September 28-October 2, 2015

Thank you for returning the RRISD permission forms back to me promptly on such a short notice.  I truly appreciate you all! 

I have finally finished with the beginning of the year reading assessments…whew!  I am ready to start thinking about conferences (1 thing at a time!)  I will get a sign-up genius ready and sent out soon.

That being said, remember that homework will start next week.  You should look for a bag (it will either be blue, red, green or yellow) to come home with your child on Monday, October 5.  More info will go out with the bags next Monday!

This is on the agenda for this week…

GROWTH MINDSET
This week in growth mindset, we are going to practice how to give each other constructive criticism.  What is the best thing to say to each other in order to improve each other's work? We will learn how to start with something positive, saying something nice about each other's work. Next, we'll say something that can be improved and then end our talk with something positive again.  " I really like how your picture and your words match in this story, you could add more words to make your story more interesting, you are such a great story teller!" 

READING

This week we will work on a comprehension strategy; making predictions.  Reading is thinking.  As we start to read a story, we will look at the picture on the front cover, read the title and try to guess what the story is about based on the title and the picture.  When we read stories, we stop from time to time and predict what might happen next.  Sometimes our predictions are correct and sometimes they are not.  We will learn how to use all the clues in the story and things being said so far, to make the best prediction possible

WRITING

We will continue writing stories about our lives.  This week we will learn how we can "zoom in" and write about a small moment in time with details.  Our job from here on is to discover those small moments in our lives.  A small moment happens over a few short seconds or minutes.  For example, it could be about a moment that I was riding my bike and I fell into a mud puddle and hurt my knee, or about a time that we were in the car, coming back home and we had to stop the car in the middle of the street, because a deer was standing there and wouldn't move.  We will learn how we can expand our small moment with details and write it over a few lines.  We will also use our fingers and tell our small moments across our hand so we can record the beginning, the middle and the end of our small moments.

  

MATH

We have been practicing on how to use the number line/number track to find specific numbers and find out one more or one less.  This week, we will take that knowledge and apply it in addition. The strategies that we work on is "Count On Addition Strategies for Basic Facts". It is essential that all students are able to successfully calculate both mentally and with paper and pencil their basic facts. Count On strategies include Count On 1 (+1 facts), Count on 2 (+2 facts) and Count on 0 (+0 facts).  This week we will focus on Count On 0, count on 1 and turn around strategy.  If 12+1=13 then 1+12 is also 13.  We will apply this Count On strategies in problem solving.

SCIENCE
In science we will continue learning about properties of objects.  We will also make some observations and see what happens when objects are heated or cooled. We made some popsicle today and put them in freezer.  If all goes well, we will observe the changes in our popsicle  on Monday and taste our popsicles.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for stuffing the folders, and being willing to help in the classroom or outside the classroom. Your helping hands and hearts are greatly appreciated!

More than anything, thank you for supporting your child's learning at home.  Your child's success and education is a result of, us working together! So thank you for being a partner in your child's learning!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
*Tuesday folders come home.  Please sign and return the folders the next day.

*Agendas:  Please initial the behavior calendar and send it back every day.

*Snack:  Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.

*PE:  Group A will have PE on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

       Group B will have PE on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

          *Please make sure your child wears Tennis shoes on those days*

        *You can see what group your child is in on the right side of this blog*

*Library is on Tuesday.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sept 29:  School Pictures

             Library Day

Oct 6:  Library Day

Oct 7:  International walk/bike to school day

Oct 12:  Columbus Day- No School

Oct 13:  Library Day

Oct 15:  Science Night

Oct 24:  Harvest Festival

Oct 27:  Library Day

Oct 28:  Early Release @ 12:45

           Skate Night

September 21-25, 2015

GROWTH MINDSET
We will continue to instill the attitude of "perseverance, embracing challenges, and giving our best effort", in our daily activities.  When something is a little more challenging, the children naturally say, "I can't do this".  We want the children to change their thinking and mindset: "I can't do this YET, but I will try and give my best effort, until I can".  Please help your child to change their mindset.  Use the same language at home when they feel defeated by modeling it yourself.

 Here is what we will be doing this week:

READING
This week, we will learn about fiction and elements of fiction.  We will learn about 

the setting; the place and time where the story takes place, the main characters; the important people or animals that do or say important things in the stories, and the plot which is a series of important events in the stories.  We will learn that just like the stories we write, fictions have also a beginning, middle and ending.  We will also discuss the author's purpose in writing fictions.

WRITING

We will continue working on our stories.  The children have done a great job illustrating and writing about some real events in their lives.  This week, they will practice planning their stories across their hand using the first finger to tell the beginning and the next finger to tell the next event.  This will allow children tell their stories with a beginning, middle, and ending.  We will continue to work on reading our stories to make sure they make sense and check for capitals, periods, and sight words.

MATH

This week in math we will review some of the concepts that we learned earlier this year in order to make sure the children have a strong foundation before moving on to count on addition.  We will work on reciting numbers forward and backward from 1-20, skip counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's and tell or record instantly the number of dots or other pictures that are in various structured arrangements.  We will practice counting on strategies.  Counting on will allow us to count and recognize numbers faster.  It also allows us to do addition faster. For example, we will start from 5 and count 2 more and we know that's seven, instead of counting from 1 and going up to 7.

SOCIAL STUDIES
We will continue learning about our state and national patriotic symbols.  Last week we learned about the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, and the United States Flag.  This week we will learn about our state's flag, Texas motto, and the Alamo.

SCIENCE
In science we will begin talking about matter and how matter can change.  We will focus on what changes happen when heat is added or taken away.  We will do a lot of experiments this week!

THANK YOU!

Thank you for stuffing the folders, and being willing to help in the classroom or outside the classroom.  Your helping hands and hearts are greatly appreciated!
More than anything, thank you for supporting your child's learning at home.  Your child's success and education is a result of us working together! So thank you for being a partner in your child's learning!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
*Tuesday folders come home.  Please sign and return the folders the next day.

*Agendas:  Please initial the behavior calendar and send it back every day.

*Snack:  Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.

*PE:  Group A will have PE on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

       Group B will have PE on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

          *Please make sure your child wears Tennis shoes on those days*

          *You can see what group your child is in on the right side of this blog*

*Library is on Tuesday.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sept 23:  Early Release @ 12:45

Sept 29:  School Pictures

               Library Day

Oct 6:  Library Day

Oct 7:  International walk/bike to school day

Oct 12:  Columbus Day- No School

Oct 13:  Library Day

Oct 15:  Science Night

Oct 24:  Harvest Festival

Oct 27:  Library Day

Oct 28:  Early Release @ 12:45

             Skate Night

September 8-11, 2015

READING

We have started to learn about the procedures of reading workshop.   Reading brings joy to our lives and in order to become strong readers we need to practice every day. Whether we are using the classroom library or the school library, we have discussed how to choose a "good-fit" or "just right book".  These are the books that have only a few unknown words in each page and we can read with fluency and ease. As we teach comprehension and thinking skills, it is also important that we can understand the book we are reading. 

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S READING AT HOME?
Please make sure your child has access to a variety of "just right books" at all times. Public libraries offer a great selection of leveled readers as well as easy-to-read chapter books.
Make the reading time a special time where you and your child can sit together comfortably.  Pick a time in the day that you know your child is not too tired to read. Maybe your child likes to read after school, or before bedtime.  You know when it is the best time.  Sit beside your child, turn off the TV and have your child read to you.  If your child is stuck on a word, read the word to your child quickly so she/he won't lose the flow.  It is also important that you read to your child every night.  Children need to hear the fluent reading with expression from a parent.  Do a picture walk together before reading.  As you read, stop periodically and see if your child has understood the story so far.  Read together, laugh together and make this special time, as joyful as possible!

WRITING

In writing, we will learn about two skills: One is the importance of illustrations in our stories and how to make our illustrations match our words. We will look at many different picture books and discuss how illustrations can enhance a story. The other skill is to say the words slowly (stretch the words), listening for the sounds, and writing down all the corresponding letters. Your child will have independent writing time where he/she will be conferencing with me and working on what has been taught so far.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING AT HOME?
Provide a writing journal at home.  Your child can decorate the front cover however she or he likes to.  Have your child think of a memory, a place that they have been before, a time they could remember, an activity that they did.  Something true that they have experienced.  It could be just a short ride in the car to HEB, when you both saw a deer on the street!
Have your child draw a picture of that memory first, and then add words to write about it.  When writing, remind your child to start the sentences with capital letters, put one finger space between the words, and end their sentences with a period or exclamation mark. Show excitement, encourage and celebrate every attempt! Share their writing with family members and friends! Let them see that they are real writers!

MATH
We will work on grouping items such as cubes and beans in groups of 10. With any given number, we will discuss how many groups of 10 we can make and how many items are leftover (meaning they are less than ten and can't be grouped as 10). While working with groups of tens and ones (the leftovers), we will discuss the placement of digits in numbers and how each digit has a different value based on its place in a number. We will compare the teen numbers and apply our knowledge in problem solving activities.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING AT HOME?
Provide some counters such as beans, macaronis, pennies, buttons, or anything in that order for your child and have them count the items.  Your child will probably start counting by ones first.  Some children may count by 2's.  After that have your child record the number on a paper.  Let's say, your child counted 14 beans.  Ask your child, how many groups of 10 can you make with these beans? How many left overs do you have? let your child see that there is one group of 10 and 4 left over.  Ask: Is 14 greater than 13 or less? Show how you can take off one bean and now there are 13 beans.  So 13 is less than 14.  Practice with different numbers and counters and make this as fun as possible.

SCIENCE

This week, we will learn how we use our five senses to explore the world around us. We will also learn about some tools in science that could help us to extend and protect our senses such as hand lenses, goggles, stethoscopes, ear plugs, masks, and gloves.

SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies we will learn about the leaders and authority figures in our community of school, city, state and country.  We will learn about the important jobs of our principal, mayor, governor and president.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for stuffing the folders and being willing to help in the classroom or outside the classroom.  Your helping hands and hearts are greatly appreciated!  Most importantly, thank you for supporting your child's learning at home.  Your child's success and education is a result of us working together! So thank you for being a partner in your child's learning!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
*Tuesday folders come home.  Please sign and return the folders the next day.

*Agendas:  Please initial the behavior calendar and send it back every day.

*Snack:  Please send a healthy snack with your child every day.

*PE:  Group A will have PE on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

       Group B will have PE on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

          *Please make sure your child wears Tennis shoes on those days*

          *You can see what group your child is in on the right side of this blog*

*Library will begin next Tuesday, September 15.  Please have your child bring their library books back that day.  We won’t have library again until September 29!

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sept 14:  Open House 6:30-7:00

Sept 23:  Early Release @ 12:45

Sept 29:  School Pictures

               Library Day

Oct 6:  Library Day

Oct 7:  International walk/bike to school day

Oct 12:  Columbus Day- No School

Oct 13:  Library Day

Oct 15:  Science Night

Oct 24:  Harvest Festival

Oct 27:  Library Day

Oct 28:  Early Release @ 12:45

             Skate Night