Saturday, December 20, 2008

Classroom Times~ December 2nd

Integrated Literacy ~ Science

Once again we will take a break from our guided reading groups and focus on whole group reading from our science series.

1st Grade~ Weather and Seasons
Children will learn about two features of weather ~ temperature and wind. They will also learn about the four seasons and the water cycle.

2nd Grade~ Looking at Matter
Children will learn that matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. They will learn that matter can be a solid, liquid or gas.

Sitton Spelling~

1st Grade~
Children are being introduced to homophones. Homophones are words that sound alike but are not spelled the same and do not mean the same. They have also learned short vowel “a” and will soon focus on short “i” and “o”.

2nd Grade~
We are working on long vowels and the different spellings a long vowel may have. For example long vowel “a” can be spelled with a silent e at the end, “ai” together or “ay” together. Sometimes long “a” can be spelled with “eigh” as in eight or neighbor. Children must learn to visualize what looks right to them. Children continue to learn more homophones and sight words.

Everyday Mathematics~

1st Grade~
Unit 4 focuses on measurement with inches, telling time to the hour, half hour and quarter hour, addition and solving oral number stories. Please continue to practice skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, and counting money with pennies, nickels and dimes.

2nd Grade~
Do not panic! The end of unit four is challenging—more so than what we’ve practiced so far. The children are going to learn how to do algorithms. An algorithm is a set of step-by-step instructions for doing something, such as carrying out a computation or solving a problem. Many of the children may not get it at first, but through repeated practice, they will eventually understand how to do this process. Once again, it is important to read the Family Home Links and do the math assignments with your children.

Winter clothing ~
It is inevitable that we will have plenty of snow very soon. When we do get the snow, it will be important for the children to come to school with boots, snow pants, hats and mittens. It would be wise to send an extra pair of socks and mittens along with a bag for the wet clothing. We do not have radiators in the classroom that can dry outer clothing. Once the clothes are wet, they are wet for the day. I do ask for shoes along with boots. The wet boots stay in the hall. Dry shoes or sneakers are needed for the classroom. Children are frequently asked to sit on the classroom rug. We need the dry footwear to keep our classroom floor and rug dry for children to sit on. If your child has an extra pair of sneakers, they may leave them at school for the wintertime season.

Please label all coats and snowpants. There are many times when a child does not recognize their own clothing.

Behavior Awards~
For the last several weeks, I have sent home behavior awards. These awards are to express appreciation to the children who show good behavior and follow the rules. I have a chart that I keep track of behaviors. My rule is: “Three strikes and you’re out”. So if a child receives three marks in one week, they will not receive an award. Some behaviors that earn marks and are unacceptable are, talking out, interrupting, excessive talking during quiet work time, not listening, making noises, not following directions and not paying attention.
Please praise your children when these awards come home.

Giving Thanks