Students enjoying math games!

Fun with reading centers!

List 2 Sight Words

her, now, down, with, hurt, find, as, would, then, when, four, write, does, five, right, who, once, pull, how, three, two, upo, could, little, out, was, call, cold, eat, come, where, first, too, funny, what, know, never, long, why, also

Our Class Stars!

(more pictures to come...)

Language Arts

The students have been delving into the language arts curriculum! They have been working on all short vowel sounds and learning key words for their sounds. Ask your child the key words that represent the short vowel sounds! I have been teaching the students fun stories to go with the short vowel sounds. See if your child can tell you these silly stories! We have also been blending sounds to form consonant-vowel-constant words in reading and in writing. Soon, the students will be working with digraphs such as th, sh, wh, ch, and wh.
In addition to phonics, we have been working on comprehension strategies such as making personal connections with text and developing story structure. Important story structure elements include character, setting, problem, and solution. Ask your child where, when, who, and what questions when reading and when being read to. This will greatly help aid in comprehension development! Story event sequencing is also an important skill for your child to develop, as accurate story retelling will be worked on throughout the year.
Thus far, the class has been writing using sentence starters such as: I can_______, and, One time I was on the go when ___________. Children of this age tend to be concerned about how to correctly spell what they are writing. However, I am encouraging them to write their words during writing blocks using the sounds they think are in the word(s). This gives me information about where they are as writers/spellers, and it keeps the focus on written expression, rather than on spelling. Feel free to use this approach at home as well! If it is a basic CVC word, you may guide your child in spelling it if needed, since that is a skill we have been focusing on.

Mathematics

The students have been working on developing strategies for seeing numbers as made of parts. We call these parts addends in class. When we add them we call the answer the sum, whole, or total. The students have been using number lines to help add numbers, as well as part-part-whole models. Ask your child what a part-part-whole model is! Students are encouraged to draw pictures to help them solve math problems, as well as to 'count on.' The 'put the number in your pocket' strategy is helpful in this latter mentioned strategy. Have your child model this strategy for you, perhaps using the equation 3+5.
It is also useful for the students to know and work on doubles and near doubles facts (2+2=4, SO 2+3 must = 5). We have been working on such facts in class. Additionally, the students have been figuring out such equations as 4+__=9. Story problems are also used with all such facts. Anything you can do at home to help your child sharpen these strategies and math practices will be of great benefit!

Cedar Star Behavior

The students have earned MANY star behavior recognition tickets thus far! The class is responding beautifully to the positive reinforcement. I also award students with stickers for their sticker books for exhibiting safe, responsible, and respectful behavior. Once a student has received 5 stickers in his or her sticker book, he or she may get a prize from the prize box. I am careful to explain to the students that I know ALL of them work hard to display safe, respectful, and responsible behaviors and I will always do my best to 'catch' them doing it. I assure them that they WILL all have received 5 stickers many times. Team Nameika is a GREAT class with truly kind, caring, sweet students!