The policy at our school is if the windchill is below zero the students will have indoor recess. Since the afternoon JK class all arrive at different times we have decided to change the way this is done. Currently, the students come in the front office doors and hang out in the lobby until all students are there. From now on, Mrs. Glammeier will let students in the K-1 recess door when they arrive, that way they can play with toys, puzzles, etc.. in the hallway like a normal indoor recess. She will remind bus students to come in this door and keep a look out for them. Tell you kids that they can go to the door that they normall go in after a recess, Mrs. Glammeier will be there to let them in. This will give them more of a recess. Thanks!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Jan.27-31
Another cold beginning to the week. We have started the week with all inside recess. The teachers and the students are getting anxious to be outside again!
In Reading this week we are of course continuing to work on letters learned so far. We are also focusing on letter Q this week. In the reading centers we are working on matching capital and lowercase letters, writing letters, sequencing stories (beginning, middle, end) and some groups are learning new sight words. We are also working on listening to stories. The first part of becoming a good reader is being a good listener. I sent home a new sheet of letters for your flashcard collection. (t, h and e). Keep practicing these letters at home with your child, it shows at school who is practing and the students are very proud when they master new letters.
In Math this week we are working with shapes. We focus on triangle, circle, square and rectangle. It is fun to do shape hunts in the classroom and look for real objects that have these shapes. We have been tracing shapes, finding real world objects, recalling shapes with flashcards and noticing shapes in pictures that we color.
Reminders!
Thursady (Jan.30) is school pride day- wear red and black!
Monday (Feb. 3) is the 100th day of school! We will be doing some fun activities to celebrate being "100 days smarter".
Monday (Feb. 10) Early dismissal (NO AFTERNOON JK)
Tuesday (Feb.11) Conferences (NO MORNING OR AFTERNOON JK) - Please let me know if you did not recieve a paper with your conference time on it or if that time does not work, ASAP.
In Reading this week we are of course continuing to work on letters learned so far. We are also focusing on letter Q this week. In the reading centers we are working on matching capital and lowercase letters, writing letters, sequencing stories (beginning, middle, end) and some groups are learning new sight words. We are also working on listening to stories. The first part of becoming a good reader is being a good listener. I sent home a new sheet of letters for your flashcard collection. (t, h and e). Keep practicing these letters at home with your child, it shows at school who is practing and the students are very proud when they master new letters.
In Math this week we are working with shapes. We focus on triangle, circle, square and rectangle. It is fun to do shape hunts in the classroom and look for real objects that have these shapes. We have been tracing shapes, finding real world objects, recalling shapes with flashcards and noticing shapes in pictures that we color.
Reminders!
Thursady (Jan.30) is school pride day- wear red and black!
Monday (Feb. 3) is the 100th day of school! We will be doing some fun activities to celebrate being "100 days smarter".
Monday (Feb. 10) Early dismissal (NO AFTERNOON JK)
Tuesday (Feb.11) Conferences (NO MORNING OR AFTERNOON JK) - Please let me know if you did not recieve a paper with your conference time on it or if that time does not work, ASAP.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
I hate winter day!
Reminder! Tomorrow is "I hate winter day" (Seems fitting this week). Students can wear shorts/t-shirt, etc...(No swimsuits). The student coucil will be selling freezie's in the AFTERNOON ONLY for 25 cents (limit 2 per student). We will have fun talking about summer activities and reasons we do not like winter :)
Jan. 21-24
Letter of the week: Ii
Reading- We are continuing to review all of the letters taught during small group instruction. Some groups are even beginning to learn sight words that are taught in Kindergarten! We are also still reviewing rhyming words. During story time I am encouraging students to work on their listening skills. Being a good listener is an important part of learning to read.
Math- In math this week we are working on sorting. I have students sort objects by color, size, shape, etc.. This is something fun to do at home too. (Sort your toys by their size, put the soft toys and hard toys in different piles, sort your Fruit Loops by their color, etc...) We are also still practicing counting to 30. This is a good thing to practice when you are in the car, getting ready for bed, anytime really!
We briefly talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and that we had Monday off to celebrate him. We watched a short movie and talked about being kind to others no matter the color of the skin. We talked about how silly it would be if we said someone couldnt play just because they had blonde hair or just because they were shorter than the others. The students were very good about saying we should be fair and allow everyone to do things that we do.
It is another cold week and we have been inside for many of the recesses. The students don't seem to mind because they still have the chance to play with their friends for 15 minutes. Please remember to continue sending all winter gear everyday.
Reading- We are continuing to review all of the letters taught during small group instruction. Some groups are even beginning to learn sight words that are taught in Kindergarten! We are also still reviewing rhyming words. During story time I am encouraging students to work on their listening skills. Being a good listener is an important part of learning to read.
Math- In math this week we are working on sorting. I have students sort objects by color, size, shape, etc.. This is something fun to do at home too. (Sort your toys by their size, put the soft toys and hard toys in different piles, sort your Fruit Loops by their color, etc...) We are also still practicing counting to 30. This is a good thing to practice when you are in the car, getting ready for bed, anytime really!
We briefly talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and that we had Monday off to celebrate him. We watched a short movie and talked about being kind to others no matter the color of the skin. We talked about how silly it would be if we said someone couldnt play just because they had blonde hair or just because they were shorter than the others. The students were very good about saying we should be fair and allow everyone to do things that we do.
It is another cold week and we have been inside for many of the recesses. The students don't seem to mind because they still have the chance to play with their friends for 15 minutes. Please remember to continue sending all winter gear everyday.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Valentine's Day Party
The Valentine's Day party will be on Thursday, Feb. 13 because we do not have school on Feb. 14. The morning party will begin about 10AM and the afternoon party will begin about 2PM. If anyone woud like to volunteer please let me know and I can get groups of parents in touch with each other. Thanks! Any clever party ideas are also welcome :)
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Jan. 13-17
This week we are really jumping into our Reading centers. The students and I are getting used to the routine and the learning is more and more effective each day! I think the students enjoy Reading Center time from what I have heard and seen so far.
This week we are focusing on letter Ee. While we are highlighting letter Ee this week it is also important that we always review the othere letters that we have learned so far. Rememeber to practice with flashcards at home, I will be sending the next page of cards home as soon as we learn all of the letters on the page.
In Reading this week we are reviewing rhyming words. This can be a fun thing to practice. There are many games online to practice rhyming and reading Dr.Suess books or nursery rhymes will also reinforce the skill. You could also simply give your student a word and ask if he or she knows a word that rhymes with that target word.
In Math this week we are continuing to work on recognizing numbers 1-10 (This would be another good thing to practice at home with home-made flashcards). We are also practicing counting out loud to 30 and making patterns. The students really enjoy the challenge of counting to 30 so challenge them at home as well. This week is also an introduction to addition and subtraction. We are keeping this very basic but learning that you have more when you add and less when you subtract.
Choice time is still a favorite time for students. It is a time when students can independenlty make their own choice as to what they woud like to play with and who they would like to work with. The popular choice time centers at the moment are Playdough and the tool center. Choice time is very important at this age because they are practicing social skills such as working together, sharing/taking turns, and taking responsibilty for cleaning up their own mess at the end of choice time.
Next week is a short week again with Monday off, keep practicing letters and numbers at home as it will show in school! Have a great week!
**Winter gear!** Even though we are getting nicer days, the wind makes it quite chilly here at Fred Assam. Also, students are not allowed on the snow or playground equipment if he or she does not have snowpants and boots. It is a good idea to send these things each day just in case. Thanks!
This week we are focusing on letter Ee. While we are highlighting letter Ee this week it is also important that we always review the othere letters that we have learned so far. Rememeber to practice with flashcards at home, I will be sending the next page of cards home as soon as we learn all of the letters on the page.
In Reading this week we are reviewing rhyming words. This can be a fun thing to practice. There are many games online to practice rhyming and reading Dr.Suess books or nursery rhymes will also reinforce the skill. You could also simply give your student a word and ask if he or she knows a word that rhymes with that target word.
In Math this week we are continuing to work on recognizing numbers 1-10 (This would be another good thing to practice at home with home-made flashcards). We are also practicing counting out loud to 30 and making patterns. The students really enjoy the challenge of counting to 30 so challenge them at home as well. This week is also an introduction to addition and subtraction. We are keeping this very basic but learning that you have more when you add and less when you subtract.
Choice time is still a favorite time for students. It is a time when students can independenlty make their own choice as to what they woud like to play with and who they would like to work with. The popular choice time centers at the moment are Playdough and the tool center. Choice time is very important at this age because they are practicing social skills such as working together, sharing/taking turns, and taking responsibilty for cleaning up their own mess at the end of choice time.
Next week is a short week again with Monday off, keep practicing letters and numbers at home as it will show in school! Have a great week!
**Winter gear!** Even though we are getting nicer days, the wind makes it quite chilly here at Fred Assam. Also, students are not allowed on the snow or playground equipment if he or she does not have snowpants and boots. It is a good idea to send these things each day just in case. Thanks!
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Report Cards
Reminder! 2nd quarter report cards will be sent home this Friday (Jan.10). Please let me know if your child's report card is lost in transition. :) Thanks!
Daily Reading Centers
Welcome back! It seems like it was an extra long Christmas break this year. I am excited to get back to school and begin some new things in the classroom. This week is going to serve as a review week to simply get students back into the school routine. We are also starting daily reading centers this week so that will be an adjustment for the students. I am going to use this post to explain what these reading centers look like.
The students are put into "flexible" groups for two weeks and refer to the board above for directions. Each day, the students will visit 3 learning centers (Each one for 8-10 minutes). This routine will establish time for me to meet with students in small groups of 2-3 students to work on skills that the students are struggling with specifically. It will also give students room to be independent and help others with their learning.
Center 1- Meet the teach
This is the center where I will be working with small groups on skills specific to each individual group. We will put most of the focus on learning letters and sounds with an ocasional reading skill introduced as well.
Center 2- Word Work #1 - This week, the students will be matching letter cards to the same clothespin letter. This is good fine motor skills practice as well as recognizing letters (capital and lowercase)
Center 3- Word Work #2- This week at this center, students will be using play dough and letter/number cookie cutters to create letters and numbers. This is also a good motor skill because students are using their hands/fingers. This is also a good way for students to gain exposure to letters and talk with group memebers about letters or words they are making.
Center 4- Listening to reading- This center has books on CD that students listen to while following along with the pictures in a book. Being a good listener during stories is great for students of this age. The reader on the CD models good reading and expression for the young readers to follow.
Center 5- Read to self- This is at our Book center in the classroom. During this center students are allowed to look at books and tell their own stories.
Center 6- Writing/skill- This center will focus on a skill that we have previously learned or the skill that we are focusing on this week. This particular week we are working on making patterns at this center. This will be a good way for me to check on independent student progress with concepts taught in Reading.
I'm hoping this new system will provide students with more individualized instruction and guide them in a good direction towards learning and retaining skills and concepts. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about this. This does not replace reading in the classroom, it is supplemental to the whole group reading lesson and letter of the week that I teach.
Center 1- Meet the teach
This is the center where I will be working with small groups on skills specific to each individual group. We will put most of the focus on learning letters and sounds with an ocasional reading skill introduced as well.
Center 2- Word Work #1 - This week, the students will be matching letter cards to the same clothespin letter. This is good fine motor skills practice as well as recognizing letters (capital and lowercase)
Center 3- Word Work #2- This week at this center, students will be using play dough and letter/number cookie cutters to create letters and numbers. This is also a good motor skill because students are using their hands/fingers. This is also a good way for students to gain exposure to letters and talk with group memebers about letters or words they are making.
Center 4- Listening to reading- This center has books on CD that students listen to while following along with the pictures in a book. Being a good listener during stories is great for students of this age. The reader on the CD models good reading and expression for the young readers to follow.
Center 5- Read to self- This is at our Book center in the classroom. During this center students are allowed to look at books and tell their own stories.
Center 6- Writing/skill- This center will focus on a skill that we have previously learned or the skill that we are focusing on this week. This particular week we are working on making patterns at this center. This will be a good way for me to check on independent student progress with concepts taught in Reading.
I'm hoping this new system will provide students with more individualized instruction and guide them in a good direction towards learning and retaining skills and concepts. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about this. This does not replace reading in the classroom, it is supplemental to the whole group reading lesson and letter of the week that I teach.
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