The Mighty Magnificent
Elementary Brains at Work
Reading
Our students are able to read an amazing amount of words! Most students know all letters of the alphabet now, and the sounds attached to those letters. We are using this knowledge to increase our reading and writing skills.
Be sure to continue to practice sight words daily and in many different ways. Always remember the importance of re-reading a passage to build towards fluid and
"smooth" reading. We like to try to "say it like we speak it" so kids understand
to make stories sound clear and
meaningful. Keep practicing!
Math
Students should feel comfortable counting to 75 independently by this point of the year, to build towards their goal of 100 by the end of K!We are also working on identifying the names of flat and solid shapes (2D and 3D) and finding those shapes in the world around us.
Students are continuing to grow as strong mathematicians and have been challenging themselves to beat their addition and subtraction minute math goals. Our kids practice addition on Xtramath.org and can play at home too! Do you need their login information again? Just ask!
Social Studies
n Social Studies, we are continually
working on understanding the
importance of rules in a community
(school, town, city, state, etc) and why
rules are important. We are continually working on how to be productive
members of our classroom, and how to solve problems.
Science
We have continued to discuss the weather, and Michigan is a great place to do that as it changes so often! We have also moved into discussing forces in motion and learning about simple machines. Next up, living things!
Writing
At this point in the school year, students are doing a great job of weekly dictation tests. This is a skill that, if solidly present, should also be showing in their independent writing work. However, if a student is not used to the "productive struggle" associated with working on a prolonged task which may need edits and re-writes, independent writing can be taxing! Keep practicing at home with short notes, lists, stories and captions and then work up to longer work with more detail.
Did you know the importance of the illustration to help a story too? Sometimes just being creative and drawing at home with your child is a great way to get those creative writing vibes going!
Handwriting
Handwriting is one of the easiest things to practice at home! Please access the "handwriting guide" on the resources tab to see the language we use at school when teaching handwriting. I highly encourage proper formation and reward students who earn "handwriting hero"hole punches on a handwriting card.
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The importance of legible, correctly formed letters comes in as our kids become stronger writers. As they begin to communicate through their writing, the easier it is for them to write the letter (without having to think so much about the form) the better their writing will become. Please continue to work on handwriting at home!
Classroom Needs
Our classroom is currently in need of...
We are interested in any small, old electronics you'd be willing to donate to our room for us to take apart! Working, or non-working, when kids are able to disassemble and explore the innerworkings of electronics, they begin to learn how things work and it can ignite a desire to further explore technology in a hands-on, creative way!
Wondering what a MakerSpace is? If you google, you'll find all sorts of information on the topic! This is a good resource to look through if you're interested in what we'll be doing! There may be things around your home you could donate to get us started. Paper plates, plastic cups, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, skewers, variety of tapes, paper, cardboard, twist ties, etc! See here or here for more ideas!