Grant El. Kindergarten Weekly News

From Mrs. Conran and Mrs. Caya

Week Beginning:  April 20, 2015

Important Dates

April 22          Family Craft Night

April 23          K/1 Music Concert 6pm

April 28          Family Math Night

April 30          Kona Ice – After School

Reading & Writing

Comprehension Learning Target:  I can answer questions about what happens in stories.

This means that readers use key details to answer literal and inferential questions about the characters and events in a story.  Some questions are answered right in the text.  Other questions need some thought and may not have direct answers.  Readers can think carefully about both kinds of questions.   With this deep thinking, readers are able to compare and contrast the adventure and attitudes of characters in different texts.  For example, how is Alexander (in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) similar to Chrysanthemum (in Chrysanthemum)?  You can help your child become a careful reader by asked him/her to think deeply about your home reading and make comparisons within one book or from one book to another.

Phonics Learning Target:  I can build word families.

This week we are working on –ot and –op word families.  Your child should be able to read and write the words in these word families.  Place the stress on learning how the family part stays the same and only the beginning changes.  We do not want students thinking of these as unrelated sight words.  The goal is to see the patterns in words.

op	ot
hop cop mop pop stop slop chop top plop drop	dot got hot lot not pot tot slot shot

Writing Learning Target:  I can write to give information.

We have been learning about different animals including the worms and goldfish that we have in our classroom.  We will be using online resources and books to gain information about these and other animals.  This week, we will be writing the new facts we have learned to teach others.  You can practice at home by having your child write some facts about favorite animals.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) & Social Skills

Please review and remind your student of expected behaviors at school. A simple way to do this is to say, “What does it look like? What does it sound like.”

Investigations

            Our kindergarten class is beginning a science unit on animals. We will be observing and comparing animals over the next several weeks: goldfish, two kinds of earthworms (red worms and night crawlers), and two kinds of isopods (pill bugs and sow bugs). We will learn how to handle these interesting animals carefully and will all participate in the care and feeding of our animal visitors. So be prepared; your child may come home with lots of questions and stories about animals. Visit the FOSS website for more information on our Module Animals Two by Two. (www.fossweb.com/CA)

            You can help your child learn about animals by taking walks in your neighborhood to look for animals and by talking about animals in and around your home—everything from pets to insects. We will be discussing differences and similarities in the structures and behaviors of the animals we investigate and starting to develop the important attitudes of respect for life and a sense of responsibility for living organisms.