What students need to be
successful:
Twenty
minutes of nightly reading. Let’s face it…parents (and kids) are busy! It is difficult
to “fit in” all that needs to be done in a day. We are often faced with having
to make choices about what stays and what goes in our schedules. So, why is it
so critical to include 20 minutes of reading in your child’s daily schedule?
There is a wealth of research supporting daily reading with your child
especially prior to and during the period when she/he is learning to read. Here
are a few of the ways reading with your child for 20 (or more) minutes a day
benefits him or her.
A. Reading is “brain food”
B. Reading improves listening skills
C. Reading
improves academic performance
There is a strong correlation
between a child’s ability to read and her academic performance. Because so much
of our schooling relies on our abilities to read, children must have strong
reading skills to succeed and thrive in school.
Reading
Centers consist of the following:
* Independent, Partner and Small Group Reading
·
* Guided Reading
Group
* Working with Words (Spelling & Vocabulary)
*
Working Writing
* Technology (reinforce, review, assess)
These are key ways for my
students to develop into strong, independent readers and writers in addition to
putting in extra study time at home.
Phonics/Phonic Awareness
Short vowels o, u, e, Long a, i,
and sounds for c, Long o, u, e and sounds for g, Consonant blends with r, l, s,
Common Final Blends nd, ng, nk, nt, ft, xt, and mp.
Fluency
Accuracy Words Connected in
Text
Accuracy Self- Correct
Intonation
Phrasing Punctuation
Expression
Handwriting
Students need to work on
handwriting. They will be given sheets in class and for homework that will help
with pencil control and neatness. Parents, please view and have them present
their best. Please be patient, as this takes time. You will see the skill set
come together before 4th quarter.
Writing Workshop
We
are working on writing for good readers. The development of writing for our
class is in the beginning stage. The expectations for my students are that they
will understand that writing is a mere conversation of talking. They were
introduced to 4-square writing this week. I have found that this is a great way
to teach students about the techniques and key components of putting together
words, to form sentences, to develop paragraphs.
*Our
focus is narrative writing, a story, characters, imaginary, traits, feelings, and actions
*Writing
Form: Sentences that tell a true story, Friendly Letter, Sentences
that describes, True Stories,
Grammar
*Subjects
and Predicates
*Simple
Sentences
*Types
of Sentences
*What
is a Noun?
*Singular
Plural Nouns
Math
As you have seen and
experienced, students work on math daily. Our math series, Eureka math is a
very intense and is aligned to closely our Common Core Math Standards. The
rigor of the program means that students must focus, and work to understand
each lesson. The curriculum spirals, so every lesson is the key to learning the
next lesson, throughout our series. We are currently in module 1. We are
working on the (break-a-part method). I am sure you have seen it and not known
what it was called. J
**Please continue to work with
students on addition and subtraction. Be creative and make your own Flash Cards
or know that Flash cards are sold at Dollar Tree and such places, and are a
great activity for students to study and practice. These are KEY items needed
for our daily math and if they are not up to par with them, they will quickly
fall behind. (You will find once students become more efficient, it is a matter
of taking 40 minutes to complete math versus taking 15-20.)
Social Studies/Science
Social Studies: Governing the People and the World Around
Us
Science: All about Animals, How Plants and Animals Live
Together
Spelling
We have pretest to distinguish who get list 1 (original)
or list 2 (challenge)
We did spelling activities in addition to the 4
spelling homework assignments
(Remember new words are sent
home on Friday’s at the latest on Monday’s unless it is a holiday.) Check my
webpage for the story of the week and all of the supporting components.
Important Dates to Remember
Plan Accordingly:
*Monday, September 5th is a holiday
(LABOR DAY)…there is NO
SCHOOL
*Wednesday,
September 14th is EARLY Dismissal (12:00)
*Family Reading Night is Thursday, September 22nd (6:00-7:00
p.m.)
Bring the students for a night of fun
& enhancement.
*Monday, October 10th is Columbus
Day….there is no school
*Wednesday, October 12th is EARLY Dismissal (12:00)
*Thursday and Friday,
October 27 & 28 will be Parent-Teacher
Conferences. Please make arrangements to attend.
Special Notes:
We’ve
extended the invitation for Room Parents. Please note we need room parent
helpers to plan and organize our classroom parties. The first class celebration
is October 31st. If you are interested, please email me your contact
information ([email protected]). The $10 donation towards the
classroom celebration is due before October 20th.
Parents
are requested to communicate with me through CLASS
DOJO. Have
you signed up? Letters were sent out the first full week of school. If you need
instructions on how to sign up for CLASS DOJO, please email me as soon as
possible. This is my communicative device for keeping you in the know.
Staying on Top of Things:
All homework is due the
next day, after it is assigned. The only exception to that rule is if a student
absent. Example….student sick 3 days, student will have 3 days to make-up the
work. 2nd Grade has a bit more to cover to assure students are ready for 3rd
grade. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, you can expect homework
(Math, Reading (20 minutes, expected to take AR test on Fridays), Spelling (4
assignments each week), Language, Science or Social Studies.
Classroom expectations:
Students are expected
to correct their own behavior with the assistance of TWO redirects from me. If
and when there is a 3rd redirect, I am no longer asking students to correct
their behavior, but I am telling them. This is when students' parents are connected,
students lose recess, have to read, reflect and write the behavior reflection. (So, as you can see…I work to allow students to
self-correct their behaviors, before they receive a consequence.).
Student are scheduled
to have two Healthy snacks in my classroom throughout the day,
11:00 am & 2:00pm. Snacks again MUST be HEALTHY (PLEASE DO NOT SEND PRODUCTS
THAT INCLUDE NUTS)