Hi K-101 Families!
Here are some of the things we have been up to so far…
The students will be bringing home 2 books (at their independent reading levels) every night. We call these books “just right” books because students should be able to read theses stories independently (with little to no help.) Also, I have been asked about reading levels, please note that when teachers assess the students, we focus on two things: reading accuracy and comprehension. Please see below for some reading skills to focus on or reinforce at home by reading with your child, as these will be taught throughout the year:
- Reading with accuracy
- Students recognize, point to and read the words
- Students decode, sound out and read the words
- Students sentences with fluency
- Students read with expression and intonation
- Reading with comprehension: Students understand what they are reading
- Students retell the story, summarize what happened from memory
- Students explain important events or key details in the story in sequence by stating beginning/middle/end or first/next/last
- Students will be able to answer literal and inferential questions about the text
- Literal questions-answers can be found in the book (the student remembers and uses exact words from the story)
- Inferential questions- reading between the lines, understands the character’s feelings, and can think about how they might feel if they were in the same situation
We have also been adding lots of new words to our Word Wall! In our class, we call them snap words because they can be recognized in a snap! Below please click link to see a great list of snap words that you can review with your child. You can support your child by reviewing the words in bold, as those are the ones we are working on. A great thing to do at home is to write the words on index cards and read them with your child every night. You can put them on a binder ring or in a special box or in a plastic bag.
We are writing like scientists!
- Scientist writers look closely at objects and draw all the details
- Scientist writers observe one object at a time and use lots of details
- Scientist writers use real colors to represent their objects
- Scientist writers use lots of labels to teach about their objects
- Writers can use 1, 2, 3 word labels
- Writing words by saying it slowly and writing all the sounds they hear
At home, please reinforce this piece by having your child actively observe the world around them, by noticing and discussing attributes (color, texture, size and shape.)
As part of our daily morning routine, the children enjoy our Calendar Math work. This includes recognizing numbers, counting how many days we have been in school, and grouping by tens (place value).
In addition, we have been exploring more manipulatives (links, geo blocks, pattern tiles) and discussing attributes to compare/contrast. We have also started playing a card game called Compare. It is similar to the card game War. Each player gets half of a deck of cards and puts them in a pile facedown. Both players turn over their top card, and the person with the larger number says, “Me.” The game is over when all of the cards have been turned over. Then partners can shuffle, switch decks and continue playing. For more of a challenge, the students can put two cards down, add them up, and see who has the larger total. If you want to do this at home, it can be done with a deck of cards.
A few other things:
- Book fair: Our class got a lot of new books thanks to all of your contributions! Thank you so much!! We have already started reading some of them and the students are incredibly happy J
- Red Folders: Please make sure to check your child’s red folders, as there may be flyers, notices, and student work enclosed
- Homework: Please make sure to bring back the two books in the plastic bag so the children can switch and bring home two other books every night.
It is a pleasure to work with your delightful children. Please reach out anytime.