Grant El. Kindergarten Weekly News

From Mrs. Conran and Mrs. Caya

Week Beginning: October 6, 2014

Important Dates

Oct 8   Mid-Term Reports Sent Home

Oct 14 Pumpkin Science Night 5:30pm

Oct 15 2^nd Cup of Coffee: Muffin for Moms 8:15-9:15am

Oct 18 Saturday Morning Book Club

Oct 22 – 24 Parent – Teacher Conference – No CLC

Oct 23 12:00 Dismissal – No Lunch will be served – No CLC

Oct 24 No school for students

Oct 29 Field Trip to St. Catherine’s Commons- Costume Parade

Oct 30 Fall Festival

Oct 31 No School; End of Quarter One

Reading

Comprehension:  This week we are gathering information about how well your child answers the “W” questions about stories they hear.  “W” questions may include:  Who was in the story?  Where did the story happen?  When did the story happen?  When did specific events happen?  What happened first, next, last?  Why did the character do _______?  These questions help readers focus on the most important information lead to deep understanding of text.   You can help your child become a deep reader by asking these types of questions routinely while you read.

Phonics:  We have spent a few weeks learning how to learn letters and sight words.  At this time, your Kindergartner should be able to identify Tt, Ss, Mm and Aa.  Hunt for these letters EVERYWHERE if your child is still struggling.  Kindergartners should also be able to say the sound each of these letters make and use those sounds to begin to read and write words.   Kindergartners should also firmly know these sight words: and, the, like and I.

Letters & Sounds to be mastered by Oct 23: Cc, Pp, Nn, Ff, Bb, Ii

Sight words to be mastered by Oct 23:  see, we, a, to, come, me

Writing

To build confidence using letter sounds, we have been doing a great deal of labeling pictures using as many sounds as students can hear.  Often, Kindergarten students are reluctant to write because they don’t know how to spell every word.  We encourage lots of “write what you hear”, and you can continue this type of practice at home to grow a strong writer.  We are also working on writing simple sentences using some of our sight words and some letter-sound spelling.  A great example looks like this:

I like to swm in the wtr.

I  like  to  swim  in  the  water.

Math

In math we are working on writing our

numbers. Our ultimate goal is to write

them wo 100 without using a model. At

this time we are focusing on the formation.

Numbers need to start at the top and go

down.

 Investigations

We are wrapping up our unit on Our Community and Neighborhood. This week we talk about and discussed community helpers. We specifically learned about teachers, doctors, and firemen. Ask us about how they help our community.

Our next unit is: Meeting Peoples Needs – Students should be able to answer the following questions at the end of the unit. How do we get what we need from our environment? What is the difference between wants and needs? What is the difference between a good and a service? How do you acquire things that you want or need?

Questions to Ask Your Child to Spark Conversations

Tell me as many things as you can that begin with /a/ like apple.

What letter sounds do you hear in leaf?

What does a tree need to survive?

What are the differences between different types of wood like maple, plywood and redwood?  Tell me about the wood observations you have done.

How can you tell which number is bigger: 6 or 3?

What number comes after 14?  What number comes after 19?

What is one nice thing you have done for a friend this week?

What have you taught someone else during math or literacy stations?

Other News, Notes and Reminders

St. Catherine’s Commons Costume Parade: K/1 classes will be able to dress up in costume appropriate for school and take a walking field trip to St. Cats. We go “trick-or-treating” to the residents seated around their community room. Permission slips will be sent home next week.

Arrival:  Please remember that school begins at 8:10am.  Friday dismissal is 12:00pm.

Thank You!  Thanks to Ms. Johnson, Mrs. Ballewske and Ms.Kittle for your help with folder preparation, classroom materials preparation and working individually with students.  You made a huge impact on our classrooms!

 

rconran@kusd.edu                   jcaya@kusd.edu             http://conrankindergarten.blogspot.com