Skills for the Week of 2/7/10
Well the winter weather has hit again! I did not expect to be out of school again today. Please stay tuned to the local news stations for updated information regarding closings. As soon as the Memphis City Schools makes a decision about when and how we will be making up our snow days, I will let you know so that you can make adequate arrangements.
Don’t forget that you have access to computer programs at home and your child should be using these at home and at school. If you are having trouble loading any of the programs or getting them to work, please let me know. I have links on this blog to most of the websites that we use in class.
This week in reading is found at www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and I encourage you to have your child practice reading the stories that are available on the website. Practice is key to success! Our story this week is titled If You Could Go to Antarctica and we will focus on classifying and categorizing information from the story. Our letter this week is Ee and we will focus on the short Ee sound. We will make words using -eg, -et, -en, and -ed.
This week in math we will wrap up our study of addition and switch our learning to subtraction. Be prepared for this transition. Many children struggle with the change from addition to subtraction. Go to www.internet4classrooms.com for links to practice addition and subtraction.
We will wrap up our study of animals and plants in science and begin our study of community helpers in Social Studies.
When we do return to school you will be given a special project about community helpers that is due Tuesday, February 23.
Update for the week of 2/7/10
I am ready to come back to work on Monday and see all of the kids. I have missed them so much and it is no fun being out of commission from Vertigo BPPV (causes dizziness and nausea). This is the first day since Wednesday that I have actually felt normal.
We will not have a Valentine’s Day Party, but we will exchange cards. The students will decorate bags early in the week and then exchange cards with everyone on Friday. To make it easy for them to pass out, have them sign the from line with their name and write my friend on the to line.
Look for a special project to come home this week. Your child is learning about jobs and community helpers. We are asking you to help decorate your child’s paperdoll as the career they plan on sharing about with the class. They will have to explain the job that the person does.
I will update the skills for the week tomorrow as all of my plans and teacher editions are still at Germanshire and I don’t want to make any mistakes.
Skills for the Week of 2/1/10
January has now come and gone so quickly due to the shortend weeks that we have had due to falling temperatures, a national holiday, and an ice day. February will move just as quickly so brace yourself!
In Reading this week we will read the classic tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The comprehension skill this week is character and most of the kids have this down just fine. I will be spending more time on story retelling since this is a tested report card skill and there are more students having trouble with this than with character. We will continue to work with consonant blends, though Scott Foresman only spends one week on this. I encourage you to use the binder for practice and take the tickets around the ferris wheel. We do this regularly in class and the students enjoy the song. Additionally, we will be working with the letter Gg. Do not confuse this with Jj as many children often do.
In math, we will continue working with addition facts. This is coming along and most of the kids can put the problems together using manipulatives or drawings. Remember that this is a tested skill for the report card and the best way to master addition through 10 is to memorize the fact problems. This will help them later on in school if they know them by heart instead of having to count on fingers.
In science, we will continue working with plants and animals and what they need. In social studies, we will begin our study of careers. We will be having a special assembly called Careers on Wheels later in the month.
Look for a special project to come home sometime in the next two weeks that will relate to our study of careers. Also, if your child has a yellow STAR folder you will be meeting with me sometime in the next two weeks for a mid-year review. I will be having conferences on Monday, February 15th from noon until 3. However, some conferences may be scheduled at alternate times to accommodate translators, schedule conflicts, etc. Please be sure to return your child’s conference form this week in the Wednesday Folder.
Mark your calendar for Monday, February 15th as there is not school for children due to conferences.
Skills for the Week of 1/25/2010
We are now more than halfway finished with our Kindergarten year. Wow how quickly time flies!
I want to thank all of you who have asked for your child’s usernames and passwords. This helps them so much and it helps me out too. Giving them the extra practice that they need will really help them make it to the next level. If you still need your child’s information, please let me know. Also, please let me know if you are experiencing difficulty when using the programs.
This week’s Reading skills are posted along with the stories at www.pearsonsuccessnet.com. We will begin our study of consonant blends. While the series itself only allows one week for blends, I know from experience that the students need more time to fully grasp this concept. I introduced blends several weeks ago and the children really seem to be enjoying them. The reading stories expose them to FL, SP, SL, PL, SK, CL, DR. We will continue to work on sequencing skills in comprehension.
Math will be challenging for the next 4 weeks so be prepared. We will begin addition and then subtraction, both of which are tested skills this reporting period. A copy of addition facts has been placed in the binder. Students can memorize these and the more that they know and practice them, the easier that they can do it. PRACTICE!
In science we will continue to study animal and plant needs.
Skills for the week of 1/18
I hope that you are having a restful weekend and are looking forward to an exciting week.
I encourage you to visit www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and log in using your child’s username/password for access to stories and additional reading practice. If you need another copy of your child’s access information, please let me know and I will share that with you.
I also have access information to share with you for Destination Reading and Headsprouts. If you would like your child’s username/password please let me know.
In Reading this week, we will read My Lucky Day. Students love this story and enjoy acting it out and writing about it. We will work with the letter Ll and identifying the naming parts of sentences. In Math, we will wrap up our study of coins. Be sure that your child is practicing naming the coins and their values as I will test students on this skill on Friday.
Don’t forget your 100th Day Project is due Tuesday, 1/19!
Also, our class is in need of hand sanitizer again and I am looking for a tutor to work with a small group once or twice a week using prepared materials.
Skills for the Week of January 11, 2010
Hopefully you have begun to thaw out from the frigid temperatures that we had last week and are making preparations for the upcoming week.
This week we read the story Bunny Day and focus on sequencing skills. We will work on the letter Hh and the sound that Hh makes /h/. To give your child extra practice at word reading you can use these words. hit, hot, and, in, Nan, Nat, can, top, bin, it, tin, fan, nap, man, at, sip, not. Don’t forget to practice your high-frequency words-a, you, see, the, of, they, look, are, that, do.
In math, we will continue to work with identifying coins-penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. We are learning the following rhyme at school to help us remember the names and values of the coins. Penny, penny easily spent. Copper brown and worth one cent. Nickel, nickel thick and fat. You’re worth five cents I know that. Dime, dime little and thin. I remember you’re worth ten. Quarter, quarter big and bold. You’re worth twenty-five I am told.
In science, we will continue to discuss the parts of plants and the things that plants need in order to grow.
Remember, if you would like home access to programs to your child uses at school, please send me an email or note with your request.
Skills for the Week of 1/4/10
Welcome back! This will be a busy week as we readjust to our routine and begin some benchmark assessments the following week. Don’t forget that we have our Kindergarten Mid-Year Parent Meeting on Tuesday, January 5 at 11:00 or 5:15.
We will read the story Hide Clyde! and work with identifying the main idea. We will continue working with all letters and sounds, but focus on the letter Oo and the short O sound. In math we will begin working with coins. The project this week will be to send in one penny, one nickel, one dime, and one quarter. In science we will begin working with wants and needs and identify basic needs for animals and plants. We will also begin keeping a weather journal that we log daily weather patterns.
Coming Next Week: 100th Day of School Project
Happy New Year 2010!
I hope that all of you have had a wonderful Holiday Break and wish you a Happy New Year 2010. Just a reminder that students will return to school on Monday, January 4. Also, our Kindergarten Parent Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 5 at either 11:00 or 5:15.
For the Week of 12/14
Can you believe that the Holiday Season has arrived already? The first semester is almost over and the students are all abuzz with excitement of the weeks to come. Let me remind you of this week’s schedule so you will be sure not to miss anything.
Monday-Send in $3.00 if you plan to take part in our Holiday Celebration on Thursday. Also bring in your wrapped/decorated cereal box with your name on it.
Tuesday-Kindergarten and Third Grade present Twas the Night Before Christmas and other holiday songs at 1:30 and again at 6:00 in the Multi-Purpose room. All students schoolwide should wear PJs (appropriate coverage please). Old Navy and Target both have very inexpensive holiday sets on sale.
Wednesday-School-wide Fight Free Celebrations We will have a movie day. You may send juice boxes and individual sized chips or fruit snacks. Don’t forget to send in your 20 small treasures for stuffing the cereal boxes. Party favors, Target’s dollar aisle, or craft stores tend to have great things to trade.
Thursday-this is the last day for students. Our Holiday Celebration will take place around 1:00
Remember to mark your calendars for January dates to come:
January 4th students return to school Don’t forget to return your holiday work packet for a prize!
January 5th Kindergarten Mid-Year Parent Meeting
Happy Holidays to all!
Week of 11/30 Update
Our Thanksgiving Break has come to a close and our Winter Holiday is quickly approaching! Below are some important dates that you may want to mark on your December calendar.
November 30 $3.00 due for the Kenneth Jackson Basically Blues Concert
December 1 Kenneth Jackson Basically Blues Concert at 1:00 p.m. in Germanshire Multi-Purpose Room
December 15 Kindergarten and Third Grade Students present Holiday Program at 1:30 and 6:oo
December 17 Last Day for Students/Holiday Party (more information coming soon)
This week our Power Read sessions will begin 8:45-9:15 in an effort to build your child’s ability to read. Yes, they can do it with a little help! If you have questions about how to help your child at home, please let me know.
Email me if you would like to have access to your child’s online usernames and passwords so that you can allow home usage of some great programs.
