Meet the Class

Week 3

This week we are reading a non fiction story called "Ants." The phonics focus sound this week is short i as in the word fin. The vocabulary words are:

make

they

walk

Spelling words for this week are:

in

pin

pig

wig

win

fin

am

pan

yes

and

The questions for the week are:

Monday - What did you do over the weekend?

Tuesday - Tomorrow starts a new month. What one is it? How many days are in it?

Wednesday - What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Thursday - Name 5 things that are red.

Friday - It is National Honey Month. List 3 words that describe honey.

In math we are still practicing tally marks. We are also practicing writing numbers. We are doing to 50 by 1's and 5's and will start to 20 by 2's. We will go farther was we can handle these benchmarks. We will be doing some simple number stories using the number grid and complements of 10. These are the two numbers when added together make the sum of 10. You might see how well your child is doing in these areas.

In doing the screening on Friday, I found that only 3 students knew the color words and the vocabulary words from kindergarten and the 7 words we have had so far. We will be doing a lot more word work next week. My motto is "today is brought to you by what you didn't know yesterday." To see a list of the words your child should know, go to the Vocabulary link on this blog.

The agendas were much better this week. Thanks for getting the questions answered and signing for reading homework. Your participation at home is so important to your child's progress.

We seem to have a flu bug going around. There were 4 children sick on Friday. Watch for fevers and tummy upsets.

Remember there is no school on Labor Day. Have a great long weekend.

Week 2

We are entering our second full week of school. We are working on establishing routines and quiet work habits. I am still trying to assess all the children and get them into reading material at their level. I know that "Sam and the Bag" is not challenging for some students. We will be moving into more appropriate reading material this week. The first two reading books are pretty phonetic and pretty easy. The reading difficulty takes a big jump in book 3. Be prepared!

We are still reviewing the 23 sight words from kindergarten and focusing on short a.

This week our new vocabulary words are:

and

in

oh

yes

The spelling words for the week are:

am

ham

had

bad

bag

rag

cap

mad

up

go

There seems to be lots of confusion about the agenda. Each night your child has a question to answer on that day's space on the left side of the agenda. On Monday night your child will answer Monday's question in Monday's space in the agenda. The questions will be posted on the blog each week. The address is www.thesassclass.blogspot.com. After your child reads the assigned material to you please initial in the yellow box on the right side of the agenda. This allows your child to get credit for reading at home. If homework isn't done, your child will have to stay in to finish what wasn't done the night before.

Questions for the week:

Monday - Tell me 5 words that rhyme with cat.

Tuesday - Tell me 5 animals that live on the farm.

Wednesday - It is Travel Across America Day. Where would you like to go?

Thursday - What do you do after school?

Friday - Where do you live? Learn your address and phone number.

In math we will be learning a new game, exploring math materials, working with the calendar and thermometer, and telling simple number stories. We did tally marks last week. Most of the kids seemed to catch on very easily. You might ask your child to show you a number in tally marks. It will let you know if he/she understands. Sometimes the saying "four stand tall, one takes a fall" helps them understand the concept.

Remember that your phone will show an unavailable number when the school is trying to reach you. Please pick up because we may really need to get in touch with you because your child is sick or injured.

Studies show that children that spend more than 2 hours engaged in video media, are 50% more likely to have attention difficulties.

Have a great week!

Thanks

Thanks to all of you who came last night. I hope the little bit of time that we spent together will make our school year easier for everyone.

Week 1

We will be starting our first week in the reading series. The story is called "The Hat". We will be working on the short a sound (the sound in the middle of cat) and the -at word family. We will continue to review the words learned in Kindergarten and will add these three new words:

down

got

up

We will also take the first spelling test on Friday. They are all short a words that each child should be able to use phonics skills to sound out. We will practice in class but you might want to practice at home also. The words are:

at

hat

cat

can

cap

tap

map

mad

a

the

We will be using the spelling tests that come with the reading program for the first 8-9 weeks. Then we will go into individual spelling. Those lists are the ones listed on the blog. I will list the first ones weekly in my update.

Questions of the Week:

Monday - How do you get home after school? If you ride the bus, what it your bus number?

Tuesday - Do you have pets? What kind are they?

Wednesday - What is your favorite color?

Thursday - What so you like to do at recess?

Friday - What do you like best for lunch?

Please answer in complete sentences. Remember to use capitals and periods.

There will be homework every night this week. Each night there will be something to read and a question to answer in the agenda. Please sign in the yellow box on the right when homework has been completed. Have your child write the answer to the question on the right side under the appropriate day. Since we are using old planners, you may change the date if you wish. I am not going to do that for 25 children. In an effort to conserve paper I will be doing most of my communication via email, phone, or through the blog. I will send paper copies home with only those who do not have internet access.

If you have any questions, please call 333-6536 (room) or 333-4529 (home). My husband gets up very early for work (3:30 a.m.) so please don't call the house after 8 p.m. We are early to bed and early to rise people.

Remember Parents' Night is August 17 at 6:00. Not at 6:30 as I had written earlier. Come to the classroom. I will be explaining my procedures and expectations for this school year. Bring your questions. Hopefully this meeting will make things much easier for all of us.

Have a great week!!!

WELCOME

It will soon be time to start another year in Room 136. I am looking forward to meeting all of you at the Open House on August 11 from 1:30-3:30.

I hope this blog will keep you informed of the happenings in our classroom. I will post vocabulary words, spelling lists, math concepts, and the question of the day. Lots else will appear here too. I am hoping this will make life easier for all of us, and eliminate the need for so much paper. If you have suggestions for things to go on the blog please let me know.

It will be exciting to start a new year and work with you and your child. This will be a great year with an enjoyable new class.

See you soon!!