Weekly Update!

Please check out SEESAW for our weekly updates.
Thank you to all of the families who joined us for family reading night!
I enjoyed seeing you! We are working on applying our HABITS! We learned about SYNERGIZE last week!

Live, laugh, learn!

How is it the 6th week of school?
I can't believe how quickly this grading period is flying by!
The children are learning more and more each new day. 
In math our focus is shapes and patterns.  The children's I CAN statements are coming home in tomorrow's folder, so that you know what we are learning in school during math time.  These I CAN skills can be easily worked on at home. 

Dr. Shewbridge is wearing patterns!

We can sort shapes in many ways!

During our language arts time we are learning to activate and build our schema. 
Today, we activated our schema for pumpkins.  Once we visit the farm we will certainly learn more.  We will build our schema.  WHAT IS SCHEMA? Schema is the information in our brain. Our brain is like a filing cabinet of all kinds of information! When we activate our schema we are thinking about what we already know.  When we build our schema we add more information into our files.  This helps us to comprehend what we are reading!
READING IS THINKING! READING IS NOT JUST READING WORDS!

 Our word knowledge is growing! Our word knowledge is growing!

(I am sorry, I cut off at /am)

You can make flashcards of these words and play flashlight, flashlight. Ask your child about this game. We also play erase a letter! This is fun too!

 Many of you have asked, "What can we do at home?" You can encourage daily writing.  

Here you can see sentence starters that we have taught and practiced. 

I sent you the alphabet chart on Seesaw.

You can always print one. Google ALPHABET CHARTS

Children enjoy writing about things that are of interest to them. As you can see we provide them with ideas that SPARK their interest. 

At this time, we are working on:

I CAN START MY SENTENCE WITH AN UPPERCASE LETTER

I CAN SOUND OUT MY WORDS.

I CAN USE ARM SPELLING TO HELP ME SOUND OUT MY WORDS.

I CAN FINGER SPACE BETWEEN WORDS.

I CAN END WITH A PERIOD.

I CAN DRAW A PICTURE TO MATCH MY WORDS.

(On the far right those are our FANCY WORDS-these are words that replace boring old words.)

REMINDERS:
PENNY WARS TOMORROW AND FRIDAY
OCTOBER 27TH FIELD TRIP, WEAR YOUR GREEN KINGSTON SHIRT
PACK A LUNCH, NO GLASS, EVERYTHING MUST BE DISPOSIBLE.
DRESS FOR THE WEATHER.  (Kids remind your parents to check their weather app.) :)
OCTOBER 31ST FALL STATIONS, WEAR YOUR GREEN KINGSTON SHIRT
VISIT RAZ-KIDS OFTEN.  

We like to have fun learning!

The children enjoyed listening to their name origins. We played Jack Be Nimble to familiarize ourselves with one another's names.

Our friend is showing us what tool we need to have before we choose a book from one of our thematic book bins. We "mark our spot" after we choose a book, so we know where to return it.  

 This week we are learning our color words, working on retelling, and making connections through reading some of the PETE THE CAT books. Tomorrow the children will create a class big book about their shoes! 

In math this week we are continuing to learn how to match counters to a number and writing our numbers the school way. Ask your child to share the poems they have learned when writing their numbers at home. 

We are learning that no matter which way we place a group of dots it doesn't change how many we have.

We love number talks!

Check it out!

http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools

On the first day of school we learned our penny poem. On the fifth day of school we learned the nickle poem, and on the tenth day of school we learned the dime poem. 

Here is a song we listened to today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5cI7qWYZO0

We have finished assessing the children to learn about which letters and letter sounds they need to learn.  In Seesaw I sent to you what your child needs to be practicing. This is their first goal for the school year.  Please encourage at home practice.

They love this song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtbL3byFa18

Fantastic First Day!

Today was a successful day! The children were kind, helpful, and attentive.
We read The Kissing Hand and talked about our first day feelings.
We are learning Hey Diddle, Diddle this week. We will be visiting different places in the school
to find the dish and spoon. This will help the children get a better sense of the layout of the school.
I introduced caring for the IPad today and the children learned how to scan a QR code! The QRCODES took them to a talking animal that told them
about something important in the room. We will be doing this again in small
group time.
The children are working on practicing writing their names. We are learning how to grip our pencil and how to write our last names too.
It is our goal to work daily on listening carefully and raising our hands without calling out. You can give gentle reminders about this at home.
Today, the children participated in calendar math. We practiced counting to100 and will continue this daily. During this time we are going over the months of the year, days of the week as well as many other important math and language arts concepts. Calendar time
is an important time of day.
This week and next week we will focus on the sight words I,love, you, the.
We will also revisit/introduce letter sounds during calendar time.
At home, please read daily and practice name writing.
Names begin with an uppercase letter and have lowercase letters inside of them.
I will update our blog as often as possible.
Please remember to sign up for mystery reader!
If you need the QRcode for the Google document,
please send me an E-Mail as soon as possible.
If you have any paperwork at home from the office, please return it.
Have a happy day!

Linus the Minus

Last week and this week Linus The Minus visited our class.
He likes taking away giving us less. What we have left is called the difference.
We like to listen to this song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkPa9V2wtZs


The children are using dice to roll and subtract.  They are also sharing number stories.
For example, I have 10 fish and 5 swam away. I have 5 left. 
Please ask your child to share their number stories and to write number sentences at home.


This week we will spend time reading poetry and creating poetry of our own. We started on Friday painting with words.


Stay tuned to see the children's words!


We also reviewed addition.  The children enjoyed using a new FREE app called NUMBER FRAMES.  This is a great tool to use at home!  I encourage every family to get this app. Ask your child to teach you how to do a number bond. :)


In science the children have been learning about life cycles.  We began by creating a hypothesis about seeds. The children planted grass seed. One cup was given everything a seed needs. Ask your child what a seed needs in order to grow.
One was given no light, one with no water, and one we built buildings on top of.
Over a period of two weeks they made and recorded their observations. At the conclusion of the experiment they revaluated their hypothesis and recorded their findings.
During this time we also learned about the life cycle of the butterfly. We visited our class tree to see if any butterflies had laid eggs. We didn't see any. We decided at that time it may have been to cold.


The children also observed their bean seeds change.  After their seeds sprouted, they transplanted them into soil. Giving them a nice home with space.


While we are not assigning homework for June, we ask that you continue to have your child read to you daily.  Please get on RAZKIDS as often as possible. Please make sure that your child is taking the quizzes carefully and not guessing at answers.
Please have your child decompose numbers 11-19 and tell addition and subtraction number stories.  As always, daily writing is important.  You do not need to send their writing to school. 

Retelling!

Today we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  This was a crowd favorite.
We worked on retelling the story using props and the words, first, then, next, last.
We also discussed problem and solution.

I can retell the story to my partner!

Today we continued our unit in measurement. We started learning about telling time on an analog clock.  We played match my clock.
The children need to identify the hour hand, minute hand, and be able to tell time to the nearest hour. APs will be earned for children who can tell time to the nearest half hour.
We also learned this song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBvmO7NgUp0




Thank you so much for sending in LEGO flats and materials for our classroom store!




HOMEWORK WENT HOME TODAY! :)

Tools You Can Use!

I am sharing the pictures of our word wall and writing areas for you to use as tools when writing at home with your child. :) 

RAZKIDS and REMINDERS

Your child's reading level has been updated on RAZKIDS.

Please encourage RAZKIDS time at home. 

Please be sure that your child isn't clicking on the levels that run across the top of the screen.

Your child should have all checks under their books. Once they have done that and I have assessed them at school, then I will move them if they are ready.

Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' Birthday! Wednesday, March 2nd! Who will your child be?

Your child may dress in black, red, and white, or dress as their favorite Dr. Seuss character! 

Supplies -THANK YOU FOR THE WIPES and The markers!!!!

THIS week we will expand our vocabulary through reading, develop our comprehension on fiction text, make predictions, and retell familiar stories as we learn about Theodor Suess Giesel, Dr. Seuss! 

In preparation for the two week event of learning fun we need some things to help us get the learning done! Please E-mail me and let me know if you can participate in making this learning a GO!

On Monday, we will begin our journey through learning as we read facts about Theodor Suess Giesel. To celebrate Dr. S. on Wednesday the 2nd dress up as your favorite Dr. Seuss character~
WE ARE GOOD TO GO FOR GREEN EGGS AND HAM!WE HAVE A VOLUNTEER TO MAKE THESE! :)

We would need 20 or 40 if you wish for us to enjoy from a dish! Don't know how to make them you say, mini-pretzels, melted white chocolate, and a green M&M or Skittle.

We would need these on Thursday, March 3rd just E-mail me if you can make these, it won't take but a second!We will enjoy Green Eggs and Ham if a volunteer would be kind to make this treat for us to find!

Goldfish will help us count- please send in 24 small bags of colored Goldfish crackers for Monday, March 7th!

On Wacky Wednesday, March 9th we will dress so WACKY!

Dress up in your wackiest outfit that you can find!

Maps and Expository Non-Fiction

We just wrapped up our unit on maps and globes.
The kids love google maps! I will try to allow time during the week for use to google their homes!
The children created a non-fiction expository writing piece today.
After writing, editing, and revising the children learned a new app called CHATTERPIX KIDS.

Check out their work on SEESAW.

This week we are also discussing the presidents.

Here is a song that we have learned.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDac5gcLpxc

In math we are currently working on collecting and graphing data.

This is something that can easily be done at home as well.

The children are enjoying asking their friends questions and recording the data through using tally marks and recording that information into a graph.

Show your child a number 1-20 and ask them to write the tally marks to match.

We are working on writing our tallies with appropriate spacing and creating groups of 5. This can be a tricky concept!

We say 1,2,3,4, number 5 shuts the door. 6,7,8,9, number 10 draws a line!

Your child can tally items in your home. One of our friends shared with me that he graphed and tallied the shoes in his house!  Great way to practice!

I am currently pre-assessing the students on their knowledge of money too!

NEW GOALS!

Some of our friends came home with a new goal on Tuesday. Please begin working on these words right away. We are also reviewing this each day in small group.

Homework- Writing homework is due each Friday!

Set up a work space for your child to complete his or her writing.

This is a great time for your child to show off what they can do!

Start with uppercase, finger space, form letters the school way, sound out words (not their high frequency words) , add details, and punctuation. In school we are encouraging these skills daily. If your child is easily distracted during writing time at home, try setting a timer for 10 minutes. Our friends can all complete a sentence and check it in 10 minutes! I have seen them. :) I find that our friends enjoy quiet writing music and our writing light on during this time.  Once your child has tried their best ask them to read it to you. Feel free to "parent write."

Parent writing is much like the teacher writing you see me do on their work.

Our goal is to encourage not correct.

CHECK OUT THE KINGSTON WEBPAGE TO SEE WHAT SCHOOL WIDE EVENTS ARE COMING SOON!

ALSO, TO SEE US ON TWITTER!