Back into the Routine

Teacher often joke that once we make it to Thanksgiving we are in the home stretch as the breaks become more regular now.   In just a few more weeks we will be off for the Winter/Christmas Break.  Rest assured we will be busy these next few weeks as we get our second trimester underway. 

This week students learned three new letters: h, l, and k.   We learned the letter formation, keyword, and sound.  We also read a new sight word book titled We Go.   The new sight words are we, go, and to.  In the last block I attached a link to open a page with sight words on it, but a parent informed me that the link did not open, so in your Friday Folder you should find a yellow sheet with sight words on it.   You can cut out the words to make flash cards.   You could also hide them around the house and have your child go on a word hunt to find and read as many words as he or she can.   Post them on your refrigerator or make a word wall.   Make a cope of the page to play memory.   These are all ways your child can practice these words. 

In writers workshop students are working on publishing stories.  Basically this involves taking one of their stories and making it the best it can be and then adding a cover with a tittle and their name.  Students have really been enjoying this process and feel a lot of pride when their books are complete and they have a story for our share basket in the library.

In Math we began our next unit.  This week we have been learning about length and comparing items to identify shorter and longer/taller.   After practicing this for a couple of days, we began to compare cube sticks that represent numbers.  In doing so, the students begin to compare numbers. ("My 7 stick is longer than my 5 stick".)

Students have been learning about living and non living things.  Our goal is to be able to identify a living things based on the criteria:   It needs water, food, and air, and plants also need sun.  Living things reproduce, grow and change, and can move.   Non living things do not need or do these these things. In relationship to this unit, Miss. Jess (my student teacher) taught two lessons about life cycles.  All living things have a life cycle. 

Also in your Friday Folders was a wish list for items I am in need of for our classroom.   On this list I neglected to mention that we also need firewood from time to time for ECO. 

Our next ECO lesson is Friday, Dec. 8th.   We have also added an additional date in December.   On Monday Dec. 18th from 11:30 - 2:30 we will celebrate the Winter Solstice.   If you are able to volunteer for the 18th, please let me know. 

Your Child's Mastery Report (report card) should be coming home sometime in the next week or so.   If you have questions abut it once you see it, please let me know.