Week of May 7th
This week in reading: We are learning all about fairy tales, fables, and folktales! The students have learned to read these stories like a storyteller, changing their voices to match the characters, and to over exaggerate their body language at some parts of the story. We had fun reading The Three Little Pigs, talking with a deep wolf voice and blowing the house down, or shaking with a scared little pig voice. This week, we will also discuss the importance of setting in the story. Does it take place, "Once Upon a Time"? and what does that phrase really mean?
This week in writing: . We are continuing to write series books for our "Boxed Set". The students will learn that the idea of revising is to have some fun, finding ways to make your fiction books sparkle. One way writers figure out ways to add sparkle to their fiction books is to see what kinds of things their favorite authors put in their books. We will teach that series writers put many final touches on their stories. First, they are careful to reread their stories to make sure they are ready for sharing. The students will practice reading their stories to each other.
This week in phonics: This week, we will be working on the vowel team "oa" in our single syllable words (boat, croak, load). These words make the long O sound.
Red words: take, let, love, know (yes, there are 4 of them this week!)
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Do you have any classic fairytales, folktales, or fables? Have your child read with expression, and discuss the "moral of the story" at the end.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: . We are continuing to write series books for our "Boxed Set". The students will learn that the idea of revising is to have some fun, finding ways to make your fiction books sparkle. One way writers figure out ways to add sparkle to their fiction books is to see what kinds of things their favorite authors put in their books. We will teach that series writers put many final touches on their stories. First, they are careful to reread their stories to make sure they are ready for sharing. The students will practice reading their stories to each other.
This week in phonics: This week, we will be working on the vowel team "oa" in our single syllable words (boat, croak, load). These words make the long O sound.
Red words: take, let, love, know (yes, there are 4 of them this week!)
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Do you have any classic fairytales, folktales, or fables? Have your child read with expression, and discuss the "moral of the story" at the end.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of April 16th
This week in reading: We are teaching the students that stories can be like fortune cookies- they have life lessons inside of them! The students will be pointing out what the character learned from the story; what life lesson did she come across? The students will also learn to compare and contrast two different stories. Students will practice how to think back to the stories they've already read to compare and contrast what happens, how characters feel and behave, how the stories end, and what lesson or moral did the story teach?
This week in writing: This week, the students will not only write one short story about a character, but they will learn how to create series books! The will write a series of books using the same character(s) but each book has a different adventure that the character goes on. Students will learn that series writers often tell a lot of important details about their characters in Book One of their series. This helps the reader understand the characters better and know what to look for in other books in the series.
This week in phonics: Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about different vowel teams and the sounds they make. We use the little phrase, "When two vowels go walking, the first vowel does the talking", to remind the students not to pronounce the second vowel they see.
This week, we will be working on the vowel team "ee" in our single syllable words (feel, sheep, wheel). These words make the long E sound.
We will also discuss multiple meaning words (meet- track meet or meet you for dinner), as well as homophones (words that sound the same but spelled differently with different meanings) (weak, week)
Red words: three, their, were
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Try reading books that are in a series (Henry and Mudge, Pete the Cat, Junie B. Jones, etc.) Have the students notice what happens in each book, and if there is a pattern in the characters behavior.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: This week, the students will not only write one short story about a character, but they will learn how to create series books! The will write a series of books using the same character(s) but each book has a different adventure that the character goes on. Students will learn that series writers often tell a lot of important details about their characters in Book One of their series. This helps the reader understand the characters better and know what to look for in other books in the series.
This week in phonics: Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about different vowel teams and the sounds they make. We use the little phrase, "When two vowels go walking, the first vowel does the talking", to remind the students not to pronounce the second vowel they see.
This week, we will be working on the vowel team "ee" in our single syllable words (feel, sheep, wheel). These words make the long E sound.
We will also discuss multiple meaning words (meet- track meet or meet you for dinner), as well as homophones (words that sound the same but spelled differently with different meanings) (weak, week)
Red words: three, their, were
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Try reading books that are in a series (Henry and Mudge, Pete the Cat, Junie B. Jones, etc.) Have the students notice what happens in each book, and if there is a pattern in the characters behavior.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of April 9th
This week in reading: This week, we will be discussing the importance of not only keeping track of who is speaking in a story, but also where the story is taking place. Many students are now reading chapter books, where there are many characters that they have to keep track of and many places the characters go. We are no longer focusing on sounding out words, but rather, focusing on comprehension! The students will continue to make a "movie in their mind", where they can see the characters not just on a white background, but in a scene.
This week in writing: We are beginning our last unit of the year- realistic fiction stories! This week, the students will learn how to create a character and take that character on an adventure. We will discuss the setting that the character is in, as well as what problems that character may come across. We will also learn how to end your story by solving the problem, and not leave your reader hanging!
This week in phonics: Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about different vowel teams and the sounds they make. We use the little phrase, "When two vowels go walking, the first vowel does the talking", to remind the students not to pronounce the second vowel they see.
This week, we will be working on the vowel team "ea" in our single syllable words (meat, clean, treat). These words make the long E sound.
Red Words: what, with, our
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night, preferably a book with characters. Have your child tell you about the setting of the story. Does it take place in only one place, or does the character go to many different places? For example, if your child says "the park", ask them- "What is at the park? What do you see and hear at the park? Is there anybody else at the park, or is your character alone? How does your character feel at the park? Do his feelings change while he is there?" Again, we are trying to encourage your child to "become" the character to really comprehend the story.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: We are beginning our last unit of the year- realistic fiction stories! This week, the students will learn how to create a character and take that character on an adventure. We will discuss the setting that the character is in, as well as what problems that character may come across. We will also learn how to end your story by solving the problem, and not leave your reader hanging!
This week in phonics: Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about different vowel teams and the sounds they make. We use the little phrase, "When two vowels go walking, the first vowel does the talking", to remind the students not to pronounce the second vowel they see.
This week, we will be working on the vowel team "ea" in our single syllable words (meat, clean, treat). These words make the long E sound.
Red Words: what, with, our
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night, preferably a book with characters. Have your child tell you about the setting of the story. Does it take place in only one place, or does the character go to many different places? For example, if your child says "the park", ask them- "What is at the park? What do you see and hear at the park? Is there anybody else at the park, or is your character alone? How does your character feel at the park? Do his feelings change while he is there?" Again, we are trying to encourage your child to "become" the character to really comprehend the story.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of March 19th
This week in reading: We have begun a new unit in reading, and we are going on Reading Adventures! We can predict what will happen in our adventures (the stories we read) by looking at the front cover, back cover, and inside. Once we read a story, we can retell what happens in the story to someone by focusing on the main parts of the story. Lastly this week, we will teach that readers know that they can go back to the same place, the same page, and the same reading adventure and see something new every time. Readers reread! We can look at a character's reactions to and feelings about the problem of a story. When readers read they notice how parts of the story go together. You might notice that the same kinds of things happen again and again, or the way the trouble starts and ends in a familiar way.
This week in Writing: We are finishing up our poetry unit this week! The students will spend time early in the week revising their best poems to get ready for our "Author Celebration" on Friday!
This week in phonics: We are working on "Magic -e" words again but learning about words that start with blends, are one syllable, have a vowel followed by one consonant, and end in -e. The vowel says its name and not its sound.
Examples: slope, stripe, snake, white, grape.
Red Words: here, but, that
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Identify words that have a magic E. What would the word sound like without the E? Example: 'slope 'would sound like 'slop'
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in Writing: We are finishing up our poetry unit this week! The students will spend time early in the week revising their best poems to get ready for our "Author Celebration" on Friday!
This week in phonics: We are working on "Magic -e" words again but learning about words that start with blends, are one syllable, have a vowel followed by one consonant, and end in -e. The vowel says its name and not its sound.
Examples: slope, stripe, snake, white, grape.
Red Words: here, but, that
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Identify words that have a magic E. What would the word sound like without the E? Example: 'slope 'would sound like 'slop'
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of March 5th
This week in reading: We will teach that readers think about how they will read to make their reading sound really great. The students will be recording themselves reading a book this week on the iPad. They will be reminded to use all of the tools they have learned so far:
-Scoop up lots of words
-Look for clues like dialogue tags and punctuation
-change your voice to sound like the characters
-show feelings
-read some parts slow and some parts fast
-add sound effects
-read loud and clear
This week in writing: We are continuing to work on writing poems. The class has learned that poems have ingredients. We've already been busy talking about some of these ingredients. The first ingredient is that poets look at ordinary things with poet's eyes in fresh new ways. The second ingredient is music. The music comes from how the words are chosen and how they are put on the paper. This week, the students will learn that poets use a big, important thing that they love (for instance, their sister) and then write a poem about a small moment with the sister (for instance, cooking together). Poets spend a long time searching for the exact word to match what they want to say and how to show strong feeling.
This week in phonics: We are continuing our work with 2 syllable words this week. One syllable will be a closed syllable, and the other will be an open syllable.
If you put your hand under your chin when you say a word and you feel your mouth move down, that is a syllable. All syllables have a vowel and the vowel is what makes your mouth go down.
A closed syllable is one in which the single vowel makes a short sound. There is a consonant "closing" the vowel in. (met, bed, man)
An open syllable contains a single vowel that is not followed by another letter (he, she, no, so, go). The vowel makes the long sound because it is "free" to say its name.
Some examples of words we will be practicing with are: ro/bot, tu/lip, ba/con
Red words: The red words this week are: there, were, mother
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child point out 2 syllable words on the page, and have them identify if the syllables are open or closed.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
-Scoop up lots of words
-Look for clues like dialogue tags and punctuation
-change your voice to sound like the characters
-show feelings
-read some parts slow and some parts fast
-add sound effects
-read loud and clear
This week in writing: We are continuing to work on writing poems. The class has learned that poems have ingredients. We've already been busy talking about some of these ingredients. The first ingredient is that poets look at ordinary things with poet's eyes in fresh new ways. The second ingredient is music. The music comes from how the words are chosen and how they are put on the paper. This week, the students will learn that poets use a big, important thing that they love (for instance, their sister) and then write a poem about a small moment with the sister (for instance, cooking together). Poets spend a long time searching for the exact word to match what they want to say and how to show strong feeling.
This week in phonics: We are continuing our work with 2 syllable words this week. One syllable will be a closed syllable, and the other will be an open syllable.
If you put your hand under your chin when you say a word and you feel your mouth move down, that is a syllable. All syllables have a vowel and the vowel is what makes your mouth go down.
A closed syllable is one in which the single vowel makes a short sound. There is a consonant "closing" the vowel in. (met, bed, man)
An open syllable contains a single vowel that is not followed by another letter (he, she, no, so, go). The vowel makes the long sound because it is "free" to say its name.
Some examples of words we will be practicing with are: ro/bot, tu/lip, ba/con
Red words: The red words this week are: there, were, mother
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child point out 2 syllable words on the page, and have them identify if the syllables are open or closed.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of February 26th
This week in reading: We will teach the students that to really understand their books, it's important not just to pay close attention to the actions, but also to pay attention to the dialogue. Readers keep track of who's talking as they read. Readers ask themselves "Who is telling the story?" We pay close attention to the narrator and the characters to figure this out.
This week in writing: We are beginning our unit on writing poetry. Students will be taught how to "Look at the world through the eyes of a poet". They will learn to listen for line breaks and to hear music in the poems.
This week in phonics: We will be working with 2 syllable words this week. One syllable will be a closed syllable, and the other will be an open syllable.
If you put your hand under your chin when you say a word and you feel your mouth move down, that is a syllable. All syllables have a vowel and the vowel is what makes your mouth go down.
A closed syllable is one in which the single vowel makes a short sound. There is a consonant "closing" the vowel in. (met, bed, man)
An open syllable contains a single vowel that is not followed by another letter (he, she, no, so, go). The vowel makes the long sound because it is "free" to say its name.
Some examples of words we will be practicing with are: bin/go, bi/son, hip/po
Red words: The red words this week are: there, were, mother
Homework:
*Read Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday on Friday!
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: We are beginning our unit on writing poetry. Students will be taught how to "Look at the world through the eyes of a poet". They will learn to listen for line breaks and to hear music in the poems.
This week in phonics: We will be working with 2 syllable words this week. One syllable will be a closed syllable, and the other will be an open syllable.
If you put your hand under your chin when you say a word and you feel your mouth move down, that is a syllable. All syllables have a vowel and the vowel is what makes your mouth go down.
A closed syllable is one in which the single vowel makes a short sound. There is a consonant "closing" the vowel in. (met, bed, man)
An open syllable contains a single vowel that is not followed by another letter (he, she, no, so, go). The vowel makes the long sound because it is "free" to say its name.
Some examples of words we will be practicing with are: bin/go, bi/son, hip/po
Red words: The red words this week are: there, were, mother
Homework:
*Read Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday on Friday!
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of February 19th
This week in reading: We are working this week on readers knowing that letters and groups of letters can make different sounds. You can say the word or the word part many ways to figure it out, looking for "sneaky letters" that might trip you up. For instance, good readers have to stop when something's not quite right and try something to fix it up; if two or three vowels are together, try a long vowel sound first and if it does not sound right, try a short vowel sound. We are also working on reading sight words (Red Words) quickly, without slowing down thereby making their reading as smooth as it can be. Good readers also pay attention to what's happening in a book and imagine more than just what's in the pictures. They use their imagination to turn pictures into movies in their minds.
This week in writing: We are working on writing community reviews to make a class book to share with the school. The students are writing a review about a place (restaurant, park, etc.) that they like near their homes.
This week in grammar, phonics: Because this is a short week, we will not be having a new phonics pattern or red words. Instead, we will be learning the 3 verb tenses: past, present, and future. The students will learn how to change a verb to all the different tenses, and when to use those tenses in their writing. (Example: walk, walked, walking)
This week in writing: We are working on writing community reviews to make a class book to share with the school. The students are writing a review about a place (restaurant, park, etc.) that they like near their homes.
This week in grammar, phonics: Because this is a short week, we will not be having a new phonics pattern or red words. Instead, we will be learning the 3 verb tenses: past, present, and future. The students will learn how to change a verb to all the different tenses, and when to use those tenses in their writing. (Example: walk, walked, walking)
Week of February 5th
This week in reading: We are starting a new reading unit this week! This unit is all about "What important jobs do readers have?"
We will learn that readers are the boss of their own reading. One of their jobs is to stop at the first sign of trouble. Then they say, " I can solve this! I can try something, using all that I know!" Also, we will focus on the idea that if you are really in charge of your own reading, you do everything it takes to figure out the hard parts. You try something and then you try something else to get the job done! Readers use everything they know to solve a word.
This week in writing: We will continue to work on writing reviews of something (place, book, movie, etc.). We are focusing on writing a catchy introduction and a good ending to our pieces. We want to grab our readers' attentions right from the start with our introduction! We can talk directly to our reader and ask them a question. One way to write a catchy conclusion is to restate your opinion, reminding readers of what you think or how you feel.
This week in Phonics:
We are working on compound words using CVC words (example: hotdog).
The Red Words for this week are: back, because, who
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
We will learn that readers are the boss of their own reading. One of their jobs is to stop at the first sign of trouble. Then they say, " I can solve this! I can try something, using all that I know!" Also, we will focus on the idea that if you are really in charge of your own reading, you do everything it takes to figure out the hard parts. You try something and then you try something else to get the job done! Readers use everything they know to solve a word.
This week in writing: We will continue to work on writing reviews of something (place, book, movie, etc.). We are focusing on writing a catchy introduction and a good ending to our pieces. We want to grab our readers' attentions right from the start with our introduction! We can talk directly to our reader and ask them a question. One way to write a catchy conclusion is to restate your opinion, reminding readers of what you think or how you feel.
This week in Phonics:
We are working on compound words using CVC words (example: hotdog).
The Red Words for this week are: back, because, who
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of January 29th
This week in reading: Great readers always have a plan when they read with a partner! We are working this week on how reading with a partner can really improve your reading. We will learn that expert readers always reread their books. The students will be working in small groups to act out a character in one of their books.
This week in writing: The children will learn that there are people in the world who get paid to watch movies, play video games, and eat at new restaurants. These people are called 'reviewers'- their job is to try out different types of things and write about it to share their opinion. When writers write reviews they have to go out in the world and actually read the book, watch the movie, or eat at the restaurant to decide if they liked something and why. Then they write reviews to convince people to try what they liked or to stay away from things they didn't. This is the kind of writing our classes will be doing for the rest of our opinion unit. The students will be "review writers". We will discuss that review writers talk directly to their reader. They include important information to convince their reader. One way to do this is to use a voice that talks right to your reader, explaining what your topic is, where to find it, when to go. We will teach that it sometimes helps to have something you could compare your subject to. For example, if you are writing a review about a restaurant, you could compare it to another restaurant or a movie to another a movie. Comparing it to other similar subjects help paint a picture of how it is better or worse.
This week in phonics: We will be working on the -nk ending blends: -unk, -onk, ank, ink. Both letter sounds are heard in the blends.
Red words: I'm, been, after
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: The children will learn that there are people in the world who get paid to watch movies, play video games, and eat at new restaurants. These people are called 'reviewers'- their job is to try out different types of things and write about it to share their opinion. When writers write reviews they have to go out in the world and actually read the book, watch the movie, or eat at the restaurant to decide if they liked something and why. Then they write reviews to convince people to try what they liked or to stay away from things they didn't. This is the kind of writing our classes will be doing for the rest of our opinion unit. The students will be "review writers". We will discuss that review writers talk directly to their reader. They include important information to convince their reader. One way to do this is to use a voice that talks right to your reader, explaining what your topic is, where to find it, when to go. We will teach that it sometimes helps to have something you could compare your subject to. For example, if you are writing a review about a restaurant, you could compare it to another restaurant or a movie to another a movie. Comparing it to other similar subjects help paint a picture of how it is better or worse.
This week in phonics: We will be working on the -nk ending blends: -unk, -onk, ank, ink. Both letter sounds are heard in the blends.
Red words: I'm, been, after
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of January 22nd
This week in reading: How can I get to know the characters in my books really well? Throughout this unit we have been focusing on characters. We will teach the students what to do when you come to a part where the character doesn't say anything. How can you figure out what they're doing? How they're feeling? What are they thinking? When you know your character really well, you can say goodbye to robot reading." We will emphasize reading to make the text sound smooth (scooping up the words into phrases instead of word by word). The students will learn that readers try out different ways to sound and act like their characters, and then decide on a way that best matches the clues the text provides.
This week in writing: We are still working on our writing opinions unit. The Essential Question is: "I can write my opinion and support it with reasons." We will teach the students that writers don't all agree and that's okay! If one person has written their opinion, someone else can say, "I agree. My opinion is the same.' or, 'I disagree. I have a different opinion." When we don't agree with someone else's opinion, that's a good time to write our opinion and back it up with reasons why we disagree or think something different. The students will look at their peers' collections and decide if they agree with that child's "Blue Ribbon" choice of what they think is the best in their collection.
This week in phonics/grammar: We are not introducing any new phonics skills or teaching new Red Words this week. Instead, we will be working on nouns as our grammar skill. We will be discussing common and proper nouns, as well as singular and plural nouns.
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: We are still working on our writing opinions unit. The Essential Question is: "I can write my opinion and support it with reasons." We will teach the students that writers don't all agree and that's okay! If one person has written their opinion, someone else can say, "I agree. My opinion is the same.' or, 'I disagree. I have a different opinion." When we don't agree with someone else's opinion, that's a good time to write our opinion and back it up with reasons why we disagree or think something different. The students will look at their peers' collections and decide if they agree with that child's "Blue Ribbon" choice of what they think is the best in their collection.
This week in phonics/grammar: We are not introducing any new phonics skills or teaching new Red Words this week. Instead, we will be working on nouns as our grammar skill. We will be discussing common and proper nouns, as well as singular and plural nouns.
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read. Have your child practice acting out what the main character is doing and saying!
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of January 9th
This week in reading: Throughout this unit we have been focusing on characters. We have been looking very closely at the actions that the characters have taken, what they have said, or what they have thought. Sometimes we have to be investigators to figure out even more about our characters. This week we will begin to teach that you can figure out what a character is feeling or learn about the kind of person a character is by relying on what you know about people in real life. First, pay attention to text clues about the character. Then, think, "What do I already know about people like this?" This is background information. Finally, when you take what you know (your background information) and you put it with the clues that you notice in the book, you can infer and figure out more about your character. One way readers get to know the characters in their books really well is to become those characters as they read. Readers walk in the shoes of their characters noticing when they are feeling a certain way and then bring those feelings into their voices and gestures as they are reading and acting out the story.
This week in writing: The students are starting a new unit and in this unit, we will be teaching them about writing an opinion about things....we'll also work on how to persuade other people to share our opinion. Students will bring in a collection they have and show it to the class, then students will "judge" what they think the best collection is and write an opinion piece defending their choice. We will talk about using phrases such as, "I think...because..." or "An example is...".
This week in phonics: We will learn about words that end with -ing, -ang, -ong, and -ung. The words we will work on will be: long, hang, sing, etc. Rule: Taught as endings to simplify breaking down the words for spelling and reading.
Red Words: away, them, came
This week in writing: The students are starting a new unit and in this unit, we will be teaching them about writing an opinion about things....we'll also work on how to persuade other people to share our opinion. Students will bring in a collection they have and show it to the class, then students will "judge" what they think the best collection is and write an opinion piece defending their choice. We will talk about using phrases such as, "I think...because..." or "An example is...".
This week in phonics: We will learn about words that end with -ing, -ang, -ong, and -ung. The words we will work on will be: long, hang, sing, etc. Rule: Taught as endings to simplify breaking down the words for spelling and reading.
Red Words: away, them, came
Week of December 18th
This week in reading: We will be reading several different Gingerbread stories this week! The students will learn how to compare the settings, problem, solution, and characters in two or three different texts on the same topic. We will be reading books such as The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Cowboy, and other fun versions!
This week in writing: The students will start fancying up and fixing up their writing books for the "Author's Celebration" we will do this week when they read their books to another first grade class.
This week in phonics: We are continuing last week's pattern of final blends: -nd, -nt, -lp, -sp, -mp, -nch
Rule: Blends use the sounds of both letters and "blend" together smoothly. We will remind students of the "ch" digraph in -inch.
Red Words: about, from, than
This week in writing: The students will start fancying up and fixing up their writing books for the "Author's Celebration" we will do this week when they read their books to another first grade class.
This week in phonics: We are continuing last week's pattern of final blends: -nd, -nt, -lp, -sp, -mp, -nch
Rule: Blends use the sounds of both letters and "blend" together smoothly. We will remind students of the "ch" digraph in -inch.
Red Words: about, from, than
Week of December 4th
This week in reading: We are focusing in this new reading unit on characters in fiction books. The Essential Question is: How can I read and notice lots of things about characters- the things they do, how they feel, and what they think? First, the students will need to predict what the book will be about and what can be found out about a character. We will teach that when readers want to get to know the characters in new books they begin by using the title of the book, the cover illustration, the title page, and even the back of the book to get themselves ready to read. The students will learn to describe characters by how they feel and what they might be thinking.
This week in writing: We will teach that as writers we must tell our reader what to expect and also capture their attention. After all, the beginning of the story is our first impression of whether we'll enjoy reading the book. We need to "hook" our readers with a catchy beginning. The students will learn 5 ways to do this and remember them by singing the song: "Quote, Question, Feeling, Fact
Quote, Question, Feeling, Fact
Quote, Question, Feeling, Fact
Start your story with a bang!"
This means that students will start their story with a quote, question, feeling, fact, or onomatopoeia (the "bang" in the song!).
The students will learn that the ending wraps your story all up. Sometimes we even re-state the beginning at the end. A few ways that you can end your story are:
1. Repeat the beginning at the end
2. Thoughts and Feelings- 'I think...'
3. Ask a question
Endings are a way to wrap your story or section up.
This week in phonics: We will be working on ending blends: -lt, -st, -pt, -ft, -lk, -sk. Both letter sounds are heard in the blends.
Red words: your, how, when
Homework:
* Have your child study their Red Words (look at their assessment from Monday) and practice the final blends.
* Read 15 minutes a night with your child and go on iReady or iRead.
This week in writing: We will teach that as writers we must tell our reader what to expect and also capture their attention. After all, the beginning of the story is our first impression of whether we'll enjoy reading the book. We need to "hook" our readers with a catchy beginning. The students will learn 5 ways to do this and remember them by singing the song: "Quote, Question, Feeling, Fact
Quote, Question, Feeling, Fact
Quote, Question, Feeling, Fact
Start your story with a bang!"
This means that students will start their story with a quote, question, feeling, fact, or onomatopoeia (the "bang" in the song!).
The students will learn that the ending wraps your story all up. Sometimes we even re-state the beginning at the end. A few ways that you can end your story are:
1. Repeat the beginning at the end
2. Thoughts and Feelings- 'I think...'
3. Ask a question
Endings are a way to wrap your story or section up.
This week in phonics: We will be working on ending blends: -lt, -st, -pt, -ft, -lk, -sk. Both letter sounds are heard in the blends.
Red words: your, how, when
Homework:
* Have your child study their Red Words (look at their assessment from Monday) and practice the final blends.
* Read 15 minutes a night with your child and go on iReady or iRead.
Week of November 27th
This week in reading: We will be working on adjusting our voices as we read. We will teach how to reread books by first remembering what's happening in a part or on a page and then figuring out how it should be read. Will you use a "big, suspenseful voice," or a "gentle, sweet voice," or some other kind of voice to show the feeling of the words? Another way students can make their read aloud sound like an expert is to point out the keys words in their books as they read. You can use those words to talk about topics, teaching others what they mean and why they are important.
This week in writing: We are still working on writing informational pieces but this week, we will introduce adding a table of contents to our chapter books. Students will learn that many chapters might begin with "W" questions. We will teach that when you are writing a chapter in a teaching chapter book, you can plan that chapter the very same way you planned your teaching picture book. For example, you can plan what you'll say in a chapter across your fingers, saying a whole bunch on each finger. Also, students will learn that you don't just write a fact (the detail). You help readers to picture the fact (the detail) and to understand why it's important. One way you do that is by using comparisons. For example, if the detail in the story tells that a shark's skin is rough and bumpy like sandpaper, the reader can better understand that comparison because they have felt sandpaper before.
This week in phonics: Initial blends: squ, spl, scr, str, shr, spr, thr.
Rule: All of the consonant sounds are heard but "blended" together.
Red Words: yes, saw, girl
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
This week in writing: We are still working on writing informational pieces but this week, we will introduce adding a table of contents to our chapter books. Students will learn that many chapters might begin with "W" questions. We will teach that when you are writing a chapter in a teaching chapter book, you can plan that chapter the very same way you planned your teaching picture book. For example, you can plan what you'll say in a chapter across your fingers, saying a whole bunch on each finger. Also, students will learn that you don't just write a fact (the detail). You help readers to picture the fact (the detail) and to understand why it's important. One way you do that is by using comparisons. For example, if the detail in the story tells that a shark's skin is rough and bumpy like sandpaper, the reader can better understand that comparison because they have felt sandpaper before.
This week in phonics: Initial blends: squ, spl, scr, str, shr, spr, thr.
Rule: All of the consonant sounds are heard but "blended" together.
Red Words: yes, saw, girl
Homework:
* Read 15-20 minutes a night. Have your child practice reading in different voices, and think about how it should be read.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of November 13th
This week in reading: We will be working this week on readers looking for "key words" in their books. These words will help the students gather more information about the topic they are reading about. They will learn that it is important not just to smooth out your voice, but also to reread so that you learn what is important in your books . This will help students learn more information. Students will learn to share a book like an expert, first needing to notice things that are worth sharing. It helps to mark pages where you found something interesting or important in some way: parts that made you sit up and think or wonder, to want to learn more about.
On Friday, we will have a fun day called Slip Into Reading! The students are invited to wear pajamas, bring stuffed animals, blankets, and their favorite books to school. We will be participating in fun reading activities all day before Thanksgiving Break!
This week in writing: The students are learning more and more about how to write informational stories. They are learning to edit their pieces and ask themselves questions about their stories such as: "Are there parts that are confusing that need more information? Or parts that don't really go? Do I need to add words or punctuation?" They will also be learning how to write chapter books, and to include in their books that:-Chapter books have sections, each one about a different part of the topic
-Sections might answer questions
-Titles are interesting
- It tells us what we're going to learn about
-Chapters and Headings match
This week in phonics/grammar: We are not introducing any new phonics skills or teaching new Red Words this week since we will be doing Slip into Reading on Friday. Instead, we will be learning about verbs.
Homework:
* Read a nonfiction book with your child. Discuss vocabulary words that they may come across.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
On Friday, we will have a fun day called Slip Into Reading! The students are invited to wear pajamas, bring stuffed animals, blankets, and their favorite books to school. We will be participating in fun reading activities all day before Thanksgiving Break!
This week in writing: The students are learning more and more about how to write informational stories. They are learning to edit their pieces and ask themselves questions about their stories such as: "Are there parts that are confusing that need more information? Or parts that don't really go? Do I need to add words or punctuation?" They will also be learning how to write chapter books, and to include in their books that:-Chapter books have sections, each one about a different part of the topic
-Sections might answer questions
-Titles are interesting
- It tells us what we're going to learn about
-Chapters and Headings match
This week in phonics/grammar: We are not introducing any new phonics skills or teaching new Red Words this week since we will be doing Slip into Reading on Friday. Instead, we will be learning about verbs.
Homework:
* Read a nonfiction book with your child. Discuss vocabulary words that they may come across.
* Visit the iRead and iReady websites.
Week of November 6th
This week in reading: We are continuing to work on reading non-fiction books. The students are learning so much already! They are learning that to get really smart about your topic, you don't just read a book. You also have talk chats about that book. You read the words on the page, and then you use your own words and your own ideas to tell about the book (or the page) with yourself or with a friend. It is important to read and then reread a book. At the end of a book, readers think and ask themselves, “What have I learned about this topic? Am I smarter about the topic now?" Smart readers look back in their books and try to remember all that the book taught them. We are also working on readers reading smoothly and with expression!
This week in writing: We are continuing to teach the students how to write informational stories. We are focusing on how writers should "teach" their subject to the readers. We will also work on writing "twin sentences" to answer questions readers may have about a writer's topic: instead of just giving one sentence to answer and give information, students will begin to expand their writing to include 2 sentences that give more information (example: if I were answering the question, "What do cats eat?" instead of just saying' "Cats eat wet and dry food", I might say, "Cats eat wet and dry food. They like the wet food the best". I wrote two sentences (twin sentences) to answer that question.).
This week in phonics: We are continuing on with initial blends for one syllable, short vowel sound words. They are:
tw, sw, sp, sn, sk, sm, st, sc. Rule: Each sound of the blend is heard, but the sounds are blended together.
Red words: his, say, us
Homework:
* Have your child study their Red Words (look at their assessment from Monday) and practice the initial blends.
* Read 15-20 minutes a night with your child and go on iRead and iReady.
This week in writing: We are continuing to teach the students how to write informational stories. We are focusing on how writers should "teach" their subject to the readers. We will also work on writing "twin sentences" to answer questions readers may have about a writer's topic: instead of just giving one sentence to answer and give information, students will begin to expand their writing to include 2 sentences that give more information (example: if I were answering the question, "What do cats eat?" instead of just saying' "Cats eat wet and dry food", I might say, "Cats eat wet and dry food. They like the wet food the best". I wrote two sentences (twin sentences) to answer that question.).
This week in phonics: We are continuing on with initial blends for one syllable, short vowel sound words. They are:
tw, sw, sp, sn, sk, sm, st, sc. Rule: Each sound of the blend is heard, but the sounds are blended together.
Red words: his, say, us
Homework:
* Have your child study their Red Words (look at their assessment from Monday) and practice the initial blends.
* Read 15-20 minutes a night with your child and go on iRead and iReady.
Week of October 30th
This week in reading: We are super excited to begin a new unit in reading with our students-we will be teaching about non-fiction books! When reading nonfiction, or books about real life, readers start learning about a topic even before they read page 1. When they do a sneak peek, readers are already learning stuff about their topic. Readers who want to get smart about a topic don't just let the pages fly by. Instead, readers think, 'This one page can make me smart,' and they read each page closely, getting as much as they can out of it. They read whole books that way. Also, we will emphasize how knowing the difference between fact and opinion helps you to read nonfiction.
This week in writing: On Monday, the students will do a fun "Who am I?" activity where they write clues about a classmate (emphasis on adjectives!) and then the class will guess who a person is by the clues. For the rest of the week, the students will learn about informational stories and how we use our teaching voice instead of our storytelling voice. A teaching book doesn't really sound like a story. It sounds like it has a lot of facts and information. The students will begin to write informational stories!
This week in phonics: We are continuing to learn this week about blends at the beginning of one syllable, short vowel sound words. This wee, we are learning about initial blends: bl, sl, pl, fl, cl, gl. These include words such as glad, clam, plop, etc. The students need to remember that the blends have letters that still say their own sound but "blend" together in the word.
The Red Words for the week are: she, sit, then
For homework:
*Practice reading 15-20 minutes each night.
*Practice Red Words and words with L blends (bl, sl, pl, fl, cl, gl)
*Make use of the reading resources sent home (iRead and iReady)
This week in writing: On Monday, the students will do a fun "Who am I?" activity where they write clues about a classmate (emphasis on adjectives!) and then the class will guess who a person is by the clues. For the rest of the week, the students will learn about informational stories and how we use our teaching voice instead of our storytelling voice. A teaching book doesn't really sound like a story. It sounds like it has a lot of facts and information. The students will begin to write informational stories!
This week in phonics: We are continuing to learn this week about blends at the beginning of one syllable, short vowel sound words. This wee, we are learning about initial blends: bl, sl, pl, fl, cl, gl. These include words such as glad, clam, plop, etc. The students need to remember that the blends have letters that still say their own sound but "blend" together in the word.
The Red Words for the week are: she, sit, then
For homework:
*Practice reading 15-20 minutes each night.
*Practice Red Words and words with L blends (bl, sl, pl, fl, cl, gl)
*Make use of the reading resources sent home (iRead and iReady)
Week of October 23rd
This week in reading: We are continuing to reinforce how "snap" words (sight words) are words that you should not have to sound out but words that you know in a "snap"!! Good readers also realize that there can be really tricky parts in the words you read, word detectives watch out for unusual words in their books. They notice when words they know are a part of words they don't know, like in contractions. Also, word detectives use everything they know to show off their skills. They notice a problem, solve it, check it, and reread to make it smooth. On Friday, our students will use flashlights to "spell" their snap words on the ceiling!
This week in writing: On Monday, the classes will write "Bert's Big Thank You Letters": The students will write friendly letters to express gratitude for servicemen and women who are overseas serving the US. We will work on the 5 parts of a friendly letter. For the rest of the week, we will be finishing up our "How To" writing unit. We will end this unit by writing "How to Make the Perfect Cookie", decorating and eating it!
This week in phonics: This week, we are going to be working on R blends that occur at the beginning of a word. Specifically- dr, br, tr, cr, gr, fr, pr. These blends still say their own letter names but "blend" together when we read them. They include words such as trip, crab, and frog.
The Red Words for the week are: read, run, sat.
Homework:
-Read for 15 minutes each night
-Practice words that start with an R blend (dr, br, tr, cr, gr, fr, pr)
-Have your child talk about steps involved in "how to" activities (such as "how to" make a sandwich or "how to" brush their teeth)
-Use of the technology resources sent home!
This week in writing: On Monday, the classes will write "Bert's Big Thank You Letters": The students will write friendly letters to express gratitude for servicemen and women who are overseas serving the US. We will work on the 5 parts of a friendly letter. For the rest of the week, we will be finishing up our "How To" writing unit. We will end this unit by writing "How to Make the Perfect Cookie", decorating and eating it!
This week in phonics: This week, we are going to be working on R blends that occur at the beginning of a word. Specifically- dr, br, tr, cr, gr, fr, pr. These blends still say their own letter names but "blend" together when we read them. They include words such as trip, crab, and frog.
The Red Words for the week are: read, run, sat.
Homework:
-Read for 15 minutes each night
-Practice words that start with an R blend (dr, br, tr, cr, gr, fr, pr)
-Have your child talk about steps involved in "how to" activities (such as "how to" make a sandwich or "how to" brush their teeth)
-Use of the technology resources sent home!
Week of October 16th
This week in reading: We will continue to work on the idea that "Word Detectives" scoop up words to make their reading sound smooth instead of reading one word at a time. We will work on using knowledge of letters, sounds, and words to read. How can breaking words into smaller parts help me to solve long words? Focus will also be on vowel sounds within the words.
This week in writing: We are super excited to begin our new writing unit of informational, "how to" writing. The students will be working on writing pieces that teach something to someone and show steps in order. They will use these writing tools for this unit:
1. Title: tells what you're going to teach
2. List of things you'll need (Materials List)
3. Pictures that teach us what to do
4. Numbers and labels for each step
This week in phonics: This week, we will be working on words that end in -ck. The rule for spelling these words is: When you hear the "K" sound after a short vowel in a one syllable word, it is usually spelled with "ck".
The Red Words for the week are: of, put, ran.
Homework:
-Read for 15 minutes each night
-Practice words that end in -ck
-Have your child talk about steps involved in "how to" activities (such as "how to" make a sandwich or "how to" brush their teeth)
-Use of the technology resources sent home!
This week in writing: We are super excited to begin our new writing unit of informational, "how to" writing. The students will be working on writing pieces that teach something to someone and show steps in order. They will use these writing tools for this unit:
1. Title: tells what you're going to teach
2. List of things you'll need (Materials List)
3. Pictures that teach us what to do
4. Numbers and labels for each step
This week in phonics: This week, we will be working on words that end in -ck. The rule for spelling these words is: When you hear the "K" sound after a short vowel in a one syllable word, it is usually spelled with "ck".
The Red Words for the week are: of, put, ran.
Homework:
-Read for 15 minutes each night
-Practice words that end in -ck
-Have your child talk about steps involved in "how to" activities (such as "how to" make a sandwich or "how to" brush their teeth)
-Use of the technology resources sent home!
Week of October 9th
This week in reading:
We will be working on how "snap words" (sight words) can help the students become better readers. Snap words can help readers solve any puzzling words which they might come across in their reading. The students will learn the technique about how to make a new word a snap word: glue your eyes to the word, read it aloud, spell it out loud, write it. We are also reinforcing that good readers can see the same word many times in the same book and recognize it throughout the book.
This week in writing:
We completed our first writing unit by having an Author's Celebration last Wednesday. Now, we are starting to learn how to write "How To" stories. The students will begin to learn about informational writing where they'll study how to write books that teach people to make or do something. We are very excites to introduce this new unit!
This week in phonics:
We are continuing to work on the H brothers this week (sh, th, ch, and wh). These are digraphs that are formed with two letters that make one unique sound.
The red words for the week are: mom, out, now.
Homework:
-Read for 15-20 minutes each night
-Work on comprehension of what happens in the book and making inferences
-Practice words that begin and end with ch, th, sh, wh.
-Use of the technology resources sent home! (iRead and Redbird log in information will be sent home in Thursday folders)
We will be working on how "snap words" (sight words) can help the students become better readers. Snap words can help readers solve any puzzling words which they might come across in their reading. The students will learn the technique about how to make a new word a snap word: glue your eyes to the word, read it aloud, spell it out loud, write it. We are also reinforcing that good readers can see the same word many times in the same book and recognize it throughout the book.
This week in writing:
We completed our first writing unit by having an Author's Celebration last Wednesday. Now, we are starting to learn how to write "How To" stories. The students will begin to learn about informational writing where they'll study how to write books that teach people to make or do something. We are very excites to introduce this new unit!
This week in phonics:
We are continuing to work on the H brothers this week (sh, th, ch, and wh). These are digraphs that are formed with two letters that make one unique sound.
The red words for the week are: mom, out, now.
Homework:
-Read for 15-20 minutes each night
-Work on comprehension of what happens in the book and making inferences
-Practice words that begin and end with ch, th, sh, wh.
-Use of the technology resources sent home! (iRead and Redbird log in information will be sent home in Thursday folders)
Week of October 2nd
This week in reading:
We are continuing to be Word Detectives for this short work week! Specifically, the students will work on “What makes a good reading partner"? They can help each other by asking these questions, "Does it make sense? Does it look right? Does it sound right?"
We are also working on having the students use the word wall in the room to help them remember words they have learned and might come across in their reading. We are also reinforcing that good readers can see the same word many times in the same book and recognize it throughout the book. We call these words "snap words", because we can read them in a snap!
This week in writing:
The students are continuing to "fix and fancy up" their best piece of writing! We will discuss what published books look like and how writers share their work with the world. On Wednesday, we will have our "Author Celebration" where the students will share their best piece with others in the class!
This week in phonics:
We will be working on the H brothers this week (sh, th, ch, and wh). These are digraphs that are formed with two letters that make one unique sound.
The red words for the week are: mom, out, now.
*We will not be taking an assessment this week because it is a short week. We will be continuing this skill next week, with our test on these skills being next Friday.
Homework:
Read for 15-20 minutes each night
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek. Emphasize voice in your child's reading! Talk about predictions of what might happen in the story. Work on comprehension of what happens in the book and making inferences.
We are continuing to be Word Detectives for this short work week! Specifically, the students will work on “What makes a good reading partner"? They can help each other by asking these questions, "Does it make sense? Does it look right? Does it sound right?"
We are also working on having the students use the word wall in the room to help them remember words they have learned and might come across in their reading. We are also reinforcing that good readers can see the same word many times in the same book and recognize it throughout the book. We call these words "snap words", because we can read them in a snap!
This week in writing:
The students are continuing to "fix and fancy up" their best piece of writing! We will discuss what published books look like and how writers share their work with the world. On Wednesday, we will have our "Author Celebration" where the students will share their best piece with others in the class!
This week in phonics:
We will be working on the H brothers this week (sh, th, ch, and wh). These are digraphs that are formed with two letters that make one unique sound.
The red words for the week are: mom, out, now.
*We will not be taking an assessment this week because it is a short week. We will be continuing this skill next week, with our test on these skills being next Friday.
Homework:
Read for 15-20 minutes each night
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek. Emphasize voice in your child's reading! Talk about predictions of what might happen in the story. Work on comprehension of what happens in the book and making inferences.
Week of September 25th
This week in reading:
We have our first reading celebration on Monday! We are celebrating all of the hard work we have done forming good habits as readers. On Tuesday, we start our next reading unit. We are going to be "Word Detectives"-always looking at ways to discover how to figure out hard words! "Word Detectives" use everything they know to sound out words and look closely at words.
This week in writing:
At the beginning of the week, students will learn that when you want to write a word and you don't know how to spell, it helps if you find a word you already know that sounds like it. We will also focus on capitalizing the beginning of a sentence and using end punctuation.
Then, the students will choose one story from their folders that they want to "fix and fancy up" for the world. The students will work with a writing partner to help them edit their pieces. Ways that we can do this are:
1. Make sure your writing is easy to read- words are spelled in such a way that people can read what you want to say and you have finger spaces between your words.
1. Really look for the need for capitalization and end punctuation in each others' work.
2. Work on telling the exact actions people do in stories.
This week in phonics:
We will be working on how to spell with the double letters -ss, -ff, -ll, -zz at the end of words.
The red words for the week are: man, or, not.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 15-20 minutes each night
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek. Emphasize voice in your child's reading! When your child comes to a tricky word, have them check the picture and look at all the parts of the words. Try it! Does it look right? Does it make sense?
-Practice the red words and phonics pattern of the week (glued into your child's agenda)
We have our first reading celebration on Monday! We are celebrating all of the hard work we have done forming good habits as readers. On Tuesday, we start our next reading unit. We are going to be "Word Detectives"-always looking at ways to discover how to figure out hard words! "Word Detectives" use everything they know to sound out words and look closely at words.
This week in writing:
At the beginning of the week, students will learn that when you want to write a word and you don't know how to spell, it helps if you find a word you already know that sounds like it. We will also focus on capitalizing the beginning of a sentence and using end punctuation.
Then, the students will choose one story from their folders that they want to "fix and fancy up" for the world. The students will work with a writing partner to help them edit their pieces. Ways that we can do this are:
1. Make sure your writing is easy to read- words are spelled in such a way that people can read what you want to say and you have finger spaces between your words.
1. Really look for the need for capitalization and end punctuation in each others' work.
2. Work on telling the exact actions people do in stories.
This week in phonics:
We will be working on how to spell with the double letters -ss, -ff, -ll, -zz at the end of words.
The red words for the week are: man, or, not.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 15-20 minutes each night
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek. Emphasize voice in your child's reading! When your child comes to a tricky word, have them check the picture and look at all the parts of the words. Try it! Does it look right? Does it make sense?
-Practice the red words and phonics pattern of the week (glued into your child's agenda)
Week of September 18th
This week in Reading:
We are continuing to work on what makes great readers and the good habits they must form.
1. Readers double-check their reading.
2. Readers don't give up - They try, try again!
3. When you are trying to read tricky words, one of the hard parts will be the vowels (a ,e ,I ,o ,u ) because they make lots of different sounds, especially when stuck to other letters. So the important thing is to try the sound two ways- short and long.
We will also work on how partners can help each other be great readers! Ways that they will learn this week are:
1. To reread a book to smooth it out, or see more, or to get ready to retell.
2. Partners don't just help each other at the beginning, the middle, and end of the book. They also help each other at the beginning and end of a unit of study- because those units are sort of like chapters in a person's reading life. Partners help readers to think backward and to retell and remember the important parts- and to think ahead, setting goals.
This week in Phonics:
We are starting to work on our Red Words this week! The students will take a pre-assessment for this week's words and it will come home in their agenda. If your child made some mistakes, please practice the words missed with him/her.
The 3 words for this week are: eat, if, jump. The phonics we are doing this week is a review of all of the Kindergarten letters.
We will use Orton-Gillingham skills to teach phonics to our classes. The students will learn a concept by using multi sensory experiences such as tapping the sounds of the words, writing the words in sand (super fun!), and practice dictation skills.
Students will have a test on Friday on the Red Words and phonics, especially focusing on CVC consonant/vowel/consonant) words.
This week in Writing:
The students are learning how to improve their writing by "unfreezing" their characters. The students will learn how to make the people in their story move, talk, and feel. We will work on "playing the story like a movie in your mind".
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 15-20 minutes each night
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek. Emphasize voice in your child's reading!
-Practice the red words and phonics pattern of the week (glued into your child's agenda)
We are continuing to work on what makes great readers and the good habits they must form.
1. Readers double-check their reading.
2. Readers don't give up - They try, try again!
3. When you are trying to read tricky words, one of the hard parts will be the vowels (a ,e ,I ,o ,u ) because they make lots of different sounds, especially when stuck to other letters. So the important thing is to try the sound two ways- short and long.
We will also work on how partners can help each other be great readers! Ways that they will learn this week are:
1. To reread a book to smooth it out, or see more, or to get ready to retell.
2. Partners don't just help each other at the beginning, the middle, and end of the book. They also help each other at the beginning and end of a unit of study- because those units are sort of like chapters in a person's reading life. Partners help readers to think backward and to retell and remember the important parts- and to think ahead, setting goals.
This week in Phonics:
We are starting to work on our Red Words this week! The students will take a pre-assessment for this week's words and it will come home in their agenda. If your child made some mistakes, please practice the words missed with him/her.
The 3 words for this week are: eat, if, jump. The phonics we are doing this week is a review of all of the Kindergarten letters.
We will use Orton-Gillingham skills to teach phonics to our classes. The students will learn a concept by using multi sensory experiences such as tapping the sounds of the words, writing the words in sand (super fun!), and practice dictation skills.
Students will have a test on Friday on the Red Words and phonics, especially focusing on CVC consonant/vowel/consonant) words.
This week in Writing:
The students are learning how to improve their writing by "unfreezing" their characters. The students will learn how to make the people in their story move, talk, and feel. We will work on "playing the story like a movie in your mind".
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 15-20 minutes each night
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek. Emphasize voice in your child's reading!
-Practice the red words and phonics pattern of the week (glued into your child's agenda)
Week of September 11th
This week in Reading:
This week we are still focusing on what makes a great reader and what good habits readers must have. Along with last week's ideas, we are also working on...
1. Using correct emphasis in your reading-if there is an exclamation point at the end of the sentence, make your voice reflect excitement!
2.Readers will look at all parts of a word to tackle even the hardest words.
3.Readers use meaning, picture clues to figure out words.
This week in Writing:
We are still working this week on our "small moment" writings-true, narrative stories from our lives that focus on just one tiny "seed" from a huge "watermelon" story (such as doing a cannonball into the pool versus the whole day at the pool as your story). We will discuss with the class how your writing partner can help you add details to your story to make it more interesting. The students will work on rereading their stories and looking for things to fix, how to "unfreeze" a character in the story by adding details to the story about what the characters said and did. They also will learn to add dialogue and action to help their characters "unfreeze".
This week in Phonics:
We will use Orton-Gillingham skills to teach phonics to our classes. The students will learn a concept by using multi sensory experiences such as tapping the sounds of the words, writing the words in sand (super fun!), and practice dictation skills.
Students will have a test on Friday on the Red Words and phonics pattern of the week.
The phonics we are doing this week is a review of all of the Kindergarten letters. We will begin red words and new phonics patterns next week.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 15 minutes each night
-Emphasize voice in your child's reading!
-Practice CVC words (cat, hat, mud, run, etc.)
This week we are still focusing on what makes a great reader and what good habits readers must have. Along with last week's ideas, we are also working on...
1. Using correct emphasis in your reading-if there is an exclamation point at the end of the sentence, make your voice reflect excitement!
2.Readers will look at all parts of a word to tackle even the hardest words.
3.Readers use meaning, picture clues to figure out words.
This week in Writing:
We are still working this week on our "small moment" writings-true, narrative stories from our lives that focus on just one tiny "seed" from a huge "watermelon" story (such as doing a cannonball into the pool versus the whole day at the pool as your story). We will discuss with the class how your writing partner can help you add details to your story to make it more interesting. The students will work on rereading their stories and looking for things to fix, how to "unfreeze" a character in the story by adding details to the story about what the characters said and did. They also will learn to add dialogue and action to help their characters "unfreeze".
This week in Phonics:
We will use Orton-Gillingham skills to teach phonics to our classes. The students will learn a concept by using multi sensory experiences such as tapping the sounds of the words, writing the words in sand (super fun!), and practice dictation skills.
Students will have a test on Friday on the Red Words and phonics pattern of the week.
The phonics we are doing this week is a review of all of the Kindergarten letters. We will begin red words and new phonics patterns next week.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 15 minutes each night
-Emphasize voice in your child's reading!
-Practice CVC words (cat, hat, mud, run, etc.)
Week of September 5th
This Week in Reading:
Last week, we really focused on the Good Habits we want to do as a reader. This week, we will discuss some of the bad reading habits we can pick up. Most of the bad habits this week pertain to becoming paralyzed when we come to tricky words while we're reading. We'll begin learning some strategies to help us solve these tricky words, like looking at the pictures and looking at all the parts of the word, not just the first letter or two.
This Week in Writing:
In writing, we are in our second week of Narrative writing. We will start this week by adding our first word attack strategy to our "Ways to Spell Words" chart. We'll be focusing on saying the word, stretching it out, and recording all the sounds we hear. Then, we will begin focusing on stretching out small moments in our story. Instead of writing all the events that happened on their vacation, we want them to zoom in on one tiny moment from that vacation and explain it in detail.
This Week in Phonics:
Spelling Principle - Review of Kindergarten skills. CVC Words: These are words that follow the consonant, vowel, consonant spelling pattern. Some examples include: hog, lip, met, tug, lap
Red words - NO Red Words this week (They will begin next week and will be posted on this blog!) We will review Kindergarten Red words this week.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 20 minutes each night. Remember to record the books your child reads in his/her agenda and initial.
If you come to tricky words, remember to look at all of the parts of the word to help you sound it out. Then, do a double check! Does the word make sense in the story?
Last week, we really focused on the Good Habits we want to do as a reader. This week, we will discuss some of the bad reading habits we can pick up. Most of the bad habits this week pertain to becoming paralyzed when we come to tricky words while we're reading. We'll begin learning some strategies to help us solve these tricky words, like looking at the pictures and looking at all the parts of the word, not just the first letter or two.
This Week in Writing:
In writing, we are in our second week of Narrative writing. We will start this week by adding our first word attack strategy to our "Ways to Spell Words" chart. We'll be focusing on saying the word, stretching it out, and recording all the sounds we hear. Then, we will begin focusing on stretching out small moments in our story. Instead of writing all the events that happened on their vacation, we want them to zoom in on one tiny moment from that vacation and explain it in detail.
This Week in Phonics:
Spelling Principle - Review of Kindergarten skills. CVC Words: These are words that follow the consonant, vowel, consonant spelling pattern. Some examples include: hog, lip, met, tug, lap
Red words - NO Red Words this week (They will begin next week and will be posted on this blog!) We will review Kindergarten Red words this week.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 20 minutes each night. Remember to record the books your child reads in his/her agenda and initial.
If you come to tricky words, remember to look at all of the parts of the word to help you sound it out. Then, do a double check! Does the word make sense in the story?
Week of August 28th
This Week in Reading:
This week we are focusing on all the good habits readers have. Some of the good habits we've been focusing on are...
1. Take a sneak peek.
2. Check your sneak peak.
3. Do SOMETHING at the end.
4. Read MORE and MORE.
5. Read MORE and MORE and keep track.
6. Set goals.
7. Reread to smooth out your voice.
8. Scoop up words in phrases.
9. Reread to see MORE!
So far, we have been working on our stamina as independent readers. This week we will begin partner reading, and the students will work on their good habits together.
This Week in Writing:
This week, we will begin our Narrative Writing unit. Our focus is that the students are engrossed in writing true stories from their lives. We will begin by learning how to write a story. First we think of an idea, then we plan it out, and then we write. When we plan it out, we touch the pages of our 3 page booklets and tell what happened first, next, and last.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 20 minutes each night. Record the books read in the agenda.
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek.
This week we are focusing on all the good habits readers have. Some of the good habits we've been focusing on are...
1. Take a sneak peek.
2. Check your sneak peak.
3. Do SOMETHING at the end.
4. Read MORE and MORE.
5. Read MORE and MORE and keep track.
6. Set goals.
7. Reread to smooth out your voice.
8. Scoop up words in phrases.
9. Reread to see MORE!
So far, we have been working on our stamina as independent readers. This week we will begin partner reading, and the students will work on their good habits together.
This Week in Writing:
This week, we will begin our Narrative Writing unit. Our focus is that the students are engrossed in writing true stories from their lives. We will begin by learning how to write a story. First we think of an idea, then we plan it out, and then we write. When we plan it out, we touch the pages of our 3 page booklets and tell what happened first, next, and last.
Suggested Homework:
-Read for 20 minutes each night. Record the books read in the agenda.
Start by taking a sneak peek and making a prediction. Then, read the story. At the end, check your sneak peek.