School Safety

If you are volunteering in our classroom please make sure that you sign in with our security staff or with the office, and get a visitors sticker. Please make sure our classroom is your only destination.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Extending Our Sentences

During writing we are working on extending our sentences.  
For example, My ________________ Mom is so loving.
The _________________ boy is nice because....
We are adding details to make our writing more interesting.

I encourage every family to make writing for fun part of your daily routine.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

How To Choose A Just Right Book!

Your child has practiced finding Just Right Books for him or herself at school.
They look through books or "shop" for books for their book baggies that they read from during read to self time.  A book that is on his or her independent reading level makes it JUST RIGHT!


How To Choose A Just Right Book
When choosing a book think about:
-Activating your schema-What do I already know about this topic?
-Predict- What do I think it may be about?
-Is the print in the book to little? Too big? Just right for me?
-Are there too many words on the page? Too few? Just the right amount for me?
-The pictures:Do they seem like they will help me read the words?
-Are there letters and high frequency words that I know?
Five Finger Rule (We start with all five up)
As we look at the cover and the first few pages we ask ourselves the above questions. We drop fingers as we make discoveries about the book.

TOO EASY- 4/5 FINGERS ARE UP
JUST RIGHT- 2/3 FINGERS ARE UP
TOO HARD- 0/1 FINGER IS UP

Your child should ALWAYS be applying his or her reading strategies while they are reading.  

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Eye On The Alphabet

If your child has completed their Eye On The Alphabet book please send it in this week. We will be sharing them and displaying them in the hallway showcase.

Check out the following IPAD apps and songs when reviewing with your child.

Counting Coins

By K12 Inc.

Coin Math Free

By Recession Apps LLC



Sushi Monster

By Scholastic


As always ABCYA.com- Awesome site.  The kids beg to visit this site.


Phonics Vowels - Short Vowels, Long Vowels, Two Vowels



ABC Phonics Word Family Free

By Abitalk Incorporated


Sight Words List - Learn to Read Flash Cards & Games

By Innovative Mobile Apps


Songs:  I believe that children learn best through movement while singing along!  Why not practice this way at home?   The children are fully engaged in their learning when they are singing along! 
 









Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Money, Money, Money


I am wrapping up 3 rd Quarter assessments.  It just doesn't seem possible. 
Please review the writing and math objectives sheet that we sent home at the beginning of the quarter.  All of those objectives are being tested.  If you have any questions about those objectives let me know. 



The students are working on identifying penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.  They are also learning to determine the value of a collection of coins that contain pennies and nickels.
Here are some fun songs to watch and sing along to.
Coin Songs:
Elmo’s Coin Song ~
Money Song ~
Mr. R’s Coin Song ~
Hey Honey Bunny!

ABCYA.COM continues to be a crowd favorite in our class. The site is really cool!!!  A great place to visit to review so many kindergarten skills.  


We arrived at school on Monday morning to discover something green with little feet had made a mess out of our room.  It also left little green foot prints everywhere!
The kids in Rainbow Valley made a plan! They were going to catch this leprechaun!
The children learned that when someone is trying to build something, or follow a plan that there must be order to the writing in order for someone to follow it.
They learned how to apply the words first, then, next, and last in their writing. Through this writing process they edited their work with a friend before they came up with their official plan.  We called this "check to make sure it makes sense!"

Outside of our room you can see how they decided to catch the pesky little leprechaun!


Reading Logs- As your child completes his or her reading log please send it in.  We will give them a clover to place in the hallway with their name on it.


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Picture Day!!

It is finally here- SMILE!
Tomorrow is picture day!!
Class pictures are prepay. Please send in your money tomorrow.

Friday, March 14, 2014

Supplies

Please send in empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls, cut up cereal boxes (front, back, sides), small square and rectangle pieces of cardboard for a project that we will begin work on on March 23rd.  Thank you!

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

This weeks information

Math:  During math we are working on decomposing numbers 11-20.
Please ask your child to show you how many ways they can make 11.
We like to use 10 frames to help us and pictures.
Learning the coins names and their values.  Play with money at home because the children love it.  Let them count coins and trade them with you.  

Writing: During our daily journal time I allow the children to free write while applying their writing skills. I am encouraging expanding their sentences and using the word because to make their sentences more interesting.  At the beginning of the 3rd grading period a writing rubric went home so that each family was aware of the skill set we would be learning and then applying during this grading period.  
Please make sure that writing becomes part of your daily practice at home.  

Reading: Our focus has been non-fiction text features.  We have been discussing why an author chooses certain titles.  Why heading are important.  The difference between a photograph and a picture.  Bold face words.  
As you read non-fiction text listen to see if your child is finding these features.   

Science: Magnets, magnets, and more magnets.
The children are loving magnets!!! I have added a magnet station for us during independent work time.  I am encouraging speaking like a scientist and using words like attract, repel, magnetic force.  Ask your child to tell you three facts about magnets.  Have them draw about what they are learning.  
Speaking of science...Congratulations to Henry and Macy for their participation in the JBD Science Fair! Way to go kids!  Your experiments were a hit!



Thursday, March 6, 2014

Say Cheese! (Not tomorrow!)

Picture day has been postponed! Check your child's folder and this blog for the new date.
We started our unit on magnets yesterday.  The children explored magnets. They learned the vocabulary words and their meanings:
attract
repel
iron
magnet
magnetism

Ask your child about their learning!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Pictures

PICTURE DAY CHANGE
Due to inclement weather & SOL Testing John B. Dey’s  Picture Day will be re-scheduled for Wednesday, March 19th.  Class and individual pictures will be taken. There will be not be a make-up picture day. We are sorry for any inconvenience.


Sunday, March 2, 2014

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

We started our Dr. Seuss celebration on Friday. We went into Whoville!
We will continue to share Dr. Seuss stories all week.
Thank you to all of my Rainbow Valley friends and family who came out to support the VBEF on Saturday. Those of you who took pictures please E-mail them to me. 








We are wrapping up our unit on maps this week. The children worked in teams to create their very own city maps.  They are hanging outside of our classroom. The groups voted on one student's map key to represent the groups map.  Please encourage your child to make a map of their favorite room in the house.  If they do they may bring it in.


This Saturday I had the great pleasure to read at Barnes and Noble in celebration of Read Across America.