Grant El. Kindergarten Weekly News

From Mrs. Conran and Mrs. Caya

Week Beginning:  March 9, 2015

Important Dates

March 10       Dr. Seuss Family Night 5:30pm

March 11       Spirit Day: Wear sunglasses!

March 16       Culvers Night – Watch for details.

March 17       Mrs. Conran’s Class to Safety Center

March 18       Mrs. Caya’s Class to Safety Center

March 21       Saturday Morning Book Club 9:30am

March 24       BINGO Family Night – Watch for Details

Reading

Comprehension:  This week students are using fiction and informational texts to learn about the seasons and weather.  In our reading, we will investigate author’s purpose.  For example, some authors write to teach us something; some write to entertain.   Here are some conversation starters for your reading at home:

What are you learning about in the book?

What was this book about and what did you learn about _________ (topic)?

List some things the author said about _______ (topic).

What did the author do to make this text interesting?

Comprehension Learning Target:  I can identify the author’s purpose and tell supporting details.

Phonics:  This week we are continuing to work on sight words to write complete sentences.   We are focusing on spelling sight words correctly and using letter sounds to accurately write new words.

Phonics Learning Target:  I can read and write sight words in sentences.

Words to Practice:  do, down, have, help, look, out, off, take

Writing

We have been working on opinion writing.  We have worked on the OREO format:

O - State your opinion.  (example – I like cats.)

R – State your reasons.  (example – Cats are fun and furry.)

E – Give some examples. (example – Cats like to play with balls and string.  They are cuddly.)

O – Restate your opinion.  (example – Cats are the best!)

Try working with your child to write some opinions.

My favorite dinner is…

The best thing about winter is…

My favorite movie is…

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) & Social Skills

Each day, our day begins with a Morning Meeting.  During this meeting, we engage in team-building activities, share news, solve problems and learn social skills.  We play games, role-play and simply listen to each other.  These activities support your child’s social development as well as Grant’s PBIS program.  We end each day with an Afternoon Wrap-Up to review the day and look to the next.

Investigations

Thanks to all who donated items for Green Eggs and Ham.  We had a wonderful experience!

This week we will be learning about the weather and how it changes from season to season. What can you do outside during the different seasons, how the weather dictates what you can do, and how some weather can be severe.

 You can help your child learn more about weather, too. You might discuss weather reports in the newspaper or on television. Point out wind vanes if you happen to see one perched on top of a house. If you have an indoor or outdoor thermometer, read and record the tem­perature at about the same time each day and look for patterns. Or you may want to watch the temperature change over the course of one day. Does it happen that way every day? Weather is an ever-changing story. You can guide your child’s scientific inquiry by helping him or her to make observations and by nurturing his or her natural ability to ask questions based on those observations. Don’t be surprised if you end up with a list of questions much longer than the initial observations!

Math

                       

Good rote counting skills help children become aware of the patterns and the structure of our number system. In addition to counting actual objects, children enjoy the rhythm and pattern of reciting numbers in order, or rote counting. Encourage them to count as far as they can. From time to time, help them go a little further. Children gain a real sense of power when they are able to reach 100.

Practice counting to 100.

First, start counting at 1. Then start at other numbers: 15, 27, 45 …

Count backward sometimes. Rocket liftoffs, timers, and microwaves count down to 0. Try starting from the teens or higher numbers too: 13, 12, 11 … .

Try counting backward. This is good practice for becoming a nimble counter. Try starting from different numbers. A common counting pitfall often occurs when children reach the 100 number barrier. Instead of counting “101, 102, 103,” and so on, they begin to count by hundreds: “100, 200, 300” and so on.

Practice counting past 100. Start from different numbers, such as 81, 92, and 68.

Practice counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s.  This is called “skip counting.”