This week, we continue to add to our knowledge about rainforests. Reading
a variety of nonfiction and fiction books about a similar topic gives us
several opportunities for making connections and comparisons. We will also
zoom in a bit on snakes with a nonfiction book about snakes and an Eric
Carle (and Richard Buckley) book about a Greedy Python.
We continue our PBL work on our desert animal as well. This week’s focus
is on our animal’s adaptations.
Students have done a great job with using their 10s to skip count. Counting
by 1s all the way to 100 has proven a bit more difficult for some so this is a
skill we will continue to practice at school and you can reinforce it at home
as well. Those jumps to the next set of 10 (like 19 to 20, 29 to 30, 39 to 40)
can be so tricky! The students love counting out collections. It can also be
fun to do a variety of movements in sets of 10. For example, stomp your feet
while counting 1-10, wiggle your fingers 11-20, tap your nose 21-30, and
so on.
In math, we begin a new unit which will focus on comparing sets up to 20.
In addition to IXL objectives, Math Night materials can also be used to
reinforce these skills and to reinforce those teen numbers. While we move
into comparing these larger numbers, we continue to reinforce the “10 and
some” concept.
We have been conducting assessment interviews and I just wanted to take a
moment to note that discussing what your child is reading (or being read to
about) is oh-so-important. We want our young thinkers connecting and
comparing to other texts and life experiences. We want them sharing details
that they noticed, things they wonder about, and special words they hear.
All students are able to do this, but their degree of confidence and use of
details can vary. The more they share and discuss, the more they remember
and the more reflecting on what they read becomes a strong reading habit.
HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the
binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.
Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night.
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.
