News From 'Our Pad'
September 2015
Reading
It is official, we can read at least 4 words of the English language that we couldn't read when we first started school! This is a huge event for us! Due to all of our hard work we are also able to read & spell a few color words! Have you heard the songs?! The words we have learned will be sent home weekly for more reading practice, please watch your child's folder. We will be adding many more in the months to come. Along with sight words we are now being very diligent to write our letters correctly as well as say their first sound. We have completed mM & sS. Now we are ready to study the letter aA. These are in depth studies, thus the reason I am particular about their letter formation as well as how they are are orally saying their sound.
Other reading activities that you can keep fresh on and challenge your child with are rhyming and asking how many words in a sentence. (keep them between 2-5 words) Good ways to practice rhyme are by reading rhyming books, reading silly poems, challenging each other to see how many words you can rhyme before nobody can think of another one, etc. Rhyme is a HUGE part of being able to read and write!! We like to sing silly songs in our family! I am looking forward to seeing growth in reading each week!
Other reading activities that you can keep fresh on and challenge your child with are rhyming and asking how many words in a sentence. (keep them between 2-5 words) Good ways to practice rhyme are by reading rhyming books, reading silly poems, challenging each other to see how many words you can rhyme before nobody can think of another one, etc. Rhyme is a HUGE part of being able to read and write!! We like to sing silly songs in our family! I am looking forward to seeing growth in reading each week!
Letter Writing
Look at Landen's concentration! He is determined to get those letters correct!
Big Book Time
Each day we spend time on our mats (Thanks to Brayden's Grandma Wolinski for making these!) Here we do many whole group activities such as chart work.
Let's Write
Zaiah, Noah, and Makenzie are doing their best writing!
MATH
In math we have been able to practice many concepts. We are very focused right now on putting the numbers 1-5 in order, writing the numbers 1-5, and mastering shapes. We do math during our morning meeting which is calendar, counting the days of school, working with ones & tens, and getting a basic understanding of number order. Now is a great time to play games such as who has the higher/lower number, reading numbers on the scoreboard if you attend sporting events, as well as talking about days of the week, months of the year, understanding ordinal numbers, etc.
Calendar Work
Makenzie points out that parent-teacher conferences are coming up!
Pattern Block Work
Piper, Makenzie, and Isaiah work to cover shapes with pattern blocks.
Missing Number Game
Isaiah is having a blast playing the hidden number game. He is waiting for his partner to guess the number he hid.
Color Words
Along with the words from our reading series, the class is working on learning how to read and spell the color words. Our math has color words throughout the year and it is fun when the kids can read the color words in the directions. We have songs that we sing to which help us to remember how to spell these words. As of this week we have been introduced to (and hopefully they are known well) - purple, green, yellow, blue, and black. If you see any of these words in your books, stop and make your child read them!
Yellow!
Geret focuses on his "yellow" page.
Sing-it!
Sometimes a little song helps us to remember what we are studying. We use songs to remember the colors, shapes, order, etc.
Working hard!
Camille is working hard on one of her colors! She knows this information will be helpful as she grows.
HOMEWORK
Thank you for being timely with returning homework that is sent. I want to take a moment to help you, as families, understand the purpose of kindergarten homework. I feel strongly that homework is part of the educational process. When I send homework it is purposeful and focused only on what we are learning.
At this age we are learning so many different ways. Sometimes homework is simply to work on the hand eye coordination of cutting & gluing. Sometimes it is to work on a concept that is very difficult. Mostly this homework is to reinforce the skills your child is learning during the day. I believe in families being involved in their child's education and through homework you can connect with their skills. If your child needs 100% help, then they need more practice and this is the quickest way for you to know. If your child needs only some help, then you know they are on the way to learning the skill. If you really don't have to help your child at all, you can feel confident they know this topic.
I ask that all homework is completed in pencil as that is the tool your children use at school. When I send letters I want you to work with them. At school they get 1/12 of the assistance as I wander through the room and help everyone equally. At home you are able to give them 100% of the attention - this is great practice! When we work at school we all take turns. So if I have 12 rhyming words your child gets to answer once. At home with 12 questions your child gets to answer all 12 times!! This is called massed practice and it really works.
So please, be diligent about the homework and helping your child to know they can do it! This will boost their confidence and lead them to harder skills.
At this age we are learning so many different ways. Sometimes homework is simply to work on the hand eye coordination of cutting & gluing. Sometimes it is to work on a concept that is very difficult. Mostly this homework is to reinforce the skills your child is learning during the day. I believe in families being involved in their child's education and through homework you can connect with their skills. If your child needs 100% help, then they need more practice and this is the quickest way for you to know. If your child needs only some help, then you know they are on the way to learning the skill. If you really don't have to help your child at all, you can feel confident they know this topic.
I ask that all homework is completed in pencil as that is the tool your children use at school. When I send letters I want you to work with them. At school they get 1/12 of the assistance as I wander through the room and help everyone equally. At home you are able to give them 100% of the attention - this is great practice! When we work at school we all take turns. So if I have 12 rhyming words your child gets to answer once. At home with 12 questions your child gets to answer all 12 times!! This is called massed practice and it really works.
So please, be diligent about the homework and helping your child to know they can do it! This will boost their confidence and lead them to harder skills.
REMINDERS
We do have library each Tuesday. If your child brings their books, they are able to check new ones out. If they forget, they are unable to join in the fun. You don't have to wait until Tuesday to send the books back. You can send them anytime as we have a helper that will take them to the library for check in immediately.
Wednesday, Sept. 30 is a 2:00 dismissal. We will begin conferences at 3:00. Please refer to your note from last week regarding your assigned time. We have time frames of 15 minutes so it is important we keep on schedule.
Have a great week!
~Mrs. Wolinski
Wednesday, Sept. 30 is a 2:00 dismissal. We will begin conferences at 3:00. Please refer to your note from last week regarding your assigned time. We have time frames of 15 minutes so it is important we keep on schedule.
Have a great week!
~Mrs. Wolinski