Week of November 13th

This week:

Sight Words: no new sight words (review all previous sight words)
Theme:  Thanksgiving
Language Arts:  Making Connections/Setting
Math: Teen Numbers
Social Studies:  Then and Now
Writing:  Writing stories
Phonics:  Gg
Brisket: Joshua

Important Dates:
November 13th-17th:  Minimum Days (parent/teacher conference week)
November 17th:  Tasting Feast (parent help needed this day)
November 20th-November 24th:  No school/Thanksgiving Break

Scholastic Book Orders
Please place orders before this Friday. 

Parent Conferences
Conferences begin this week!  Please double check your time and day and plan to arrive a few minutes early.  Conferences are scheduled back-to-back and I will need to stay on schedule.  Thank you!

Thanksgiving Tasting Feast 
Our tasting feast will be on Friday!  If you signed up to bring an item, please send it that morning.

Things you want to start incorporating into your child's homework:
1.  Writing letters Aa-Zz (you can print out the Alphabet Writing Chart by clicking on the homework tab and scrolling down).
2.  Writing numbers 1-30 (this chart is also under the homework tab).  


Writing: 
*We have been practicing "stretching out" unknown words in our writing.  Have your child reference their sound/letter chart on the back of their take home folder for help.
I want to share with you what we have been learning about writing so you can support me at home when it comes to the Share Homework.  If you have been writing a sentence for them up to this point, that's great.  I am asking that you shift your support at this point so your child can gain more confidence in writing.  Here's what I'm teaching:
1.  THE PICTURE
In class we have been writing stories by drawing pictures.  We have been learning that our pictures should tell who was there, where they were and how they felt.  We have been learning that we want to use MANY of the crayons in our crayon box to draw details.  For example, if I am telling a story about my trip to the park, I would include the following details in my picture:
a sun, some clouds, grass, the swings I went on, the picnic lunch I had, my two boys and I would use as many colors as I could from my crayon box.
2.  TAPPING AND TELLING
After our detailed picture is complete, we have been learning to tap our details and tell the story.  (If the students can't tell a story, how will they ever learn to write a story?)  My tap and tell would sound something like this as I touched the appropriate parts of the picture:
"I went to the park with Jonas and Mattias and it was a sunny day.  We went on the swings and we had a picnic on the grass.  I packed sandwiches and watermelon.  We had a great time.
3.  ADDING LABELS
After tapping and telling, we have just begun adding labels to our picture.  I'm encouraging the students to write the sounds they hear in the object they are labeling.  For example, if we are labeling the sun, a beginner may just write an 's' for the beginning sound.  That's great!! Some students may write 'sn' because they hear the beginning and end.  Some students are working at a level that they are hearing beginning, middle and ending sounds.  We want to support the child at their level and build their confidence as their phonemic awareness improves.
I am encouraging students to add 1-2 labels to their pictures in class.

Thanks for your support!  Remember, share homework is due EVERY WEEK, any day but Friday.


Sight Words:
Words we've been working on in class:
are
now
with
my
a
to 
the
and
can
I
see
like
come
me
you
what

Please put these in flashcards and practice them if your child can not read these words.  Thank you for your support.  

Don't forget that practicing Sight Words is a part of your child's homework. Each child has a baggie with his/her name and green flashcards.  Please help your child learn these words at a pace that is appropriate for them.  I will be teach the words I and see next week but many students are ready for more than just 2 words a week.  When your child knows all the words, have them return them to me in their Take Home Folder for a quick test.  I'm looking to see that your child is NOT sounding out the word, but recognizing it quickly.  They will receive a Brag Tag and then move onto the next list.  Students who pass all 8 sight words lists will receive a prize!  
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Homework:
Please click on the 'Homework' tab to see the homework for this week