Simmon Shares
October 14, 2016
“A community is a safe place to grow, a space that welcomes you fully, that sees you for who you are, that invites your participation, and that holds you gently while you explore.” Mara Sapon-Shevin
Classroom Explorations
Reading/Language Arts
Boy! Our reading instruction was PACKED this week. The kids are learning so many new skills!
Sight words: or, said, you, green. Write each sight word on an index card. Cut up the index card and have the child put the word back together!
We learned how Good Readers ask questions about things they are reading. Asking questions is sometimes difficult for children (they get confused about telling and asking). We learned about question words (how, who, where, when, why, can, etc.). We also learned how to start a question by saying, "I wonder......" You can practice this skill at home by showing a picture of something or a single page in a book. Ask your child to generate questions about the picture. We used Christopher Columbus pictures to help us learn about the holiday.
We learned about the reading strategy, LOOK AT THE PICTURE! We practiced this skill by covering a word in a book and using the picture to figure out the missing word.
We also worked on onset-rime. Onset is the beginning sound in a word and rime is all the rest of the sounds together in a word. For instance, in the word cat, /ku/ is the onset and /at/ is the rime. Orally being able to distinguish between onset and rime is an important skill in reading, writing, rhyming, etc. Please work with your child at home on this skill.
Last Names
If your child does not know their last name, please practice it as a part of your nightly homework. I have given the children name puzzles so they can make their name like a puzzle. These name puzzles will come home with their reading books each night. You can also make a set of these at home using index cards and cut apart each letter of your child's last name. Have the child mix up the letters and then put it back together.
Sight Word List for the Year
Math
Science and Social Studies
We learned about Christopher Columbus this week and why he is an important person in American History. The children liked asking questions about him and thinking about what it was like to sail on a boat long ago for as long as 10 weeks.
Announcements and Reminders
Progress Reports in Folder
Homework for Next Week!
HOMEWORK THIS WEEK!
1. Read 20 minutes every night and complete the reading log.
2. Practice writing your first and last name without looking. Don't forget that you can say a chant to remember your name or use magnet letters to build your name.
3. Practice coins if you do not know the name and value of the coins. Please see the folder for your child's assessment of coins.
4. Complete the Eclass activity below.
- Log into your child's Eclass and go to Ms. Simmon's Page.
- Click on the desk.
- Find the Word Work tab.
- Under the Word Work tab, click on Onset and Rime.
- Watch the Reading Machine Video.
- Talk about other words that can be made from the words on the video.
Pizza Party Snack
Gardening With Our Class
In addition, there will be a school grounds workday in November. Please make plans to help our school look beautiful!
Pumpkin Decorating and Pumpkin Patch Pumpkins
Our room mom, Mary Edelberg, will be making a cat pumpkin for our class. The class voted and the majority of the class wanted the cat pumpkin over the minion, the turkey, the spider, or the mummy!
Another fundraiser for United Way is the Pumpkin Patch Pumpkins. Children may purchase pumpkins for 50 cents each. They may purchase as many as they like. The child can decorate their pumpkin and they are displayed on the classroom door. The classes that have the most pumpkins in their pumpkin patch win several prizes. The GRAND PRIZE is that the class gets to put a PIE in Mr. Field's face! As of Friday, our class had purchased 59 pumpkins for a grand total of $29.50 raised for United Way. The kids are having so much fun picking out and decorating their pumpkins. We even turned our pumpkin patch into a lesson on grouping and counting by 10's. See our pumpkin patch below!
Yearbook
Birthdays in October
Happy Birthday!
Zain -- 10/10
Perla -- 10/4
P.E.
If we are having P.E. next week, please make sure your child is wearing comfortable clothes and athletic shoes.
Don't Forget These Dates!!!
Dates and Events
10/24-10/28 -- Pumpkin Voting -- bring your change to vote
10/26-10/28 and 10/31-11/3 -- NO VISITORS FOR LUNCH DUE TO ITBS TESTING IN UPPER GRADES
10/28 -- Bingo Night (only prepaid tickets) (kids can wear costumes)
11/9 -- Cookie/product pickup for fundraising -- After school in gym.