This week, we will be continuing to practice our comprehension skills
while reading more about the ocean. We will be reading three nonfiction texts
while reading more about the ocean. We will be reading three nonfiction texts
and a fiction text with a fish as the main character. We will also be revisiting
including meaningful details in our illustrations as we use our illustrations
to help us share information.
including meaningful details in our illustrations as we use our illustrations
to help us share information.
We begin a new math unit this week- Addition! This week we will be
spending a lot of time on developing fluency with combinations to 5.
We will, in fact, be spending a lot of time on addition (and subtraction) for
the remainder of our year as these are skills that we strongly desire
students to have fluency with.
We will be finishing up our research projects this week and presentations
will be THIS THURSDAY AT 1:30
Please plan on joining us at 1:30 on Thursday, April 12th.
Please enter through the front office and then come on down and join us.
Some students will be presenting in the classroom, while some students will
be set up in the hall right outside our classroom (in hopes of helping you to be
able to focus in on the child you are listening to). Please plan to listen to your
child’s presentation first and then visit a few other children’s presentations as
well. They will present their information as many times as needed. When
finished, your child will be able to leave with you, but please allow them to
share their presentation with others before you go. You will need to sign your
out at the office if you leave before 2:00. (There will be no after school session
this day). Also, there will be a very easy feedback form for you to fill out as
you listen to presentations. This allows me to share feedback with the students
later in class and it also helps students understand the importance of presenting
to an audience.
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.
IXL does offer several objectives that allow for practice with Addition up to 5
(skill section I), however they use the math symbols + and =. These are
not yet included as a focus in our math instruction. We are working on laying
a strong foundation with the important part-part-whole concept so we
emphasis the language of ___ and ___ make___ at first.
For homework this week, if you wish, you may try out the IXL I skills and
simply connect the symbols to the language used in class. If this makes sense
to your child and is not causing confusion or stress, this can be your child’s
homework practice.
ALTERNATIVELY, you may continue to do the below type of math
practice, preferably with an emphasis on solving math stories or addition
based dice or card games. It is best to start with lower numbers/amounts and
work up to larger amounts as your child builds confidence and fluency.
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.
