This week, we focus in on hermit crabs with a nonfiction text and two stories
with main characters that are hermit crabs (including an Eric Carle book).
At the end of the week, we take a look at coral reefs. These books will
provide us with opportunities to strengthen our questioning skills along with
our retelling and comparing and contrasting skills.
Last week, we learned about when strong readers ask questions- before,
during, and after reading- as well as some types of questions we ask- about
the meaning of a word, clarifying (to make sure we understand), and to get
more information (these are often sparked by an interesting detail which
motivates us to know more). We also discussed various words that are often
used to start questions (who, what, where, when, why, how, etc). Actually
phrasing a question (and not sharing a comment- also important, but a separate
skill) can be tricky for Kindergartners.
In math this week, we continue comparing amounts with a focus on “how
many more/fewer”. The concept of “how many fewer” tends to be trickier than
more, so additional practice and conversations centered on this are time well
spent. We also spend some more time reviewing “one more” and “one less” as
these are skills will desire students to have fluency with.
This week, we will be adding in some pictures of our animal's diet to our dioramas
as well as writing about some fun facts we've learned about our animals.
We have our Little Red Hen performance today, Monday at 1:30. The play should be
over at about 1:50 and you can take your kiddos home with you after.
HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the
binder, and practicing sight words.
Your child should ideally be spending time with familiar texts (such as
the printed books they bring home), as they help reinforce sight words
in context and using word solving strategies. However, these books are not
real meaty when it comes to comprehension, so they should also be spending
time with trade books (high quality children’s literature- like from the local
library or bookstore). These books lend themselves better to conversations.
When you read to them, you are also providing important modeling of a
fluent reader and a pleasant reading experience.
Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night.
This is a great time to play math games with your child. You can use
materials from Math Night, online or printable activities, or traditional
board/card games that have a math component.
Revisit any skill from the Comparing (G) section. We will be reinforcing
comparing smaller amounts for a couple of days, before moving into
comparing the teen numbers. IXL does not have objectives for comparing
items within 20, so this is where materials from Math Night or collections
of items from around the house can come in handy. If your child seems
pretty solid with comparing within 10, move on to comparing groups of
real items up to 20. Using terms, such as “more”, “less”, “fewer”,
“the same”, and “equal”. It is also great to practice “how many more/fewer”.
For example if I have 12 crayons and 10 pencils, I could talk about how I
have 2 more crayons or 2 fewer pencils. When making such comparisons,
noting groups of 10 or how far away from a group of 10 is valuable too (I
have 7 gummy bears- that’s just 3 away from a whole group of 10). When
using real items you can physically group them into 10s. You can also
physically line them up item to item to see how many more/fewer there are.
If it seems appropriate for your child, you may also spend some time
revisiting any D section skill.
