I am so excited to have a FULL week!  We have SO MUCH to do!  

 

In reading, we will be starting centers with our reading groups!  We will be focusing on short e and u for phonics as well as other high frequency sight words. We will continue working with photo essays and focus on identifying details using the selection.  Please remember, a new letter will not be sent home.  The newsletter that was sent two weeks ago covers ALL 4 weeks of the unit!  HOWEVER, I'll send home another copy of the vocabulary words we will be working with over the next two weeks!  We will continue working on nouns, focusing on proper nouns such as names, holiday, months, etc.  In writing, we will be incorporating what we are learning about in class to write complete sentences and work on adding details to our writing.  We will be doing some shared writing activities to model how to add important details and what to do when we don't know how to spell a word!

 

*Some tips we have been reviewing during reading when we come to an unknown word:  

Get your mouth ready (many words at this level CANNOT be sounded out.  So instead of saying, "Sound it out", tell your child to get their mouth ready to make the first sound.  That is usually a safe bet!  Let them know that they cannot make all the sounds to figure out the word, just usually the beginning sound.

Look for parts you know or "hunks and chunks" such as sh, ch, th, er, ai

Look for word parts to break up- for example compound words such as chalkboard, butterfly, etc.

Break the word up into syllables (also helps with spelling)

Read the rest of the sentence AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD MAKE SENSE!  Can they figure out the word based on context clues from the rest of the sentence?

Try some of these if they come to an unknown word when doing their nightly reading!

 

We will wrap up Chapter 1 in Math this week!  We will be completing a "study guide" in class to take home to help them study for the test.  This will be incorporated into their homework.  Please make sure you are taking a look at the papers coming home to see how your child is doing with the math concepts we are learning in class.  If your child has been doing great and can get through the homework on their own, they should be well prepared for the test!  We will review skills and concepts throughout the week and test on Friday!  The study guide will come home on Tuesday.  We will also be starting our fact fluency program this week.  Please make sure to look for the letter that will be sent home Monday.  We will start with +/- 0.  Students will be expected to study math facts with +/-0 throughout the week (5-10 minutes) and it will be part of their daily math homework.  Flashcards will be sent home in their homework folders each week for the fact of the week!  So, in their agendas, you will notice them writing +/- and the fact for the week with all their other homework.  They will be tested on the fact every Friday.  If you missed Curriculum Night and need an explanation after reading the letter Monday, don't hesitate to call or email!

 

*Remember, you can practice the fact fluency skill of the week ANYWHERE: in the car on the way to practice, getting groceries, or on the way home from school!  Just focus on the fact we are working on in class!  That can be their "studying" for homework!  If your child is struggling, tie in some strategies!  Let me know if you ever need any ideas or strategies to help at home!

 

We will be learning about being a good citizen and how to develop habits of being a contributor to where we live for Constitution Day.  We will also be learning about what the Constitution is and why we celebrate this holiday.  Our main activities will be on Friday, during Social Studies Friday.  We will be introducing the topics throughout the week to build background!

 

Important Reminders:

 

*PTC meeting this Tuesday, September 15th! 6:30 for Room Parents and 7:00 for the general meeting!

*Book orders are due by this Friday the 18th!

*Conference sign up times will be sent home this week!

*BOX TOPS!!!  Please start sending in Box Tops or Labels for Education!  The two top classes win an ice cream party!  This is a great fundraiser to raise money for our school!  Can we STAY UNDEFEATED?!!!!  

 

We have completed MAP testing.  Students who did not finish the test in the hour window for each test will finish Monday in the computer lab.  Students who were absent on test days will also complete the test Monday!

 

Make sure to check out the album I posted to see the photos of our class working on our Patriot Day crafts.  We had some very good discussion about the 9-11 events.  Your child may have even asked what you were doing when you got the news.  We answered all questions to the best of our ability and discussed how these "bullies" didn't like the freedoms we had in our country. 

We also tried to recall happier outcomes such as becoming united as a nation.  Ask your child about Philippe Petit, the French aerialist, and his high wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.