Grant El. Kindergarten Weekly News

From Mrs. Conran and Mrs. Caya

Week Beginning:  October 13

Important Dates

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 for students; End of Quarter One

Reading

Comprehension:  Your nightly reading is a terrific way to support reading comprehension.   Ask questions, retell stories and make up new endings together.  These activities will encourage your child to think deeply about stories and build life-long reading habits.  Remember to keep filling in your October reading log.  Students who read every day for 20 minutes and return the form will receive an award in November.

Comprehension Learning Target:  I can use my schema to talk to others about my understanding.

Phonics:  We are working on helping every reader to be able to identify all letters and produce and use all letter sounds.  Please continue to practice letters and sounds daily.  If your child knows all letters and sounds, begin using those sounds to write unknown words.  Help your child “stretch” words out to hear the sounds and write down what he/she hears.

Phonics Learning Target:  I can identify letters and produce their sounds.

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

Sight words to be mastered by Oct 23:  I, and, the, like, see, we, a, to, come, me

Remember that all letters and their sounds should be mastered by Dec 1.  For Quarter 1, students should be able to read 12 sight words including, like, I, and , the, see, we, a, to, come, me.  The sight words are in your child’s folder.

Writing

Narrative writing has been our first quarter focus.  Narrative writing is used to tell a story in sequence with some details from the beginning, middle and end of the story.  At this time, students should be able to draw a detailed story and label pictures or write simple sentences about the drawings.  This week, we are working storyboards.  Storyboards tell sequential stories with vivid drawings.  Work together with your child to brainstorm exciting writing topics (family vacations, favorite family activities, hobbies…).

Math

We are working each day on counting to 20. If a student omits a number when counting, we stop them and count, their counting score at the last correct number said (when counting your child does not say 13, their score would be that they can count to 12). You can help your child with counting by singing counting songs, reading counting books, counting objects found around the home.

We have begun writing numbers.  Students are doing well with this. As with all skills, the more opportunities they have to practice them the better they will be. Our end of year is for students to write their numbers to 20 or higher.

Investigations

We will begin our Unit on Needs and Wants Learning that our basic needs are for food, water, clothing, and shelter. Then we will discuss ‘wants’ people may have which are things people would like but do

not need. Using music, literature (If You Give a Pig a Pancake), video, and discussion, students

identify their own and others’ wants and the differences between wants and needs

Questions to Ask Your Child to Spark Conversations

Show your child a list of letters.  Ask him or her to read them to you by name and sound.

What letter sounds do you hear in fun?

Tell me what you know about different types of paper.  What did you do with paper this week?

How do you treat friends in your class gently? 

Who are your friends?

How can you tell which number is bigger: 8 or 7?

What number comes after 12?  What number comes after 29?

What classroom job do you think will be your favorite?

Other News, Notes and Reminders

St. Catherine’s Commons Costume Parade:  On Wednesday, October 29, students will take a walking field trip for a costume parade.  Please be sure your permission slip is turned in.

Guided Reading:  We have been reading in small groups for several weeks to build comprehension and decoding skills.  As part of our guided reading program, we will be sending of book home each week.  Books that are sent home will be familiar books that we have read several times.  You be asked to listen to your child read and sign a reading log.  Books will be sent home each week on Wednesday, and they will need to be returned on Thursday.  We use these books EVERY day, so please be consistent with returning books on Thursdays.  The first two books will be paper books that will need to be returned.  If your child successfully returns these books, they will continue to bring home our regular guided reading books.  Please be aware that these books are purchased in sets of 6 and cannot be purchased individually.  To replace one lost or damaged book, the cost to the school is $35-50.  Please be very careful with your books.  If books are not returned, we are not able to send home more books with your child.

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