We will continue our work on identifying rhymes.
We will also continue our writing work. This week's writing will focus on various things we enjoy doing.
We are starting a new math unit this week, which is all about Sorting and Classifying. We will be focusing on how things are alike and different, as well as sorting by attributes.
We will be meeting our final Tribble Appreciations, while learning about the concept of Bucket Filling. Essentially, "the concept of being a bucket filer comes from Carol McCloud’s Book Have You Filled A Bucket Today? and stems around the idea that everyone carries around an invisible bucket that throughout the day is being filled by the kind things that you do for others or that others do for you. A bucket filler is someone who is showing positive character traits (kind, considerate, caring, respectful) and is being a responsible citizen. When our buckets are full, we feel happy and when our buckets are empty we feel sad." (from https://sites.google.com/site/wearebucketfillers/parent-letter) When we do something that saddens or hurts another person, we are dipping into that person's bucket. We strive to avoid being bucket dippers and to fill others' buckets as often as we can.
We have an important Kindergarten benchmark approaching. We hope to have all students able to identify all of the letters names and primary sounds by the end of the 6th week of school. A handful of students have demonstrated this, with several more quickly approaching this goal. However, this is not a demonstrate-the-skill-one-time-and-we-consider-it-mastered type of skill (nothing really is). Kindergartners are exposed to and are using an astounding amount of information. They are practicing a wide range of skills. This can lead to some "using and confusing" of information (such as using the wrong word to identify a new concept or idea -author for illustrator, fiction for nonfcition). As well as a seeming lack of consistency with some skills (one day they know a letter sound, the next day they don't recall it). This is normal. Kindergartners are working to transfer information from their short term to their long term memory. This requires a lot of repetition and practice using developing skills. Alphabetic knowledge is key to our students becoming confident readers and writers, so I am urging you to have the Zoo Phonics song be a part of your reading homework each night. These animals and motions are a great anchor for your child’s developing understanding of these letters. Once students have been able to identify letter names and sounds, we work throughout the year to make these skills more solid and automatic.
Your child is accomplishing an amazing amount of learning and growth week in and week out. I am constantly impressed with what these students do!
HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, and working on alphabet sounds and letter names. I strongly recommend having your child sing and act the Zoo Phonics song with you. These animals serve as fun anchors to the all important letters and sounds that we use so much!
Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes.
Monday- P.1 Different
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, and working on alphabet sounds and letter names. I strongly recommend having your child sing and act the Zoo Phonics song with you. These animals serve as fun anchors to the all important letters and sounds that we use so much!
Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes.
Monday- P.1 Different
Tuesday -P.2 Same
Wednesday- 
P.3 Same and different
P.3 Same and different
Thursday- P.4 Classify shapes by color
