Week of February 22-26, 2016

Reading:  We will complete “My Lucky Day” this week. Cause and effect is still the focus skill.  The next story we will start is “One Little Mouse.” This is an animal fantasy that answers the question “What adventures can animals have?” Story sequence will be stressed in these lessons. The amazing words presented are: woodland, vale, comfortable, nest, hollow, and shadows. The targeted sight words are: one, two, three, four, and five. We will also learn what parts are needed in a sentence to make it complete.

Phonics:  Consonant blends will be introduced this week. The students will learn how to blend two sounds together in a word. (ex. /s/ and /l/ together make a /sl/ sound, as in slide.

Math:  Topic 7 (Understanding Addition) will be completed. We will learn how to use the plus sign, find sums, write addition sentences, and practice joining groups.

Reminders:

~ Friday will be the February Positive Behavior Reward Day. Students may bring a toy from home for recess. Please refer to the note sent home regarding this reward.

~ Please continue to practice sight words daily. We are striving to attain and possibly surpass that goal of 96 words!

Specials:

Monday- Gym Tuesday- Music Wednesday- Computers Thursday- Library Friday- Art

Week of February 16-19, 2016

Our fun-filled February continued to provide exciting learning experiences for us. We celebrated Groundhog Day, Super Bowl, the 100^th Day, Chinese New Year, Doughnut Day, and Valentine’s Day. We even took time to celebrate the snow! President’s Day is the last holiday we will discuss this month. Although some instruction revolved around these special events, we still followed our usual curriculum. This week we will settle back into our normal routine.

Reading: “My Lucky Day” is the new story. This animal fantasy tells about a fortunate adventure involving a piglet and a fox. We will be exploring cause and effect, as well as action parts in a sentence. The Amazing Words for the week are: piglet, lucky, cook, fox, filthy and scrubber. The Sight Words: are, that and so will be rehearsed.

Phonics: The letter of the week is Ll. The sound for this letter is /l/, as in lemon. We will explore this sound in the beginning and end of words.

Math: Topic 7 is introduced this week. The goal of this topic is to understand addition. We will use stories showing how to join groups and count how many items there are altogether. The plus and equal sign will be used to write addition sentences.

Reminders:

~ There is no school for students on Friday, February 12^th, and Monday, February 15^th.

~ Please review sight words daily. Also practice counting by 1’s, 2’s, and 10’s.

Specials : Tuesday- Computers, Wednesday- Guidance, Thursday- Art, Friday- Gym

Have a lovely week!

Week of February 1-5, 2016

We finally have seen the true arrival of winter. Unfortunately, the snow days have delayed our learning plans. Therefore, the week will begin by catching up on some things missed from the previous week.

Reading: “The Lion and the Mouse” will be completed, along with the concept of main idea. We will also continue writing sentences correctly. Once this story wraps up, we will start Unit 4. The stories in this section will discuss adventures. The first story is Eric Carle’s animal fantasy, “Rooster’s Off to See the World.” Sequence (the order of events in a story) will be the skill taught.  The new amazing words to explore are: world, trip, journey, lonely, horizon, and homesick. The sight words to focus on are: are, do, and that.

Phonics: After practicing the /o/ sound, we will move on to letter Hh. Words with the initial /h/ sound start like the word helicopter.

Math: Topic 6 (Numbers to 100) will be introduced. This includes counting to 30; estimating items that are close to 5, 10, and 20; using a hundred chart to count and find missing numbers to 100; and counting groups of 10.

Reminders:

~Friday, February 5^th will be our 100^th day of school. We will be completing activities involving the concept of 100. Students may dress as if they were 100 years old.

~Please review sight words daily. Also, practice writing the sight words and numbers to 20.

Have a happy first week of February!

Week of January 25-29, 2016

The first half of the year is complete! The third marking period is underway. Please take note of any areas your child may be struggling with and try to practice those skills a little more.

Reading: This week’s story is the classic fable, “The Lion and the Mouse.” We will use this story to focus on the concept of Main Idea. (Identifying the important things that are happening in stories.) The amazing words to learn are: jungle, nibbling, trembling, beast, snarled, and entangled. The sight words emphasized will be: they, you, and of. During the week we will also practice how to correctly write sentences. Children should know that a sentence is a complete thought. It starts with a capital letter, has spaces between words, and ends with a period. Rhythm and rhyme in poems will also be discussed.

Phonics:  This week is a continuation of the /o/ sound, spelled with letter Oo. Remember: this is a vowel, it has two sounds! We will be practicing /o/ in the beginning, as well as the middle of words.

Math: Topic 5 (Numbers to 20) will be tested. Topic 6 will begin. This unit will discuss numbers to 100. It will start by counting to 30, and estimating items. Our estimations will determine if objects are closer to 10 or 20.

Reminders:

~ Remember to have your child wear a winter coat to school daily. We go outside for recess as often as possible. It is too cold to wear only sweatshirts. 

~ Please practice sight words daily. Also go over class work that is sent home. This helps to reinforce the concepts learned throughout the day.

Have an optimistic week!

Week of January 19-22, 2016

Reading: The title of this week's story is "Then and Now." It is a non-fictional story that emphasizes how things we use today are different from things used long ago. This selection provides great opportunities for developing lists, composing meaningful word groups, and demonstrating words for opposites. We will also practice how to draw conclusions in a story. The amazing words presented will be: gears, webcams, phonographs, headphones, handwritten, and newspapers. The sight words we will focus on are: they, you, and of.
Phonics: The letter of the week is Oo. The children will work with the short /o/ sound, as in hop, as well as the long /o/ sound, as in hope.

Math: We will begin Topic 5, "Numbers to 20." In this unit we will count, read, and write numbers 11-20.

Reminders:
~ Monday, 1/18/16, is a teacher in-service day. There is no school for students.
~ Please remember to practice all sight words daily. You can go beyond the flashcards.
Specials:
Tuesday- Music,   Wednesday- Computers,   Thursday- Library,    Friday- Art

Have an outstanding week!

Week of December 14-18, 2015

The anticipation is building. Christmas is right around the corner, and we are getting very excited! While holiday thoughts are in our minds, we still need to focus on the learning process before our well-deserved break.

     This week’s Reading story is an animal fantasy called “Little Quack.” We will concentrate on the plot (what important things happen in the story). Verbs happening now and in the past will also be discussed. The Amazing Words presented in the story are: duckling, pond, paddle, plunges, proud, and brave. The sight word target will be on: me, with, and she.  Our Phonics skills will focus on the consonant Rr, with an /r/ sound, as in rabbit.

     We will complete Topic 3 (Six to Ten) in Math this week. After testing how to count, read, and write numbers 6 through 10, we will begin Topic 4. This theme will compare and order numbers 0 to 10.

REMINDERS:

~ Please remember to have your child dress appropriately for the half-hour outdoor recess we have daily.

~ Keep practicing all sight words daily. Also review letter sounds, and counting to 100. I am seeing great improvements!

Have a remarkable week!

Week of December 7-11, 2015

It is that busy time of year for all of us. We are continuing to work hard as our lessons become more challenging, and our spirits are in the season.

In Reading we will begin Unit 3, which discusses changes all around us. The first story in the unit is “Little Panda.” This nonfictional story explains how a panda changes in its first year of life. During the story, we will practice how to compare and contrast ideas, such as how are a panda and her mother alike and different. Grammar will focus on verbs. Our amazing words are: weigh, measure, healthy, bamboo, curious, and explore. New sight words will be introduced: me, with, and she.

Phonics: We will be learning two letters this week, Nn, and Bb. The sounds to focus on are /n/, as in nest, and /b/, as in boat.

Math: Six to Ten is still our topic. Counting, reading, and writing the numbers 6-10 will be the focus. We will also look for “growing patterns.”

Reminders:

~ The weather is becoming much colder. We go outside during recess for one-half hour each day, unless there is rain, snow, or a severely low temperature. Please dress your child accordingly. (ex. Winter coat, hat, mittens, etc.)

~ Continue to practice the alphabet letters and all sight words daily.

~ Also keep counting to 100 by 1’s and by 10’s.

Thank you and have a blissful, new week!

~Mrs. Green