Week in Review--Community Helpers!

Our poem this week was exciting because it was a little different than our usual weekly poem. This poem only had two mystery words and instead of reading the poem, we were able to sing it!

Reading:

-Our sight word this week was the word “to”!

-The CAFÉ strategy we worked on this week was the strategy.

“Use Text Features”

Often times when reading various texts, we often see bold words, labels, headings and other text features that make certain words stand out. Text features can also be glossaries, index and captions, as well as changing the color of text within a piece. These text features are important parts of text because they tell a reader important information regarding the words that standout because the author wants the reader to focus on those words for one reason or another to gather information about the text.

How can you help your child with this strategy at home?

  --While reading a story, a menu at a restaurant or even a billboard sign, discuss how the text is shown and why the author from chose to create the words in that way.

--Encourage your child to discuss parts of a picture that could have labels added to it to encourage a greater meaning for the page.

-- Have your child highlight specific words when reading the sight word book, newspapers, magazines and so forth at home that they know in order to have them standout.

--We started shopping for books for our book boxes from our leveled library this week. Each student knows which basket he/she should choose books from at their reading level and they now have more books in their book boxes that they can read the words and practice the reading strategy they are working on with me during conferring session!







































--We are gearing up to use our classroom iPads! This week we brainstormed a list of "do's and don'ts" when using the iPads. 

Writing:

-This week in writing we practiced adding details with pictures and writing to previously written pieces. We also reviewed writing unknown words by focusing on just the beginning and ending sounds you hear in the word. Each student used a whiteboard and we went through picture cards, said the word of the picture and wrote down the beginning and ending sound from that word.

-In writing groups, most groups are working on adding those beginning and ending sounds, drawing a detailed picture using shapes and correct colors, as well as using various words to begin your sentences instead of focusing only on “I like….” sentences.

Math:

-Math this week focused on counting objects focusing on one to one correspondence of numbers 1-20. We practiced counting objects individually and using a new iPad app called Tally Tots. When we focus on counting we pay attention to counting slowly but not too slow. We want to make sure that we are counting at the same speed we are moving objects. It is also important to move the objects to a new pile so items are not counted more than once. We focused on counting various amounts from 1-20. 

Content:

This week was all about Community Helpers. We learned about our community, our neighborhoods, strangers, jobs in the community and why all of these things are important. We shared what each student wants to be when he/she grows up each day. We loved hearing the three clues and guessing what job each student wants to be! We also enjoyed listening to Mrs. Brown’s brother who is a police officer talk about his job and we got to see his car! We finished the week off by creating a picture using a picture of each student and adding it to a body cutout of a community helper!

Week in Review--FIRE SAFETY

This week's poem was all about our eyes and the things our eyes can do!

 

Reading:

-Our sight word this week was the word “can”!

-The CAFÉ strategy we worked on this week was the strategy.

 “Identify the Setting”

When we read the story elements are an important part to make the story complete. When students focus on the setting of the story they focus on where and when the story takes place. Having the ability to identify and describe the setting helps students comprehension of other story elements from characters to main events and problem/solution.

 

How can you help your child with this strategy at home?

 

1. When reading a story, watching a television show or movie, discuss the setting and how the setting sometimes changes throughout the story.

2. When discussing the setting, encourage your child to go into detail instead of just saying “inside” or “outside”. Be specific as to where inside or where outside the setting is exactly.

3. Ask your child to describe another setting that would make sense in the story if the author put another section to the book.

Writing:

-I have enjoyed working with the different writing groups for the past two weeks. Each group has a different focus during their independent writing to work on. I have seen so much progress when it comes to writing, it makes me excited to see continued progress the rest of this year.

-We began a chart that we will continue to add to throughout the year called “When I’m done…I’ve Just Begun!”  This chart helps the students add more detail to their pictures and writing in order to build stamina and make a complete piece before moving on to the next one.

-We also focused on how to draw a setting with your writing by using shapes, lines and various colors!

Math:

-This week we opened up our last choice during daily 3 math called “Math with Someone”. This choice is very similar to “Read to Someone” during the daily 5 reading block. The first activity at this choice is a game the partners play called “shape race”. This game has the students take a picture of shape, they identify the shape and count the number of sides on the shape. After counting the sides, they move their chip that many spaces on the game board! We also put a new choice into the “Number Work” option where the student takes a deck of cards, keeps them turned upside down, turns one card over one at a time and reads the number when turning it over. Once the student has identified the number, they count out that number of math manipulatives.

-We also created our "You Can Count on Me" board. Each student counted as high as they could for me in the past week for report cards. I recorded how high they counted and we placed their math magician on the board near that number. The goal by the end of the year is to make it to 100! We have 5 students who have already made it to 100 and are our class "Math Magicians".

Content:

-Our focus this week was on fire safety. We started the week off by reading many books and focused on three important words STOP-DROP-ROLL! We completed a book with vocabulary words that geared around fire safety, those words were fire truck, fireman, matches, fire hydrant and ladder. We discussed what made those items important when it comes to fire safety. We finished the week off by making a fire truck using our favorite shapes that we have practice during math time!

Next week:

 

--In writing, we will get writing partners, talk about using words other than “I like” and beginning/ending sounds.

--In math, we will practice counting objects 0-20.

--In reading, we will focus on all sounds; learn new vocabulary words and a new CAFÉ strategy!

--Our theme this next week is all about COMMUNITY HELPERS!  Don’t forget to complete your child’s “I’d Like to Be” paper!


PRACTICE AT HOME:
Have your child find sight words around the house in various books, magazines, newspapers, on TV or even when you are out at a restaurant or a store. These words are important for your child to master because they are found everywhere!