial/first sounds) and beign able to describe what is happening in their picture/story. Using familiar terms and practice at home will help them develop their skills more quickly.
Mathematics
Your children have really been enjoying math, and are picking up new skills quickly! Our current unit puts focus on measurement and counting and comparing numbers and items. We will soon begin working on making and testing conjectures. One such conjecture is that switching the order of factors does not change the sum of the factors. At home, work with identifying numerals 0-20 and writing them correctly will allow for more time to work on more advanced skills at school!
Science
In science, we have continued our study of trees! We have focused on fall trees and how they change, as well as the parts of a tree. We will be looking more closely at leaves in the coming weeks.
We worked with the cycle of a pumpkin and compared will soon compare it to that of the apple.
This winter, we will put more emphasis on our study of trees and wood/paper.
Social Studies
We have focused this year on Bus and Fire safety as well as following rules.
Please review bus rules and safety with your child. We had quite a few children struggling with remaining seated on the seat of the bus during our trip last week. Most children ride the bus daily and we will likely have another bus trip this spring. It would be upsetting to know that my little friends are not riding safely during these times.
Please also remind your children about being kind to others and including them in their play. We speak a lot about our ‘school family’ and making sure that our classroom is a comfortable environment for all of us to thrive in.
We will soon begin our unit on friendship! Over these next few weeks, we will spoken about how to be a good friend, as well as the qualities a good friend possesses. Some of the skills we have been practicing when reading are making predictions and connections, and asking questions/clarifying questions. Visualizing is also a skill we’ve been working on, as your children have enjoyed illustrating poems and stories we’ve read!
Sight words we should know now are the, and, go, had, has, have, he, a, I, and see. Don’t forget to save the pre-decodable books for practice!
We are nearing the end of our introduction of the letters of the alphabet. At home, practice segmenting words into sounds (ie. cat /c/ /a/ /t/), and writing those sounds down on paper will give your child an advantage at school!
Listening Center
We have been discussing text features. At this point, children should be able to identify a character, setting, event, and problem in a story they hear. In our independent listening centers, students are expected to listen to the story and then illustrate a given feature. This is an independent activity.
Handwriting Without Tears/Writing
We have begun using the HWT program for handwriting and formation. When helping your child to form letters and numbers, please refer to the formation guides that were sent in folders this past week.
We are especially focusing on name writing. Please encourage your child to begin their name with a capital letter and then use lowercase letters for the rest of their name. Proportional sizes are also a focus.
Our writing focus has been on drawing detailed illustrations, labeling them with sounds we know (mostly initial/first sounds) and beign able to describe what is happening in their picture/story. Using familiar terms and practice at home will help them develop their skills more quickly.
Mathematics
Your children have really been enjoying math, and are picking up new skills quickly! Our current unit puts focus on measurement and counting and comparing numbers and items. We will soon begin working on making and testing conjectures. One such conjecture is that switching the order of factors does not change the sum of the factors. At home, work with identifying numerals 0-20 and writing them correctly will allow for more time to work on more advanced skills at school!
Science
In science, we have continued our study of trees! We have focused on fall trees and how they change, as well as the parts of a tree. We will be looking more closely at leaves in the coming weeks.
We worked with the cycle of a pumpkin and compared will soon compare it to that of the apple.
This winter, we will put more emphasis on our study of trees and wood/paper.
Social Studies
We have focused this year on Bus and Fire safety as well as following rules.
Please review bus rules and safety with your child. We had quite a few children struggling with remaining seated on the seat of the bus during our trip last week. Most children ride the bus daily and we will likely have another bus trip this spring. It would be upsetting to know that my little friends are not riding safely during these times.
Please also remind your children about being kind to others and including them in their play. We speak a lot about our ‘school family’ and making sure that our classroom is a comfortable environment for all of us to thrive in.
Little Tidbits
As the days become chillier, I ask that you label the tags of your child’s sweaters or coats. Surprisingly, our lost and found pile continues to grow as students don’t always remember what they wore to school or recognize their clothing.
I encourage you to have your child decorate a ‘book box’ to store the books in to practice throughout the year.
Report cards will be sent home next week. Please remove and review your child’s report card and then sign and return the EMPTY envelope in your child’s homework folder. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for the supplies of snacks! They are always welcome and very much appreciated!
If you are willing/able to donate any other small supplies, we do have a small wish list for future projects. Please contact me if you’d like to help! Thank you in advance!
I encourage you to have your child decorate a ‘book box’ to store the books in to practice throughout the year.
Report cards will be sent home next week. Please remove and review your child’s report card and then sign and return the EMPTY envelope in your child’s homework folder. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for the supplies of snacks! They are always welcome and very much appreciated!
If you are willing/able to donate any other small supplies, we do have a small wish list for future projects. Please contact me if you’d like to help! Thank you in advance!